A/N: This will be a DARK ficlet, if you do not like this theme, please do not read. This will run currently on the recent chapter 662 and taken some ideas from the latest 300 movie trailer. :) Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Escape

"There is only one god and his name is Death. And there is only one thing we say to Death: "Not today."

― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

Sakura tore through the upper branches of the forest with haste. They were closing in on her by the second. She couldn't look back; for the fear of being caught and ultimately killed. Konoha's finest had been chasing her since the border, along with their Hokage, Sasuke. Her fingers gripped onto the scroll, making sure it was still in her hand and hadn't slipped from the fast paced jumping. Lungs burning and heart pounding, her mind wandered to how she got here.

-*- 48 Hours Earlier -*-

Sakura walked along the road to the library easily handling the twenty or so books she had piled in her arms. She smiled gently at the kids that ran by playing tag, carefully maneuvering around them with grace. Sakura's smile fell when they took a sharp left around the corner of a building; the laughter echoing off into the distance. The once vibrant green eyes had dulled over time due to the war and things that happened once the Konoha ninjas returned to the village. Naruto had been revived through the sage of six paths and Orochimaru and his team had saved Sasuke from Madara. With the power Naruto and Sasuke had earned was enough to deal a deadly blow to Madara, ending the war and saving the world. The knowledge and power granted through the sage made Naruto give up his seat of Hokage and passed it to Sasuke, forever watching over him as Itachi wanted.

Sakura's heart clenched suddenly, holding back unshed tears.

Naruto had happily married Hinata and they lived a quiet life; Sasuke had married Karin, who was now pregnant with his child. They didn't need her anymore. Sakura's heart shattered the day Sasuke made the decision to marry the red-headed kunoichi of the Uzumaki clan. The proud Uchiha never once looked her way since he returned to the village and took up the duties of Hokage, under the tutelage of Tsunade.

Shaking off the feelings of sadness, she opened the door to the library. The smell of books and fresh paper made her heart hurt less. This was her sanctuary now.

-*- Later that Evening -*-

A loud banging upon her door woke her up out of a deep sleep.

"The Hokage requests your assistance at the hospital."

Sakura stood sleepily at the door, mumbling, "What?"

"The Lady Hokage has been stabbed, your presence is required immediately."

Snapped into clear awareness, she quickly dressed and followed the ANBU escort to the hospital.

Sakura rushed into the room, seeing blood squirting from the table. Donning on surgical gown and gloves she stood beside Tsunade.

"She has lost a lot of blood, I'm having trouble stemming the flow."

Green eyes took in the amount of trauma done to the woman lying on the table. Multiple stab wounds emanating from her chest to her stomach in deep gashes. Karin was only five months along and from the damage done to her stomach, the odds of the child surviving were slim. Sakura's hands trembled over the dying woman. What if she didn't help Karin? What if Karin died? Would Sasuke look at her? Touch her? Deep in her selfish thoughts, Tsunade yelled her name.

"Sakura! Do I need to send for Shizune or will you do your job?!"

Sakura's racing heart slowed, the thoughts receded. She was ashamed of herself and the way of thinking. Karin was her patient and she was one of the best medical doctors in the world. She would try to not only save Karin's life, but Sasuke's baby as well. This is the task only she could do alone.

"Dammit, she's hemorrhaging through her uterus, it's taken too much damage. At this rate it will have to be removed." Tsunade's hands were inside feeling around.

"But Tsunade-sama, the baby!" Sakura cried out.

"The chances of the baby being alive are less than 5%, right now Karin's life is more important!"

Sakura swallowed and nodded.

After hours of trying to save Karin's life on the operating table, she had finally succumbed to her wounds.

Sakura stood over Karin's body, bloody hands shaking; body trembling.

Tsunade took off her gown and gloves and left the room.

"I'll break the news to him."

The door shut with a final quiet click, but to Sakura's ears it was the loudest slam she had ever heard.

Sakura returned home in the wee hours of the morning and fell into a fitful sleep.

Not a few hours into her slumber was her door busted open and she drug from her bed.

Instantly in chakra cuffs she was escorted to an interrogation room.

The man of her dreams stood in the doorway, regal and handsome as ever. He prowled closer to the pink haired kunoichi with simmering rage. Sakura felt the change in the room and quietly trembled in fear. She didn't know what was going to happen to her.

"Did you kill Karin?"

Sakura startled, "What?"

A visible tick in his jaw could be seen, sharingan swirling dangerously around his irises.

"Did you kill my wife?"

Confused, Sakura spoke, "I did everything I could to save her!"

"Lies!" Sasuke spat back, his hand whipping out to crack across Sakura's cheek.

Pink locks flew to the side as a red mark started to appear on her face.

"Naruto could feel your negative emotion coming from the operating room during the time Karin was fighting for her life." Sasuke spoke in a deadly voice.

Sakura inhaled shakily. She had forgotten Naruto could sense negative emotions.

"I did not kill Karin." A tear leaked from her eye to caress her now red swollen cheek.

Sasuke stood back, assessing the pathetic looking woman he knew as a former comrade.

"You resented her, did you not? Villagers have reported seeing you two having verbal fights in the past." Sasuke spoke, closely watching Sakura's face.

It was true, she and Karin did fight in the past, and mostly it was over him. When the engagement to Sasuke was announced, Karin wasted no time in rubbing Sakura's nose in it whenever she could. The last she spoke to Karin, she told her to leave her alone and never speak to her again, unless she wanted to be punted across Konoha like a rag-doll.

"I did not kill Karin." She repeated, meeting Sasuke's eyes.

Big mistake.

She was sucked into his own personal version of hell. Bound to a cross she endured immense pain, her mouth opening in a silent cry; but no words or sound could come out. When he released her from his genjutsu, she promptly vomited in her lap. The pain was unbearable; yet she managed to stay conscious. Sickened by the sight of her, Sasuke turned away and left her in the dark cell.

The sound of the door closing made Sakura jump a little. Everything was heightened since her genjutsu encounter only moments before, things moved in slow motion. Toppling out of the chair and onto the floor made her gasp in cold air. She lied there for a while contemplating what was going to happen to her. The only three logical things she could come up with was false imprisonment for the rest of her life, exile to a foreign country, or ultimately death. The villagers and the shinobi would not allow her to rot in prison for the rest of her life nor would they allow their top medical doctor be exiled to another country for the potential enemy to gain. The only sound conclusion, which chilled her to the bone; death.

She needed to escape.

Sakura sensed two guards stationed outside the cell. First she needed to get rid of the chakra cuffs that bound her ungodly strength. Biting her lip, she stood and turned her back to the wall. This was going to hurt like a bitch. Pumping the little chakra she could into her feet, she slammed her body backwards, effectively breaking her hands. She gave out a sharp soft cry. The chakra bonds loosened and disappeared. She took a few seconds to heal her hands the best she could. They were stiff and aching, but they were now usable. Opening the cell the guards turned in shock, Sakura quickly reached out with both hands and tapped their foreheads, instantly knocking them out. She listened intently for a few moments to see if reinforcements would arrive. Everything was quiet.

Leaving the building, she made her way to the library directly going into the restricted section.

Grabbing an old and worn scroll she left the village she once called home.

-*- Present -*-

Sakura made it to the tower and opened the scroll with trembling hands, she had to act fast. Saying the words and releasing the seal opened a pool of light at the bottom of the tower. Ryūmyaku, the ability to travel through time. It was her only escape.

"Sakura!" The sharp commanding voice of Sasuke halted her from jumping.

She turned slowly and looked down, they had caught up with her.

Ino, Shikamaru, Sai, Kakashi, Yamato, Naruto and Sasuke were all there staring up at her.

"Sakura please come down!" Ino cried out at her best friend.

"Sakura-chan let us talk this out!" Naruto called up at her.

The rest remained silent, the man she loved stood in the back with a heated glare.

"I have no choice." Sakura's voice cracked as her heart was breaking a final time.

"You do have a choice!" Naruto yelled.

Words fell on deaf ears.

Sakura smiled bitterly, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I did not kill Karin, but you need someone to blame, ne? So be it, blame me, Sasuke." She left the affectionate -kun out knowing these could be her final moments and she did not want to appear weak, despite the tears leaving trails down her face.

She looked back at the golden blue glimmering pool beneath her, the finality of it all brought a strange sense of peace.

"I have no more use in this world."

She fell backwards and into a full free fall.

Naruto leapt up with Sasuke close behind.

They watched her disappear into the golden void.

End of chapter 1