A/N: Alright, lovely readers, this is where the story goes off the tracks a bit and becomes AU. It is intentionally written in a confusing, fragmented nature because... that is the only way my brain let me write it. Be warned! (Thanks animegirl315 for the suggestion)

I.

It was strange, but as she fell, she smelled cherry blossoms.

II.

"I just wanted him to have hope, you know?" Tazuna-san's tear stained face was turned towards her but his eyes were fixed on sweet memories, "That's why I was building the bridge. So Inari wouldn't turn bitter and jaded. Like me. And now he's- he's-"

The old man broke into painful tears and Sakura reached out a hand to cup his cheek. His skin felt soft as petals and for a moment a young Inari appeared, grinning and waving just out of reach. He vanished in a swirl of white.

"Tazuna-san, do you recognize that ship docked beneath the bridge?"

III.

Had they fallen through a vacuum, her blood would have hit the water at the same time as their bodies. But the air friction supported each droplet, leaving a trail of glistening red jewels as an echo of her descent.

The combined weight of both bodies accelerating at the rate of gravity from the height of the bridge would. . . necessitate a closed coffin, Sakura thought hazily. They might not find all the pieces.

Unless. . .

The image of Kakashi-sensei and Zabuza standing as easily on the surface of the lake as on dry land rose around her, almost tangible in its clarity. If you could walk up trees, could you walk on water? Ninja's might not be heroes or gods, but. . .

Her body was already twisting in the fall.

Her chakra was already pooling at her feet.

Her mind was already calculating the ratio and rate of dispersion.

When she landed with Tazuna draped boneless across her back, she barely made a ripple, but her hands were already running through the vanishing leaf jutsu, adding extra chakra to the hare seal to encompass their client from clever eyes that could peer through the mist.

IV.

Had there always been cherry trees in these woods?

Sakura shook her head, ignoring the urge to itch her painful forehead, and tugged on Tazuna's wrist, urging him wordlessly to run faster through the wavering forest.

They needed to reach the house. He would be safe at the house- surrounded by traps and guarded by Tsunami. Once settled there, she could return to the bridge. Return to her team mates.

Sakura easily leapt over the battered body of Naruto and watched it vanish into nothing.

V.

"Are you sure we can't cut her? Just a little?"

"No, idiot. We need her as blackmail."

Sakura heard something pop in Tazuna's arm as she jerked him behind a thick tree at the sound of the two voices coming up the path. She felt nauseous. The woods were swimming around her- as insubstantial as dreams- and her head felt as though it was splitting open.

Two men- samurai by their swords- stepped around the corner and between them was the bound figure of Tsunami. At her side, Tazuna started shout, but she slapped her hand over his mouth before he could call out. His fear rippled through her like a punch and Sakura gasped. The image of the house, empty and silent, rose around her and faded in a breath.

"Stop!"

Sakura stumbled out of the bushes- her last kunai held in bloody hands as she stared down the two larger samurai. The taller one gave her a dismissive look and his eyes widened at the same time as the white haired one gasped in recognition. Both their eyes were fixed on her forehead.

"My lady," They fell to their knees and Sakura blinked at them in confusion. Behind them, the giant fir trees twisted and bent into gnarled a cherry tree. The white blossoms floating down to cover the path. Sakura blinked again and the forest reappeared.

"My lady, have our orders changed?" The white haired one whispered. "We are following the instructions you and your order have relayed to Gato-sama."

"Oh?" Her forehead ached terribly. When she brushed her hand across her brow, she felt a strange, raised ridge. Had she bumped her head? It would explain her vision.

"Tazuna brought the Konoha ninja's back, just like you wanted." The tall one cut in. "We hired the missing mist ninja too."

Yes, yes she had been fighting them.

"And now they are on the bridge. Phase II is ready to begin. Gato's gathered there with the rest of the Ronin." The white haired one, clearly the better informed, was staring at her- no at her forehead- with bright eyes. "We are ready to undertake the First Battle in the new era of the Samurai."

"The first battle?" Sakura repeated, struggling to make sense of the words. She had never seen, much less spoken to this man before. But the man seemed oblivious to her confusion.

"Yes. The battle to prove the superiority of the samurai to the ninja scum. It is the battle that will destabilize the entire ninja world and bring about the collapse of the ninja! Wave Country will become a beacon of hope and honor in this damaged world. "

"And Tsunami?" Sakura gestured to the girl. The ground under her feet suddenly turned into a grassy field- the lawn spreading out through the trees like a wave. Sakura felt dizzy and fought the urge to sit down. The tall samurai looked confused.

"The girl? It's to make the old man break his contract with those bastard ninjas." His face lit with a happy smile, "Then, we get to kill them all. The creepy one and the kids and the villagers. I want the masked one's sword."

"My lady, may I be so bold as to request a favor?" The white haired one cut in, "Before I fight this battle, will you take me to the Sakura fields again?" His hope was almost palpable in the air.

VI.

This time, when she blinked, the bodies did not fade. They lay there, motionless and cooling, the ice shards stained red from the fresh blood.

The figure behind them also didn't disappear, though the trees behind him shifted and flickered between the deep green of summer and the light pink of spring.

"Y-yuki?"

"What are you?" The boy stepped forward- and a sweet breeze washed over them. Sakura blinked and the grassy meadow sprouted and shrank back in a breath. "I saw the blood on Zabuza's blade. You shouldn't be alive."

Sakura glanced down at the tatters of her shirt, realizing, for the first time, that it was almost falling off. There had been blood, but there was no wound now. Instead, dark red markings flowed over her skin. They followed no logical path, growing almost organically from where the sword had grazed her. If she hadn't jumped back, pushing Tazuna over the bridge with her, it would have done more than graze.

"I-" She blinked and the markings on her skin flickered and shifted like shadows under a great tree, "I- don't-"

"And how do you know these-?" Yuki nudged the dead Samurai with a sandaled foot.

"I don't-" Her head was pounding. Thoughts too fleeting to catch. There was something here. Something that was important, but it hovered beyond the borders of her mind. "What are you- you're dressed like that hunter nin- but you killed Zabuza and now you're-"

"It was for his own protection. If he had continued to fight, he would have been killed. " Yuki looked away from the dead men on the ground and his expression hardened when he saw Tazuna undoing his daughters bonds. " I still have to finish his mission."

"I can't let you do that." The pain in her forehead was excruciating, like her head was split open. Sakura collapsed to her knees from the pain.

VII.

Tazuna and Tsunami had disappeared. They vanished into the air as the trees twisted and swam into focus. Sakura and Yuki were alone in a grassy meadow, bordered on all sides by old cherry trees. Their scent filled the air and their petals drifted down silently. Sakura blinked, but this time, the images remained steady.

"Kai!" Yuki glanced around wildly when his genjutsu dispersal did nothing. He brought his hands up again. "KAI!"

There was no change. The wind blew, ruffling their hair and then Sakura realized that the meadow was completely quiet. No birds sung in the trees. No leaves whispered together in the breeze. Her harsh breaths were the only things she heard.

"What is going on?" Yuki dropped his hands and turned to Sakura. "What are you doing?" She could only shake her head.

"I don't know-"

VIII.

The Ice Release technique doesn't require pre-existing water. Ice can be made from chakra alone, but it takes time. The seals for the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals take longer still. Even at blinding speeds, Yuki still needed to make 21 mirrors from his own chakra.

Sakura only needed one touch.

IX.

A dark haired woman with unbounded hair and loose, practical clothing. Her dark eyes were filled with tears as she looked past them.

"Mother."

A dark haired man, taller than the woman, also barefoot. Also in simple, peasant clothing. Deep lines of regret marred his face.

"Father."

Haku, I am so sorry. I should have told you earlier, warned you about our blood line rather than let you discover it yourself.

"Mother-"

Haku, forgive me. I was so terrified. The ninja had taken so much in their wars. Our world was destroyed. I was possessed by the fear. I forgot that you were my son.

"Fa-"

Haku, I am so proud of you. You may be the best of the Yuki. Your blood is a gift.

"Ma-"

Haku, create a world where my fear could not have grown.

"I-"

Haku, you are loved.

"Wai-"

Haku, my fear won, but I did love you.

"WAIT!"

X.

A stinging slap snapped her back to consciousness. Tsunami knelt over her, eyes wide with concern. When she saw Sakura's eyes open, the woman helped her to a sitting position.

"W-what happened?" she asked. Her limbs felt like jelly, but the splitting pain in her head was gone and her thinking was clear once more. Tsunami exchanged a quick glance with Tazuna who was standing at the edge of the road, prodding the two dead bodies.

"You were talking and then went completely still. Like you were carved from stone. Then the thing in your forehead and all the weird skin markings disappeared and you collapse. That one," She nodded to the other end of the road where Yuki- no, Haku- was huddled around himself. Shoulders shaking softly. "She hasn't stopped crying."

"He," Sakura corrected automatically as she struggled to sit up properly. Her muscles complained that they were the consistency of gelatin. "Could you help me stand?"

Tsunami nodded and pulled Sakura to standing. On her feet, Sakura felt slightly more steady as she made her way slowly to where the boy was sitting.

"Haku?" She asked, laying a hand on the boy's shoulder, "Do you- do you remember-"

"Was it real?" The boy's voice was gentler than normal, "Was that a genjutsu or was- was it real?"

Sakura hesitated as she tried to collect the scattered fragments of her memories. Memories. Hadn't she seen a memory of Inari as a child when she touched Tazuna on the shore?

"I think they are built from your memories." She suggested.

"They never said anything like that!"

"The human brain takes in so much more information than it can consciously process. It was probably your mind reconstructing old data in a new matrix?" Sakura said, remembering a text book on psychology, then added when she saw Haku's blank look, "You're probably remembering the real feelings your parents had, but with a more mature mindset?"

"So my parents did love me?" Haku asked. "Even though I-"

"Of course they did!" Sakura said firmly. "They're your parents."

Haku was silent for a moment, but it only took a few moments for him to calm his breath and wipe his eyes clear.

"I think, it might not be enough to just protect my precious people." Haku told her quietly, "My mother said my blood line limit is a gift. I would like to use it to fulfill my father's wish to make this world better. I would like to help you find the missing children. "

Sakura blinked, "Haku, we don't actually know where they are. . ."

"Gato doesn't have them." He said, then added when she looked at him curiously, "After our conversation, I went through the head quarters and the house. There was no sign of the missing children, and none of the body guards had heard of the missing children."

"Really?" Sakura frowned as another glimmer of hope died. It would be too much to hope that they could have found all the missing children in the basement of the Gato headquarters. But the mention of body guards stirred an earlier memory. Her face drained of color.

"Sakura?" Haku asked, but she was already turned to the two civilians.

"We need to get to the bridge! Gato is planning on killing everyone with his Samurai!"

XI.

"Why did you send the bridge builder and his daughter to the village?" Haku asked as they made their way to the bridge. He was half supporting her as her own muscles seemed to have given up the will to move. Chakra exhaustion, her brain supplied unhelpfully. Funny, how the medical part of her mind was beginning to sound like Sasuke.

"Because-" she panted. She could see the bridge ahead of them. "It all makes sense now! Gato would never invade the wave for business. There's no profit. Someone is manipulating Gato and his samurai!"

"But why?"

"I think it's to cause problems with Konoha. I don't know yet. Maybe if Konoha ninjas are seen stepping outside of their mission parameters?" She said, thinking back to what the samurai had told her.

"And the villagers-"

"If the villagers fight back, rather than Gato, Konoha can't be said to interfere with local politics. Or at least it will be a lot easier to spin. What?" She snapped as Haku gave her a strange look.

He shook his head at her.

"I know it's a lot of assumptions, but I'd rather not have my first mission start the fourth shinobi war."

XII.

"ZABUZA-SAN!"

The missing nin's eyes widened as he saw them at the edge of the bridge- then widened further as the kunai slashed through his neck.

Haku broke away with a cry.

XIII.

Three figures danced on the edge of the bridge and hope bloomed in Sakura's chest, then faded.

There wasn't much bridge left. The workers had disappeared along with the extra supplies and much of the floor. Great scorch marks scarred the concrete and there were gouges in the bridge that didn't look just like those of a sword.

She barely recognized her team mates. Was that Sasuke moving almost faster than the eye could track? Dodging sword swings and kicks like a man possessed. And Naruto-

Naruto was wreathed in flame. Sasuke moved fast, but Naruto didn't move like a human as he worried, taunted and drove the missing nin back along the bridge. When the great sword swung towards him, he blocked it with an arm- flame and raw chakra scorching the air as he snarled.

Sakura ran down the bridge as Sasuke's hand rose-

"NARUTO!"

XIV.

"SASUKE!"

Sasuke's hand fell and slashed the kunai through Zabuza's neck. The sharp blade split the skin easily, but there was no spurt of blood. The body collapsed, boneless, and vanished into a puddle.

A water clone.

Thank the kami. Sakura's legs gave out and she fell to the bridge, breath harsh in her throat, but Sasuke was at her side almost before her knees hit the concrete. His hand was wrapped tightly around her wrist, fingers resting on her hammering radial pulse as red eyes searched her own.

"Are you-"

"SAKURA!" Naruto barreled into her and would have knocked her over, but for Sasuke's tight grip on her wrist. Naruto was all but sobbing into her shoulder- arms so tight that she couldn't take a full breath. He looked normal though. No trace of the strange fire or chakra. No sign of the claws or glimpse of fangs. Had that just been another strange illusion like the ones in the forest?

"Naruto, are you?"

"We thought you were dead." Sasuke cut in- his eyes were still glowing bright red as if they had been painted with blood and Sakura was rapidly losing feeling in her hand from his grip. "We thought-"

"Are you alright- Sakura-chan!"

"I'm fine!" She wrapped her free arm around Naruto's waist and tried to pry her arm from Sasuke. "I'm fine. I think. Are you-"

"We saw the blood- and then you weren't there- and then we thought he killed you and then-"

"He killed you." Sasuke's gaze was unwavering and his grip only tightened in response to her efforts to free it.

"But you're back and you're ok-"

"I was going to kill him."

"Are you ok? I thought I saw-"

"Then I was going to kill his partner."

"Sakura are you hurt? How are you ok!"

"Then I was going to track down and kill Gato and the whole organization who-"

"Sasuke!" Sakura cried out in alarm as her team mates voice grew quieter and softer. He was starting to shake- just like after the first fight. They were in the middle of a battle now, with another fight coming. She couldn't afford to have him lose focus.

It only took one jerk to have Sasuke stumble into the two of them. Naruto wrapped his arm around Sasuke, head still buried in Sakura's shoulder, and Sakura finally twisted her wrist free. Wriggling her fingers to return the circulation, she sighed.

Her team was alive. Her team was still together. If they hadn't been. . .

"Sorry, I'm late."

XV.

Naruto's clone had survived crossing the island, but it hadn't survived the lightning fast travel back. Kakashi had never believed in the gods before, so he didn't waste his breath on prayer as he raced across the forested island, but he was prepared to start when he saw the bridge deserted but for the chattering knot of his genin team.

Alive.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto broke out of the group first- launching himself at his teacher followed quickly by Sakura who dragged Sasuke by virtue of the white knuckled grip on her arm. Kakashi was suddenly engulfed in tight hugs and shaking bodies. Even Sasuke seemed relieved to see him.

"Kakashi- it was bad- Sakura was killed-"

"Wasn't! I jumped off the bridge with Tazuna to avoid-"

"Then Sasuke went all – BAM sharingan! Show him Sasuke!"

"Hn."

"Kakashi- we met Gato's men in the forest! There are Samurai-"

"And then we fought Zabuza- oh-oh but! He has a friend! The hunter nin!"

"Sakura, where is Tazuna?" Kakashi asked. From the absence of corpses, Zabuza was still alive though possibly shaken from fighting against two of the most powerful genin in Konoha. If he had back up, they would go after their mission's target.

His kunoichi's eyes widened, "I sent him back to the village with Tsunami- to rouse the villagers!"

"Right," That comment probably had to do something with the comment of Samurai. It was common knowledge that many of the displaced ronin worked as two bit enforcers for the local mafia. "Are you three safe to travel? We are going to the village to find Tazuna- then you will stay with him while I track down Zab-"

"Running away so fast, Ninja-scum?"

XVI.

The last of the mist cleared and they were very much not alone.

"Who the hell are those guys!" Naruto shouted pointing at the enormous crowd of armed men who stood at the edge of the bridge. Sakura felt her stomach drop about four feet below her feet. These must be the Ronin come to begin the new nation of Samurai. The samurai who were going to kill them.

Kakashi-sensei glanced at them coolly and, with a sigh, raised his hand to his forehead protector, but Sakura grabbed his arm first.

"You can't kill them," She hissed. "Gato's being influenced by some group and they are planning to use this battle as a way to destabilize the entire ninja world!"

"What?" But he wasn't shaking off her hand.

"Wave is right between the Fire and Water nations! What if the Mizukage or Water Daimyo see that we killed a local business man and directly interfered with the political and economic balance of the nation! Couldn't that be seen as an act of war? Or at least of expanding influence into a neutral country?"

"Not bad, girl." Gato called out with a small smile. The men behind him jeered. "Usually, I just throw out some line about how killing the ninja-scum I've hired is cheaper than paying them, but you're the first to figure out the deeper pattern. Not that it will-"

"Wait!" Sakura stepped forward, Sasuke following after her. "Who are you working for? Who told you to come to take over this country?"

"Every sword needs its sheath, girl. There are more powers at work in this world than your precious ninja villages." He turned to his men, "I've changed my mind. Kill everyone. Villagers included. We can blame it on the missing nin."

XVII.

"You want us to do what?" Zabuza stared at his weapon in astonishment. They were hanging from the underside of the bridge while Zabuza caught his breath. He didn't want to admit it, but that last fight had been hard. When the dark haired one started predicting his every position and the blond one caught on fire- he had been hard pressed to escape, much less win.

"Return and help the Konoha ninja team defeat Gato and the samurai forces." Haku looked calm and resolute as always and Zabuza was confused. First, try not to kill the kids. Now go back and help them? What the hell had happened to the kid?

"Why-"

"It's like this. . ."

XVIII.

Never should have taken the mission, Kakashi decided. Every time things seemed to be going well or at least be straightforward, some new twist arose to completely fuck everything up again.

First it was the chunin. Then the Devil of the Mist. Then the revelation of Gato's slow strangulation of the entire nation. Then the missing children. Then his children facing off against enemies that should have slaughtered them.

The last thing he needed was second hand intrigue possibly adding potential geo-political consequences to whatever action he decided to take. If he wasn't aware of the strained relations between water and fire, he would have dismissed Sakura's concerns as overexcited. But she was intelligent and it was strange Gato would waste so much man power on an impoverished nation.

The very last thing he needed was the appearance of the rag tag members of the village, blocking his teams chance of a quick retreat.

"How nice of you- to gather everyone on the bridge for an easy slaughter." Gato gloated while behind him, his samurai stirred restlessly.

"There they are!" Tazuna cried, clutching at the old fishing harpoon, "The ones who stole our children!" The villagers responded with an angry yell. They were armed with a motley assortment of farming and fishing tools. They might hold up for a while under the attack of a Kakashi sighed.

"Sakura-"

"I didn't say anything!" She protested, "Honestly, I just told him to gather the villagers to the bridge."

"Right." He shoved his hands in his pockets and scanned the two sides. He had chakra, enough to take out the mob of armed samurai, but probably not enough to take out both them and Zabuza. "If we leave, the villagers will be slaughtered."

"Then we have to stay!" Naruto decided, even though his eyes were beginning to look a little glassy with exhaustion. Actually, none of his genin had enough chakra to last more than a few minutes. Sasuke seemed to be using Sakura's arm half for reassurance but half for support, his eyes still spiraling red.

"If they hire us to protect them, then Konoha won't be acting independently?" Sakura suggested timidly. Kakashi sighed again. When this mission was done, they were going to discuss the use of lies- both to clients and on mission reports.

XIX.

"You!"

"Haku!"

"Sakura- stay back-"

"And the last members of our little drama have arrived." Gato smiled thinly as he surveyed the two missing ninja who appeared on the bridge, "You are all making my life very easy."

"Hey kid-" Zabuza twisted to look at Sakura over his shoulder, "I don't get all this politics business, but is it going to mess anything up for you if I kill these idiots?"

"Um, no?" Sakura frowned in thought. Since Zabuza was a missing nin and an independent operator, it wouldn't matter if he interfered. "Do you think you can manage on your own?"

"Kid," Zabuza smiled from beneath his mask, "I could take these goons with both hands tied behind my back."

XX.

Sakura had never seen so much blood in her life before or since.

XXI.

"I think I understand now," Haku told her later. They were sitting on the edge of the bridge, watching the sun sink slowly behind the edge of the sea. Sakura had spent a day in bed rest after being diagnosed with incredibly chakra depletion- a feat Sasuke decided was due to her rapid acquisition of water walking and mastering the vanishing leaf no jutsu.

Sakura didn't mention her strange visions in the forest and Naruto didn't mention his strange appearance on the bridge. Sasuke didn't mention much of anything, just followed her around until she finally told him to go be with Naruto for an hour. Half an hour. Fifteen minutes.

"Understand what?"

"Why you like helping people." Haku waved to a couple walking along the path to the village and they smiled and waved back. After Zabuza's exceptional display on the bridge and the very literal beheading of the Gato corporation, both of the mist missing nin were hailed as heros of the village.

"Oh, yes. It can be nice." Sakura agreed absently. These days Haku seemed even more at peace than usual. His naturally gentle nature strengthened by an inner steel. But he seemed no more willing to mention their strange encounter in the woods than she was. Had she imagined the cherry trees and the conversation?

"Actually, I have a favor to ask you." Haku told her seriously and Sakura turned to him with a raise eyebrow. "I know it is your mission to find the missing children, but would you mind if Zabuza and I undertook that? We've been going through some of Gato's records and have found several instances of shipments being sent to the Land of Sound."

"Sound country?" Sakura frowned as she tried to recall what information she knew about that country. "Oh- the land of rice fields! It's right next to the Fire nation."

"Yes, I think it would be a good first place to start. We can send you updates when we find something, so would that be alright?"

"That would be great," Sakura smiled genuinely at her new friend.

XXII.

Haku and Zabuza set off for the mainland the next day. Zabuza grumbled a little about the nature of the mission, but turned down any offer the village made to pay him to find their children.

The bridge was completed not long after and dubbed the Great Zabuza bridge in honor of the man who had saved them. Naruto complained, but seemed genuinely pleased that Sakura had managed to redeem two dangerous ninjas. Sasuke eventually stopped shadowing her every step and reinstated their dawn training regimes when he deemed her fit enough to exercise. Kakashi stayed closer to their training regime than he had previously and lost in thought on their travels home.

As for Sakura, she was just glad when she saw the walls of Konoha rise in the distance.

A/N: Alright, my dear readers, hope that wasn't too bad. Questions about Sakura will have to wait until after the chuunin exams unfortunately...

On that note: I'll be taking a hiatus on this story for the holidays. I plan to work on some other, less intense plot bunnies so check back.

Hope you all are having a great holiday season! (or winter season)