Legend of a Fantasy 幻想の伝説

by Her Pretty Smile

Synopsis: AU. Haruno Sakura is a normal student in her school. That is, until she and her best friend Yamanaka Ino stumble upon a magical book in the library, are swept into its contents, and are transported into a different, foreign world. There, they meet the mysterious Uchiha Sasuke and later on Sakura finds out that she is there for a reason far beyond what she'd imagined: to be the Priestess of Fire and to find the Seven Guardians in order for her to come back home to her own world. [MultiSaku; Other Pairings; Eventual SasuSaku] [Ongoing]

Warning: Unbeta-ed. May contain errors.

This fic is based on/inspired by Fushigi Yuugi: The Mysterious Play, but the plotline will not and never be exactly the same. I have placed my own twists and turns here, so be prepared for all of it to sink in. ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. The right of ownership goes to Masashi Kishimoto, not this little amateur writer.

Legend of a Fantasy 幻想の伝説

Chapter I

The Universe of the Four Elements

4要素の宇宙

"SO HOW WAS YOUR speech, Ino?" a seventeen-year-old girl whose long pink hair was tied up into a messy bun with bangs framing her face asked conversationally while sipping her milkshake.

Her blonde best friend sitting across her grimaced. "It was terrible, Sakura," she drawled helplessly. "I'd never felt so shy before in my whole life."

"Shy? You?" Sakura snorted. "Who are you and what have you done to the real Ino?"

Ignoring the implied mild insult, Ino ranted on, "You see, there's this guy. He's so handsome—"

Sakura sighed. "So this is about guys again."

Ino glared at her. "Says the one who rants about Lee's antics almost every day."

Sakura glared back. "That's an entirely different matter."

"Yeah, right, Forehead."

"Right back at you, Pig."

After a few moments, the two girls burst into laughter.

They could never really stay mad at each other for long.

"Ne, Ino," Sakura started, glancing at her watch. "Mind joining me for a quick trip to the library?"

"Oh, right! We have a project!" Ino exclaimed.

Sakura rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "So typical of you to forget, Pig."

Ino stuck out her tongue at Sakura.

-;-

SAKURA SIGHED AND PLACED the book back into its shelf. No, this is the wrong one, too, she thought absently.

Then something buzzed inside her pocket.

Heaving another sigh, she took out her pink iPhone and read the message silently.

'Having any luck, Forehead?'

Sakura smiled wryly.

'Nope. You?'

The reply came after five seconds.

'Ditto~'

Sakura sighed for the third time and proceeded to her search.

At that moment, her hands glowed red with different shades of pink as a halo.

Her eyes wide, she instinctively looked around, trying to see if anyone noticed.

But there was no one in sight.

Only a man with fiery red hair and crimson-red eyes.

Sakura jolted. "Wh—Who are you?" she stammered, startled at the unique presence and aura the man was emitting.

He had a regal air about him and also a deep mysteriousness held within his eyes. His body was glowing red, and he had a red Fire symbol on his forehead.

Sakura's breath caught in her throat as he seemed to take a step closer to her, but thought better of it and walked off instead in a slow, leisurely pace.

Sakura, feeling compelled to follow him, forgot all about her search and went up the stairs where the mysterious man was.

He disappeared into a room. Sakura wasted no time in opening the door leading to it.

Inside, she found a glowing red book on the floor. Feeling hypnotized, she took a step towards it.

"Sakura!"

Aforementioned person turned around to see her best friend staring at her in the doorway.

"I—Ino," Sakura said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same thing," Ino panted.

"I... I saw a man," Sakura said slowly. "He came in here and I followed him, but now he's gone."

Ino gave her a mischievous stare. "Oh my... Forehead's interested in a man!"

Sakura blushed. "Ino! It's not like that. I was just curious," she said lamely.

Ino merely looked unconvinced. "Curiosity still means interest, Forehead."

Sakura was about to retort before she suddenly remembered something. "Pig! Come here. I want to show you something."

"What? What is it?"

"Come here!"

"All right, all right."

The two girls made their way towards the book and sat down on the floor.

"Whoa," Ino remarked, interest and confusion shining in her eyes. "Why's it glowing?"

"I don't know," Sakura replied. "I've never seen a book glow before."

"Maybe it's a magical book!"

"Ino, there's no such thing as magic," Sakura said patiently.

"Then how do you explain this, oh great Sakura-sensei?"

Sakura ignored her and opened the book.

At that moment, they were engulfed by a red light, and heat spread inside their bodies.

Their screams were inaudible as they were absorbed into the book.

-;-

WHEN SAKURA OPENED HER eyes groggily, the sight before her was uncanny.

She was in a plain deserted land with a few trees here and there. Other than that, there was nothing special or eye-catching about the place.

Sakura heard a groan coming from beside her.

"Ungh..." Ino moaned, standing up in an awkward manner. "What just happened...?"

Sakura stood up next, feeling slightly dizzy. "Where are we?"

"Don't know, but this place looks weird. How the heck did we get here?"

Sakura's eyes widened as the revelation came crashing down on her. "Oh no... Don't tell me..."

Ino seemed to be thinking the same thing. "The book," she said with wonder etched into her voice. "It transported us here. Magic does exist!"

Sakura was absolutely befuddled. She started to grudgingly agree with Ino when suddenly a sharp object came flying her way.

Using her quick reflexes, she dodged skillfully, letting the object hit the tree in behind her.

"What the hell?" Ino said angrily. "Who threw that, huh? My best friend could've gotten killed!"

At that moment, a figure appeared from the shadows and approached them lazily. "Who are you?"

Ino's anger increased. "We should be the one asking you that, asshole!"

At that moment, we could see the person, and it was a he.

And that 'he' was drop-dead gorgeous.

He had short raven-black hair, eyes of deep onyx, and smooth, refined features. He was also tall and wore a black formal garb.

Sakura could tell that Ino also found him immensely attractive because of the widening of her eyes and the dropping of her jaw in a comical manner.

And Sakura couldn't deny the fact that she did, too. She could even feel a blush creeping through her cheeks.

He arched an elegant eyebrow. "Well?"

Sakura jolted, remembering that he had asked them a question. "I—I'm Haruno Sakura," she stammered.

Ino, having regained her composure, skipped up to him and gave him her famous flirty smile. "My name is Ino. What's yours?"

The boy looked simply annoyed. "Please refrain from getting close to me," he said flatly, causing Ino's smile to fade. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke, and I see that you two are not from here."

Sakura's cheeks heated up. Sasuke... Uchiha Sasuke...

"Ah, Sasuke-kun!" Ino exclaimed, apparently having quickly regained her composure. "What a handsome name you have!"

"Wait... What do you mean you can see that we are not from this world?" Sakura asked suddenly, apprehension shining in her eyes.

Sasuke looked at her with fathomless dark eyes. "Your clothes," he stated simply.

Sakura blinked, then stared down at her uniform. It was white and had a black skirt with an additional black vest. It was obviously so different compared to what he was wearing.

And probably compared to the clothes in this world, too.

"Oh," she said rather lamely. "I see."

"So what world is this?" Ino asked conversationally, yet there was interest in her eyes.

"You should go back to your own world," was all Sasuke said before turning his back on them and walking away.

"Sasuke-kun! Wait!" Ino shouted.

At that moment, a bright red light engulfed her whole, and then the next thing Sakura knew, Ino had disappeared.

"INO!" Sakura yelled, shock filling her features. "Wh—What the heck just..."

-;-

"OWW..." INO MUTTERED, RUBBING her swollen forehead. "That hurt... Wait. Where am I?" She looked around. "Oh! I'm back to my world! But where's Sakura?"

She looked at her surroundings and found no one in sight.

Only the book on the floor.

"Hmm..." She took the object, placed it on her lap, and began to read its contents.

"The girl was aghast to know that her friend had disappeared... and the mysterious boy said..."

-;-

"APPARENTLY SHE HAS GONE back," Sasuke said quietly.

She stared at him, surprised that he hadn't walked off yet. "B—But... H—How am I supposed to get back?"

He let out a sigh. "I don't know. But if you'd like, I can take you to our Hokage."

"Hokage...?"

"The one who rules the Fire Country Konoha."

"Can he send me back?"

"I don't know."

"Then why are you taking me to him?"

Sasuke looked slightly irritated. "You're really annoying, you know that?"

Sakura blushed in humiliation. "Well, I apologize," she said hotly. "But my being 'annoying' is completely understandable."

He let out another sigh, then took a step closer to her.

She inadvertently stepped back. "Wh—" she started.

"See this mark?" He lifted his bangs with his hand, revealing a red character on his forehead.

Sakura stared at it, fascinated. She was stung by the desire to touch it, but restrained herself from doing so. "I can recognize it... It's an ancient symbol of water," she said in wonder.

Sasuke drew away his hand, letting the bangs fall across his forehead. The mark, in turn, faded. "This only appears either by will or when I am fighting," he said quietly. "This mark is proof that I am a Guardian of Fire who's destined to protect the Kasai no Miko*."

"Kasai... no Miko...?"

"To be honest, I think you're that person."

Sakura's eyes grew as wide as saucers. "W—Wha? Y—You must be mistaken! I—"

"The Kasai no Miko is a pure, untainted girl who comes from another world and one who is able to summon the Fire God in order to cleanse and redeem Konoha."

"Wait! You must really be mistaken!" Sakura voiced out, fear and apprehension colouring her tone. "I'm just a high school student! I'm... I'm normal and I'm running for honours! I have classes to attend, grades to maintain, and... and..."

"You done talking?" Sasuke asked in a bored voice.

Sakura fumed. Why that insensitive jerk—! Forget crushing on him. THIS. IS. WAR! SHANNARO! "In other words, Uchiha-san," Sakura intoned sweetly, "I am not going to be the Kasai no Miko."

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Oh? And why's that?"

"Because you're a jerk, that's why," she muttered under her breath.

"...You know, if you become the Kasai no Miko, you can go back to your own world."

She quickly relented. "All right!" she declared, the fire of determination shining in her eyes. "Take me to your Hokage!"

Sasuke sweatdropped. That was quicker than I thought.

-;-

"WAIT. HE'S THE HOKAGE?" Sakura asked, eyes wide in disbelief.

Sasuke looked annoyed. "Yes, he is. And your voice is so loud."

"Hey!"

The Hokage, the man before them, wasn't anything like Sakura had expected. He had spiky blonde hair, warm blue eyes, and a charming smile. He wore a long cloak which signified his position, and the aura he diffused was friendly and hospitable. Beside him was a woman with long red hair and a beauty that was beyond immense.

"Who is this girl you've brought, Sasuke?" the man asked pleasantly.

And he has a nice voice, too... Sakura thought, completely enchanted.

"She is Haruno Sakura, our Kasai no Miko, Yondaime-sama."

The Hokage's eyes went wide in surprise. "The Kasai no Miko?" A delighted, sincere smile graced his features. "Thank the Heavens that you have appeared, then, Haruno-san. Kushina, do you mind...?"

The woman beside him gave a small smile. "Of course, Minato. Leave her to me."

Sakura blinked. "W—What..."

Kushina was immediately at her side, taking her gently and excitedly by the arm. "Come now, dear. Don't be shy."

"Where... Where are you taking me?"

"To your quarters, of course! And I will prep you into a more suitable attire."

"W—Wait!"

Sasuke watched silently as Kushina dragged the reluctant Sakura towards who-knows-where and then turned to Minato.

"Does she fit the description, Hokage-sama?" he asked.

"Yes, apparently so." Minato looked thoughtful for a moment before smiling. "She's an interesting girl, isn't she, Sasuke?"

"..."

Minato chuckled in amusement. "So you do think she's interesting."

"...A little." Sasuke had an emotionless expression on his face.

"You always seemed to dislike females. Has that changed already?"

"No. It hasn't. Not one bit."

Minato sighed.

-;-

"THERE," KUSHINA SAID SOFTLY, gently brushing Sakura's long pink tresses. "You have really beautiful hair, dear."

Sakura blushed. "A—Arigatou, Kushina-san."

A gentle, sad smile played on Kushina's lips. "Sakura-chan... If you're going to be the Kasai no Miko, then... You'll have a huge burden on your shoulders. You're going to be Konoha's hope and also their saviour if you summon the Fire God and ask of him to save the country and to bring peace."

"How... How can I summon the Fire God?" Sakura asked hesitantly.

"You have to gather the Seven Guardians of Fire and then perform a ceremony in order to summon the deity." Kushina's brow furrowed. "It's not an easy task to assemble them, though. You'll have to travel for an indefinite period of time and look for five people who have red symbols on their body that only appear at will or when they are fighting. Also, sometimes the enemy will use deception in order to trick you to delay or ruin the ceremony."

"Um... Does Konoha have many enemies?" Sakura asked in a small voice.

An almost indiscernible frown appeared on Kushina's face. "Our sworn enemy is the Water Country, and the population of soldiers there almost outnumbers ours here. But not to worry," Kushina added quickly at the horrified look on Sakura's face. "We have more than enough on our side now that you're here and also after you've gathered your Guardians."

"Kushina-san…" Sakura said slowly, drawing in a deep breath. "I'm... I'm not sure if I'm suited for this. I—I may be intelligent, but in truth, I'm a coward. There are so many things that I am afraid of, and I'm only sixteen. I'm—"

"Oh Sakura-chan..." Kushina said in a motherly tone of voice. "It's okay to back out, you know. We don't want to force you into doing something you don't want to do."

Sakura hung her head low, causing Kushina to cease her brushing and look at her questioningly. "But if I don't summon the Fire God, then... I won't get to go back home." Determination mixed with resignation slowly spread throughout her body. "Kushina-san, I... I've decided to become this country's Priestess, and I won't back out on this decision."

Kushina smiled. "You know, Sakura-chan... I feel like you're my daughter."

Sakura blushed. "A—Ano... Kushina-san... Sasuke-san... I—Is he—"

"Your Guardian? Yes, he is."

Sakura suddenly remembered something. "Wait. Earlier, you said that I have to find my five Guardians. There are seven; Sasuke is one, and the other is..."

"Oh! I almost forgot," Kushina said, letting out a chuckle. "The other one is Sasuke's best friend, Naruto. Namikaze Naruto. My son."

-;-

"SAKURA-SAN, SASUKE, YOU TWO shall set out tomorrow morning," Minato said. "Meanwhile, we will make use of today's time to search for a Guardian within the country."

"How are we going to do that?" Sakura asked curiously.

"With this." Kushina held out an exquisite-looking necklace and gently placed it in Sakura's hands. "If there is a Guardian nearby, then that necklace will glow a colour depending on what kind of Guardian he or she is. For example, the necklace will glow blue if there's a Water Guardian nearby, green if Earth, etc."

"But what if it detects Sasuke-san? I mean, he is going to be with me."

"The necklace only detects those who the wearer wishes to find," Kushina said, winking at her.

"Then the two of us shall begin our search, Hokage-sama," Sasuke said, bowing.

"Of course. Good luck, Sasuke, and especially to you, Sakura-san," Minato said.

"Arigatou, Hokage-sama."

-;-

"AND SO, THE KASAI no Miko and her Guardian set off to find the other five Guardians. Driven by the desire to go back to her own world, she gave a lot of thought and she planned on what she should do in order to succeed." A small smile appeared on Ino's face. "Yeah, that sounds just like Sakura."

She placed the book on the floor and stared up at the ceiling, closing her eyes. "Good luck, Forehead. Hurry up and come back, okay?"

Legend of a Fantasy I—End

TBC

*Kasai no Miko: The Fire Priestess/The Priestess of Fire

A/N: Sasuke is a bit OOC for a reason. You think he talks too much? There's a reason. You think he's a bit nice? There's a reason. And that reason is... something I won't tell. :P Don't worry! It'll be revealed in the later chapters. But if I am to make an estimation, it'll probably be chapter three or four.

Note: If it's not too much to ask, can you leave a review? If I post a chapter and no one reviews, then I won't know if that particular chapter is satisfactory or lacking or bad or something. I'm not forcing you, though, I promise. I'd just like to know if I'm doing well, that's all. :)