Roller Coaster
Summary: Because she reached heights that were never her goals and when she was ready to take on the world alone she found their shadows to stand beside her. Because when she found her heart, she was prepared to let him go. Sakura centered Time travel fic
A million thanks to JiraiyasGirl for all her hard work editing this. She is the best beta I could hope for.
Chapter Four: Foolish Human
"How was training Sakura?"
"It went well Sarutobi, although, I might as well give you a warning."
"Oh?" Sarutobi asked interested. Being cooped up in his office all day meant that he rarely got to hear anything particularly interesting these days.
"Yeah, if Kakashi questions you about my training you're going to have to pull a Tsunade, nod and smile."
"I'll be sure to do that." The old man smiled remembering the teenager he once taught and her ability to nod and smile her way out of difficult situations. "What did Kakashi have your team do during your training?" Ever since he had heard of Kakashi's initial failure he had made promises to both himself and Sakura to make sure that he didn't allow it to happen again. Sakura assured him that she could handle her Sensei this time around.
"Basic taijutsu, I think it's kinda depressing how slowly my body moves. I can see the attacks coming but my body can't always stop them. Oh, I'm sorry!" The pink haired teen apologized realizing her actions. She had been shamelessly browsing the titles of the scrolls located on the far wall.
"Don't be, help yourself to those. They are mostly ninjutsu scrolls." The elder offered kindly. She had no doubt read them already as he had no plans taking them away from the office in the case of his death.
"Thank you. Do you need any help with getting through the paperwork?" Any Kage would agree that no matter how much you worked to get through the mountains of forms, appeals, mission requests, reports, etc., the piles would never completely disappear.
"That is kind of you Sakura but is not necessary. Paperwork is no longer your burden to bare." His tone let out a humor that very few people noticed their Hokage possesses.
"Are you sure? I really don't mind. I've been doing paperwork long before I was Hokage. To be honest I think I would appreciate the familiarity of it. Besides, I have to make a lot of appetencies in your office." It was obvious that she wanted to do the paperwork and her offer was not out of politeness.
"Alright." Sarutobi submitted but, he had conditions. "But this will be going on your record as D ranked mission and you will be paid." There was no room for argument in the seasoned ninja's voice and Sakura did not mind the arrangement.
"Thanks." She replied taking a pile of basic paperwork.
"You're out here really early." Sakura commented when she found Sasuke at the bridge two hours before Kakashi told them to meet.
"Hn. So are you." He accused roughly.
"I was passing by." Sakura answered sitting down beside him.
"So pass by." He snapped.
"You look like you could use a friend right about now." And she knew that he did need a friend. Today was his mother's birthday. He was always even snappier and stand-offish on this date when she had known him before.
"We aren't friends."
"Maybe not, but sometimes just a person sitting beside you can help. I know it works for me."
"Hn." But he didn't push her away.
They sat for hours not saying a word to each other. Sasuke was surprised to see that Sakura made no attempt to meditate. After a while each was lost in their own thoughts. Even Naruto could feel the atmosphere and was toned down noise wise until he fell asleep waiting for Kakashi.
"Sorry I'm late, an old man needed help picking out a hat and who was I to refuse him?"
"Liar!" Sakura and Naruto called out together.
"So... today we will be focusing on aim." Sakura wanted to roll her eyes. Aim was definitely not an area she needed to focus on. She was glad however, having put last night's pay towards a pair of weights that were currently hidden in her boots.
"Sakura, do you spend all your free time here?" The Hokage asked studying the twelve year old girl who had taken to doing paperwork on his floor, even when he offered her a desk.
"Not all of my time." She denied without pausing in her work.
"Just most?" Sarutobi clarified. Only a week had passed and Sakura had wracked up more d-ranked missions, based on the system they set up, than many ninja would have in a career.
"To be honest I don't really know what to do with myself. Overnight I went from a married Hokage in full out war to a supposedly carefree twelve year old genin. Besides training and paperwork I don't know what to do with myself. Hanging out with Ino seems wrong, and I always feel like I should be doing something important, it's frustrating to know that all I can do right now is wait."
"It will take some getting used to but having that feeling is proof that you can now save all of the people you lost."
"Which I will, but selfishly I keep think they will never become the people I love." She voiced nearly slamming her pen onto the floor. There, she had confessed. The annoying guilt was now out in the open to be judged.
"Especially Gaara?" He confidently voiced not passing judgment, at least not vocally.
"Especially Gaara-kun." She agreed.
"All we can do now is prepare for what is to come."
"I think that I just thought of something I can and should do. Excuse me Sarutobi." Sakura said placing the file she had been reading on his desk.
"Of course, I'll see you tomorrow."
Sakura knew exactly what she wanted to do, but did not know if her plan would even work. So, she sat and thought staring seriously at the base of her idea.
"Is there a reason you are sitting in a playground at midnight staring at a sandbox as if it holds the answers to the world."
"Yes." She answered not turning to face her teacher. It was midnight, she had been sitting here for hours. She was here for a reason.
"Care to enlighten me?" The man asked raising an eyebrow.
"Not really." Sakura hadn't moved. Kakashi sat next to her just reading his book. It only took an hour before a tear dripped down her face. The scene, her sitting, him reading, nothing being said; it all was just too familiar.
Kakashi didn't need to turn to know she was crying. He could smell the salt.
"For an okay ninja you sure cry a lot." He observed.
"Really now? I wasn't under the impression that I had made a habit out of crying in front of you." If this were the first time line she was twelve and Kakashi had said something to that caliber she probably would have been angry or pouted. However, this wasn't the first time line and she had come to adore Kakashi's strange way of talking, a mix of evasion and bluntness. The contradiction was one that only the copy nin himself could manage.
"Oh you don't, your eyes give you away though. When you are deep in thought you can tell you have shed your share." He answered casually and borderline poetic.
"My sensei once told me that tears weren't bad at all. As a ninja it's not the absence of emotions that is important only that we can process and move on from things quickly. If tears can do that than they are only another tool."
"The Hokage?" When wise, it did not sound like Iruka.
"Yes, the Hokage." She responded, remembering a very different person than the man beside her was thinking of.
Another fifteen minutes of silence past before, "What brought on the waterworks?"
Sakura rolled her eyes. 'One god damn silent tear and we are suddenly a cry baby.' Inner ranted but she knew that Kakashi was just trying to show he cared.
"I don't know what you mean by waterworks, Kakashi-sensei."
"But..."
"No but."
"So, you won't tell me how the sandbox holds the answers you seek?" He spoke seriously, "and you won't tell me why you are crying. Dear Sakura, I do believe that you don't trust me."
"To be honest I really don't trust most people for reasons you won't understand for a while. I know that I can trust you by those same reasons, but I don't want to tell you, not yet."
Another fifteen minutes.
"You do know it is one in the morning."
"Yup."
"Your still staring at the sand."
"Yup."
"Why?"
"..."
Another ten minutes.
"Why are you here anyway?" Sakura inquired.
"Needed somewhere to read my book."
"So you came to a dark park?"
"Yup."
"Makes sense."
A lot later.
"The sun is rising."
"Really Kakashi-sensei? Is that the mysterious light source?"
"Yup." Sakura laughed. Still sitting staring at the sand.
"What time is training today?"
"Seven o'clock." Kakashi answered standing to leave.
"I have something I need to do fist. What time will training really start?"
She was examined, scrutinized and apparently passed because Kakashi sighed and looked physically in pain as he replied, "I heard a rumor that a priest may need help with an exorcism around noon."
"Thanks."
Kakashi didn't leave for another hour, he pretended to watching from the bushes but when Sakura pulled out a jar from seemingly thin air and used a jutsu to reach her new location. The destination was an unknown clearing. To her knowledge no one had ever known of the location before Jiraiya and she had found it, which was a strange occurrence, seeing how it was encased and hidden by waterfalls, cliffs, and large accumulations of rocks.
'Are you ready for this?' Inner asked surprisingly sedate.
'No.'
'Well, that sucks because it need to be done!' Now the stupid voice was cheerful. Her inner self really needed to work on her pep talks.
'Fine, let's do this then.'
Carefully she arranged herself in the ground and poured the sand she had brought with her into a neat pile about a foot away from her person.
"To be honest I don't know that this is going to work." She spoke clearly. "My understanding is that all sand is connected to the one tailed Shukaku." Had Sakura not been a ninja the women would have been convinced that her eyes would have missed the sands response. The sand had pulsed and physically twitched. "I would like to request an audience with the demon Shukaku." She continued now sure that the sand was in fact a method of communication with the sand demon.
Seven minutes passed before an angry evil laced voice boomed the response she had expected. "HUMAN, HOW DARE YOU CALL FOR MY PRESENCE! I SHOULD SEND MY SAND DOWN YOUR THROAT AND CRUSH YOUR ORGANS!"
"I apologize for disturbing you." The Kunoichi responded honestly as she nodded deeply to the hovering mass of sand.
"You are either a brave or foolish human!" The voice growled. "The only reason my sand is not soaked in your blood is because your scent. You are a demons mate and that is something not even I will disrespect. But that does not ensure your safety, so speak fast human."
Sakura understood what Shukaku was saying. It was a sacred understanding among demons that their mates would be safe from other demons wraiths. However, Sakura did not expect to be considered a demons mate in this time. She assumed only the sand demon could tell because Naruto hadn't said anything about her scent. Or maybe that was why Naruto had seemed more protective of her then ever.
"My name is Haruno Sakura." For a brief moment she was glad that she had never changed her last name. Things could have gotten even more confusing. "I am a time traveler."
"Who's mate are you girl?" He demanded impatiently.
"In my time I am proudly the wife of Sabaku no Gaara."
"Tell me your story." Shukaku ordered less harshly barely, but just.
"Well, I'm going to explain my time line from the upcoming chunnin exams that I will assume you know about." Not hearing a contradiction she continued, "The Sand had been tricked into forming an alliance against the leaf by the snake Sannin." And she told him everything. From the battle between Naruto and Gaara to the demons extraction to the final battle.
"This is why I hate humans." He growled. "What is your hidden agenda in telling me this?"
"I don't really have an answer to that. From what I understand from Gaara-kun is that before the extraction you had reached some sort of common ground. The pair of you were great. Now that the alternative is known, I'm hoping that we can find a way to change the outcome to both of our mutual satisfaction." The women answered with sincerity.
"It would be wise not to lie to me, you mated with the kid after my extraction, I owe you nothing!" The demon snarled making his loyalties and obligations perfectly clear. "Unfortunately, I see no way that we will not be in contact a lot in the future. I offer you my protection, do not abuse it women!"
"I understand. Thank you."
"Wear sand, I believe women take to the tradition of useless ornament, I will be in touch."
"Of course." Sakura replied understanding the demons description of a necklace. "I trust that you won't inform Gaara?"
"Aren't you supposed to be loyal to the boy?" Shukaku asked dangerously.
"I am. That's why he never needs to know." She answered barely realizing the silent tear rolling down her cheeks. Maybe her tear ducks were different at twelve, Kakashi was right; she had been crying a lot.
The demon did understand, she would give up her happiness for his, foolish Human.