Disclaimer: Doesn't own Naruto. But… could I buy Iruka? I want him!

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Kyuubi Tenshi

You

Sakura stared over the village sullenly from her place in a tall maple. She was supposed to be playing hide-and-go-seek with Naruto, Hinata and a few others from her class, but… she had only agreed because they wouldn't shut up otherwise. They were coming close to becoming Jounin, she and Naruto… the exam was only a couple weeks away. It seemed… so long ago, that Sasuke had left them, but his words… his last words… they still burned painfully in her mind.

"Sakura… thank you."

Words of gratitude. He had chosen to leave her with words of gratitude to remember him by. He had left seven years ago. The anniversary was just three days ago; not that it was surprising, but… she had seen a strange dream in her deep sleep, and when the clock first struck midnight, she had shot up in bed, gasping for breath at what she had seen.

Sasuke, and his brother Itachi. They were fighting, and Sasuke was being beaten badly. She could feel the rain from the cloud-darkened night sky on her arms, soaking her hair as she watched them battle. At long last, Itachi sat on his younger brother's stomach, a kunai clutched lightly in his hand as he gloated over his victory, taunting the avenger with it before he killed him. But… despite his near-death condition, Sasuke managed to throw his brother off and bring his own kunai down into his throat in a single, graceful movement. Itachi said no more, and she watched as the bleeding Sasuke fainted atop his brother's corpse.

Had he lived? Had he died? Was the dream just that, or a vision? There were so many unanswered questions! She looked back, remembering her comrades. They were, for the most part, 19 years old. Sasuke… he would be 19 now… wouldn't he? She thought about what he would return to, if he did return. Ino and Shikamaru dating, and if her sources were correct, he was planning to propose soon. Naruto had stopped chasing her long before, and now his eyes were only for Hinata, and their wedding was to take place after the final exam to become Jounin. The surprises were really Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei. Kakashi was dating, for one, but here's the kicker: Iruka had gotten married just over a year ago to a fellow Chuunin named Kirya. Truly, they were a perfect match. And even then, that was not all she would have to tell him.

She was beginning to hear the telltale pop of unconcealed footsteps on twigs beneath her, and, not wanting to be caught, she noiselessly made her way to another tree. They continued in her direction, so she veered off to the right, making her way through several dozen of the magnificent oaks. It obviously picked up its pace and turned to come after her. Had he heard her? Sensed her presence? Naruto had gotten fairly good at predicting movement… was he even now predicting hers? She forced herself to forget about Sasuke and the dream, and quickly leapt through the trees towards what they had deemed as 'base'. It seemed that he had taken to the trees behind her. Wait… he was in the one directly behind her! Last she looked, he wasn't that fast!

A calloused hand covered her mouth, and a strong arm wrapped around her waist securely, holding her tight to a rock-hard body. She tried to scream, but it was no use. He wasn't saying anything! This… this obviously wasn't Naruto. He was nothing like this! She attempted to escape from his grasp, but to no avail. He was too strong for her to break free at this angle. He continued traveling through the trees with her, holding her tightly and protecting her from the swinging branches even as he made off with her deeper into the forest, changing direction and going away from civilization completely. Her mind was beginning to numb with fear. Somehow… these hands were familiar, it said, but were they familiar because they caused her pain, or touched her gently somehow? He hid his face behind her, out of view, but she caught flashes of black every once and again, showing that even if she had a clear view, he was wearing a mask.

Kakashi-sensei? she wondered briefly, but a moment later she caught sight of raven tresses, and mentally shook her head. But Kakashi-sensei has gray hair, not black.

The man lighted next to small brook that ran through the dense thicket. The hand that he had clasped over her mouth gentled, becoming relaxed, resting over her lips softly as though giving them a sweet caress and reminding her not to scream. He loosened his hand around her waist, though not enough for her to get away, and allowed her to turn around and face him.

She had been right. A mask was situated in his face much like Kakashi's, the headband tilted in the same manner. Though she noticed he gave off none of the lazy appearance that the silver-haired Jounin did. But as her emerald eyes trailed over his face, something familiar met her gaze. An onyx eye.

Deep onyx, darker than the darkest shadows and hearts that she had come across in any of her missions. An onyx that was so familiar it seemed as though her eyes had never lost contact with them.

"You…"

AN: This is a weird ficlet I wrote about a year ago. It's only four chapters, but please enjoy it anyway.

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