Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews! I'm glad you're enjoying my story. I recently typed up a new story, but I'm still working on it (I only have the first chapter done), and I probably won't release it until I finish this story.

Enjoy!

Sakura's World

Chapter 3: Fatherly Advice

Recap…

"What are you thinking about, Sakura?" Kakashi noticed Sakura thinking hard.

"Hm? Nothing."

Kakashi knew it was something. He knew Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke just like a father would know his kids. In fact, he thought of them as his own kids, even though he didn't consider himself the fatherly type.

"Don't lie to me, Sakura."

"I'm not."

"Yes you are, and you will tell me everything once we get to your apartment."

Sakura didn't reply back.

"I guess I have to tell him about Sasuke…Let's just hope he doesn't vanish right after."

Sakura's Apartment

Sakura usually had food for Ton-Ton at her apartment, along with two pet bowls. When Shizune takes a day off, sometimes she drops Ton-Ton at Sakura's apartment.

Kakashi took a seat on Sakura's kitchen table. Sakura started making food for Ton-Ton.

Sakura gathered a few roots and chopped up strawberries, mangos, and apples.

"So, Sakura. You said you saw Sasuke earlier?" Kakashi questioned.

Sakura nodded, as she put all of Ton-Ton's food in a red bowl, and poured water into a separate green bowl.

"I didn't think it was him at first…but it really was. He was really there. I couldn't believe it." Sakura said, while putting Ton-Ton's food on the floor. Ton-Ton started eating cheerfully.

Sakura started preparing onigiri for herself and Kakashi.

"Interesting. What did he say to you?"

Sakura stopped cooking and looked at Kakashi.

"He said what he always used to say to me." Sakura started to feel angry.

Kakashi sighed.

"He called you weak."

"…Yeah."

"Sakura, you aren't weak. You've grown over the years, and you've become stronger. He just doesn't know what you're capable of now. You still have more to learn, but you've come far. Keep going."

"Sensei, I need to become stronger." Kakashi saw the determination in Sakura's face while she was molding the onigiri.

"I understand, Sakura, but just don't let it consume you. I don't want another student of mine turning into Sasuke." Kakashi did somewhat pity Sasuke. He became obsessed and power hungry at such a young age.

"Dammit sensei! I need to learn more. Be more focused…" Sakura finished molding the onigiri and put it on a plate.

"Sakura. Don't rush things. Everything will fall into place. You have Tsunade-sama, you'll be just fine."

Sakura sighed and walked to her table and set the onigiri plate in the middle.

"Dig in."

Kakashi reached into the middle of the table and took a rice ball. Then Kakashi pulled down his mask and started eating.

"Sensei…was I really that useless back in the day?" Sakura wondered, while eating a rice ball.

Kakashi shook his head. He finished his rice ball rather quickly, and began to speak.

"No. I didn't find you useless at all. Your intelligence and chakra control impressed me." Kakashi smiled.

Sakura gently smiled.

"Well, thanks."

"No problem. I'm just stating the truth. You can do anything, Sakura. You just have to really work hard and put faith in yourself. I believe in you, Sakura."

Sakura was surprised. She had never heard Kakashi say this kind of stuff to her, ever.

"You're acting weird, sensei. I've never heard anything like this come out of your mouth before. Ever." Sakura raised an eyebrow.

Kakashi chuckled.

"I talk about these things when I think it's necessary. Like right now. You're putting yourself down, I figured you could use some advice." Kakashi knew the inner father was coming out of him, a part that he never thought had existed.

"Take it slow, Sakura. Don't rush. When you rush, the more anxious you become. It can hurt you in the end if you aren't careful." Kakashi warned Sakura.

Sakura nodded.

"I understand, sensei. I'll try my best." Sakura smiled.

"That's the spirit."

"Sensei…I'm really confused right now. Do you know where everyone went? Everyone is gone, obviously."

Kakashi shook his head.

"I have no idea where all the villagers went. I just got back from a mission, and as soon as I entered the village, no one was here. Well, until I saw you and Ton-Ton."

Sakura sighed.

"Kakashi-sensei doesn't know anything too. What in the world is going on?"

Sakura realized all the rice balls were gone, and she picked up the plate and headed back towards the kitchen to put the plate in the sink.

Sakura's arm brushed lightly on Kakashi's shoulder, and stopped walking.

Sakura dropped the plate she was holding, and it shattered into pieces as it dropped to the ground.

"Sakura? What's wrong?" Kakashi started to get serious.

Sakura looked into Kakashi's single eye. She touched Kakashi's shoulder and then her eyes widened.

The voices and images were coming back into her mind.

"Don't cry. I'm sorry. I love you. I just wanted to prove my feelings to you before I died."

"I CAN'T LET MYSELF LOVE YOU AGAIN. I DON'T WANT TO. I CAN'T."

"SAKURA. DO YOU WANT ME TO DIE?"

"I…I DON'T KNOW, OKAY?"

Sakura put her hands over her ears again. It felt like someone was blasting music into her ears.

"I'm going to die soon, Sakura."

"WAIT! DON'T GO!"

"I have to, Sakura. I have no choice."

"LEAF NINJA, ATTACK NOW! THERE'S NO TURNING BACK! WE MUST FIGHT!"

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan. I'll kill him."

"BUT HE'S OUR FRIEND! YOU SAID YOU WOULD BRING HIM BACK TO THE VILLAGE! YOU SAID YOU WOULD BRING HIM BACK HOME!"

"SAKURA-CHAN. LOOK AROUND YOU. DO YOU THINK WE CAN GO BACK TO HOW EVERYTHING WAS BACK IN THE DAY? WE CAN'T. THERE'S ONLY ONE THING I CAN DO NOW. DON'T ARGUE WITH ME ABOUT THIS RIGHT NOW, IT ISN'T THE TIME."

"Sakura! We need you in the medic safe zone! Heal the wounded!"

"Fine…I'll leave it to you…"

"Thank you, Sakura-chan."

"Sakura, you're not weak."

"Was that…Kakashi's voice? No…I don't know…Too many voices…"

The voices were gone. Sakura felt exhausted.

"Too…much…"

Everything went black.

5 hours later...

Sakura's eyes opened slowly. She found herself laying on the kitchen floor.

"Ow…my head hurts…"

Sakura's head was throbbing.

Ton-Ton was asleep next to Sakura.

"Ton-Ton…was she trying to wake me up…? How long have I been knocked out?"

Sakura gasped and quickly looked up at her kitchen table. There wasn't anyone there, except for the shattered plate she had dropped.

"Where's Kakashi-sensei? Did he disappear too?"

Sakura knew that only Ton-Ton could have known. She didn't want to wake her up, but Sakura was desperate.

"Ton-Ton…" Sakura whispered.

Ton-Ton woke up and jumped into Sakura's lap.

"I'm okay Ton-Ton." Sakura patted Ton-Ton's head gently.

"Ton-Ton, did you see Kakashi-sensei? Did you see him, disappear?" Sakura looked down at Ton-Ton.

Ton-Ton nodded.

"Great…Kakashi-sensei is gone too. What now?"

Sakura got up from the kitchen floor and looked out her window. It was night time.

"Gosh…I don't even know what time it is…I could've sworn it was still day time…I guess I was out for awhile."

Sakura frowned. She was still exhausted from her black out. Since it was night time, she decided to go to sleep.

Before Sakura was about to go to sleep, she almost forgot about the shattered plate. She grabbed a broom and a dustpan and cleaned the floor, so Ton-Ton wouldn't be stepping on it. Sakura took the dustpan full of glass pieces and threw it in the garbage. She also put Ton-Ton's bowls in the sink.

"Come on Ton-Ton, I think we both need some rest…"

Ton-Ton followed Sakura into her room. Sakura opened her closet and took out a little round blue bed and put it on the floor next to her bed.

"There you go, Ton-Ton." Sakura smiled.

Ton-Ton smiled and hopped into bed, quickly falling asleep. Sakura grabbed red shorts and a pink top from her dresser and entered the bathroom. To prevent Ton-Ton waking up, she closed the door quietly and turned on the sink.

Sakura took off her usual outfit and put her sleeping clothes on. Then Sakura took her red toothbrush out of her medicine cabinet and started to brush her teeth.

When Sakura finished, she put her toothbrush back into the cabinet and washed her face. She looked up into her mirror. Her face was dripping wet.

Sakura saw her reflection…and another reflection behind her. Sakura gasped and looked back.

No one was there.

Sakura turned off the faucet and rubbed her face with a towel. She recognized who was behind her.

It was herself, but with longer hair, just like when she started off as a genin.

"What the…"

Sakura shrugged it off and entered her bedroom.

"I guess I'm just really tired…Damn hallucinations."

Sakura tip toed to her bed, being cautious not to wake Ton-Ton. Once Sakura was in her bed, she pulled her purple blanket over her.

Sakura drifted into sleep.

Sakura's Dream

Sakura looked around. She was in the middle of the leaf village. Everything was a mess.

"What…What's happening?"

Konoha was in ruins. Buildings on the ground, bodies everywhere.

There was shinobi all over the place. Fighting people in black cloaks with red clouds imprinted all over it.

Sakura's eyes widened.

"Akatsuki…"

Everyone was fighting, but there was one little problem.

Everything was silent.

"Shouldn't I be hearing blades clashing…? Or grunts and huffs and all that? Have I gone deaf? Can anyone even see…me?"

Sakura looked to her right and saw Ino running towards her.

Sakura tried calling Ino, but nothing came out.

"Did I lose my voice? What's going on?"

Ino ran closer and closer to Sakura. It looked like she was going to attack her, but once Ino came to Sakura, she ran right through her.

Sakura was in disbelief.

"…Ino ran right through me! Am I invisible or something? What the hell!"

"WAIT."

Something ran through Sakura's mind.

"LEAF NINJA, DO WHAT YOU DO BEST! PROTECT THE LEAF VILLAGE! PROTECT OUR HOME. COMMENCE!"

"Don't cry. I love you. I just wanted to prove my feelings to you before I died."

"War…The Fourth Shinobi World War!"

Sakura remembered where she first started hearing the voices and images in her head.

Konoha's village gates.

Sakura ran straight to the village gates, passing through all the shinobi that were fighting the Akatsuki.

"The Akatsuki probably entered the gates, obviously. Where's Sasuke?"

Sakura proceeded out of Konoha and went into the forest, and that's when she saw it.

She saw herself in Sasuke's arms.

Then Sakura remembered.

"Sakura…I love you. Remember that."

Sakura saw Sasuke plant a kiss on her lips.

"Sasuke…"

End of Sakura's Dream

The next day…

Sakura woke up. She looked out the window, and it was still a bit gloomy, but Sakura always got up early.

"That dream…"

Sakura looked over her bed to see if Ton-Ton was still asleep. Ton-Ton was awake already, and she smiled at Sakura.

"Good morning, Ton-Ton. Let's go get some breakfast." Ton-Ton nodded.

Sakura went inside her bathroom and brushed her teeth. She put on her usual outfit.

"The war…Sasuke…Akatsuki…My dream…felt so real…"

Sakura sighed. It was too early to think about it.

"Maybe it was real."

Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed it! Please review! (:

Thank you for reading!