PROLOGUE

The Sun started to sink low dying the sky crimson - mimicking the blood on the war ground littered with dead bodies - as with saving anything, protecting anything from the clutches of evil ridiculously demanded for. Looming grey clouds began to set the atmosphere for mourning; darkening every second to weep, as if they know the feeling of losing something precious; someone irreplaceable.

Some cried in pain saying their last goodbyes to loved ones ignoring their own piteous condition while others mourned for them trying to stay strong for the ones they were left with.

The air weighed heavy with grief as the remaining shinobi began to gather around their dying war hero - using the last of her strength to undo the infinite tsukuyomi she passed her burden of world peace to the rest of her friends. Cradled in the arms of the last Uchiha, their joined hands undid the mess created by ambitious people - who had the same goal as them but with methods that bring more harm than good - ultimately ending up as puppets in the grand scheme of things.

Selfishness is what sets human apart from other beings. Their selfishness to protect their precious people - like the shinobi that participated in the war, their selfishness to protect peace by becoming the one thing to be feared, the one thing that unites the world against them at the cost of their isolation and detachment like - Madara and Obito; bearing the brunt of the hatred of the world alone like Sasuke and the selfishness of people who don't want to let them walk the lone road - like our hyperactive knucklehead ninja. Saving everyone with strong determination to break the cycle of hatred and restore peace among the five elemental nations going to the extent of even sacrificing her life proved how strong the emotion plays people.

With occasional loud rasping breath that felt as if sage training was easier she fought to keep consciousness. Caged in his arms she could feel the warmth radiating off the Raven. She slowly looked up - into his eyes giving him a painful toothy grin. She got her bastard back but with a price. She felt a sudden pang of guilt at the thought of leaving him alone. After all she was the only one he was left with. The warmth from the faint trace of sun mark that once rested on her palm or what was left of the power passed to her by the sage of six paths to defeat the rabbit goddess tingled as she felt power draining from it. Wetness landed on her cheeks turning cold as it slid down but his warm lips on her forehead was the only thing she could feel at the moment. She stretched her hand out to wipe his tears and rested her palm on his face.

She faintly remembered her conversation with Itachi. Somehow if she could talk to him now, she would proudly say she saved them both.

"If you have to choose between my brother and the village, what would you choose?"He asked her walking into her personal space trapping her in his genjutsu. Slowly backing away she tried to maintain distance trying and horribly failing to convey that she wasn't intimidated by him.

"I-I ... I don't understand..." she asked back.

"If my brother turns against the village will you pick my brother or the village?" he asked seriously, not stopping till her back hit a tree.

She cursed herself for getting trapped between him and the tree and but could not avert her eyes from his. His face inched closer to hers his mangekyo spinning wildly as he gazed into her deep blue eyes searching for sincerity.

"Why would Sasuke turn against the village?"She asked back confusion slipping into her features.

"Just answer me," he prodded.

"I would save the village and Sasuke at the same time", she told him with determination radiating off every corner of her body even when only a few seconds ago he saw fear for him in her eyes.

"You're so naive Naruto," he smirked cupping her cheeks satisfied with her answer.

Naruto felt uncomfortable due to the proximity and even more …not due to his actions- but from noticing the warmth radiating off his body, how warm his hands were for an ice Prince. Even Sasuke was not this warm as far as she remembered. She felt his hot breath on her face as his lips inched closer to hers closing the distance. She let out a gasp thinking how she let him this much closer blaming the resemblance he held to his brother.

Itachi took the opportunity to invade her mouth. Her eyes widened as she tried to get away from but his firm grip on her waist left no room for escape. For some reason it felt intoxicating but she buried the thought in the corner of her heart. She felt it was wrong on many levels, like she was betraying Sasuke. She was brought out of the mental war with her emotions as she felt his lips leave hers.

Taking a step away from her he removed the genjutsu. Her heart was racing, faint blush colouring her cheeks. "What was that for?!" She managed to shout breathing hard. He smirked at her reaction and poked her on the forehead with his fingers. Naruto glared at him rubbing the spot which was now red.

"He is sure lucky to have you care for him." He turned to leave. Naruto perked up, " Wait... you are after me aren't you, then why not take me now?"

"I need to go." He said putting distance between them.

"What do you mean?" She asked him.

"I've given you some of my power hope the day never comes when you have to use it. I have something important to do."

The Raven's marble skin flushed red, his insides twisting in pain at the thought of losing his blonde haired rival and the only person that held his sanity. Looking at the tan skinned woman now pale as snow in his arms , long blonde hair caked with blood and dirt, he felt regret flood his system for the first time. He experienced feeling angry, feeling jealous, feeling happy, but regret? He did not feel regret even when he came to know about Itachi; it was only rage then - rage clouding his senses – he raged at the world that his brother had to suffer injustice – raged at fate for taking his brother's life through his hands – raged at Itachi for keeping him in the dark. He made it a mission to unleash his wrath on the people responsible for everything he lost. He now regretted for keeping away from the only thing he had left in this world. He felt as if he was losing everything all over again. He came to terms with losing his family, his mom, his dad and… his brother. But her? Losing her felt like he had nothing else left to live for.

He pressed his lips to her forehead as warm tears slid down his pale cheeks. His face hovering above hers just like the time in the valley of the end, but this time there was no rain to cover for his silent tears as the landed on her face. He looked at her palm resting on his face - surprisingly warm for a dying person and covered it with his, pressing his lips into it. No words were exchanged as the drowned in each other's silence.

Looking at her not able heal like all the previous times she did, he realized - she was not unbreakable, that she was precious to him more than he thought she was, even though he told her that he would sever their bond himself , he just didn't consider how much it would hurt him and it hurt like hell. All the times she tried to bring him back to the village…Was this how she felt? Guilt began to eat at his conscience.

Embracing his clans curse of hatred he took too long to realize how much she loved him and how much he loved her, how devastated he would be if he were to lose her. He looked at the girl in his arms, her whisker marks less pronounced and her eyes less focussed; he could say that she was struggling not to pass out.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered to her hugging her head close to his aching heart.

"If only…" he rasped out. "If only I had…"

His remaining teammates and the rest of rookie nine with the shinobi from all elemental nations and the kage could only look at the pair feeling sorry and mourn for the raven and his sun in silence.

The great nine tailed fox demon grimaced at the sight before him. For once he could find it in his heart to feel sorry for the Uchiha's ire. After all the times he tried to kill her he snorted at the irony of him crying over her. Though death of a person was meaningless to him he began to slowly like the idiot kunoichi. Knowing her death will result in his death - the most that would happen to him is his reincarnation in another corner of the world and the race to capture and tame him will repeat, but… the world still needs the child of prophecy to set the order of things in the shinobi society and sustain the peace. Somewhere in his heart he calls himself a liar and that he is finding reasons to help her because he does not want to lose the one true friend he made. Nobody needs to know that.

Getting up he stretched his body lazily and proceeded to gather last of his powers to heal the kid to prevent her from dying before he reached the kitsune shrine in the land beyond the elemental nations formerly a part of Uzushiogakure but was separated hundreds of years ago by the great grandfather of first Uzusihokage to protect his people; a twin shrine to the one he took rest in before the death of the sage of six paths - the one that they destroyed in a greed to possess him; where small demons birthed by gathered yin energy are not uncommon but it is probably a point of no return for the blonde as the borders of the elemental nations are sealed to prevent attacks from the demons. He cannot grow back human organs and the only way to save her is to merge the physical yang part of him. Using the last of the sage's power left with both of them he would teleport them to the shrine through space-time jutsu. It was the only way he could save her. The seals in the shrine would help him to gather back his energy ten times faster.

Naruto slipped her hand into Sasuke's hand startling him and smiled at him with great effort. His heart clenched at his inability to do anything to save her. Kurama took his chance to possess her body. Explanation can come later.

He felt a sudden drain in his chakra as his rinnesharingan activated without his consent. Cold flames licking her body she disappeared in a flash sucked into a different dimension; the rest stunned to silence staring wide eyed at the Uchiha who looked confused for a moment eyes moist with tears. Slowly his shoulders began to quake as he erupted into a fit of laughter that can scare a resurrected Kage back to his grave. The rest of Konoha 11 and Kakashi felt even sorrier for him this time for an entirely different reason; not knowing about the exchange between the raven and the fox they thought that the traitor has officially lost it.

Kurama's parting words to him echoed in his ears as he registered what happened recovering from his initial shock.

"Uchiha come find her soon."

Sasuke looked at the space between his hands where the jinchuriki formerly rested. "I will." He whispered into the air as hope blossomed in his heart.

Land beyond the elemental nations - Kitsune shrine - a little distance away from Inuyasha Forest.

The seals of a few hundred years old kitsune shrine the resting place for the messenger of Inari-sama lit up rousing the snowy kitsune from its sleep. The fox hurried into the deepest chamber to check up on the faint energy traces tingling at its senses and narrowed its eyes at the rippling black pool. Hackles raised it growled at the intruder only calming down once it recognised the chakra beast. It yipped in happiness but was surprised by how weak the fox felt. It immediately hid itself as she saw that it was a human and slowly approached the unconscious blonde. Looking at the healing chakra gathering as it covered her body and Kurama's corrosive power radiating off her the spirit partly absorbed it and diverted rest into the nature, the only way to prevent it from manifesting into a malicious entity, with a mental eye-roll it felt it had enough dealing with them protecting the crops anyway. The plants and trees began to regrow as shockwaves of the foxes power was felt through a large distance; even animals felt the rich warmth of chakra.

The raw power of the great demon fox was not unfelt by the demons, unsettling the larger ones and small demons cowered and went into hiding. The head Miko Kaede when felt the powers that were being absorbed sent her men out to search for anything out of place.

The spirit returned into hiding after a few days when the transformation was over and took care of her till she woke up.

A few days later...

Land beyond elemental nations- Inuyasha Forest.

Climbing up the well Kagome looked around to realize that she was in an unfamiliar place.

"I could be wrong but I think I'm not in Tokyo anymore," she told herself but could not help but call out to her family.

"Grandpa! Mom! Are you there...Souta! ... It's like the family shrine I-huh...the tree... That means I'm practically home."

Kagome recognized the tree near her family's shrine and began running towards it. She stopped when she saw a boy bound to it by an arrow.

"Is that a... boy?" She slowly neared him warily.

"Hey there!"

She called out to him but received no response. She began to touch his ears out of curiosity for a while before she looked around to figure out what she should do next. She heard the bushes moving. She moved just in time to dodge the arrows thrown at her.

"Hey. Get away from there," the man shouted at her. She tried to explain but realised after a few pitiful attempts that she could not get through to him. Trying to escape it ended in a failed attempt as she got caught, tied and taken to their village.

A/N: Hey everyone. Thank you all for reading my first fanfic. Forgive me for any grammatical errors or spelling mistakes that slipped my notice. Please leave a review.[Rewritten chapter]

I love pairing Sasuke and Naruto. They are like meant to be together. I like Sakura and Hinata to but there has not been enough story between the canon pairs for me to come to love yeah... and don't ask me how Naruto got hurt. That part is needed for the story to exist. I burned enough brain cells fixing this.