This seemed like a good idea since some of you wish for clairty, this will be updated accordingly:

Index of Characters:

Aburame Shino: Shino is Uriel the Elemental Angel of Earth and one of the Seven Great Angels. He is one of Sakura's guardians although she only remembers his real name and nothing else

Akimichi Choji: The sin: Gluttony. He is helping the Seven Great Angels, for a price of course...

Haruno Sakura: Sakura is Gabriel the Elemental Angel of Water and one of the Seven Great Angels, but under great and grave circumstances she has no memory of her past lives and her powers were sealed within her.

Hyuuga Neji: Neji is Ragual and one of the Seven Great Angels. He is in charge of protecting Sakura at all costs. Sasuke and Neji barely get along, each trying to outdo the other, although both know what is more important and when to get along.

Hyuuga Hinata: Hinata is a young woman working at the cafe Sakura and Ino ate at, very shy and very sweet... she's rather a mystery.

Inuzaku Kiba: Kiba is Remiel and one of the Seven Great Angels, his job is to protect Sakura from the one who would use her against the worlds.

Nara Shikamaru: Shikamaru is Sariel and one of the Seven Great Angels, he is not an Elemental Angel however. He sealed away Gabriel forcing her to be reincarnated within every millennium.

Uchiha Sasuke: Sasuke is Michael the Elemental Angel of Fire and one of the Seven Great Angels. He is the younger brother of Lucifel although their relationship is anything but brotherly. He is the charge of Gabriel and Haruno Sakura. He is the leader of the others simply because he is the favorite.

Uzumaki Naruto: Naruto is Raphael the Elemental Angel of Wind and one of the Seven Great Angels. He is Sasuke's best friend. He has deep seated feelings for Sakura despite his knowledge of how Sasuke feels, and although she only remembers his real name, he still wishes to make her his life-mate.

Yamanaka Ino: Ino is Sakura's next door neighbor, a rather boisterous, imposing young woman.

A/n: If you still don't know who 'he' 'that guy' and 'him' are you'll just have to wait until the next chapter. Also I was asked what nyctophobia was so here it is: an irrational fear of the night, or of darkness in general.

Special Thanks: sasusakufaves, PurpleRox, DarknessFlameWolf, AkaDzai, cweam and cheese, Kenya, lilcrazygurl, Sirona of Arabia, petite.ina, Silver Spirit, Laura-chan, moodiful819


For once there was an unknown land, full of strange flowers and subtle perfumes, a land of which it is

joy of all joys to dream, a land where all things are perfect and poisonous.

-Velvet Goldmine

The warm afternoon air filled with the songs of the birds. The tall lush grass swayed with the playful breeze. One boy and one girl lay in a field scattered with buttercups. The air was fragrant with the scent of nature all around them.

She had long glossy pink hair and jade green eyes; she was dressed in a white and gold term chemise. She wore six rings on her fingers and a single gold and jade bangle.

Cupped gingerly in the palm of her hand was a dove singing sweetly to her as she stroked its soft plumage. A smile played on her lips as it twittered for her.

His hair was as black as a starless midnight and he had his eyes closed, lounging under the girl in the tall grass. He wore a dark indigo shirt with a high collar and long white slacks, three fingers adorn with silver rings and five bangles on each wrist.

Between his teeth, a long blade of grass stuck out, as he cradled the back of his head with each palm. She draped over his taut stomach half supported by his thigh, cross over one knee. The warm breeze carried the songs of heaven to their ears.

Everything was peaceful in this garden. The clouds lolled in the azure sky and faintly under all the calls of the birds, she could hear the lazy chewing of the grass in his teeth.

"Michael," she whispered softly, releasing the bird and rolling over so that she was prone over his stomach, her cheek cradled by her palm, while her other hand moved his dark forelocks from his eyes.

Slowly one obsidian eye opened and she smiled at him. He closed his eye again as she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. When she drew away again, his eyes had opened taking on a harder glow.

"Passable," he said unaffectedly. "Feel free to try it again in another millennium. Until then, don't waste my time." His arms came out from under his head and he grabbed her forearms and pushed her back as he sat up.

"I-I'm sorry, Michael." He shook his head, his dark eyes soaking in her image. She was beautiful, with pink hair and green eyes, so innocent, so eager to learn and to please and her wings so small in comparison to his, fine threads of white hair spilled over each appendage.

"Don't apologize, Gabriel. Just don't do it again, you're too young." he patted her head and rose to his feet, she followed suit and he shook his head. Trust the Master to put her under his charge; such was the responsibility of being the brother of the favorite.

He was in agony; those who overlapped their realm often gave his kind too much credit. His kind were beings so easily persuaded, being creatures of such purity; they were anything but shining and sweet, with golden hair and eyes the exact color of a sunlit sea.

The only one who fit that description was Raphael, but he was more bubbly and naïve then anything else.

He headed for the pristine palace of ivory and gold trimming, she followed him, her arms coiling around his arm tightly, her womanly body pressing against him, she smiled coyly and he turned around and leaned against the wall of the palace, bringing her against him. "Michael?"

He closed his eyes, a pensive look on his face as he pressed his lips together. "Be quiet for a moment." Then he heard the voices from a distance and she turned her face from him, the arguing was getting louder. It had started about five days ago, everyone was arguing with one another.

He lifted his hands and pressed them to her ears and those deep green eyes met his gaze again. "Michael, why is everyone fighting?"

"Because Gabriel, Lucifel, is having his tantrum again." her fingers curled into his shirt as he bent down to kiss her brow. "Ignore the talk, Gabriel; Lucifel's words are like a virus infecting the body."

"That's not fair, Michael, he's still your brother." his brow ceased at those words. Whatever blood proclaimed the two he still disliked that man.

"Shh!" he hissed, angrily. "You're young; you still have room for mistakes like that, Sakura." She pushed him hard on the chest, propelling herself backwards.

"Stop teasing me, Michael, it's not my fault my hair is this color." her green eyes sparkled with tears she refused to shed, he grinned and snatched her wrists pulling her close, mentally asking his Master for forgiveness when he pressed her close.

"Such a charming forehead," he pressed a kiss to her brow for the second time, "and cheeks…" one kiss to the left plain and one to the right, making her blush profusely, she was so cute. He felt like she was his gift. "And that nose." he kissed it so softly she did not physically feel it. "And my favorite part…" he leaned close, "…these Sakura petal colored lips."

"But you said-"

"Close your eyes," he murmured. "My Sakura, Close your eyes." A thousand dreams and a thousand hushed commands. She did as he told her, and his hand moved to cradle her cheek, her neck, his thumb stroking the line of her jaw as his lips stroked back and forth, making delicious friction.

When his tongue found hers, she dug her fingers into the cloth of his shirt. When he brought up his other hand to push his fingers though her hair, she took a deep gasping breath against his mouth, all she could inhale, and he stole it back from her with a low, masculine sound in his throat.

She felt like she was just coming out of a coma. She was warm, numb, and hungry and she could not really remember anything. She could remember strange men, darkness, and fear. She could remember running, too. After that, everything was fuzzy as if she had been drinking champagne the night before. She rolled over, sheathed in a white cover.

She stretched languidly, arching like a cat rousing from a nap on a windowsill bathed in the evening sun and she rubbed her head, running her fingers through her hair. Nice and short, unlike that dream she had where a man with angel wings kept calling her 'Gabriel'. She pressed her hand over her eye. "Michael." she mumbled and then heard rustling and a very clear 'Hn'.

Fully awake, she sat up, her first mistake. The sheet slipped, pooling into her lap haphazardly. He was staring, eyes wide, as if he could not look away. She yanked the sheet up high to her chest. Why was she naked? "Who the hell are you?" she demanded unpleasantly, her voice like glass biting into skin. "And where the fuck is my clothes?"

"They're gone, cannot have you walking around with blood on your clothes. My name is Uchiha Sasuke and your very autonomy is in dangerous." Thank god, she was smart or she would be staring at him like a goldfish. So her freedom was in jeopardy, was that what he said?

"I bet you say that to all the girls," she replied harshly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"This isn't a game; there is a man out there that would like nothing more then to use you against this world and the next." She had no idea what he was talking about now, but being in the same room as a man who was perched with his knees drawn to his chest on an open windowsill was beyond uncomfortable.

"I want my clothes."

"And you'll get them; Naruto should be back with them about now." Just as he finished his sentence, the door swung open and she drew the sheets over one shoulder. The blue-eyed man gaped at her, a bright hue of red covering both cheeks and nose.

"Close your mouth, dobe," snapped Sasuke and he did just that, the blush still present. He walked over to Sakura, bent over the foot of the mattress she was sitting on and presented her with the bag. "You wanted clothes."

"How about… you know… some privacy?" Sakura snapped, yanking the bag from Naruto's hand.

"She's feral, dobe; sure you still want her for your life-mate?" he had a mocking smirked on his lips and she narrowed her eyes, what was that… life-mate?

"Excuse me!" she demanded but both ignored her and left the room. She grumbled under her breath and opened the bag. "My God!" she breathed, looking at the shirt.

It was a lavender baby mesh top, a tank-style top with a rouched bodice and floral accent with an elegant plunge in the neckline and black stretch capri pants. She hurried to put them on, discreetly under the blankets, just in case.

There was also a pair of pink four-inch heels with a pointed toe. Complete in the outfit she looked down, thinking how cute, she wish she had a mirror to examine herself in. How a creepy person like that smiling idiot had such remarkable tastes was beyond her.

It felt weird all the bandages on her back against the material of the shirt, but now that she had clothes she could get the hell out of this musty vintage apartment building, this place was so old and creaky that it just had to be condemned.

She snuck out the window and headed down the metal steps, holding delicately to the railing incase the damn thing decided to topple on her.

"Sakura-hime, please refrain from taking another step." She looked up from her feet to see another man; this one had black hair, a heavy overcoat and dark circular sunglasses. He looked so familiar, she wanted to say it was something like Uriel, but she did not even know that name, let alone the stranger in front of her who seemed to know her name.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Even though she could not see his eyes, he looked thoroughly shocked; he stepped back and gave her an elegant bow before standing straight again so that he towered over her.

"I am Aburame Shino, at your service."

"My service?" she could not help but look at him with suspicion.

She had no idea what was going on. Here she was, plain, ordinary, Chief Resident Haruno Sakura in an outfit she would have never bought on her own, in a building she would have never stepped foot in, with gauze taped over her entire back and surrounded by rather attractive men she would never have surrounded herself with.

"Yes of course, you are who you are." Before she could ask what he was talking about the metal railing rattled and she turned around to see Sasuke leaning out the window.

"Hey, Shino, get her back in here!" the raven hair man demanded and before she knew what was happening, she lifted around the back of her knees and lower back, cradled like a child.

"Hey put me down! I can walk!" she thrashed about in his arms, but he did not comply with her wishes, some service! "I said, put me down!" she screamed, her face flushed. Sasuke leaned back inside as Shino climbed in through the window, placing Sakura on the mattress.

Naruto made a low whistle, looking Sakura up and down and she glared dangerously at her. "I didn't even know what I was shopping for, but she sure looks great in that outfit."

Sakura ripped off one of the heels and tossed it at Naruto, nailing him in the head, his head snapped to the side as he howled in pain, his hand slapping to the cut over his eyebrow where the heel nicked him. "Shut up, I'm not some object to be stared at I want to know what the hell is going on and I want to know right now!"

"Sakura-hime, please everything will be explained." She defiantly hated this, now instead of trapped with three weird men there were four. He came to stoop in front of her. She had never seen eyes like his… they were just lavender, there were no pupils.

He was beautiful with his elegant bones under flawless lightly tanned skin and dark chocolate hair, some shorter strands curtaining his face. She wanted to touch him, she thought she might feel something if she touched him. She felt like calling him Raguel.

The way she felt like calling Shino, Uriel… she felt like calling Naruto, Raphael. She wanted to call Sasuke… "Michael."

They all looked over at Sasuke, who shifted nervously, uncrossed his arms, pushed off the wall and left the room. "Sasuke-"

"Let him go, Uzumaki." She blinked as they all looked over at her again. "Say it, every name you want to say that you aren't saying."

"What are you a mind-reader? I am not saying anything! I want to go home! Look if it's money you wan-"

"You can't, there is someone very dangerous out there who wants your dormant power. You know who we are." She wanted to slap him, forget touch him because he was beautiful, she was losing interest in his features, she was seeing red with their stupid mumble-jumble.

"I don't know anything!" She screamed in his face, ripping off her other shoe as she dared to push him away. She tossed the shoe behind her and headed for the door. Naruto blocked her way, sealing them in the room. "Fuck you!"

"You really should watch your mouth." Naruto said, frowning at her.

"Listen and I mean really listen. There are things happening here that are beyond your grasp. You are-" The wall exploded, bursting plaster and brick. Sakura barely had time to lift her arms when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her and pull her out of the way.

Opening her eyes she stared at the broken wall, the whole side of the building was torn out except for the window frame still standing on a platform of bricks. She took in a couple of breaths and looked up to see herself in Naruto's protective hold.

Shino ran to the edge of the wall, some floorboard crumbling under the toe of his boots. He backed away as though fire was surrounding him. "Shit, Neji-san it's him!"

"Fuck! I thought we would have at least another day before he located us." He turned to Naruto. "Find Sasuke, and no matter what he says make sure he does his job. Shino, go find the others and hurry up, I don't want to end up dead distracting this demon."

While Shino and Naruto turned towards the door, Neji ran towards the opening in the wall and jumped out of the room. Sakura screamed it was such a high jump; he could not walk away without breaking a bone, most likely his neck.

"Wait! What's going on!" she screamed as Shino and Naruto headed down the stairs at the end of the hallway. Sasuke was running up the stairs, looking like he woke from a nightmare. Shino ran in the other direction as Sasuke met halfway with Naruto.

"What was that?"

"That guy is here." Naruto screamed, Sakura still flailing about. His startled look changed into one of excitement, there was a curve on his lips.

"I've been waiting for this."

"NO!" Naruto shouted. "Neji says you have to do your job!" Sasuke clenched his jaw, his hands tightening into his fists.

"Give her to me can you open a gateway again?" Sasuke reached out for Sakura and he shifted her into his arms still against her will, but he held her tighter then Naruto had. "We need to move."

"Not this time, I can only do it once every three days. I told you, teme!"

"Okay, that means we're stuck to one option. I think there was a truck a couple feet away. Damn it, to think Neji is fighting my battle."

"Hello! What's going on here?"

"Could you be quiet Sakura, I'm strategizing here."

Oh, he was going to hear her mouth and that was just what she did as they carried her away like some precious cargo. The sun was starting to go down, she wondered how long she had been out, but it was a fleeting thought, she had other things on her mind as they slipped her into the truck, seated between them.

"What you're stealing?" she demanded, aghast as she watched as Naruto hotwired the trucked, Sakura drew her legs up as he connected the wires, got a hefty shock and Sasuke shifted the clutch, pressed down on the gas and sharply peeled out. Sakura screamed as they sped down the street.

There was a flash in the sky in the rearview mirror, bright reds and blues and golds and she wondered what was going on, she felt trapped and alone and she just wanted normal… maybe she should have never moved. She was too greedy. Wanting a higher paying job, living in a nicer neighborhood, why couldn't she just be happy with her grandmother, things were so wonderfully boring then.

"Naruto," Sasuke voice broke the heavy silence. "Take the wheel." and he let go. Naruto freaked and took the wheel. Sasuke pushed open the door. "Sorry, I can't run this time Naruto. Take care of her."

"What?" Naruto shouted, trying both to watch the road and Sasuke.

"Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life." Sakura wondered if he was quoting something, it sounded like a proverb or something.

"Stop jesting, Sasuke, Sasuke!" Sasuke jumped out of the truck and Sakura raised her hands to cover her eyes, screaming again. She peeked through her fingers to see Sasuke standing, unhurt and watching the truck before turning and running as fast as he could the way they came.

"That stupid…" Naruto shut the door as he crawled over Sakura, who pushed back to the other side of the door, wishing she were brave enough to jump out of the car too. She had to ditch these people. They were all psychotic.

"What in god's name are you people?"

"I'm not allowed to tell you myself, you have to wait for Sasuke."

"Neji was going to tell me."

"He had the okay. Sasuke is the favorite, so he has more authority over us. Look, just don't leave my side okay, I'll do my best to protect you, I'll die before I let that guy take you."

"What guy, I'm in the dark here!"

"I'm taking you someplace safe, I'm sure the others will know where we are." He took a left without the directional signal on, almost causing an accident as he took the highway.

"Where?" she demanded, pulling the seatbelt on as he swerved in and out of lanes, getting angry blares from other cars.

"Sanctuary of course!" he said, weaving in and out of another lane. He was going to get her killed, so much for his valiant rant about protecting her life.

"Do you even know how to drive?" he laughed then, one hand going behind his head to rub his neck. Oh, no, she was going to die, without knowing the touch of a man, without as much as a kiss, she would die a virgin!

"Well, there is a first time for everything." She wanted to strangle him, in fact… "H-hey, I'm t-trying t-to d-drive he-here!" he said between breaths as she squeezed his trachea.

"You stupid… idiot, you'll kill us! Stop the car, stop the car!"

"Get off me!" he pushed on her face and her hands released his throat to move his hand off her cheek and mouth. She spat and leaned against the seat as they finally got off the highway and onto a desolate road. She looked around and switched on the overhead light. "What are you doing?"

"It's getting dark," she explained matter-of-factly.

"What are you afraid of the dark?"

"Shut up!" she snapped, folding her arms over his chest as he slowed down his driving.

There only existed bits and pieces of this road, and it defiantly seemed to lead to nowhere. There were stationary automobiles.

Thrash and junk littered the barren fields and roads and there was a gated garden, or more like a dump of snarled plants and moss, chained up within a damaged and rusty chainlink fence.

There was spray paint everywhere in bleeding reds, yellows and greens. Some words seemed to be in Latin, others in crude language her grandmother would faint from seeing.

"I thought you said, we were going to sanctuary," she muttered as he killed the engine and pushed open his door.

"Yeah, this is it. Come on." She unbuckled her seatbelt and pushed open her door, lucky to find a flashlight in the side panel. She checked and found it in good working condition, it was not strong enough, but as Naruto put his arm around her shoulder, she felt a little calmer.

Naruto pushed open the gate until it caught on the chain, but it kept no one out, the space was wide enough to slip both Naruto and herself into the garden.

He took her to the rotting and thickly vine-covered gazebo; it was the size of a cabin, littered and painted with graffiti. He broke some of the dead twigs and cleared a path for her.

Everything smelt like soot and smoke and it was cold, she shivered as she sat down in a broken chair, which surprisingly held. "Cold?" he inquired and she nodded, holding the flashlight up.

He removed his jacket and offered it up. She thanked him as he draped it over her shoulders. "I- I'm sorry this is happening, to be thrust into this world without any kind of warning, we wanted to send you dreams, but… Sasuke thought it would be too nerve-racking."

"Send me dreams?" He mocked zipping his lips and she smiled, tears running down her face, she could not hold them back anymore. He looked distressed at her state and quickly knelt in front of her, his hands cupping hers as she squeezed the shaft of the flashlight.

"Please understand, you're very dear, not only to this world, but to us, our side. We've missed you Sakura, every era we have to go without you, we've missed you."

"I don't understand," she sighed, wiping her tears on her shoulders. He cupped her face then and kissed her forehead. "Raphael." she murmured and he pulled back, his hands falling from her face.

"W-What…?"

"What?" she asked, as if she never said anything at all. He pressed a finger against his ear as if clearing out water.

"Um, nothing, I thought you said something." he shrugged and rose and he hurried to light the candles that had been placed on the guardrail. She felt even safer now; the light was much brighter and not as secluded… although she was afraid the building might burn down. "This is such a waste; it used to be so nice."

"Was it?" she wondered, still hunched over her knees holding onto the flashlight as though it was the only thing keeping her sane.

"Once upon a time, but those days are over." There was so much he was hiding from her, it seemed he was desperate to share, but was forbidden to do so. She closed her eyes when he sat down on the dust-covered floor, careful of the rotting wood in front of him.

"Why'd you have to bring her here, you know that's one tight squeeze." they looked up to see a man with copper hair and a bag of food in his hand.

"Choji, man, am I glad to see you, where're the others?" the portly man blinked then stuffed a pretzel into his mouth.

"…Others? They're not here too?"

"No! That person came looking for Sakura-chan and Sasuke went back to fight him, you know Sasuke!"

"Yeah, thinks his superior to everyone else." he ate another pretzel and Naruto snatched the bag. "Hey, give it back. I am helping you people out, I do not have to, ya know. I could be on his side."

"Shut up and feed Sakura-chan. You stupid glutton!" he handed Sakura the bag and she had to eat, she only had that strawberry cake and that was yesterday afternoon. "Sins…" Naruto huffed, pulling out a candy bar and tossing it to Choji. He caught it between his hands and ripped it open, and began eating.

This time they heard the rattling of the fence. Naruto broke away more of the branches and instead of three men walking through the mess of the garden there were five. There was Neji, Shino, Sasuke, and two Sakura had not yet met.

Neji and Sasuke looked the worse, cuts and bruises along their skin and their clothes tattered. Sakura rose from her seat and it fell back. She ran past Choji and Naruto and held onto the frame, stepping down the steps. She looked between the two; Shino was cut on the cheek, but not as bad as Sasuke or Neji.

"So this is her, huh?"

"Yes, Kiba, this is the one our mediator abandoned to fight him."

"Shut up, Shikamaru!" Sasuke snapped, brushing past Sakura and heading up into the gazebo, "Why is this fucking sin here?" Sasuke snapped, eyeing the fat man who had stolen back his bag of pretzels.

"What does it matter Sasuke, he's on our side." Naruto retorted.

"Yeah, mediator so shut up for once… let's just get this over with so this poor girl isn't stumbling around in the dark about her lives." Kiba said, pushing down the hood of his gray sweatshirt.

Lives… now she was sure she had hit her head and was in some horrible dream. Why could not she just wake up all ready?


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