What if by chance one second of your life was different? How much change would it bring to yours and other peoples lives? SasuSaku IC 5 years after Sasuke left

(Idea from movie "Sliding Doors")

(IMPORTANT)-----I know that some of you skip over the italics, DON'T! The italics are VERY important; in fact, it's a major part of the story. So please don't skip over it. If I knew another way to do it, they wouldn't be italicized, sorry-----

The Importance of a Second
-Part 1; One Second-

Bright green eyes slowly blinked open to let the rest of the world in. She let out a heavy sigh and pulled her pink sheets closer, tucking them tightly under her chin. Her eyes closed momentarily thinking about her previous dream that was still fresh in her memory. It was Sasuke-kun again - a big shock there. Granted, it had been a good five years since he had left the village and she was found lying on the bench the next morning. She was stronger now, more independent, and really, though she wasn't over him, she wasn't nearly as devastated as she used to me. She had moved on with her life and moved up in the ninja world, but he was still in her dreams.

Sakura cracked her eyes open again and let a toe creep out from under her blankets. No! Her toe was quickly hidden under the safety of her warm blankets again. "I'm cozy." She mumbled the excuse to herself.

"Sakura?" She heard her mother's voice from downstairs. The sound of a door slam and the slight shaking of the house caused Sakura's eyes to open all the way. "I hope your still not here. Didn't you say you had somewhere to go?" As though her mother could see, Sakura nodded her head slowly and shifted her body so she could make out the green glowing numbers on her clock.

7:55

"CRAP!" Full awake now, Sakura threw back her bed covers not even noticing when her warm feet touched the cold floor. She ripped off her pink matching pajamas and threw on her usual ninja outfit – a red sleeveless shirt, and a short black skirt. A curse flew from her mouth as she began buckling up her boots. "Not enough time!" She cringed again, looking at the clock.

7:57

She grabbed her backpack and ran down the stairs and out the door, not bothering to acknowledge her mother. Fluffing her hair she again began to curse her comfy bed. She was running franticly towards Tsunade's office. It was made clear to her that the doors would shut to the meeting at exactly 8:00 and not a second later. This was a very important meeting that all ninja asked to come should not miss.

Still fluffing her hair, Sakura bounded through the door to the Hokage's building praying fervently she wasn't late. In an instant, she saw a child running in the same opposite direction – she was going to hit! No time!

At the last second, Sakura dodged the child racing past. She turned another corner just in time to wave and yell at the officers closing the door. They glanced at each other, but shrugged and let it open enough just for Sakura to squeeze through.


Still fluffing her hair, Sakura bounded through the door to the Hokage's building praying fervently she wasn't late. In an instant, she saw a child running in the same opposite direction – she was going to hit! No time!

BANG!

Both child and teenager hit each other. Sakura growled with frustration. She picked herself off the floor ignoring the pain in her stomach where the kid had head-butted her. Racing passed the crying child; she raced around the corner and finally skidded to a halt. Nose crunched up, she stared at her watch 8:00. How close was she? She had to wonder. If she only hadn't bumped into the kid… she sighed deeply again – somehow wondering if this was only one of many in the day.

"Tsunade is going to be so mad at me." She groaned. She stared at the door, contemplating barging in –but no, that thought was quickly diminished. Tsunade would kill her even more if she did that. So, with head lowered in defeat, Sakura slowly trudged out of the building to wallow in her misery of the pain she will endure in just a few hours.


"So good of you to join us, Sakura." Tsunade's annoyed stare penetrated the darkness of the room. Sakura blushed from shame and scanned the room quickly. It was a dimly lit room, moat likely to indicate the seriousness of this meeting. Many of the original rookies were there, including Naruto and Kakashi, with whom she quickly took her place beside. Naruto, now older and slightly more mature, while still retaining what makes him Naruto, smirked over in her direction before returning his attention to the Hokage. Currently she was looking around the room, scrutinizing all the attendees, pausing to make sure she had their full and undivided attention.

"I'll make this brief because I know many of you are anxious to know why I called this meeting." She paused again, almost challenging someone to oppose her. No one did. "There's been a rumor going around that the Akatsuki have been seen around the Konoha boarders and neighboring villages." Again she paused, waiting for a reaction. Some were surprised, others not so. "This rumor is true. There have been various Akatsuki members sited, one namely, Itachi." She noticed three specific individuals sit up straighter in their seat. "This also means that Sasuke may be close by, but we want to get him before a major fight breaks out. Hence I called you all here. I need three teams: one to get Sasuke, another to scout out more information and lastly, one to stay and be ready for a fight." A hand to her right raised high. She was not surprised when he didn't even wait to be called on.

"I want to find Sasuke." Naruto stared at her, his eyes firm and full of determination. On the other side of the blonde, Sakura nodded her agreement, her green eyes brighter than they had been in a while. Tsunade sighed heavily.

"Honestly, I had already figured you'd be going whether I assigned you or not, so I thought it easier to put you on that team and save the hassle. However," her voice was stern. "You must not get close to the Akatsuki. Now," Her attention returned to the rest of the room. "Here are the teams thus far: Ino, Shikamaru, Hinata, and TenTen are going scouting. Sakura, Naruto, Neji, and Kiba are going to search for Sasuke. Everyone else stays here and his on careful guard for anything or anyone suspicious. This meeting stays here. No one else is to hear of this, even if they missed it. Are we understood?" There were nods all over the room. "Good, now dismissed."


Sakura bit her lip, her gaze lingering on the distant building she was supposed to be in. She took out her bag of chips she had bought and ripped it open. Before she popped one in her mouth, she paused to admire her favorite spot. It was a nice area and her favorite place, especially since it was Sakura seasons and all the Cherry blossoms were in full bloom. All around her were pink cherry blossoms that would dance around her figure when the wind whispered to her. Also surrounded by the cherry blossoms was a sparkling blue lake, a place team 7 had often used to train in.

Ah, team 7, that brought back memories. Sakura's face lit up when she remembered Naruto trying to walk on water with his chakra, and all it took was one fish to distract him and he was soaking wet, sitting chest high in the water. Sakura couldn't help but giggle at the memory. Naruto really hadn't changed much. He was still as clumsy as ever, but not quite as clueless. Sometimes she wondered if he did stupid things now just to get attention.

Sakura slightly nibbled on the chip in her hand. A good bag of chips always made her feel better. Wait –

There was a noise! Sakura stood up, a hand going for the pouch wrapped around her thigh. Swiftly, she turned, her kunai ready. At that moment, her eyes widened and her bag of chips and kunai fell to the ground, forgotten.

"Sasuke-kun?"


It was a nice area and Sakura's favorite place, especially since it was Sakura seasons and all the Cherry blossoms were in full bloom. All around the two friends were pink cherry blossoms that would dance around their figures when the wind whispered to them. Also surrounded by the cherry blossoms was a sparkling blue lake, a place team 7 had often used to train in.

"Do you remember, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, grinning at her as they both plopped down onto the grass at the edge of the lake. "This is were we learned how to walk on water!"

"Or fall in." Sakura smirked at Naruto, her green eyes half lidded with amusement.

"Hey!" Naruto folded his arms. "I learned how to do it!"

"Eventually."

Silence again. Sakura's face fell and she pulled her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs to hold them up. Naruto watched her earnestly, worried about how she was handling the information just given to them a few short minutes ago. Sakura acknowledged his stare with a small reassuring smile, then returned to her broading state. Naruto sighed in response and turned his attention towards the lake. "What do you think?" He asked after a few minutes of silence.

"This is our chance." Her eyebrows lowered, eyes showing determination Naruto hadn't seen in years. "We're gong to keep out promise and we will bring him back together."

A grin spread upon Naruto's face, her determination blending with his own. "Yea!" He nodded his agreement then jumped up to his feet. He held out his hand to Sakura. "Let's go pack and get ready!"

Sakura readily accepted his hand and he pulled her to her feet without difficulty. As they began to walk off to their respective houses, Sakura paused for a moment, looking back over her shoulder as Naruto began disappearing into the distance. She turned to scan the area, her green eyes soaking in every detail. Sakura's eyes narrowed, feeling as though she was missing something, something important. Her eyes stopped to stare at one tree. There was something… She took at step towards it.

"Sakura-chan! Are you coming?" Naruto's voice called out.

Sakura turned back quickly to answer, "In a minute!" She turned back to stare at the tree, but the feeling was gone. Confused, Sakura sighed heavily and decided to let it go and with one last glance left the grove behind to chase after Naruto.


"Sasuke-kun?" She asked again. She took a step foreword, a hand out to confirm his presence.

"Don't come any closer." He warned her. She did stop, waiting to hear more from him. "I didn't come here to return to Konoha."

She knew that, she should have at least, but she still couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. There was a moment of silence between them and Sakura took that time to study this older Sasuke. He was taller for sure, now towering over her. He wore black pants with the usual ninja sandals. His shirt was also black and tighter fitting. Though she couldn't see the back, she assumed the Uchiha symbol stood out on his back. His black hair was tamer, long enough to stop defying gravity and fall downward, but not quite touching his shoulders. His face and body was the same, only older looking – and more defined, Sakura noticed. She also noticed stress lines around his eyes as though he hadn't slept in quite a while. Sakura finally noted that he didn't where any headband so as to give away what side he was on. Perhaps there was hope? She was tempted to take another step towards him, but held back. Instead, she chose to break the silence. "Why are you here then?" She asked quietly.

"I had heard there were rumors of Itachi being close to Konoha." He paused for her confirmation; she gave none so he continued on. "I came to see if they were true."

Sakura was silent, her gaze directed on the grass below her. Disappointment again settled in. She too had heard the rumors, and she had hoped that it would bring Sasuke back to Konoha, but then she also hoped he would ask for their help. But no, she had known this would never happen. Still, she hesitated telling him, though somehow she wanted to help him. But, did she really want to help him complete his revenge? "I-." She stopped. If she told him, he would just leave again, and she didn't know if she could handle that. Her face set, her face lifted up to stare at Sasuke with determined green eyes. "I know." She stated. No, that wasn't true, she lied. Indeed, she had heard the rumors, and there were rumors of where the sightings were, however, she didn't know if they were true or if the place of the sightings were true. However, she wanted to go with him to prove she could take care of herself now. He may even buy it if he thought she was still the naïve little girl he once worked with.

"Where?" He demanded, his control slipping for only a second, anxious for an answer, a step closer to his revenge.

A smirk set on her lips, which caused Sasuke to open his eyes with surprise. Sakura's whole aura was different. She was stronger, he could tell, but somehow she was still his female teammate who would always be weaker than he. Still, he was surprised at the strength and determination she showed when she answered. "I wont tell you."

"What?" He growled. Not used to this Sakura, and he wasn't sure he liked it.

"I said," She repeated, her smirk and confidence growing 'He believes me!' Sakura silently cheered. "I wont tell you unless…" She paused, waiting for a reaction. He gave none, only waited anxiously and obviously annoyed at her lack of cooperation. "… Unless you take me with you and I'll show you were it is."

"Why?" He growled. "Why would you still want to come with me after five years?"

"I-" She stopped. Why indeed. It was a good question she had never really asked herself. She couldn't still love him, right? She didn't know what he was like anymore. He probably wasn't the same man she fell in love with all those years ago – and yet… "I don't really know," She admitted, "but I do know that I feel alone when I'm not with you. These last five years…" Her voice shook with emotion, and she paused to control herself and gather her thoughts "even though I was surrounded by friends and family, I still felt alone. I don't feel that way around you, I don't feel that way now. I-" She paused again, looking off into the distance "I missed you." Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she again looked at him in the face. "Anyway, you wont find where Itachi is without me."

"I can ask someone else." Sasuke frowned unhappy and annoyed, but Sakura saw the confusion inside his eyes.

"No you can't." She crossed her arms, sure of herself. "They will probably turn you in and even if you force it out of them, they'll report you as soon as you leave. Suspicions will arise if you kill a villager and I'll know that you were here anyway. Besides, can you really trust anyone else?"

"Can I trust you?" Sasuke snapped, not liking his options.

Sakura's eyes softened, reminding Sasuke of the old Sakura. "Of course, Sasuke-kun." Her voice was soft and soothing. Sasuke turned away towards the lake, debating his options. He hated to admit it, but Sakura was right. Still, there was something wrong with Sakura, he just didn't quite know what. However, this didn't answer a question that had been plaguing his mind. Why had he chosen to ask Sakura? Why not someone else? Because he knew she wouldn't lie to him? Because he knew she would help him? He missed her? He didn't like any of them, yet here he was.

Nose wrinkled, Sasuke finally spoke, still facing the lake. "I wont defend you. You're on your own. I want you to leave as soon as you take me to Itachi and forget you ever saw me. Understand?"

A grin spread onto Sakura's face. This was more than she had expected. She felt giddy inside as she nodded her consent. She hadn't felt this way in a long time. "Of course, Sasuke-kun!" Her voice was excited. "I can defend myself now. You don't have to worry about me."

Sasuke glared at her annoyed she had forced him into this position, yet amused at her reactions. It brought back memories of old Team 7. Shaking himself out of his thoughts, his gaze was set hard on her, "We're leaving now."

"We don't need supplies?" She asked, suddenly unsure.

"No." He answered, already walking away, preparing to jump onto the nearest tree branch. "I have all we'll need." That said, he took off, not bothering to wait for Sakura. In turn, Sakura also jumped onto the tree branch but paused to look back. Was she doing the right thing? Did she really want to leave Konoha? Naruto? Kakashi? All her other friends? She looked foreword at the disappearing figure of Uchiha Sasuke and made her decision. She'd come back soon enough, and it was worth it to spend even a little time with Sasuke.

And so, with that thought in mind, Sakura raced off to catch up with Sasuke and follow him outside the Konoha borders and into another adventure she was never prepared for.

…TBC…

So… are you confused? I hope not, here, I'll try to explain.

The story in italics is what would have happened if she hadn't dodged that kid in the beginning.

It's showing the parallels of what Sakura would have missed and what happened because of that difference. Um… still confused? Sorry, tell me if you're still confused and I'll try to explain in better the next chapter!

Review! Thanks!