"Ooofff!"
Somehow, she had thought that her landing would be softer.
She was wrong.
Go figure.
Sakura stretched, ignoring her discomfort and relishing in the feeling of the earth beneath her. The sun was warm on her fair skin and caressed her closed eye lids. The wind rustled gently through the trees, brushing slowly through her hair and making her rose locks flutter softly over her face.
She took a deep breath and sighed.
Fresh, clean air entered her lungs, the smell of the newly awakened forest filling her nostrils and the sweet scent that was uniquely summer curling contently within her.
It was glorious.
She spread her arms out, reviling in the almost-forgotten feeling of soft, dew dipped grass. She breathed out another sigh before becoming silent and listening as the forest began to wake around her. Not that it ever really slept, but Sakura had always felt like mornings were somehow different here. It was almost as if the forest was some great beast, lazy lifting its head to face the new day.
She smiled crookedly at her own thoughts, amused, and languidly opened her eyes. The sight of the ancient forest was not a surprise to her, a pleasure really, and it only served to reinforce what she already knew.
She was in the Fire Country (really, where else would she be?) in the middle of a forest that was more likely than not in the middle of nowhere.
Just where she wanted to be.
She hummed happily to herself, closing her eyes and stretching her senses out to the world that was more felt, than seen. Chakra presences flared to life around her, the life essences of hundreds of animals going about their daily business. She smiled, genuinely happy as she "watched" the activity. Sakura hadn't felt this relaxed in years. Which reminded her…
Sakura sighed again, longingly this time, before lifting herself to her feet and letting her wandering mind come sharply into focus. She checked her person, smoothing out her civilian clothes and making sure her cotton sack was slung firmly over her right shoulder.
She tugged it in front of her and searched through it, satisfied only when she found everything for her new life safely in its place. She pulled out a smaller sack, this one green, before settling the large brown one over her back and the empty one over her front. She would need it later, knowing that soon it would be bursting with herbs and edible plants. She started off; instinctively knowing which direction would eventually lead her to Konoha, and settled into a steady, ground-eating jog.
Sakura ran for miles, occasionally stopping to collect the plants she needed or to simply take in the calmness of the forest. It was dusk before she started to tire and then dark before she decided to make camp. Sakura blew gently on the kindling until a small flame began hungrily eating the dry leaves and twigs around it. She added a log, careful not to snuff out the fire. She turned away and began to unroll her bed roll, satisfied that the fire was now latched on to the larger logs and would stay lit by its self for the next few hours.
She stretched wearily, getting the kinks out of her tired muscles before flopping down. So far her new life was better than she had expected.
Huh.
The Kyuubi could be generous after all.
Sakura pulled the thin blanket up to her chin and softly closed her eyes.
Only to find herself opening them moments later.
AN: So I really, really, REALLY like Sakura time travel fics. And it seemed like the Kyuubi/Kurama had a lot of potential so... I'm gonna have a go at it. I didn't write a lot I know, but that is what school does to you. I have home work and I am sleep deprived. Please Review! I love it when people tell me what I did wrong! (Or well.) So I can get better! Thanks.
~Delgodess
