Zephyr

by wubbzy

Sakura would do everything in her power to save Naruto from his fate. "Fighting the winds of fate are impossible. This is your destiny." Experimental. Complete AU. NaruSaku and some SasuSaku. Sakura centric.

Summary: Sakura doesn't know what to expect when she's blinded by a demon. She gains so much more, however, when she is given the sight to see red strings and to feel the hearts and desires of those who are tied to them. "Fighting the winds of fate are impossible. This is your destiny." Experimental. Complete AU. NaruSaku and some SasuSaku. Sakura centric. Technically modern day.

AN: Warning, this is probably going to seem extremely fast paced/ I will most likely brush over things I shouldn't. Even then, this still became incredibly long (made me go crazy a bit lol). However, hopefully I managed to include everything I wanted/needed to, to make it believable, and added what was missing/I longed for in the actual manga (like more Team 7 love/ Team 7 fighting, a stronger Sakura, a not batshit crazy Sasuke but still hopefully, IC, and of course, more NaruSaku, along with giving better development to SasuSaku - which can be taken as friendship here lol). It's a oneshot because although I would have much rather expanded this fic, I did not have the time nor energy to start another ongoing fic. So I cut out many scenes I wanted to add, left the main ones, and turned it into a oneshot that I hope makes a semblance of sense. It's basically me incorporating everything I wanted in the manga, but in an AU setting (complete AU), however a lot of the things from the manga are still incorporated in here.

I honestly don't know what else to do with this. After reading it over so many times (well not really, sorry too tired to fully edit this beast lol), and adding SO MUCH, I literally could not look at this fic anymore (My ares are lacking moister and are twitching, my poor, strained eyes lmfao). It was making me go crazy (you know when you look at something long enough it starts to become foreign and unrecognizable? Or is that just me?) and I wanted to move on to other stuff for the time being. Focus on my other fics. Still, I hope you all enjoy!

Recommendation(s): InuYasha OST – "Futari No Kimochi/ To Love's end" and InuYasha OST – "Dearest" string version. I kid you not, I listened to these two themes throughout writing this, back to back (for about 3-4 days straight while I nonstop wrote this). This was a nonstop thing, and kind of what inspired me to write this.

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Zephyr

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The skies seemed exceptionally bleak today.

They were gray and unwelcoming.

Sakura stared up to the sky, and could tell it was going to rain.

She cursed to herself, wishing she brought an umbrella or her warm school uniform. But she was in such a hurry, she got dressed without even looking out the window.

The winds blew hard today, and she shivered, hoping to catch her bus soon.

She stopped, her whole body quivering, before turning around suddenly.

"What was that?" she couldn't help but ask herself. She frowned, eyeing the distant stop sign. She felt eyes on her. She fixed her school uniform uncomfortably as she continued to observe where she felt someone watching her.

It was quiet, however, for a city. The blaring sirens and chatting people that walked by drowned out her qualms. She shrugged, not thinking much of it.

"Sakura!" Ino shouted from the top of her lungs, running towards her. Ino eyed her questioningly. "Aren't you cold?" she wondered, confused. Sakura grimaced, wrapping her arms around her torso. She nodded. "It's not like you to forget your sweater," Ino thought aloud. Sakura sighed, her eyebrow twitching, already knowing. Ino mentioned how she could catch a cold like that, especially when hearing Sakura sniffling.

Sakura still went to school, however. No matter how harsh the weather was, she still had a fairly normal day. Talking with Ino, being class representative, trying to talk to Sasuke-kun (and failing most of the time, she begrudgingly thought), hanging out with her friends… very normal. She sighed, frowning at her long day.

She stayed in school longer, finishing up her homework so she didn't have to worry about it, and because she was an overachiever.

.

It was so late now, the winter's reign making the sun fall under the horizon faster and faster each day. She sat on the train, hoping to get home before it became completely dark out.

It felt eerie, being by herself. Only one person was on the train with her.

As the train stopped, she watched carefully as the coated stranger walked by her. She gasped when he stopped right in front of her.

"W-what are you…"

She didn't have time to think, to understand what had happened.

She screamed, screamed so hard. Her hands covered her eyes, doing anything to stop the pain, but nothing could cure it.

Her eyes felt like they were burning, melting out of their sockets.

She felt helpless, when she realized, they literally were burning.

.

"Someone dropped acid in your eyes, Haruno-san," the doctor explained, the tone of his voice sorrowful and regretful. She could hear his pen click against his clipboard, and then heard him scribble some things on the paper. "Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do, Haruno-san."

If her lacrimal glands were working, she would cry at her horrible fate. She sniffled, however, wondering why this happened to her. Her world was going to consist of darkness and of memories of the past.

"W-who?" she asked.

She wanted to know who ruined her life.

She had her life planned. She planned to become a doctor – a surgeon, to save lives, and to live a normal life.

How was she supposed to do that now?

"Sakura? Sakura!" her mother and father ran in, hugging the helpless girl. She wanted to cry. She wanted to cry so much. She cried, yet there were no tears that fell. Her glands severed, her eyes still feeling that retched burning sensation, and so she could never see again.

She would be blinded forever, never to see again, the beautiful colors of their world fading to black.

.

She thought all she would be able to see was black, but she was wrong. In her mind, she assumed, there were numerous red streaks. She wondered why. There were so many, she was overwhelmed by the myriads of red strings all around her, tangled and intertwined and knotting together.

She woke up, because she couldn't get those red strings out of her head and the cold gust of wind that knocked the flower vase over.

The winds were exceptionally cold, but she welcomed it then. She left her window open, needing the fresh air on her face.

She wished she could see the sky, the stars, the moon, tonight. If she had known that yesterday would be the last night she would see the moon, if it would be the last time she would see the sun rise, she would gaze at it longingly, never wanting that moment to go.

It was hard to sleep. But she had somehow managed to despite everything overwhelming her so much. She found as soon as she did, she woke up a few hours later. It was freezing now, the window still opened. She tried her best to stand, feeling around for the window, using the cool breeze to guide her.

She wanted to close it, but felt an ominous presence.

"Who is there?" she asked, whipping her head out the window.

She couldn't see the physical being, but she felt it, she felt something evil.

"I see, so you have gained the sight. I was right about you," a menacing voice said. She quivered, taking steps back, away from her window.

"Stay away from me!" she yelled, fear protruding from her being. She couldn't help but apprehend what was this feeling she was getting. It felt as though it was sucking the life from her. She fell to her knees, her body feeling fatigued.

"You will be mine!" the evil - something yelled, who she could feel was getting closer to her. She tried to run, but soon felt the vase shards cut the soles of her feet. She fell, but practically crawled, trying to figure out what to do in a situation like this. How was she suppose to do anything at the moment? She felt so helpless, frantically trying to find the door out of there.

"You talk too much! Shut the hell up, you disgusting beast!" she heard a voice call. She heard smashing.

"Stay back!" that same voice, the voice of a male, yelled. She heard him curse, when she didn't move. How was she supposed to? Where was she to go when she couldn't see where was safe to run and when her feet were bleeding, stinging from the sharp glass?

It felt like an earthquake, shaking her to her core and lifting her off the ground, only to be smack her down. Her whole body ached from the experience, wondering what was going on. From what she could hear, it was better that she didn't see what took place then.

She was shaking, feeling the cuts and bruises all over her body.

Before she knew it, she felt a hand over hers, before she felt someone pick her up.

"W-what's going on?" she shrieked, hitting the person who was trying to take her out the window.

"Sorry, Granny's orders!" She was in a stupor. His voice was rash, but it was the voice of a young man.

"W-who are you?" she asked, completely stunned from what was going on. "What happened back there?" She shivered, realizing they were now outside. Had he jumped out the window?

"You ask so many questions, Baa-chan will explain it better!" he reassured. "As for who I am? I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the greatest demon slayer that ever lived!" he boasted, and if she didn't have the bandages over her eyes, she would want to stare at him incredulously. She could feel his warm body, and so she nuzzled closer, wishing she had more on than hospital wear.

"But you can just call me Naruto the Great!" he added. She could hear his hardy chuckles.

"How about I just call you Naruto…" This guy seemed overzealous from what she can predict. He boasted such talk, that at the moment, she found hard to believe.

Maybe she shouldn't be so rude. He did save her.

But there was no way she would call someone by such a name.

"But you have to call me this, Naruto the Great!" he repeated, trying to convince her. She wished she could see the boy before her. She so desperately wished she could see this fool that was talking of slaying demons and other crazy things.

"This has to be a dream…" she said to herself, wondering why she was being taken away. "Why is this happening to me?"

"I noticed your eyes," Naruto answered, not realizing it was a rhetorical question. "I think, Baa-chan will be able to heal them for you. That's why I'm taking you there. Those dumb civilian doctors will be able to do nothing for you, especially when it's a demon's acid that blinded you," he explained, and her mind stopped at the fact that someone might be able to heal her.

She usually had to see it to believe it. She couldn't see anything, but she desperately wanted to believe in his words.

These night's winds of fate brought her hope.

.

She felt strange, standing and trying to walk. She felt the same man who rescued her, who goes by Naruto, grasp her shoulder, and guide her into the room.

"Another demon down! Piece of cake, Tsunade-baachan!"

"Idiot! I told you not to go on off by yourself! You were supposed to wait for Sasuke and Kakashi!" Sakura could hear the angry tone in her voice, but her mind stopped at hearing Sasuke's name.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" she asked, absolutely confused. She couldn't help but wonder if it was the same Sasuke she knew, but she found that hard to believe.

"Naruto, you idiot," she heard the familiar voice say. It was his voice. Sasuke's, the boy in her class, the boy she had spent her whole childhood thinking about. He was right there, right in her reach.

"Sasuke-kun, is that you?" she asked.

"Sakura?" She could hear his surprise when he spoke her name. However, she also heard him sigh, seeming annoyed.

"What's going on?" she asked, wondering if this truly was a dream.

"Tch, I'm out of here. The dobe completed the mission already. It will be hard to blend in if she knows," he explained, and she was extremely confused, but she felt his presence leave without saying another word. She questioned how he could leave so fast.

She wondered, why he had to leave so soon. She wondered, why she could now sense a strong pain from him. Was it always there?

What was going on?

"Sakura, your name was?" the one named Tsunade asked. Sakura nodded towards where the voice was coming from. "Please, come with me."

Sakura wondered, how was she supposed to know. That was when she felt someone grab her hand, the same rough hand from before.

"Don't worry, I'll help you out!" she heard Naruto say. He guided her closer.

"Wait a sec… can someone please tell me what is going on?" she asked, swatting his hand away. "I still have no clue where I am or who any of you are! Or what I'm even doing here!" She felt so helpless, being there and being blinded and not knowing who any of these people were.

"You are merely here because I can heal your eyes," Tsunade said. "The rest is unimportant right now. Do you want your sight back or no?" Sakura tilted her head, wondering if this woman, strong woman from the tone of her voice, could truly heal her, something medical doctors could not do. She said nothing, but reached for the hand she previously swatted away, somehow still feeling his presence close to her. She felt the air at first, before she then felt him grab her hand once more.

"I got you!" he said, and she could tell he was a very cheery person, for the most part. His playful tone made her smile, thankful he could guide her.

"Thanks," was all she said as Naruto guided her to Tsunade.

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"I'll let you know when you can open your eyes," Tsunade said. She felt arms around her head as they unraveled the old bandages and exchanged them for new ones. She wasn't sure where she was, but from what Tsunade told her, she was in an old clinic in the older parts of their city. "Hopefully those red strings will be more manageable once you're able to see. In the mean time, we're going to keep this up since they may still be sensitive after the surgery."

She was shaking. Would she really be able to see again?

It was not as though she could do anything about it, anyways. She had no idea where she was, and had no idea where her home was. So she went along with it, realizing if they wanted her dead, they would have made it happen by now.

"Sakura-chan…" she heard Naruto's voice trail off. She wondered what he was doing there. From her understanding, his mission was merely to destroy the demon and to bring her to Tsunade to fix her eyes.

So then why…

"Yes?" she asked. He was with her every day, for who knows how long. She didn't have that well a grasp on time at the moment, but she supposed long enough for both of them to get comfortable with each other. He was watching over her, it felt like. He was always talking to her, even if sometimes, she preferred he didn't.

But he was there.

Tsunade or her assistant, Shizune, would generally come by to check up on her and change her bandages.

Sasuke, surprisingly, would come by too. He wouldn't really talk to her, but he would drop off homework. He would sometimes let her know that she "missed a lot in class," and how she would have to catch up once she gets her sight back. She would try to strike up a conversation, and they would talk a little more. But other than that, he was a man of little words and tried to be in and out of there as fast as he could. The fact that he was there, someone familiar to her, put her at ease. She felt safer, in a way, knowing that they wouldn't kill her and they were people she could trust.

Kakashi, she would feel his presence at times, but he would never come inside. He would just wait there sometimes when Naruto was there.

But Naruto, he always showed up, loud and excited to see her. She wondered, if he had anything better to do besides talk with her, or if he had school or other obligations to attend to.

She had asked him why he would always show up, and he just told her that she looked like she needed company.

Tsunade would say, afterwards, how he may have wanted the company more than she did.

But she would dismiss that. She knew nothing about him, not really. Although she couldn't really say that anymore. He sure talked a lot. She knew so much about him, including his favorite meals, his training, and how he would defeat so many demons as the days went by. She realized his day consisted of training, eating, hanging out with Sasuke and other people she had no clue about, and destroying demons.

Unfortunately, when she asked him more about who they were and why there are demons or anything like that, he would get quiet. She would often get annoyed because he would tell her all about his "missions," but he would never go into detail, making it really hard for her to follow him at times. However, based off of what he said, she was able to put some things together.

.

"Do you know what that demon wanted with you?" he started during one of their times together. "I mean, it's strange, isn't it? Usually, demons just kill humans without a second thought. I talked to Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke, and Tsunade-baachan about it. But they don't have a clue what they would want with someone like you."

She contemplated this, wondering this herself. The demon had the chance to kill her on the train, but instead, they just sprayed acid in her eyes, and left. It was a peculiar idea to say the least.

"I… I was thinking. Maybe you're like us," he concluded.

"Like who?" She could hear Naruto sigh, and she figured it was difficult for him to explain. As she got to know him, she realized he had trouble explaining things such as this when she couldn't see him. He told her he talks a lot with his hands, which she could believe judging by how loud he talked with such emotion. She could imagine flailing hands as he talked his mouth off.

"Tsunade-baachan confirmed that you have chakra running through you. Before, you told me you could feel Sasuke's presence. And… you could see red strings, right?" he asked. She nodded. She wished he could explain some things, like what chakra was, what it meant to be a ninja, etc. This was the kind of thing that annoyed her, especially after all the time they had spent together. Before, he would talk about them being ninja, but he didn't go into detail. She read about ninja in her history books, but he never specified if those were the kind he was referring to. It was only in myths that they would even talk of such things as chakra or having strange powers, or battling demons. She was not sure what to believe, or how everything he told her was even possible.

"Then you have some special powers. Not as cool as mine, but still special and interesting," he said smugly.

At that moment, Sakura wished she had the ability to roll her eyes.

.

"Did Tsunade-baachan tell you when you can take the bandages off?" he asked. She shook her head no. "O-oh," he stammered, almost a little scared. She giggled. She could sense his anxiety.

"What's the matter? Are you afraid I'm going to see that my savior is an ugly fart?" she wondered, giggling.

"Eh? What's that supposed to mean? I'm beautiful!" he retorted and Sakura held her stomach, her fits of laughter so strong, she felt it reach her abdomen.

"No matter what you look like, you will always be beautiful on the inside to me," she reassured him with a tender smile.

"On the inside, huh? That's the kind of thing people say when someone is ugly on the outside…" he muttered in a monotone way.

"Well I don't know if you are, so there's no way for me to tell," Sakura reasoned, shrugging.

"Watch, you'll see. You'll be so afraid to take off your bandages, because you'll fall in love with me instantly," he said playfully.

"Is that so? Well, I guess I should look forward to that day, shouldn't I?'

"Eh?" She could tell he took a step back, not understanding her teasing all that well. She wondered, if he was blushing like she hoped it would do to him. She loved hearing him flustered, so it would be interesting to see him as such, too. She giggled.

"Sakura-chan, you know… when you get your sight back, we will never see each other again, right?" he asked, and she could hear the strain in his voice. She tilted her head curiously.

"Why is that?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm a ninja! That's why I feel bad, that you'll only see me once, but never have the grace to see me again," he said confidently. She giggled.

"Oh is that it? But that makes no sense! Sasuke-kun is a ninja, but I saw him every day at school." She waited for Naruto to respond, but he never did. She wondered what was wrong.

"I just wanted to warn you, Sakura-chan. I'll see you again tomorrow," he said, before she heard him stand up from his chair and walk out.

Sakura frowned at this, not understanding at all.

.

"Kakashi-san… I can feel you there, you know," Sakura said.

"So you can, can you? Interesting," he said thoughtfully.

"Was there something you wanted to discuss with me?" she asked curiously. She could hear a book close as he sat down beside her.

"I was talking to Naruto about you. You seem to sense all kinds of presences, including presences of demons. All the times you spent with Naruto, did you not sense anything else besides his usual presence?"

"I… I did sense something sinister within him… but, I didn't say anything. It scared me, to be honest. It was dark and ominous and it almost drowned out Naruto's presence. But still… his is so warm and pure, which is why I didn't say anything. It's like it was overpowering, or fighting against that evil one."

There was a long pause before Kakashi regarded her. "Interesting."

"Is that all you can say?" she snapped back. She heard him give a heavy sigh. "What is that presence in Naruto?" she wondered. Kakashi sighed.

"I can't say much regarding Naruto, not unless you accept my offer. What I can say for sure, is that your new abilities are what the demon wanted with you. That is why he sprayed acid over your eyes and let you live. He knew you had special abilities, and wanted to exploit them for his own benefit." Sakura tilted her head, curiously.

"Many ninja's today have lost their sight over the generations. Only few people have it now. Unfortunately, the more prominent families have lost theirs over the years. But it looks like you have, a more unique type of sightseeing… feeling abilities. We could use that on our team."

"Am… am I being offered a job?" she asked incredulously. She could hear him give a small chuckle.

"Something like that. You would be a part of our team, with Naruto, Sasuke, and I," he explained.

"Haha, well, I always wanted to be a ninja," she giggled. "Should I start calling you Kakashi-sensei, too?" she wondered. He told her if she wanted to.

"But think about it first. Let me know by the end of the week, and I'll have Tsunade-sama officially make you apart of the team."

.

"I wanted to wait to talk to you about this, but it looks like Kakashi already sprung this on you," Tsunade began, sighing at his impatience. He must have really thought it was necessary.

"You would be on a team with Naruto, Kakashi, and Sasuke. You would not go into battle, of course. They will handle that, but your abilities of sensing demons would be utilized to track them down faster. I must warn you, it will be dangerous, though. You can die. It also takes a lot of time from your regular life. Sasuke would know, he can tell you. He's been juggling his studies and these missions for a long time. And, I want to warn you about Naruto as well, what he has inside him, if you did join." Sakura looked at her curiously. She listened attentively.

"Naruto is a demon container. He holds the Nine-Tail Demon Fox, also known as the Kyuubi. The presence you felt inside him, is the demon," she explained. Sakura gasped.

"Is… is he going to be okay?" she wondered, concern evident. "I don't understand."

Tsunade continued, "Demon containers generally are on the sides of their demons, who possess their bodies and sometimes can even be more powerful because they take the form of people/hide in the person, sucking away at their life force. However, Naruto has been fighting his, and has not let his demon possess him."

"Wow, Naruto must be really strong," she thought aloud. Tsunade laughed.

"You see things as they should be. Yes, the brat is incredibly strong. He… well, it doesn't matter. I just thought you should know beforehand. It's a constant battle for him, fighting against the demon. I wanted you to know, in case he someday loses."

Sakura wondered, how that was possible. She would have never guessed that by how much she got to know Naruto. He was so different, so full of life, so happy and excited.

She could never imagine him trying to kill anyone who was innocent. By what they would talk about, he seemed so regular… as regular as they can be.

"So you told her," Naruto said aloud, and she could immediately sense his inner turmoil. She couldn't see him, but she could feel the tension in the room, how he tried to close these feelings off from her. "Sorry, Sakura. I-I should go."

"Wait! Why would you leave?"

"In… in case you got scared, now that you know."

"Why would I be afraid of an ugly fart like you?" she giggled, feeling his disposition change.

"Dah! I told you! I'm beautiful! On the outside!"

"And on the inside too," she reassured, tenderly smiling at him. She had bandages covering her eyes, but he felt that smile would reach her eyes as well, that she was being genuine. He looked away, feeling that if anything, his insides were nothing but horrible. "Now that I know though, I am curious… Naruto, your destiny is to turn into what's inside you, but how did this happen?"

Naruto tensed. He didn't really answer her question.

"Destiny? Pfft, Sakura-chan, I don't believe in destiny! Fate is nothing but a myth! I create my own destiny!" Naruto declared. She couldn't help but smile.

"So… that's why you fight. People tell you what you're going to be, but you are constantly fighting against that destiny. I see. I know why I can't believe you would be one of those demons, because you're not."

.

"What are those red strings of fate I keep seeing? Why do I see them on some people, but not on others? What are they?"

"They are literal strings of fate. Nowadays, people use it as a metaphor for blossoming love, but what they don't realize, is that it's true," Tsunade explained. Sakura thought for a moment.

"Does it have to be a lover? Or a soulmate?" she wondered. "Why can I see those things? I don't get it."

"You have a lot of questions," Tsunade laughed. "There are demons, that enjoy eating those red strings, once soulmates. Your family in the past, could have been the ones who stopped those particular demons. I don't know the full details, that is just an assumption."

"That's really cool!" Naruto chimed in. "So, you're like the protector of love," he added. She laughed at that, but inwardly wondered how that could be possible, when her love life consistently dealt with rejection. This made Sakura wonder, however.

She remembered when she was told, it was a constant battle for Naruto, fighting his destiny. But he continued to fight, even as a demon container. It's a constant battle in his heart between being possessed by the demon and his human self.

Sakura wondered if he doesn't believe in the fate and destiny, including those red strings of fate, then why he didn't let those particular demons go and destroy the red strings. She didn't know why she liked to find contradictions, but she believed this was a big one. Sakura contemplated this as the room was silent. Tsunade was preparing to remove and replace her bandages again.

"I don't get it, though. If you're so against destiny, then why aren't you acting like one of those demons severing bonds against those strings of fate?" Sakura wondered. Naruto blanked for a moment.

"That's a contradiction, isn't it?" she added. Naruto scratched his nose, in thought.

"I guess so. But, in the case of love, why not." He shrugged, and Sakura smiled, patting his back.

"Oh, so you're just a big romantic, huh? What a softie," Sakura laughed. Naruto was deeply troubled with the girl at that, a deep blush over his cheeks due to the sheer embarrassment. He was a bit irritated by her teasing.

"H-hey! That's not it at all!" He blushed, averting his eyes.

Sakura, even through her bandages, could somehow see the myriad of red strings, however, whenever she attempted to look at Naruto, she couldn't see his at all.

She couldn't help but wonder, why that was.

.

"You can open your eyes now," Tsunade said gently. She blinked, still feeling odd. She was happy Tsunade dimmed the lights, otherwise it would have hurt.

"Brat, what are you doing?" Tsunade growled at Naruto who was trying to shove her aside.

"I – I want to be the first person Sakura-chan sees!" Naruto yelled as he moved his face so close to her. She blinked and found the first thing she saw was bright blue eyes staring straight at her. Her cheeks heated, wondering why he was so close, though.

She pushed him away.

"Hey! What I say about personal space?" she shrieked.

"How are you feeling?" Tsunade asked. For the first time, she was surprised. They were all nothing like she had imagined. Tsunade, although was beautiful, she figured would seem a little less feminine. But here she was with long blonde hair and a beautiful complexion and the finest red lipstick she had ever seen. How old was she?

She looked at Naruto, who was rubbing his cheek.

"N-Naruto?" she wondered, surprised at the boy. She was not disappointed to say the least, but she was surprised. She didn't expect him to have such deep blue eyes or spiky blonde hair.

She blushed. If she was honest, for some reason, she imagined him somewhat like Sasuke. Pale, with dark eyes. She wasn't sure why, given his personality, but that's what she thought.

While he was rubbing his cheek, he glanced at her, and grinned, and she felt as though she was looking into the sun with how bright his smile was. She didn't want to look away.

"See? I told you I was beautiful!" She looked away, when she realized she was staring for far too long.

"I was just shocked. I expected you to be completely different. I thought you would look like Sasuke-kun," she said, and Naruto's expression deflated. "But I understand now, that you're super conceited."

"Yeah right, I would never look like that guy!"

With how much he boasted about his good looks, there was no way she could inflate his ego any more.

So she just giggled.

.

It's been so long since she's been able to go home. Tsunade had to constantly run test on her, so she had to stay there.

Luckily, she was able to call her parents and let them know she had been moved to a different clinic. Unfortunately, they would still be angry at the fact that this particular clinic did not allow visitors.

Her parents were so scared, so frightened, but were surprised when their daughter could see again.

"I was moved to a hospital that had the ability to treat me."

"Without letting us visit? What kind of clinic was that?" her father demanded. To this day, she couldn't give them the specifics. She felt bad for that, but she said they were able to give her her sight back, and she was alive, which was the most important thing.

She heard a lot of nagging from her mother for that.

She was ready to sue the hospital, but she had to fight tooth and nail for her mother to drop it.

Wasn't the easiest thing in the world.

Especially when her mother was so stubborn.

.

School was no better.

"Forehead! What happened? You've been gone for weeks! We thought you were dead!" Ino yelled with concern. She leaned on Sakura's desk, eyeing her curiously. Sakura sighed, but smiled.

"Don't worry! I'm fine now!"

"You parents said you had an accident or something? They said you could never see again, but look at you! Are you sure?" Before class started, she kept on getting numerous questions from everyone in her class, who were either worried or wondering were their class president was.

"Yes, yes, I am!' she tried to reassure. She blushed, never receiving this much attention before.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun was the one who took your homework to you all those times you were out? How was he the only one who knew?" Ino gasped. "Are you two dating?" Sakura blushed deep red. She looked over to the indifferent Uchiha.

"I… I wish," she said helplessly.

.

"So I guess you were wrong, huh?" Sakura said, smiling. "Felt really weird not hearing your voice for so long." Naruto scratched the back of his head, blushing madly.

"Sakura-chan…" he trailed off, not really sure what to say. "Well, I thought you would go on your way to your regular life. I didn't think you would become a part of our team."

"I didn't either. I thought I'd want to go back to my normal life too. But… I want to stop those nasty demons. They did that to me, and if it wasn't for Tsunade-sama, I would have never seen again. I need to do what I can to make sure they never do that to anyone else," Sakura explained.

"Wow, that's cool, Sakura-chan."

"Naruto, how long have you been a part of this team? With Sasuke-kun and Kakashi-sensei?" she wondered. Naruto thought for a moment.

"Since I could remember, I was trained to ward demons off. Sasuke's family were all ninja, too. However, they have lost their eyes over the years. But they still have chakra, their fire style that they use to fight, too. Me and Sasuke were a team for a long time… Kakashi-sensei too." Sakura smiled. She wondered, if this was why Sasuke was so reclusive.

"So you and Sasuke-kun are close?" she wondered.

"We're like brothers," he said, grinning from ear to ear. "He was the only one there for me, besides all those who taught me." She smiled. He quickly added, "I still wanna kick his ass for good though." Sakura giggled.

"I… I don't understand though. How is there ninja still? Do you guys just live among everyone else?" Naruto grinned, nodding. Sakura was relieved, that he was finally explaining this to her.

"Yeah! We are like regular people all around. However, many of the previous clans have long since retired from being a ninja because peace was restored. But, there are still demons that must be destroyed to achieve true peace. The Uchiha clan took that burden on themselves a while back." She could see his expression change, to one of melancholy at the thought of Sasuke's family.

Sakura's eyes widened. Is that what happened to Sasuke-kun's family? She remembered, when they were children, Sasuke left for a few years. There were rumors that his family passed in a fire… was this what really happened?

"You know what happened to Sasuke's family? They died fighting demons. And… Well, I'm taking that burden off of him. I'm a kill all the demons. Sasuke, after everything he's done for me – helping me live a semi-normal life – it's the least I can do."

"Dobe, I knew I shouldn't have given this job to you," they heard Sasuke say from above. He was kneeling on the roof, looking irritated at the two.

"Teme…" Sakura could tell this was their usual banter.

"Shut it, Dobe. We have a job to do. Less talking, more moving."

And so, their first mission as a team, began.

.

The first thing she realized was that she could not keep up.

"Sakura-chan, just let me carry you. You're probably still recovering and plus, you don't have as much experience as we do with this," Naruto tried to reason. She blushed, finally accepting after a lot of protest.

"Anyways, we have to follow you. It's quicker this way," Kakashi chimed in. Sakura blushed harder, feeling even more embarrassed. She nodded.

"This is the first time you're gonna see me in action. The last time you weren't able to see me single-handedly destroy that demon and save your life. But you're definitely going to start calling me Naruto the Great after this!" Sakura laughed, rolling her eyes.

"As if I'd ever call you that," was all she said, and she giggled because of his pout following her words. Sakura stopped laughing when she felt the ominous presence of a demon.

"It's over that way," Sakura pointed North. Naruto smirked.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan! I can take it from here!" Naruto yelled, before putting her down and going off on his own.

"Naruto, wait!"

"That idiot, still going off on his own as always." It was Kakashi who went after him to help, while Sasuke was forced to stay behind with Sakura, in case anything happened.

"Sasuke-kun… is being a ninja cool?" she wondered, hoping to strike up a conversation with him, and also because she was genuinely curious. Sasuke scoffed.

"Being a ninja is not cool. You shouldn't have accepted being a part of the team. We were just fine without you. You're just getting in the way," Sasuke said. Sakura frowned, her head downcast. She thought she was being helpful, and that they needed her. Sasuke saw it differently.

A small part of her thought, she would be able to get closer to Sasuke-kun this way, so she could understand him better.

But as her first mission with her team came to an end, she realized it was not going as she anticipated.

.

"That idiot! He is stupid! I thought he'd be better at talking to girls since he's been the one going to school, but wow, what a dummy!" Naruto said, crossing his arms. He was clearly irritated at Sasuke. Naruto offered to walk her home after they sent their first mission report in together. The nights were windy and harsh, while the city streets seemed dimmed compared to other nights, as though they could go out any second. Sakura wrapped her large jacket around her more, hoping the high winds would soon pass. She kept tucking strands of pink hair behind her ear, but the winds kept disheveling it. Sakura frowned. "He's just worried that you can get killed," he tried to reassure her.

"I mean, it is dangerous, right? Maybe he's right. Maybe I am in over my head with helping," Sakura began, but Naruto stopped her.

"Sakura-chan! You're doing a good thing, we do need you! You are an important asset to the team! Kakashi-sensei wouldn't have offered it to you if you weren't! You're not getting in the way! And yeah, it is dangerous, but I promise, Sakura-chan, I can protect you! You don't have to worry about that, I'm always going to be there! And I'm super strong!" Sakura looked at him. This made Sakura curious.

"Thanks, Naruto." He grinned at her. Sakura thought for a moment, contemplating over what he said, about Sasuke going to school while he didn't. "Naruto, why don't you go to school?"

"I don't need school! I'm a ninja!" She eyed him curiously.

"But Sasuke-kun goes to school, and he's a ninja too," she countered.

"I don't need school! I got all my learning and training from Kakashi-sensei and Pervy sage! They not only taught me training, but basic skills too!" Naruto explained.

"But there's still so much you need to learn! What about writing? Or reading? Or math?" she questioned.

"I always helped Pervy sage with his books so I easily learned how to read and write like that, and I had to keep my finances together for a long time already." He stuck his tongue out in victory.

"So you were home-schooled, basically?" she wondered. Naruto shrugged, nodding. She sighed. She supposed that was always an option too.

"But still, no wonder the only person you talk to is me and Sasuke-kun. You haven't went to school to make more friends!" Sakura reasoned. Naruto tensed a bit. She eyed him cautiously.

"It's better if I didn't go to school, Sakura-chan," he said lowly. She frowned, wondering if it was something she said.

Sakura's frown deepened… she hadn't seen it before, either because she barely knew him before or because he was always so happy around her. But she could sense a pain… like Sasuke-kun's, and it ran so deep.

She wanted to know more. She concentrated these new abilities she had and-

Naruto glared at her.

"You were trying to look into my heart, weren't you?" he demanded, frustration evident. She jumped, losing her concentration.

"I-I was just-"

"Do me a favor, please," he pleaded, his eyes closing as he stuffed his hands in his pocket. His voice was low. "Don't ever do that again."

Sakura frowned, taken aback by the seriousness in the timbre of his voice. This was the first time she had seen him this serious. She didn't think it was possible for him, but now…

She decided she wouldn't use her newfound abilities to look into his heart ever again.

But… she was still determined to look into his heart another way.

.

"Haha, eat this you nasty demon!" Naruto called, throwing kunai at the red, scaly demon. It looked like some kind of demon fish with legs. The kunai were embedded into him, before they began exploding. This effectively stabilized the demon.

"Your turn, Sasuke!" A whirl of fire spun to the demon, incinerating it. Said demon screeched out, making Sakura want to cover her ears.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan! You helped us find him. Makes it easier to locate demons," Naruto said at the conclusion of the battle. This particular demon was easier than previous ones they've encountered. It didn't take much to kill. Sakura nodded, happy she could help.

A part of her longed to aid all three of her teammates. They each had such unique abilities.

She wondered, if she would be able to fight alongside them like that, too.

.

Kakashi took the liberty of discussing everything there was about the ninja occupation, chakra, and jutsu. She was truly grateful for this, because when Naruto tried to explain it, he would leave out important details and jump to the "cool" parts. She asked Sasuke about it, and he would barely speak, just saying short things about it she already knew.

But Kakashi was thorough and concise. He taught her as much as he could think of, and helped her unlock her own chakra, to use and to fight with.

She needed to unlock her full potential.

She felt so behind, seeing as both Naruto and Sasuke were ahead of her.

To her surprise, however, Kakashi mentioned that she was a natural, and a fast learner. She got the hang of things rather quickly.

In the back of her mind, she knew this was good, because she wanted to do more for her team.

.

They continued to go on missions, fighting off demons who tried to kill those with the purest of hearts. Sakura continued to learn and improve her chakra, something that helped her hone in on her abilities. They were always successful, but fighting these demons came at the risk of their lives.

Sakura was new to all this, so she had to learn this the hard way.

Sakura should have stayed back, she really should have. Especially knowing that Kakashi, their sensei, was not there yet. She had realized something about this demon they were facing: Hokatsu. She was the first one to do so. His heart was wrapped in chains, concealed somewhere else. She wanted to do something, she wanted to be helpful, and so she made sure to do what she could while they were busy fighting the demon off.

However, the demon had realized what she was up to.

"You wench, you figured it out but you won't stop me from killing you first!" The demon sped towards her. She was too slow.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura screamed. He was effectively holding demon's clawed hand, shaking because it was too much to withstand right now.

"Get out of the way!" he yelled, and Sakura was taken back.

"But I have to help you, I-"

"Move!" Before he could do anything, the demon's arm picked Sasuke up before knocking him down.

"Sasuke-kun!" she called, afraid. She felt so guilty, that he had jumped in to help her and now he was on his back, groaning in pain.

"Die!" the demon called towards Sasuke. Sakura ran to him, trying to move him before he had the chance to attack. Sasuke groaned, but glared at the girl, who he tried his best to push out of the way, as he stumbled.

Sakura closed her eyes, afraid for their life.

She had finally opened them when she heard the demon strike, ripping through flesh.

"Naruto!" Sakura called, truly afraid. Her hands were shaky as she tried to help him. He had a serious gash from the demon's claw. However, he smirked, being able to hold the demons claw as it seeped in him.

"I'm never letting go." Naruto smirked, knowing he had to protect Sakura and Sasuke no matter what.

She couldn't help but wonder why he got in front of her. Tears rolled down. Sasuke-kun was right, I do just get in the way… I didn't listen, and look what happened. Sasuke-kun and Naruto are…

Sasuke coughed, but was on his knees, before he forced himself to stand up, making hand signs before a whirl of fire struck the demon.

Sasuke unsealed a big shuriken, throwing it at the demons arm to detach it and release some tension between the demons claws and Naruto.

When Naruto was sure the demon was destroyed, he fell.

Sakura ran towards Naruto, kneeling down and trying to figure out what she was going to do.

"S-Sakura-chan," Naruto coughed, blood spewing up.

"Hold on, we'll get you to Tsunade-sama. D-don't faint on me," she tried to say, trying to get all her energy to move him.

She wished… she wished she could just heal him now so she wouldn't have to worry, so no time would be wasted.

She wondered if becoming a doctor in the regular world would be enough to heal Naruto's wounds… to heal his scars.

"W-why are you crying? Sakura-chan?" he stammered. "It's… only a flesh wound." He said this jokingly, but it only made her angry, wondering how he could joke in such a serious situation!

"Fool! It's more than that, why did you jump in so recklessly?"

"I promised I'd protect you," was the last thing he said before he fainted. She called his name, trying to drag him to safety with all her strength.

Luckily for them, Kakashi arrived.

But she knew, someday her luck would run out. Someday, any of her teammate's luck could run out.

.

"Tsunade-sama, would you be able to teach me how to become a medical ninja?" Sakura asked. She stood there before Tsunade, tall and confident, never more determined in her life. Tsunade looked at her curiously.

"Why now?" she wondered.

"Sasuke-kun and Naruto almost died… I was right there beside them, but I was unable to do anything for either of them," she admitted, her eyes averted. "If that happens to them again… to any of my teammates again…" she trailed off, not even wanting for that to ever happen again. Tsunade sighed, looking at her curiously.

"If you are under my tutelage, then you will need a lot of time to devote to becoming a medical ninja. It's not going to be easy."

Sakura nodded, already fully prepared for it.

On the plus, this may make it easier, when she works her way to becoming a doctor in the real world. She knew one thing for sure: she would have a first aid kit at all times.

"I'll train hard." She nodded to herself, awaiting what the future held. "Please, make me your apprentice!" Sakura bowed, praying this would be enough, praying she would accept. Tsunade suddenly stood up, looking at a scroll.

"It's come to my attention, that you need to learn how to fight as well. You will need a weapon." Tsunade took a moment to unroll a scroll, unsealing the weapon.

Sakura stumbled, at the quake that happened when the weapon fell to the floor.

She observed the large axe, that made a rupture in the wooden floor.

Her eyes widened.

"This is my weapon? H-how am I supposed to wield this?" she wondered, completely off guard from Tsunade's proposal. Tsunade picked it up easily, and Sakura's eyes bulged almost out of her head if they weren't attached so well.

"Chakra control," she simply said. "It has come to my attention, that Kakashi's training revealed your amazing chakra control. You're a perfect candidate to learn this technique. We will use that to enhance your strength." Sakura nodded, taking all this in.

"This will be a burden, though. Are you sure you will want to do this, at the risk of your normal friends and family, your normal life?" she asked.

Without any hesitation, Sakura nodded furiously.

"I have to protect them…. Sasuke-kun and Naruto and Kakashi-sensei… they're always protecting me… I need to do everything in my power to do the same for them. I would never want them to risk their life for my sake," she confessed, thinking back to the coughing blond ninja, spewing blood from the massive gash to his abdomen. It happened, because he protected her with his life. She didn't understand why, but he did it. She couldn't have that happen again, not on her watch.

"Please, Tsuande-sama," she pleaded, bowing her head, getting on her knees.

Tsunade nodded, crossing her arms as she looked up to the sky.

Sakura reminded her of herself, back then.

"Then get up, I don't want to hear no more complaining about wielding that axe. If you want to protect your team as much as you say, then you will learn to hold it, and wield it like a second hand without hesitation or doubt. Training starts now!"

.

She found herself having trouble managing medical ninjutsu studies and battling demons, with school and homework and friends.

"How did you do it for so long, Sasuke-kun?" she asked on a moonless night. The fire beside them, however, was enough for her to see what she was doing as she treated his wound.

"Now you understand," Sasuke couldn't help but say in his monotone way. Sakura stared at him curiously. She was practicing on him, healing his wounds after they faced a particular difficult demon. It had cut his arm. Only a flesh wound, but still great practice. She thought this, as her hand trembled over his wound, green chakra flickering back and forth, not smooth at all, but it still flowed into his injury, starting to mend the wound.

"Sasuke-kun, I don't understand. If you're a ninja, then why worry about school? Why not be like Naruto and be a full ninja?" she wondered. She didn't understand at all. Sasuke prioritized his family security business over being a ninja. She wondered, why not worry about ninja tasks instead? She figured fighting demons would be first priority. He scoffed, looking away from her with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Don't you understand? It's pertinent ninja blend in the real world, in hopes that demons are destroyed for good. Once they are, ninja will be of no use to this world. It's important that all of us continue to blend in, in the hopes we can transition into the real world well and have normal lives," Sasuke explained. Sakura nodded, this being one of the first times he's truly opened up to her. She smiled at him, hoping her warmth reached him.

"I see, Sasuke-kun. So you don't want to be a ninja all your life," she said aloud.

"I want to run my family business… with my brother," Sasuke admitted. She stared at him curiously.

"Itachi-kun?" she asked. He nodded. She thought back to old memories of Sasuke as a child, getting picked up from school by Itachi, his older brother. Until one day, he had stopped.

"Is… is he away now? I haven't seen him in so long," she wondered. Sasuke tensed at the question, but she grabbed onto his hand, hoping he would relax so she could finish tending to his wound.

She wondered, what would happen to him, when his demons of the past were eliminated as well. They seemed to follow him, haunting him wherever he went.

"Yeah, but someday he will come back so we can run our family business together. And we will have a normal life," he explained, longing to keep his family name alive. She could see the hopeful longing in his eyes as he looked to the sky. She smiled, realizing Sasuke had plans, which is why he worked so hard to destroy every last one of those demons.

His heart was filled with desire to see his family again, which she knew would be impossible. But there was still Itachi, his brother that he hoped would ease that pain.

She saw how his family meant so much to him.

She smiled thoughtfully, her eyes closing as she continued to concentrate her chakra on his arm.

After a while, Sakura couldn't help but look behind her, to see Naruto and Kakashi's backs turned away from the two, who seemed to be talking to each other as they stared out into the distance. Her eyes grew sullen, remembering Naruto's words.

She couldn't help but frown, however, wondering what would happen to Naruto, if the demons were all eliminated.

He was betting on the fact that he could be a ninja forever, she figured.

Sasuke and Naruto were so different, she realized.

.

Sakura took a deep breath in. Naruto laid a hand on her shoulder.

"I believe in you, Sakura-chan!" Her hand rested on his. She turned to him, smiling gratefully but nervously.

"Thanks, Naruto," she said, albeit shakily. She didn't realize her grip on his hand tightened as she looked off into the distance.

"I sense it," was what she said as she figured it was either now or never. This was her first battle. Her axe rested on her back. Naruto smiled proudly down at her, feeling she had come such a long way since he first saved her. Sakura soon gripped her axe, preparing herself. She not once stopped looking at the spot she sensed the demon.

"Naruto, Sasuke-kun, let's go!"

Sakura jumped with all three, attacking where she knew the demon would appear.

"So you can see me?" the demon wondered, smirking.

"Sakura-chan, all you!" Naruto called.

"Got it!" Sakura yelled back as she jumped up and swung her axe, right on its head. Sakura smirked, before her eyes widened. The demon smirked, his eyes opening wide as he shook his head.

Sakura screamed, being thrown away from him. Naruto quickly jumped to catch her. Sakura looked back, realizing her axe was still embedded in the demon's head.

"I need to get it back!" Sakura said, before she looked at Naruto. He nodded, moving her closer to the demon, so she could jump on the demon, grabbing the handle of the axe, and draggging it across it's face. The demon groaned, making her fall back once more.

But this time, she focused the chakra in her legs to stay on her feet.

Sasuke steadied his hands, trying to ready his attack.

"How much more time do you need, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked.

"Stall him a little longer," Sasuke groaned as Sakura began hearing chirping noises from him. The demon ran towards him, already sensing the immense power from his hand.

"Oh no you don't, Bastard!" Naruto growled before jumping on said demon and ran up to his head.

This gave Sakura a chance to slash the demons stomach this time.

"Now?" Naruto groaned, using his strength to hold him down.

"Move!" Sasuke yelled, and they jumped away before Sasuke ran to the demon, seeping the lightning like attack into the wound on the demons face.

"T-that was amazing," Sakura thought as she watched the demon disintegrate.

"That was chidori," Kakashi chimed in, smiling as he observed the technique.

They defeated the demon.

Naruto looked on amazed, but also frustrated at how fast Sasuke had grown.

He needed to become even stronger if he was ever going to defeat demons as well as him now.

.

"What are you going to do when all the demons are eliminated?" she wondered, sitting beside Naruto under the vast expanse of stars shining above them. She was glad they were able to take a moment to enjoy the night, because being in the city meant they could not see the stars as well as they can in this rural area. They had just finished an onslaught of killing not just one, not two, but three demons, and they were exhausted. They decided to take a break in the forest, absolutely exhausted. Naruto grinned, looking down at her from his position.

"I'm not gonna worry about stuff like that right now. Gotta focus on the now, you know?" Sakura nodded, but still had a sinking feeling. Why doesn't he care about his future at all? Her eyes grew frustrated, glaring at him. He stared at her, confused, wondering why she would be upset.

"Well, you're going to have to start thinking about it!" Sakura demanded, her hands settling on her hips as she eyed him. "Someday, there may not be ninja, right? When they are eliminated, you'll be the only one without a real job! You may turn into a lazy bum!" Sakura reasoned, giggling at the mere thought. Naruto merely chuckled halfheartedly, telling her he would find something.

"But wouldn't you want to find something you like? What will you do?" she started, but then was surprised by the look on his face.

Sakura stopped, seeing his eyes somber, and a broken smile that did not reach his eyes.

They called him the cage of the Nine-Tailed Fox demon. She wondered, would this demon have to be eliminated too, for true peace?

"Naruto?" she began. "What would happen… if the Kyuubi was extracted from you?" she asked. He was surprised, for a split second, before he turned away from her.

"Neh, Sakura-chan, don't worry about such things. I-I have him in check!" Naruto tried to reassure, his voice low and raspy. Sakura's frown deepened, however.

"Naruto, that's not why I asked, I asked because I want you to have-" he didn't let her finish, for he told her not to worry about it and he didn't need a normal life, before he raced away.

Naruto… her thoughts trailed off with the light breeze.

Sakura was left to view the bright sky alone, her hair tangling with the harsh winds.

.

"He would die. He is going to die," Kakashi explained. He added, "Sooner or later."

Sakura felt like choking up. Tears were brimming around her eyes. She went to Kakashi for answers Naruto didn't have the strength to tell her.

For his or her benefit, she did not know.

"W-why?" she asked in between hiccups and sobs. He stared at her with poignant eyes for his teammate's future – or lack of one for a better word.

"Demon containers… they generally make it easier to kill off the demon they're holding."

"W-what?"

"The reason there are demon containers, is because powerful demons cannot be killed off so easily. It's easier to seal them away in a human, and then kill the demon that way, while it is in a human. When the human dies, the demon will die along with them." He failed to mention, that recently, they have stopped placing demons to hold, due to the fact their rise in immense power.

Sakura's fist clenched, her whole body shaking.

H-horrible…

"So… all this time. Naruto is-"

"A sacrifice. For when the time comes, we must eliminate the Kyuubi. Luckily, Naruto is very strong willed, and has fought the demon off for so long. He has so far fought against his destiny. It is amazing that he has gone this far, he is truly powerful in his own right. His will to live is strong, you can say. But eventually, when he can't control it anymore, he will surely-"

"No! There has to be another way!" Sakura snapped, biting back tears that would drown her if she wasn't too careful. Kakashi sighed.

This must be why Naruto doesn't care for blending in, she thought. H-he must have already known… his fate.

"The reason why you can't see his red strings… is because he has already been marked for death. Any red strings he had has been severed from the day he was born."

This hit her like a ton of bricks. Her arms wrapped around her body, not bearing to hear his fate.

Naruto, you're…

"This, this is so cruel," she couldn't help but say.

"Sakura-chan, why are you crying?" She turned her head to find Naruto, who was at the other end of the alleyway. "Sakura-chan, you shouldn't be crying, because I will surely, kick every demon's ass! Especially the one I'm holding inside of me. It's better that I have him, that I'm the one who contains one of the most powerful demons. You watch! I won't let this bastard get the best of me! You wait and see! So stop crying over something like this!"

She still looked at him with tears in her eyes, but she wiped them quickly so she could address him. Her eyes pierced through him.

"Promise me, then!" He looked at her questioningly.

"Eh?"

"Naruto, then promise me, that you will not die by the hands of your demon. That you will fight your hardest for a happy future," she asked, wiping away more of her tears so she could see him better. He looked at her for a moment, shocked. He scratched the back of his head, smiling from ear to ear for her, at her words that he never thought he would ever hear from anyone.

"Sakura-chan… I promise! And you know I keep my word! Always!" He gave her a thumbs up, reassuring her.

She wiped even more of her tears, wondering when she would stop crying so much, and Naruto smiled.

She smiled through lidded eyes too, because she had to believe in him, and be strong if he were going to truly keep it.

And, because she would hold him to this promise.

"Then that means, you need to start going to school if you plan to blend in!" she said, giggling. Naruto looked at her, horror in his eyes.

"EH?"

.

"I'm Uzumaki, Naruto! And I challenge all of you to a fight!" It was Naruto's first day of real school, and Sakura could already tell things weren't going to be easy.

"Baka!" Sakura called, slapping his cheek.

"Sakura-chaaaaan," he whined.

She glared at him, crossing her arms. When she said blend in, this is not what she meant, challenging every person at the school for a fight! He was unbelievable!

Sasuke looked at the spectacle, uninterested but still a little irritated at his annoying friend.

"No fighting at school!" Sakura warned. "That's not how this works!"

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Then what's the point of coming if we're not supposed to challenge the other students?"

"You compete academically through excelling from test, or in after school activities," Sakura explained.

The rest of the class giggled at the transfer student, who seemed to not understand how schools work.

What kind of school did he go to before this?

Is he foreign?

I never heard of a school that he speaks up.

"Dobe," Sasuke remarked under his breath. Naruto's sharp ears could hear, however.

"Teme, what you say?" Naruto growled, eyeing him challengingly. Naruto stood on top of Sasuke's desk, scowling. They both scowled at each other.

Sakura thought they should have known better by now, than to start a fight with each other.

She was certainly not expecting what happened next.

They kissed, their lips meeting so suddenly.

Sakura felt like her the blood in her body was drained.

"Bakas!"

.

"Right here, right now! Sasuke!" Naruto challenged, rubbing his lips with the sleeves of his black long coat before crossing his arms and eyeing him. They were outside on the schoolyard. Sasuke looked indifferent, shaking his head. "Teme… I'll get you for kissing me like that!"

"Don't be stupid, Naruto. We'll settle this away from the school. I'm not the one who leaned in, by the way. As if I would be the one to do that!"

"What, you're afraid?" Both were glaring at each other.

Sakura sighed, standing alongside Ino and the rest of the crowd who were interested to see Sasuke and Naruto fight. Ino looked at her curiously, confused.

"Um, Sakura? How do you know this transfer student?" Ino asked.

"Well…" Sakura trailed off, trying to think of a good excuse.

Ino smirked. "And it looks like you and Sasuke-kun are closer, too. What's going on?" she wondered, looking between the two boys. Sakura sighed, knowing it would be far too much to explain.

"It's a long story, but right now, I need to make sure those two don't kill each other!" Sakura said, trying to break the boys up. Ino sighed, about to say something, but Sakura ran off already.

"What's going on with you, Sakura?" Ino couldn't help but ask herself, concern running across her features.

.

"You two are unbelievable! I swear, neither of you are blending in well!"

"Blame that dobe. I was doing just fine before he decided to come here," Sasuke said, crossing his arms. Naruto growled, clenching his fists.

"Teme-" he was about to start, when Sakura lightly tapped his cheek with the palm of her hand and used her other hand to grab onto his arm. She eyed him warningly.

"Naruto!" Naruto sighed, rubbing his cheek.

"You're only making it harder on yourself."

"Yeah, well, I'm not used to this kind of stuff, but hey, I'm trying, aren't I?" he asked, beginning to stretch and ready himself. Sakura couldn't help but nod, letting go of his arm.

"Yeah… you are." She smiled warmly as her two teammates began walking ahead, forgetting all about their supposed fight and Sasuke beginning to explain the ways of school and the real world. The crowd began dissipating, disappointed that there would be no fight going on just yet.

Sakura sighed, exasperated at her two teammates, but looked onward at the two, tenderly smiling.

Naruto's effort to go to school and join them… it was a sign, that he truly did want to have a normal life, that he didn't just want to accept his fate of death. And Sasuke, the guy who lost his family, but who already so desperately wanted a normal life and to see his older brother again.

She smiled at the two boys who became her best friends.

She prayed, they could both have the normal lives they so greatly desired.

"Neh, Sakura-chan! What are you doing just standing there? Hurry up!" Naruto called. Sasuke grunted in agreement, mentioning that they don't have all day. They both waited for her. She looked at them curiously, before smiling.

"Sorry!" she apologized, running after them.

She also prayed, that no matter what happened, they would always be together like this.

.

"Naruto, you might get expelled if you keep on challenging everyone! That won't look good!"

"Neh, Iruka-sensei has my back!" Naruto simply stated. Sakura's eyes widened, wondering how he even knew the principal. "We go way back! Iruka-sensei was my very first sensei! So I won't get expelled!" Naruto grinned mischievously. This meant he would play a prank on all his teachers!

"Naruto, please, for my sake, stop it!" Sakura tried to reason. Naruto looked at her oddly.

"Fine then, but I'm gonna prove myself one way or another!" he declared.

.

"I challenge you then, to a soccer match!" the top soccer player, Rock Lee, announced. Naruto smirked impishly. Sakura's mouth flew open, absolutely stunned. He had just said he wouldn't challenge anyone anymore!

"Relax! Sakura-chan, it's just to a soccer match, right? I got this!" Naruto reassured, taking off his black school jacket and handing it to her.

"Yeah, but-" Sakura was interrupted by a hand on her shoulder. She looked over to see Sasuke, holding her back. She eyed him questioningly, wondering what he was doing.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Let it go. This is how Naruto does things," Sasuke merely said, before turning around and walking to class.

Sakura nodded, thinking she would never understand these two.

However, she stayed, deciding to join Ino and the rest of their peers who wanted to see who would win the match!

She hoped moments like these could continue.

.

She was foolish, when she thought they could be happy together for so long. She thought they could stay happy forever, but reality hit her hard.

It was the start of their mission, and they made it to the location of the previous demon sightings. They were deep in a forest of death, at least that's what the rumors called it. There was a legend that said those who went inside would kill themselves while in there. She remembered reading about this place, and always being afraid. But she had a job to do, no matter how much entering this heart of darkness scared her. She didn't worry about the thick branches that seemed to scrape her or the leaves that would get in her way as she tried to sense the demon.

When she opened her eyes, she confidently swung her axe, effectively tearing down the trees in the forest and clearing the path. Her axe stayed lodged in the biggest oak tree, right by the demons neck. A small cut grazed the demons neck.

"Wow, very good aim. Close, but not close enough." She looked at him curiously, not seeing a demon, but a gorgeous man with pale skin and long, silver hair. His eyes were a piercing yellow, and his robes looked very old and traditional, but clean.

She was absolutely confused.

"I… I was sure I felt the presence of a demon," Sakura thought aloud. She looked over to her teammates for answers, but they did not say anything.

"Sakura, stay back from this one," Kakashi ordered, never once taking his eyes off him. She looked over to her sensei, noticing this was the first time his hand was on his head band that covered his eyes, ready to remove it.

She looked at Sasuke, who glared at the man before them, absolutely angered and frustrated. She didn't want to believe it, but she saw him shaking. It made her gulp, terrified.

Finally, she looked at Naruto, who's eyes held so much emotion.

She had never seen Naruto cry before.

"Sakura-chan, listen to Kakashi-sensei. Get out of here," Naruto said, and she could tell his voice was shaky because of the man before him.

"But I don't understand."

"That's no normal demon… that's a demon container… one completely possessed."

"I don't care for any of you, just the one that holds the Nine-Tailed Fox," he said, eyeing Naruto.

"All of you, stay back. This is my fight now! I will protect all of you!" Naruto called. She looked at Naruto, and for the first time, was afraid. She noticed the lines across his cheeks grew darker, more defined. She noticed his eyes flicker between blue and red, and she took a step back from him, terrified.

Tears rolled down her eyes as she felt that ominous aura within Naruto, grow stronger.

.

The demon ran towards all of them, before Naruto stood up once more, eyes blazing red.

He slashed the demon on his chest, leaving an open gash, and she noticed his sharp claws and rougher features.

Said demon smirked.

"This is what I wanted to see. Someday, you will fully understand what it means to be like me," the demon container said, before making his escape. He was already so weak, if the other's tried to kill him, he'd be done for.

"We have to go after it," Sasuke thought, anger settling in.

"No! We have bigger things to worry about," Kakashi said, looking at the direction of their usually cheerful teammate, growling and clawing at everything.

Kakashi frowned, knowing full well that he must be in so much pain. He was hurting so much, he wondered, if it would be easier, if he just ended his misery now. Kakashi brought his headband down, looking sympathetically at Naruto that didn't look like their Naruto anymore.

Sakura felt it. She felt that same ominous presence from before, engulfing Naruto's.

Is... no, this can't be happening. Naruto can't become possessed, no!

Sakura felt heartbroken, unsure and fearful.

"N-Naruto?" she questioned, wondering if it was really him. He was surrounded by an ominous red chakra, flowing through him. "Naruto!" she called, but Kakashi stopped her.

"He is already gone. The Kyuubi is consuming him," Kakashi said. "Stay back." His voice seemed harsh, but sad, preparing for what he would surely, have to do.

"…" Sasuke said nothing, looking away with a pained expression on his face. He was angry. So angry he could not save him.

More of his precious people, gone.

His fist pounded against the tree, completely frustrated in his incapability of doing anything for Naruto.

Naruto…

She couldn't just stay back and look away.

She ran after him, screaming for him to stop.

"Sakura, no!"

.

She couldn't stop crying.

"N-Naruto, no! Y-you promised me!" Tears continued to fall on his cheek. Her body shook as she tried her best to heal him, the green flow of her chakra running across his chest. She prayed he would make it.

The seal was weakening.

It was harder and harder for him to control the demon locked inside of him.

Every battle was a struggle.

She grasped her arm, the claw marks making her cringe in pain, but that didn't stop her from healing him with shaky hands.

She had to make sure he was okay. She had to heal him… make sure he was alive.

"Naruto," she whispered to herself, fighting the pain and immediately going to work, trying to do everything she can to save his life.

She didn't want to believe it. She didn't want to think it was possible, that they were all right about him.

That eventually, Naruto would have a final battle against his fate…

And loose.

.

"You have to leave?" The winds blew the autumn leaves around them as they stopped along the path with Jiraiya right next to him. She frowned, wondering if he was even okay enough to travel.

"Yeah, I gotta go with Ero-Sennin to stop this. I promised I'd kick this demon's ass, didn't I? We will find a way to tame him without me dying!" Sakura looked so relieved at that, thankful they would find a way to save him.

"Shouldn't we come too?" Sakura asked, worried. She hoped nothing bad happened while their team wasn't together. It wouldn't be the same.

"Nah, I will be fine with Ero-Sennin. Don't worry!" He stared at her arm, pained and regretful. She saw him, so she covered her arm and averted her gaze to the concrete floor. She understood what he was thinking. She understood why… he might hurt her again. And he never wanted to do that, not ever.

"Bye, Naruto," she said, waving farewell and praying he would make a safe return. Naruto and Jiraiya were walking away.

Naruto halted, however, before biting his thumb and making hand signs, before bringing his hand to the floor. Sakura took a few steps back when she saw a toad.

"Sakura-chan! You're afraid of toads?" he laughed.

"What is that thing?" she screamed, shivering in disgust.

"Oi, I have a name!" the toad exclaimed, shaking its webbed feet.

"Gamakichi! Let him stay with you, in case you ever need me!" Naruto grinned. "Gamakichi, keep Sakura-chan safe!"

Sakura sighed, already exhausted by Naruto's parting gift.

"So ey, Pinkie, got any flies to eat?"

Naruto… when you get back, I will hurt you!

.

Naruto wasn't back, but there were still demons to slay. Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi took them on as Naruto was away training to control his demons, and possibly find a way to kill it without having to die with it. Sakura kept praying there was a way their team could stay together forever, with every life spared.

Sometimes, she wondered if that was just wishful thinking.

Now, she didn't have time to think about that. They had a mission to complete. This was one of the only missions she would have without both Naruto and Kakashi. It felt odd, not having the hyperactive blond with them, or their calm, perverted sensei. However, she was determined to successfully complete this mission no matter what.

"Good luck, Sasuke-kun."

"Yeah. Just stay focus," he said, looking out into the distance. Sakura nodded, smiling.

She looked off into the distance, realizing there was an ominous presence nearby.

She looked over to Sasuke, and he nodded, understanding.

This demon didn't seem like anything. In fact, it seemed rather weak.

It should have been easy, it really should have.

Unfortunately, they would have no such luck.

"Sasuke-kun, no!" Sakura yelled, afraid. She tried to save him. She looked for Gamakichi, hoping that he could somehow give word to Naruto or someone, anyone, however, she was surprised to see him gone.

She grew annoyed. Some guard… she thought he was supposed to keep her safe.

She looked back to the demon, realizing this was the first time she would be fighting a demon on her own. No one else. Sakura gulped, but eyed the demon.

"I will not back down!" she yelled, before running to attack the demon.

"I-It's no use! He is so strong! How am I supposed to penetrate his shell? My axe won't even make a dent in it!" Sakura thought, panting. She looked at Sasuke, who was now unconscious after the chidori backfired.

"I have to protect Sasuke-kun and the kid! I have to protect everyone!" Sakura said aloud, hoping she could keep going. She knew what was at stake.

Luckily for her, the demon was slow, his large outer shell being big enough that it made demon have trouble moving quickly.

Sakura kept her eyes open, knowing she had to keep watching the demon and dodge all his attacks.

"I tried. I'm almost out of chakra… I don't know how much farther I can go on," she thought, shaking as she fought to get up to her feet. She looked over to Sasuke and the unconscious kid, tears forming as she realized she would let them down.

"N-no, I can't!" Her eyes closed shut, trying to heal her aching legs, but to no avail. "Even if I die like this, I have to do everything in my power to protect them!" Sakura thought, for once, not fearing death. "Still… I don't want to loose here."

The demon was ready to inflict another attack, the spikes on it's shell ready to bring down a barrage of spikes towards them. She continued to shake, wishing she had more chakra to move.

She thanked her muscles, when she was finally able to move, and so she used her strength to cover the boy and Sasuke, in hopes that she could at least protect them from the blow.

"The hero has arrived!" Sakura was shaking, never being so happy to hear Naruto's voice call out so loudly before.

"Naruto!" Sakura sobbed, her voice hoarse, but still truly grateful.

"Get ready to be amazed! Rasengan!"

.

There was supposed to be a way to stop the demon from possessing him. They searched, and searched. But there had been no other methods preceding current ways to extract the demons. There was nothing in any book or scroll that showed them what to do.

Many older ninja, had given up on a way to extract it.

"Sasuke-kun! I need your help! We need to stop them! They can't do this to Naruto!"

"I know," he growled, running just as fast in hopes to stop the process.

"If they try to extract the Kyuubi's chakra, then Naruto will surely die." She remembered Kakashi's words, and she realized more than anything they all had to protect him. They had to find him and stop them.

Sakura felt panicked when she found them extracting the demon out of Naruto. She had to do something before…

Sakura swung her axe, causing them to lose their focus.

Sasuke jumped towards those who were doing the extracting, punching one in the face.

Sakura ran to Naruto, hoping he was okay.

She couldn't hear his heart beat.

"Naruto!"

Were we too late?

She couldn't stop crying.

She had to do something.

She had to save his life.

She reached in her first aid kit, grabbing the portable, Heart Start defibrillator, mixing modern technology with her traditional chakra used. This has to work.

They hadn't completed the extraction. They may still have time to save him. Hopefully they had stopped it in time.

She knew her medical ninjutsu skills still needed more work. Plus, she had to save up her chakra, for when his heart was beating again and she could give him all that he needed to stay alive. She prepared the small machine, ready to send jolts to his heart in order to get him to live.

When the shock hit, his breath hitched as though he was being reborn. His lungs expanded and he took in the deep breath of air.

Once he was breathing, she shakily brought her hands to his chest, beginning a green flow of chakra to him, mending every tear, fracture, ligament.

"S-Sakura-chan." His hand lightly tapped on her cheek. He just smiled. And she just cried, thankful, and so grateful that he was still alive.

"Told ya… I keep… my promises," he rasped, before closing his eyes once more.

She wrapped her arms around his head, holding him close as their faces were so close. She could see his chest moving, she could feel his hot breath against her face.

That's all she needed right now. She just needed to know he was alive.

"Thank you," she said, not ever wanting to let go.

.

"Looks like the tables have turned," Sakura said, smiling as she saw a bandaged Naruto. Even through the multiple bandages on his face, he still smiled.

"Yeah, you were the one like me before!"

"Well, you're covered up everywhere but your eyes!" Sakura observed, giggling.

"You missed so much at school," Sasuke said, dropping all his homework on the bed.

"Teme, you have to bring up something as dumb as that?" Sasuke merely "Tch'd," shaking his head.

"Hey, I brought a cake for us to celebrate!" Sakura said, interrupting their banter. Naruto cheered excitedly.

"I hate sweets," Sasuke merely said, crossing his arms. Sakura pouted, eyeing him glaringly.

"Well this will be the exception!" Sakura urged, pulling him closer. She forced him to sit down next to Naruto as she went to retrieve the pastry.

When she came back, she smiled at the two who were eyeing each other. She sighed before trying to get their attention.

"Alright you guys, let's dig in!"

As they continued to eat, Naruto stopped, putting his fork down as he stared at the two, gratitude gleamed in his eyes.

"Thanks, you guys. Thanks for believing in me," Naruto said, on the verge of tears. However, he refused to cry in front of either of them.

"That's what we're here for!" Sakura smiled. "Once you get better, it's straight to school!" Naruto sulked, while Sasuke smirked. Sakura giggled.

Sakura wished that more happy times like this, with them together like this, were in the future too.

.

"Thanks for always stopping by, Sakura-chan."

"It's the least I can do, right? When my eyes were bandaged up after the surgery, you were there every day. I have no idea why, but you were there. That's when we really became great friends," she explained, sitting down next to him. "You probably won't be in here as long as I was healing up, but I want to be there for you too. And you didn't even know me back then."

"Wanna know the reason I always went there and talked to you?" he wondered, scratching the back of his head. She nodded, curious.

"Cause… I thought your hair was really pretty," he merely said. Her eyebrow twitched.

"Really?"

"It was different, and pink. I don't know, I love it," Naruto confessed, grinning sheepishly. She bit her lip, her face heating. Naruto's face, she could tell, even through the bandages, must have been heated and red out of embarrassment, because he was making the same gestures he would make when he got nervous or flustered.

She giggled. She grabbed strands of her hair, running her fingers through it.

"Well, I guess that means I'm going to have to keep coming here, then."

.

"Neh, Tsunade-baachan, how many more demons are left?" Naruto asked impatiently. Tsunade sighed.

"They aren't going to be here for long, you know. What are you three going to do, once it's all over?" Naruto frowned, thinking long and hard.

"I… really don't know, Baa-chan. I need to think a lot about this." Naruto briskly left, and Sakura was about to call after him before Kakashi stopped her, putting a hand on her shoulders.

"He needs to think long and hard about this, Sakura. As much as he would probably hate to admit it, he probably didn't suspect he would be alive to see the extinction of demons. I suspect, that he felt he would die fighting against his fate, fighting against his destiny."

Sakura looked back to the door, frowning.

"He's seen many other's like him die. Either at the hands of those who would want to extract the demon's power, or by the demons themselves. I suspect, he would share their same fate someday too. Now, that he truly has a chance at a normal life that he can see, he has a lot of thinking to do, about his future."

She hoped she could still be a part of that future.

.

Sakura spent a year fighting demons with her team. When the last one was eliminated, they were all relieved. It felt like so long, yet at the same time, it felt like just yesterday when the first demon she had seen ejected its acid on her eyes and blinded her. She had gotten closer to her team. She would consider all of them her family now. Naruto, to her surprise, kept his promise, and was still in school. However, no matter how lenient Iruka-sensei was, he couldn't allow Naruto to graduate. Sasuke and Sakura were ready to graduate, however. Sasuke already having his future set. Sakura had a good idea of what she would do, too.

She couldn't say the same for Naruto.

"Naruto, what are you planning to do?" she wondered as she took a sip of her water.

"I'm gonna leave Japan," Naruto announced.

"Really? You too? Why?" Sakura felt sad, to have both her teammates leaving her.

"I need to travel, train, and get stronger!" Naruto raised his fist above his head, excited.

Naruto smiled at her. She smiled back, but she felt uncertainty, not sure what he was thinking.

"Train and get stronger? Why? Why when there are no demons? When there is peace now?"

"It's all I've known, Sakura-chan." He scratched his cheek. "Kakashi-sensei said I could take a job as a mercenary, and it would be something similar to what I have been doing."

"But… but wait a sec! You should go to school more and graduate and that way you can find a different occupation that you will like!" Sakura tried to reason, not liking that he would go off, especially without finishing high school.

You're leaving, just like that… She couldn't help but feel dejected by this thought.

"Sasuke-kun is leaving for university in China, and then business school. But… but he said he would come back afterwards. I'm assuming he's doing something similar to you, now that this part of his life is complete. Naruto… will you come back, too?" she asked, hopeful. Her eyes sparkled to him. They were so green. He looked at her oddly, not sure what to say at the look she gave him. His face heated.

"Is… that what you want?" he asked.

"Of course." He grinned, giving her a thumbs up.

"Then it's a promise!" he declared. Sakura smiled, grateful.

"Good!"

.

"Goodbye, Sasuke-kun," she said. She frowned, looking at the concrete floor. Sasuke held his bags, ready to head into a taxi to take him to the airport. The skies were clear today, but her mind was clouded with racing thoughts of her teammates leaving her. Sasuke smirked, shrugging.

"Tch, don't look so sad. I told you I'll be back afterwards."

"I know… just, be safe, okay? And don't forget about us, okay?" she asked. Her hands found each other as she clasped them together. He nodded, waving goodbye. "Wait, I would think you'd want to say bye to Naruto and Kakashi-sensei."

"I already said goodbye to Kakashi-sensei. As for Naruto," he scoffed shaking his head. "I'm sure he'll show up sooner or later. We'll see each other again," he mentioned. Sakura's brow furrowed, not sure what he meant by that. She was about to ask, but he was already putting his bags in the back seat, ready to get in.

"See ya," he said, waving before he closed the door shut.

At that moment, when she turned away and began walking back to her home, her eyes widened, seeing the red string tied around her pinky.

I… I can finally see it… my red string.

She couldn't believe it.

Her mind was reeling with what to do with this information.

Her eyes widened, incredulous.

She ran to her house, locking herself in her room as she observed the string.

She wondered what she expected.

It was a false hope, but she was sure, that maybe, the reason she couldn't see her red string was because Naruto and Sakura's red string were severed long ago, or maybe her and Sasuke's string somehow got tangled… but now…

She frowned.

She couldn't be sure who would be at the other end of her string.

She loved Sasuke. Don't get her wrong, she loved him a lot. They have grown to become great friends.

Also…

Naruto, she couldn't help but think.

Naruto, you're always fighting your fate, and winning. I… I want to fight alongside you, fighting against fate. I need the strength to win too!

She closed her eyes. Maybe, she wanted all of them to be closer. Maybe they could be if they had the chance to choose their own fate this time, to cut the chord and follow their own paths and make their own destinies.

If they were truly destined, they do not need a red string of fate to find each other.

She nodded to herself, realizing she would make her own decisions, and fate or destiny would be what she made of it.

That thought decided it. She was never more sure. They were free from their fate, and liberated, so they could seek their own destinies.

Grabbing her kunai, she held her red, flimsy string, before severing it without any hesitation, forever.

.

She ran towards Naruto's apartment, hoping he hadn't already left.

He was always so lonely, until he found those precious to him.

His smile always brought her warmth and comfort. She couldn't imagine not seeing it or not hearing his loud mouth anymore.

She ran to him, hoping she didn't lose him, especially without at least saying goodbye.

"Naruto! Naruto!" she called, scanning the area. She stopped, opening the door to his small, isolated apartment. She looked around, seeing it was all empty. He was gone. She frowned, kneeling down and beginning to cry, her tears cascading down her now rosy cheeks. The worst part about the situation, was that he left without even saying goodbye.

"Neh, Sakura-chan, what are you doing on the floor?" he asked, surprised. He was holding a brown bag filled with groceries. She took a moment to stare at him, wondering what was going on.

"Naruto? What are you doing here?"

"Well, you see… I live here. You forgot?" he chuckled. Sakura smacked him, calling him a baka. "I missed my boat," Naruto laughed. "What luck, right?" Naruto looked at her more closely, frowning. "Sakura-chan, why are you crying?"

"You're staying?" she asked, hoping for him to say yes.

"Well, for the time being, yeah," he answered.

"Good," was all she said before she grabbed his black school tie and brought him closer to her face. She glared at him, tears still brimming from her eyes. "Do you know how mad I'd be if you left without saying goodbye?"

"Da-da-da Sakura-chan! W-what are you doing?" His high-pitched whine made her giggle. "I-I thought you had it all figured out, and you found what you needed," he reminded, his eyes sullen at the thought. Sakura brought up her pinky, embarrassed. Her face heated, hoping he understood.

She decided to add, "I finally saw my red string of fate, but… I cut it."

His eyes widened.

"Why, Sakura-chan? Why would you do that?" Sakura shook her head.

"I do not believe in red strings of fate anymore. If it were real, then," she paused, her eyes averted as she thought about her words. She looked up to him and beamed. "Well, it is real, I guess. But someone once told me, that you have to create your own destiny. I… I want to create my own destiny, Naruto," she confessed. Naruto's eyes widened, standing there in disbelief. His cheeks were blazing red, his mouth agape at her words.

"Sakura-chan, is that really what you want?" Sakura nodded, moving closer.

"More than anything," she admitted.

Naruto smiled. "Stay awhile, Sakura-chan," he offered.

He walked over to the kitchen, and brought his bag down on the counter. He went to the window to open it, finally welcoming in the light breeze that brought him comfort for once.

She smiled, her hand carefully reaching for his. "I'd love to."

.

AN: Wow, this turned out to be longer than I expected! I'm so surprised I finished after a few days of nonstop writing this beast! This is just a glimpse of an AU I could have made into a full out story, but decided against. Even then, I realize it's fast paced and probably still has a lot missing to it. Still, I wanted to post this up as an experiment, to see if the idea was any good. Inspired by Shippū! Konoha Gakuen Den! (a little bit towards the end/ school scenes), along with InuYasha (if you squint? Not sure how but the OST's are what I listened to while I wrote this). This was a war between fate and creating your own destiny. I originally had Sasuke and Sakura's red string being attached, but then Sakura severing it, however, I felt that might be too harsh and wanted to be fair. That whole thing about Sasuke and Sakura having their red strings together and her cutting it would have symbolized me giving a FU to Kishi, basically (but yeah, I'd rather it be someone else/ Sakura not knowing who, because it didn't matter who it was at the end of it all).

QUESTION! Are you guys okay with me posting AU's like this, or are they unacceptable? What I'm asking, is if you'd consider reading/enjoy AU's like this? Also! If you have any questions about this or need me to expand on anything in the fic more (or if you feel like I rushed through something important - I feel like I'll definitely get criticized for that), please let me know, that way I can change it and expand (that's why I said this was experimental). So please let me know! I only posted this as it is now because I wanted to see if you guys could help me figure out what else might be missing so I can tweak in for my next story! I left it open ended on purpose in case I wanted to expand it/ write a sequel. I'd truly appreciate it if you could help me, though!

Reviews are appreciated and welcomed! I always welcome constructive criticism and desperately want to improve! :) Also, go ahead and vote on my profile if you would like to see more like this! Thanks! Until next time!