A/N: So I reappear. I haven't had internet this entire time since I just moved into an apartment and yeah. So nothing yet on the sequel of the sequel cuz I'm still working out all the scenes in my head. This here is the other idea I had for Tests of Time but I decided not to go with it. So it's like an alternative telling of it or whatnot. Sort of like with Escaflowne but no characters get different hair colors and new very visible tattoos all of a sudden lol.

For a moment there was warmth, a securing warmth that enveloped her whole. Then as soon as it came it vanished, a seeping cold coming in its stead. It was enough to make her cry, and she did but a single tear, a last tear before she fully slipped into the darkness, the memory of the warmth sinking with her.

---

There was a weight, a light one but still a weight. It wasn't supposed to be there. She stirred and the light weight gripped her tighter, its surface feeling rough. She tried to move her fingers but found the task unable to be completed, the weighted object having a firm hold on her left hand. Hand, that's what it was, someone's hand. A blurred image played in her mind. Dark hair, red eyes. Sasuke.

"I won't."

"Sasuke!" Green eyes opening, Sakura rose up from the white bed, Naruto nearly falling off of the small stool he sat upon in surprise.

"Sakura-chan!" She turned at the mention of her name, the voice not the one she had hoped to hear.

"Naruto." She said with a touch of disappointment laced within. Disregarding her tone Naruto smiled, glad that she had awoken.

"I was afraid you'd never wake up."

"Wake up? How long was I…?"

"Only a day, Tsunade-obaachan said it'd be at least a week. Heh, boy was she wrong." Sakura turned away from the brightly clad boy to look out the window.

"A day…" Recollection of that comforting warmth coming back. "Naruto."

"Yeah?"

"Were you…holding me?"

"Nani!" He burst out loudly, completely taken back by her words, a rosy tint rising on his tanned face. "Eto…" His arm rose, as he rubbed that back of his neck in embarrassment, "Why are you asking that? I mean, I thought about it but…I mean…well…"

"Not here, back there." Her voice sounded distant, almost lost. Lowering his arm, Naruto looked curiously at his teammate.

"Back there? Where?"

"The forest." Now he was confused, he wasn't sure whether or not she was serious. Perhaps she had hit her head harder than they all had thought.

"No, why are you asking?"

"Was someone there with me?"

"Someone? Like who?" Sakura remained silent; assessing what was being said to her. "What are you talking about? You're making no sense. Maybe you did wake up too soon, you should go back to sleep." He started rising from the small stool, reaching out for the injured girl.

"Was no one there with me, when you found me?" His hand stopped inches from her shoulder, frozen there unable to move. He wasn't sure why but the question sounded lonely, almost sad.

"You were alone, lying on the ground unconscious. We searched but no one else was there. The bastard that attacked you was long gone." His fist clenched in anger recalling how he and Shikamaru had found Sakura lying on the ground, bleeding and unconscious.

"I see." Her gentle voice breaking him out of his angered thoughts, his expression softening, as his hand dropped back to his side as if in defeat.

"I bet you're hungry. I'll go get some food for you." Twisting away, Naruto felt his heart tighten as if it was being squeezed by someone's hand. There was no movement from the pink haired medic-nin, only to which worried him some more. Stepping out of the room he wondered aloud whether or not to get the hokage. Perhaps she could figure out what was wrong with her. As Naruto made his way down the empty halls, he was sure he heard soft whimpers of someone crying. He was also sure that they were coming from a certain someone's room, but he ignored them, deciding best to play deaf this time.

---

Night fell upon the village, most of its inhabitants fast asleep, unaware of all that was going on beyond their protective walls. Coming back from dinner Naruto wondered if Sakura had woken up. When he had returned with the hokage, she was fast asleep, a faint trail of tears lining her swollen cheeks. Stopping outside her door he hesitated entering, not quite sure why but he felt extremely helpless at the moment, a feeling he hated most in the world. Pulling the door aside he peered into the dark room. "Sakura-chan, are you asleep?" Glancing at the bed his heart skipped a beat. The sheets were pulled back, revealing an empty bed, a strong breeze coming in from the open window. "Sakura-chan!"

---

She wasn't sure why she had gotten out of bed, nor why she was rushing past the various buildings. She had been in such a deep sleep she hadn't imagined ever waking up, but that feeling, she couldn't ignore it; she knew it all too well. It noisily thrashed into her dreams, demanding attention. There was no way she could have ignored it. The silent call had been too strong for that.

Her feet felt heavier as she neared the village's entrance and exit, only one way in and only one way out. It was that simple and yet so complicated. Picking up speed, Sakura ignored the complaints her body gave her, a sense of urgency overcoming her being, her injuries would have to wait.

In mere seconds she stood in the center of the opening, her chest rising and falling as she tried to regain her breath. She had pushed herself, she knew that but it didn't matter. Her large eyes looked out ahead, scanning the darkness for any sign of movement. Carefully and almost delicately her eyes roomed over every inch of the scene before her. She wouldn't accept missing anything because of her impatience. Again and again she searched, and as with every last look she saw nothing. She tried not to be disappointed, she told herself not to get disappointed, she warned herself for even thinking it and scolded herself for beginning to feel it. Yet she couldn't help it, it fell unto her secretly without a word, forcing her to dwell in its existance. Again, again she had failed to stop him, to convince him. "Why?" Her whispered question traveled through the air fading into the cover of the trees. Dropping her gaze, she lingered at the spot a while longer, a sense of hope keeping her rooted there. At least I'm not crying this time. She thought miserably, forcing her body to turn away.

She felt tired, worn and disillusioned. Her rosy locks fluttered slightly with the quiet wind, her first step tentative. Walking away made it a reality, one she didn't want to face again, though she really had no choice. She was never really given a choice. Always, always were they made before she could give any input, give any complaints. Always. Another step, then another, her feet feeling more and more like lead. It was going to be a long walk back, a long, solitary one.

Closing her eyes, she breathed in the night air, wishing the wind could carry her away. Just as her lungs filled with air, in that momentary instant she felt it, the pull, the silent call that had beckoned her out. Just as quickly, she turned back, facing the shadowed exit, her eyes desperately looking about, shaking with anticipation and hope, her lips slightly parted allowing the air to escape and then take refuge within her small mouth. Where, where? She couldn't see, only feel. Please not again.

Pausing, Sakura hesitantly drew her gaze towards the center of the clearing, her eyes moving to the trees before her. Unmoving, unblinking, she stared into the shadows, her breath slowing until she forgot to breathe, keeping the air trapped tightly in her chest. A slight shift, a flicker of a reflection, and then a step forward. "Sasu…ke…kun." Her words seemed unreal, not her own, but far away and unfamiliar. "Sasuke-kun." She repeated once again, a little louder but still in a whisper. It mattered not; he had heard her either way. Her lip trembled, and her chest began to hurt, as she let the remaining air flow out, her viridian eyes beginning to gleam with the tears she had said she wouldn't shed. Unable to stand any longer she fell to the ground, her small hands covering her mouth as she held back her pitiful sobs, fresh tears spilling from her closed eyes. It wasn't a dream, it truly wasn't. She had asked him to stay and he did.

Sasuke watched as Sakura cried, her soft whimpers reaching his ears, and her quivering body playing in his eyes in the still of the night. This time he wouldn't interfere, but just watch her cry, unlike last time. Then, then he'd wait for her to make her move. This time he'd listen, unlike last time. And then…then he'd comply, unlike last time.