Lost in Time
One


"Sakura, you need to wake up!"

His voice was loud, frantic, terrified. Sasuke couldn't tell which emotion he loathed the most, but he couldn't do this for much longer. The woman he loved, would go to the end of the world for, would die for, and he couldn't even get through to her. He flashed his Sharingan once more, trying to break the trance that she was in, but to no avail.

Her emerald pools stared into his own red eyes, pink brows knitted together. She was angry, furious, upset, pissed, every emotion that regarded being mad and it was all directed towards him. Sasuke kept his hands on the walls, her body trapped between his and the wall, forced to undergo this confrontment.

His heart began to falter and he couldn't remain strong anymore. His whole world was crumbling in on him, and he couldn't stand it. He let his head fall to her chest, and the tears began to flow.

"Please," his whimper was soft. If it hadn't been for Sakura's shinobi training, she wouldn't have been able to hear it, "please."

His body was now trembling as he stood in front of her with his head against her body and hands pressed against the wall. She finally placed her hand against the back of his neck, the other caressing his cheek. When he looked up, he could feel his breathing catch, and release, making him let out soft sobs.

You're a fucking wreck, he tells himself as he looks into her eyes, memorizing the perfect curves of her face and the smile she always use to give him.

"I-" she started, "I don't remember you."

Her words make him fall to his knees and wrap his arms around her hips. His head now resting against her abs as he hugs onto her, letting the tears flow more fluently now. His body was numb beyond repair -bringing back memories of seeing his clan's bodies lie lifeless in front of him, and his head began to feel cluttered with the many memories that he had of Sakura and their time together.

"I'm losing you," he whispered into her clothing. He was making the fabric of her shirt wet, but she hadn't said anything else. Her hand still remained on his neck as his body trembled, whispering mainly to himself during his breakdown, and all she could offer was a small pat on the back.

"I just don't know you," these were her final words before she finally pushed passed his trembling form, and away from the scene. She was gone, and out of his life, leaving him to crumble in on himself. Sasuke found his body meet the floor of his house, and he remained there, closing in on himself and letting the trails from the tears dry against his skin, trying to comprehend and understand that Sakura was no longer his, and he was no longer Sakura's.

. . .

"I take it your mission went according to plan?"

The air in the Hokage's office smelled of spices like cinnamon and pine, quickly overtaking the presence within his nostrils and making the saliva in his throat thick. Sasuke and his comrade had arrived early in the morning, watching the sunrise begin to shine with thick rays of bright oranges and welcoming yellows. Konoha looked most beautiful during the first hours of the day, just waking up and welcoming the events and sunshine.

"It did. While we waited for you, we finished the report. In full detail, with plenty of words, exactly how you like it," the feminine voice had a sarcastic tone to it, and Sasuke lips broke into a smirk. He loved that tone, and everything about the owner of that voice.

"Thanks, Sakura," the sixth Hokage scratched the back of his neck in a Naruto-like manner, smiling his sheepish smile behind his mask, the one that his comrades had grown use to over the years.

Sakura returned a smile before looking to Sasuke, emerald eyes meeting mismatched, "you ready to head home?"

"Ah."

His body ached from their most previous mission across the Land of Fire. They had been tracking rogue ninja down for the past month, and he could use a hot shower and some of Sakura's home made food. They were now both of the ANBU rank, teamed up together and going on various missions throughout the year. While Kakashi had been hesitant when they first approached him with their proposal, he finally agreed after Sakura's many explanations and whatever Sakura does to persuade people. She was such a people person, Sasuke on the other hand, was not.

They finally arrived at the Uchiha compound, which had been newly rebuilt while on his journey away from Konoha, redeeming himself in the shinobi world. Sakura had taken it upon herself to get everything set up for him, which had surprised him. When he finally came back and saw her for the first time, he couldn't exactly tell what he was feeling on the inside, but it was close to happiness, if he ever had felt that feeling in his life before. Sakura was his light in the world, his guidance, the voice of reasoning in his head. She had always been there for him, since their academy days. Sasuke, though, turned a blind eye to her and refused to accept the love that she offered. The Uchiha always felt guilty since the war ended and she was there to heal both him and Naruto, as they lie there dying in The Valley of the End. Hell, if it wasn't for her, Sasuke would've died multiple times in his life, and the new found love that he had for this woman made the very core of his body heat up, and his stomach swell with butterflies.

She stripped him of his sword, removing the vest from his torso and away from his body. Sasuke hadn't noticed the multiple cuts on her face, lining her arms, and painting her like stripes on a tiger. She was beautiful, even in this moment. He reached his hand up to brush the small cut on her lip before pressing a small kiss to those fine, pink lips. Her hair was still coated in dirt and sweat, smalls drops stuck to the fine pieces, cluttering the beautiful picture of her as a whole. Sasuke didn't care though, she was his Sakura - the woman of his life, his dreams. The woman who would soon be marrying him in the upcoming months.

"Sakura."

Her emerald orbs looked at him, holding exhaustion yet the same loving and affection look. He had grown to love her eyes, envying them for their liveliness and the way they shimmered in all the different lightings of the world, "yes, darling?"

Sasuke was now pushing a strand of hair behind her ear and caressing her cheek, looking deep within the windows to her soul, "you're sure you want to do this? Marry me?"

Her chuckle filled their front room, and she placed her hand over his own, "of course I do, Sasuke. I've loved you for as long as I can remember. Since I was a little girl, in our academy days. Now here we are, we're both twenty-four and looking forward to this. It's what I want more than anything else."

His heart caught, and the pit of his stomach twisted. Sasuke was thankful to finally open up to Sakura and have an affectionate bond with her. He smirked before placing both his pointer and index fingers together and poking her above her Yin seal; the seal that proved her strength. She returned a soft smile to him as he began to walk away.

"I love you, Sasuke."

. . .

"You wanted to see me, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura presented herself in front of the silver haired Hokage's desk, arms resting lighting behind her back. His dark eyes held exhaustion.

"Yes. I'm sending you away on a mission," his face was hiding something, and the tone of his voice was quiet, like he was trying to keep a secret. Sakura's pink brow raised in question, "and I told you and Naruto to quit calling me that. Brats."

Sakura offered a soft smile, "will Sasuke be joining me?"

"No. He will not."

Sakura nodded, knowing all too well that she would be going on an S-Ranked mission, more than likely a seduction or assassination mission - or possibly both.

"He actually has his own mission he'll be attending to later this week, or I would send him on this mission with you as backup. But I know what you're capable of, Sakura," Kakashi smiled at his previous student.

"Alright then, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura grinned, "what're the details?"

xxx

The air that pushed through her hair felt amazing, and the smell of pine and fresh grass invaded her sinuses. Her skin wore a thin coat of glistening sweat, and she exhaled as she pushed through the trees. The Anbu garb that she wore felt heavy compared to the casual clothing she wore around Konoha, but she shook the thought out of her mind and continued on. The pinkette had been traveling since dawn, leaving an upset Sasuke in her wake. The thought of his brows furrowed together and look of concern in his eyes made Sakura's heart skip a beat and her stomach twist.

Sasuke was silent, his eyes focused on the wooden lines of their table. His mind was cluttered with thoughts of Sakura, missions, training, cleaning his ninja tools.. but mainly Sakura. He couldn't look at her. Not now, not in the next minute .

"Sasuke, please answer me."

He continued piercing the inside of his lip with his teeth, filling his mouth with the taste of copper. He felt the disturbance in her chakra, how it flowed with haste instead of the warm and fluent flow. The Uchiha could feel his heart rate increase the more she talked. The more words that escaped her throat.

Sasuke finally looked to her to see that she had finally quit talking, and her eyes were on the floor. Her fists closed in on themselves and her body was trembling. The silence finally pestered him into clearing his throat and speaking.

"I don't care if you're the top medic in our village. Or, you're the pupil of the fifth Hokage."

Sakura's eyes found his obsidian orbs, concern welling up within his eyes. He could feel the heat rise to his face and his fingers begin to play with the wrapping of his left arm. Her face held anger now, anger that he would doubt her abilities, and before she could counter with a comeback, he was speaking once more, "what I do care about is you, Sakura."

He moved his eyes back to the texture of the table, focusing on the way the wood ran within it, how the rough surface felt against the padding of his fingers, and now, the feeling of Sakura's body pressed against his back. His mind began to produce more thoughts to focus on, attempting to conceal the blush that broke through his porcelain-like skin, staining his cheeks red.

"I'll return home to you, love," her voice was close to his ear, holding promise. He leaned his head into her embrace and let her arms wrap around his chest, melting into her presence.

Here he was, trapped like a flightless bird while the light of his life would embark on a solo mission, risking it all for her village; risking the rebirth of the Uchiha, and risking her future that would be spent with Sasuke.

The memory became engraved in Sakura's mind, reminding her that she made a promise to him; a promise to return home.

Her ear twitched at a sound; the sound of metal cutting through the air. Within seconds, her mind switched into hyperdrive, and she tried to advert the kunai that had been hurdled her way. Success had been on her side, but she claimed victory one moment too soon, and found the whistling of shuriken rushing her way.

Ah.

Sakura felt the warm liquid ooze from the arch of her back, stinging pain taking over and her vest fall from her chest. The shoulder strap that fit perfectly over her right shoulder had been mutilated as well, along with the muscle and skin painted in a crimson liquid. The pinkette was now settled on a branch, her back pushing against the trunk. She began to calculate the trajectory of the shuriken and kunai, focusing on the direction of the wind and the shadows created by the sun. Sweat began to bead on her forehead underneath her mask.

Sakura honed in on the presence of another signature, focusing on the amount that this user produced and the quick work she could make of him. The pinkette began to pulsate chakra to her left hand and reaching to her shoulder to ease the pain.

I may be the top medic, but healing myself isn't all that easy, she thought to herself. The thought of summoning Katsuyu also crossed her mind, but she was in a time crunch, mainly for her life at this point in time. The pressure of the trunk against her back began to burn and Sakura finally made her move when she heard the snap of twigs and sound of rushing water.

Water style, huh?

A deep blue current, filled with chunks of rock smashed through the trunk that her body had resided behind a moment earlier, and she was now hanging from the branches in the next tree over, arms crossed. She still couldn't make out who exactly her attacker was, but she could now sense where they were located, and it was time.

Pulling herself up with her arms, she swung to the trunk and began her descent down the trunk, avoiding the dangerous current of rock and water. The figure in the trees saw her form making its move, and submerged within the shadows of the trees, avoiding her next attack. Sakura smirked to herself from behind the porcelain mask before infusing her left hand with chakra and creating a crater in the Earth. The ground began to pulsate and vibrate from the contact with her fist and split, heading in the direction of her attacker. On queue, the yell of the shinobi sounded through the trees and Sakura continued her treck, avoiding the cracked rocks and destroyed trees.

Her eyes locked onto the shinobi, throwing a kunai in their direction and watching as it sailed through the air, about to pierce the back of her attacker. Her emerald orbs widened as the person turned their head, plucking the whistling kunai from the air and screeching to a halt.

"You thought this measly tool would work on a ninja of my expertise?" His voice was low and raspy, a male Sakura presumed. His face had been covered, concealing his mouth like Kakashi, but green eyes peered out from the slit in his mask. He held the kunai proudly in his hand.

"It did."

Her answer was short, filled with determination. The forest green eyes narrowed at her as he looked at the weapon, confused. From narrow, to alert, he began to fling the weapon back towards Sakura, addressing the explosive paper attached to it. Once it reached the space between the shinobi, it let loose a deafening explosion, knocking both shinobi off of their feet and in opposite directions.

Sakura's body drug against the ground and came to a halt, but she was already on her feet and scanning the area for the forest eyed attacker.

"He's already gone."

Sakura began to turn her head towards the direction of the voice, angry with herself for not sensing the signature from behind her. Before she could see who it was, her eyes began to close, her site fading. The porcelain mask that she wore proudly began to fly through the air, cracking against the tree that it made contact with, while her body made contact with the boulders she had created earlier.

The air escaped her lungs from the contact and she felt the dried up blood crack against her skin. The slice on her shoulder opened once more and blood began to flow through it, coating her clothing in the maroon liquid. The searing pain in her back made her eyes clench shut and her teeth grit against one another. Her muscles ached, along with the throbbing of her head where she had been hit.

Her vision was clouded when she opened her eyes, and the slow trickle of blood began to flow down her forehead. Her mind started to flicker between being conscious and wanting to slip into a slumber, but the burning pain in her back kept her mind awake. Sakura's body finally slid down the rock, her knees making contact with dirt, then her mid torso, and finally her face. Her emerald orbs opened once more, trying to make sense of the scene unfolding in front of her.

"Just go to sleep."

It was that voice again, but Sakura's sight was finally clouded in a curtain of black and the pain in her body vanished. She was no longer conscious, but lying in her own pool of blood in the middle of the Land of Fire.

I'll return home to you, love.


A/N: for those of you who don't follow me on Tumblr, this was a story that I started about a month ago, and have been posting/updating weekly. I'm finally getting around to uploading it here, so I hope you enjoy this fic.

If you have any questions, feel free to message me or review, and I'll get back to you :) thanks for reading!

-Ro.