Yume

I guess that, when I woke up. That's when it began for us. Really began. I don't know when it was I fell for him. Maybe that first night after the fire when I saw him dancing among the flames. Or maybe it was before that. When I would see him in flashes, in reflections. Maybe it was on the walk through the forest towards Konoha and I felt no fear, in spite of what happened the night before. I knew i was safe with him.

Maybe I loved him since before I was born. And all this time, I was waiting to meet him. The witch did say fate was finicky.

Twenty first Dream

'Why am I so nervous?' Sakura thought fiercely as Sasuke closed the door to her room behind him. She knew though, even if she denied it, she knew. The witch and Itachi had made it plain for her to see. Uchiha Sasuke was in love with Haruno Sakura and Sakura well...Sakura didn't want to go down that train of thought. It made her face grow hot to even think about...

"Sakura?" at the sound of his voice Sakura swore her heart skipped a beat. She glanced over her shoulder and turned to face him. She could read his concern for her on his face. Not many would be able to see it, but she could. She smiled to reassure him.

"Did I surprise you?" she teased. Sasuke blinked, surprised, then smirked.

"Yes," he said, "It was different. Reminds me of when your arm..." he trailed off. Sakura grinned.

"Since I came here, I guess I've been on edge," she said, "Afraid. I was watching what I said and what I did in case I offend someone and I would be thrown out. But I know differently now, and to be honest that's not who I am. Things are different in my world and I'm just done with it all. Screw the consequences. I'm a Seer. I figure that gives me licence to be eccentric."

"I suppose it does," Sasuke replied.

"Does it bother you?" Sakura asked.

"No," Sasuke said walking further into the room, "It suits you."

Sakura laughed, "I'm glad you think so! It's what your going to have to put up with from now on!" Sasuke nodded gravely.

"Understood, Though I doubt that's what you wanted to talk to me about." Sakura grimanced. She turned away from Sasuke and walked to the window. She tried gathering her thoughts. The sun was setting; she had been asleep a long time.

"I think," She began, "You are the only one I can talk to about this. You're the only one I can possibly tell."

"Is this about your collapse?" Sasuke asked walking up behind her.

"It's about what I Saw," Sakura said, "What I've learned. Time is short Sasuke-kun and the situation is much worse than we thought.

"I talked to Itachi, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke stiffened. His mind went blank and he was thrown back to his childhood. With mixed feelings he pulled himself back.

"Tell me," he said. And Sakura did. She told him how Itachi explained the Uchiha clan massacre, how the Elders did nothing. She told him about the witch showing up and her warning that they were running out of time. At last she explained about Madara and his plans with Orochimaru for her and the role Sasuke was originally supposed to play.

While explaining that last part Sasuke became so tense that Sakura thought she could hear his muscles straining. When she had finished Sasuke was silent for a long time. Sakura didn't dare look at him. She was afraid of what she would see.

"What changed?" Sasuke asked his voice rough.

"Me," she whispered, "You met me." Sakura could feel his burning eyes on the back of her head. She swallowed to clear her throat. "I – I don't think you were supposed to meet me, at least not then. Not before Madara had his hooks in you."

She could feel his body heat behind and above her as Sasuke moved to stand just behind her. His arms appeared in the side of her vision and his hands rested on the window frame beside her head.

"And how does meeting you change anything?" he breathed against her ear. Sakura was shivering. She knew he knew exactly what he was doing. And she knew he knew the answer to his question too. Deciding to shake him up, Sakura finally turned around, a sharp retort dying on her lips when she saw the look in his gaze when their eyes met. She couldn't hide anything from this man could she?

Sakura gathered her nerves. She gripped the edge of his white haori and stepped into his chest, resting her head under his chin.

"It changed everything," she told him. It was funny, Sakura fully expected her heart to be jumping out of her chest right now. But she was calm, and it was Sasukes heart beat that was faster than normal. She almost laughed.

"Everything?" He prodded.

"Everything," Sakura said. Then Sakura sighed when Sasuke wrapped his arms around her. He held her for what seemed like forever, and for all Sakura cared, Sasuke could never let her go. But that's not how the world worked, and she could never hide anything from him.

"I'm scared," she told him as the last of the sunlight slipped behind the tree tops. Sasuke tightened his arms around her as if by doing so he could protect her from all the evil in the world.

"I won't let anything happen to you," he told her, "Madara and Orochimaru will die before they touch you."

Sakura only gripped his shirt tighter in response. To her surprise, and his, Sakura began to cry. She had been in this world for half a year with no sign of being able to go home, she had three psychos after her and she was doing the one thing that all romance books showed was a bad idea no matter the happy endings. She was falling in love with a man in a world she didn't belong in, and she couldn't stay.

"I will never leave you," Sasuke vowed.

Are you sure about that?

End of Chapter