AN: Sorry for the long wait, my computer is out of commission for the time being, but found someone too beta! Thank you Volurin by beta-ing this chapter. Totally suggest reading thier story: A Yakuza's Gratitude. Not for the faint of heart, and totaly an awesome read!

To my other beta, I have no idea what happened, but I hope you're okay!

"She was an angel craving chaos, he was a demon seeking peace."

Warning: Adult themes. Nudity. Suggestive things. Teasing, honestly. ;p

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Clarity

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Coming to an abrupt halt, her sandals skidded across the ledge of where The Valley's End monuments met the Cliffside, at least where it was supposed to be. Now rubble lay across the gorge; the waterfall was nothing but a trickle where a smaller pool was forming between the fallen statues. Her fear increased.

Dream-like memories being almost parallel to what was happening now. Series of events that happened, slowly coming with each frame in her mind as time passed. Taking her aback to what she was seeing.

When she peered down at the now basin land- stared. Shocked and frightened with morbid fascination. The same image as before, Naruto and Sasuke lying side by side, their blood pooled between them.

The middle age Jonin stood beside her, speechless, following his companion's gaze. What he saw didn't surprise him, just saddened by how things, no matter how much he and many had hoped would come out to a better outcome, ended up being a far cry of tragedy. In all honestly he couldn't have prevented this from happening, even if he had tried. It was inevitable, and one lost after another, he still couldn't have predicted that this was the outcome.

But he was deluding himself. He knew, it was what war did. Took everything that mattered with it and left you with nothing. Remembering his father, friends and teammates being victims of it, being alone for quite some time after such loss. Well, now that burden will befall to his last student.

He wouldn't leave her, be as much of a steady rock. As much as Guy had been when they were younger. Still, it wouldn't prevent the loneliness that would soon follow. Prayed to whatever kami who still gave a damn that what remained now would take nothing more from her. Keep her impact from this as- not painless, but keep her light and hope to not wither into the pessimistic geezer he ended up to be.

At least he could just be there where he had failed to do so as a teacher, and friend in the past. Now looking like she was going to break, it hit him more on how much he owed it to her. His hand lifted to her shoulder, an attempt to bring some kind of comfort. The action wasn't second nature; he was trying.

A shift of movement caught their eye. Naruto's head moved, and so had Sasuke's. Her breath caught, a weight lifted off their chest. Leaving them both relieved as Kakashi dropped his hand. Both boys were still alive, barely but alive.

Her heart thumped, thankful to kami- and of all the sick dreamless apparitions she had, she was never more grateful it was not true. That dream she had was just that. A nightmare.

Oh, she was still angry for what they did, but not as much as before. The way she saw it, it could have been a lot worse. Far much worse than imaginable. Regardless, her boys weren't dead, and neither had she given her life to save theirs. Recalling more that had happened, flashes of the dream appearing through snippets, that she had performed CPR before using the last ditch effort to save them. If she had done it, she wouldn't be standing here. And was grateful for not having such a tragic fate, she could cry. Without wasting time, she dropped down where they laid.

Feeling a tingle of sweat down her spine, recalling the dream once again as she descended down.

This was strange. The same appendages were gone. She swallowed hard, trying to stay with the present than what her wild imaginative unconsciousness had obviously made up. Though, this made it hard to believe that it was a series of vivid delusions. A foreseer of some sorts, maybe. Stranger things have happened.

'Ridiculous', she countered. Just mere coincidence, it had to be..

Crouching down assessing the damage, her face set in a wary, yet sad scowl.

"Thanks Sakura-chan!" Naruto's bruised face perked up.

As much she wanted to acknowledge them, she stiffened. Their appendages weren't healed completely- still raw stumps, the bleeding had stopped. But not because of the blood coagulating. That's not what scared her. This was her work, her chakra that still lingered here. The careful, yet haste sown-in places she had made with her chakra were as she left them. There was no mistake about it.

Her mind reeled, her other embodiment was silenced in her own head, where she took notice her outward body showed a cool reaction. Denial was what kept her body from outwardly reacting. Still shocked, with little reaction, it still didn't make sense, unless. The dream wasn't a dream. Finally hearing herself clear through her own mind, it slapped her harder with confusion.

'Holy fuck?...'

"Sakura-" Sasuke spoke quietly

"Save it-" she heard herself saying, trying to piece together what the hell was going on. Trying to make sense of what she was seeing. "- I need to concentrate."

Sasuke's half lidded eye focused on her worried, yet strained emerald hues in deep troubled thoughts. Always an easy tell that she was angry, even when she still cared for the Uchiha. Still came the softness through her emerald eyes that betrayed her hard business like command.

Even after all he had done, she still cared.

Shame was the emotion that came first. She hadn't deserve any transgression that he had done, especially the most recent condemning act he had put against her. Reluctant, but very needing to express what he needed to say, disregarded her command anyway.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" She whispered quickly, remembering that Sasuke already apologizing in her dream. 'I'm sorry. For everything up to this point.' Hoping it wouldn't be the same words, the same sincerity. Anything but that.

"For everything…up to this point."

She flinched, eyes closed. Seeing images of the boys running towards the door to the exit of limbo. An acceptance of everything with a reflection of her life so far nearing her end. And as if everything was coming in a fast forward motion. Almost overwhelmingly so, two things stood out the most.

White hair, and Rinnegan eyes.

Oh god…

Tears fell, trembling, she remembered everything. No matter how much she wanted to deny, she couldn't. There was proof that she had been here before, only for herself to see, and there was no way to tell the others that Madara was still alive. That she made a deal with the devil reincarnated. What would she say?

Could she say anything?

Would there be any proof besides the contrary to what they thought had happened?

No.

She was trapped, and that smug bastard knew it.

"Damn should be… you jerk." Her voice broke with intent of dread, but for the sake of all that was on the line she kept the façade, but the tears still came no matter how hard she tried. Thank Kami she was well known as a crier, especially with her team. Finally with the team united, it was an emotional moment, it passed the narrative that everything was as it should be despite what she knew, and smiled through tears as her boys warm faces comforted her.

What had she done?

The following days after she still pretended like things were okay. Only, she wasn't sure that was the case. Madara, Zetsu, declared dead. The goddess Kaguya sealed back on the moon; finally being sent home after the war was soon over. The injured and medics were the first to go back to Konoha. The abled bodied here to stay to pack major equipment. As well as the top generals And Kages were to settle some matters of what their bright future would look like now, finally under one collective peace everyone was anxious for.

So that brought Naruto and Sasuke currently bedridden from their injuries, and her as a healer walked the long trek home. Staff was short back home, and many drafted medics were on their last legs; having to heal constantly for days with little sleep. That only brought many nin being taken care of with the minimum of healing. Too many were injured, and only life threatening injuries were given first priority. Scrapes, bruises, and broken or fractured bones were given bandages and painkillers for the time being. Fortunately for the boys, they had all four non-life threatening injuries.

While the two very sedated hot heads were out of commission, she took a two day rest, for her shisou wouldn't let her join the rest of the staff working steadily on the injured, even though they were strained by the amount of nin over the past months, the staff worked tirelessly and effectively. Even if she wanted to join in the effort, Sakura now activated her yin seal would be feeling side effects that wouldn't be astronomical, but would be pushing more than the normal strain that her body was not ready for. It left her sore and a bit in pain, but in this day and age she had helpful tools to recover faster, unlike her shisou had in the third shinobi war. Tsunade telling her as soon as hers was activated, it put her in an induced coma for nearly a week. So the pinkity was given some pain medication, and ordered it least two days bed rest.

But it wasn't like rest came easily, even with the help of meds.

She remembered oh so clearly what had happened. It kept her awake till ungodly hours, hours she should have been sleeping.

Who would rest if they bargained with the enemy, let alone if there was a fair chance that they would win in the end. Hopelessness was the feeling she woke up to after mid-day came on the second day, she was late. She knew, her blaring alarm clock screaming at her to get up the fifth time this afternoon. Her mother was out doing her day plans, her father still back at base camp helping to retrieve all the tents and supplies for the trek back home. While she remained lethargic and in bed.

Less than a handful of hours of sleep in the past two days, she couldn't put off her duties any longer.

Slipping off her nightwear first, which was an old stretched out-T. Underneath, wearing nothing but simple frilly underwear that her late grandmother would approve of; reaching out to open her closet door, she caught her reflection in her elongated mirror. Her body slightly pale, but a built of a warrior, toned and lean, proof of hard work and dedication. Her womanly figure peaking around her hips that were shaped nicely. Toned stomach, and twin peaks of her breast with nipples the same rosy colour of her lips. Her dishevelled pastel hair reaching past her shoulders, and last making eye contact with herself, haunted dark rimmed eyes that saw war and held a dark secret that she was straining to voice, but couldn't.

'What did I do to deserve this?'

She asked quietly to herself, thinking back at how many times she stood in front of this same mirror over the years, the significant memories stood out the most in her life span so far. From a five year old little girl, unsure if she would fit in amongst her peers. A conceited preteen that had yet to discover the world, and figured knowing everything of what it was about- then only taking two seconds to have it shattered after her team fell apart, and taking different paths for themselves, including herself. Determined teen came next, her spirit hopeful once again with a new fire that burned bright…

Then that fire dimmed. Threat of war, a less cheerful young adult- Still was a young adult. Donning new scars. New regrets. Naked in their glory to see.

It wasn't all that she had imagined it would be.

What was all of this for? Her effort to be- her hands bounded into a fist. She saw herself and truly hated what she saw, a failure. Doing the only thing she knew how, she lashed out, her non-chakra laced fist sailed through the air and into her reflection. A dull shattering of glass, thuds of pieces falling to the ground met her ears. Her eyes closed, teeth bared, she breathed in hard choking on the sob that threatened to come out. While spider like cracks smudged with blood flowing steadily out from her bare knuckles, dripping on the plush carpeting.

She needed to talk to someone, anyone, it least figure this through with another prospective. Some clarity in this shit storm. But how would she do that without sounding like she hadn't completely lost it?

She could see it now, they would tell her to calm down, reassure that they burned his body, that she even saw his body being burned with Amaterasu. Sasuke's doing of course…

Watched while the black flame took the corps as its own fodder, to not leave

anything behind. Not even ash. She stood there in a daze while Naruto

reassured her that it was over, that they can now go home and move forward.

He hugged her and she, loosely returned it.

If she insisted Madara was alive…well, she could imagine she would be labelled as an extreme case of PTSD. Worst case scenario, her ninja status would even be the first to go… Her title of her barely starting life profession that she loved, ripped from her and sent to permanent psychiatric care. People that she grew up with, Colleagues, friends, her parents. They would all look down on her, or down right pity her. Possibly abandoning her altogether.

A fate worse than death.

In the middle of her thoughts she felt the stinging pain from her knuckles rubbing against sharp broken glass. Slowly recoiling, as the shot of adrenaline faded from her, her sobering thoughts calming her down, grounding her as the pain gradually brought her to her senses. Mentally berating herself on her rashness. Cradling her hand against her chest, she hissed in pain.

Pain… It registered slowly through her mind. With Madara being alive, it messed with her, not thinking straight through the tug of war through her mind. She wondered what he meant by keeping her alive in the first place? For the past few days she couldn't figure it out. Replaying the encounter over, and over in her mind constantly.

Still, she couldn't get past one thing during that time that only now sort of confirmed her worries. The moon eye plan, though she didn't know intimate details about, she knew one thing. A dream like state that had no pain, right?

If he was alive, what would stop him from using the moon to enslave them all in their own fantasies? More importantly, was she already in it? This felt too real to be true, or even to entertain the thought, however.

Before she could ponder more she tensed at something, or rather, the tips of fingers ran from the dimples of her lower back to the centre, traveling up to the nape of her neck. Looking up she saw him through the reflection of the cracked bloody mirror. His pale swirling eyes following the trail of his own fingers, before meeting her gaze.

She froze, after a shiver followed his light touch.

He was touching her, and when their eyes met, she felt his power rolling off of him in waves. Stealing her breath yet again, just like when she was facing him in the field. The same unworldly presence that you would describe as something not only deadly, but- dare she say it? Beautiful- in a terrifying way. Like most things of the body and human male anatomy, he topped it all. A deadly beauty that one can't help to be trapped by. No wonder Oni were both beautiful and terrifying creatures, warned to be humanity's downfall. It was the same awe struck she had then. Only, they were not on the field, instead in her room, in her house, alone, and standing right behind her. Doing things that didn't quite register in her head, at first.

Seconds passed and she had not averted her gaze, trapped like prey, she felt his fingers rub slow shallow circles into the nape of her neck. She dared not move, or breathe. Her lungs burning, begging for air, finally caving, and her chest heaved. The second she did, his eyes left hers to drift down. Breaking his stoic mask, that cocky smirk that seemed all too familiar on another man's face.

Sasuke.

Damn it! Of course they're related, and this cocky ass smirk had the habit to really piss her off lately. Knowing that look well, her eyebrow ticked, wondering what exactly he was smiling about and followed his line of sight.

Her arms had dropped to her sides, her bodily reaction to his ministrations causing her bare chest covered in goose bumps with very erect nipples. Save for her embarrassment of her guard dropping. She was slowly getting enraged. He had the gall to leer at her like that, it set a new spark through her. Though she missed the slight excitement in his appreciative gaze, a wicked grin taking p-

BEEP BEEP BEEP!

Her limbs coming back to life at the sound of her alarm clock, she covered her breast with her arm, and using her undamaged hand to swing at him. Giving that oh so longed sucker punch he rightly deserved… Only to be met with nothing. Her room empty once more, she backed up to the wall. She didn't care if she had her naked back up against the broken mirror, he wasn't going to get the one up on her. Not this time.

Its surface grazed her back, her skin jumped and relaxed against the cool surface.

She ignored it while she waited, her alarm continued on its tirade of a sound that would annoy most people. She was too busy concentrating to pay any attention, waiting for the slightest change within the small space. It occurred to her then that something did already change.

Twisting her body to look back until she faced it fully, gasping, she couldn't believe it. Shakily brought up her unscathed hand, and focusing her chakra to expel out. "K-kia.." She whispered.

When nothing happened, she tried again, her voice surer.

Nothing.

Like she hadn't punched the mirror, it was how it had always been minutes before she broke it. Whole, and her wide eyes staring back at her. And her hand. Slowly, she withdrew it from her breast. No marks of her previous actions, smooth and unscathed like it was before. Quickly she covered her breast again, turning her head frantically around the room to see if he was still there. Clearly freaked out, questioning if she was just seeing things from the lack of sleep. But she knew better. She was met with no one.

She needed to get out of here.

Quickly without much hustle she threw on whatever her hand could reach, and rushed out the door. Her blaring alarm to follow her through the town house and out the door, until she heard it no more.