Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

An AU SasuSaku Fanfiction.

Chapter 04

Sakura's POV

"I'm glad," I murmured at his outright assurance, burrowing my face in his shirt and my arms clinging tightly to his neck. I was so happy he was not going to return me to those who wanted me in complete agony, each and every moment of every single day. Even if it may be false promises that he is giving me, from deep inside of me I feel very relieved. I felt myself feeling safe in his arms, another emotion that I hadn't ever felt except when I was with Itachi. I didn't want to let go of him and vice versa, however I decided I would after I got my fill of him. For all I know this could be the last embrace of my life if my former pack decides to come searching for me.

The tingles coursing through me, spread me with a certain warmth that had growing drowsy in his arms. I let out a lusty yawn, eyes drooping, and body relaxing. I felt him lay me back down on the bed, however I refused to let go. What if all of this was a dream or illusion? What if I woke up to the cackles of my crazy family? Holding him made me feel that this here was real, therefore I would not let go. As I drifted off, I tightened my arms around him with a soft sigh.

…

I woke up with a start, breathing heavily and soaked wet with freezing liquid. I began coughing up water, my lungs burning and my throat feeling raw. I looked about the area that was surrounded by tall thick trees, and a river. I was confused as to where I was at the moment, and why I was wet. I felt sluggish when I tried to stand up, however I would not let that stop me from looking for a way out. I began to slowly tread a worn path a few feet away that was leading into the woods. My body began trembling due to the frigid air surrounding me. I wrapped my arms around me in order to try to warm myself, and continued to follow the path way.

I glanced around the expanse of the forest, the intimidatingly tall trees looming above me. My eyes whipped around in order to catch all movement that would occur.

I quickened my pace as my heart began to thump harder than its original rhythm every time I heard the littlest of noises. Shuffling bushes, twigs snapping, birds squawking as though startled and flapping away. I began to get paranoid when the forest unexpectedly became deathly still. The trees stopped swaying. The wind came to a stand still. The sound of the river slowly began decreasing, until nothing else was heard. I came to a standstill, looking around cautiously and praying that I wouldn't find my pack mates chasing me in their wolf form.

I heard a shuffling sound coming from behind me, and gyrated toward it so fast I'm surprised I didn't suffer from whiplash. I looked at the shrubbery, and began walking backward away from it until I was a safe distance behind a tree.

"Ready or not, here I come!" I heard a giggling voice. I whipped my head to look for the person whose voice that was, but there was no one in my line of vision.

"Oh, Kuro-tan!" she called out once again, her twinkling voice reverberating everywhere. Something caught my eye, and it was petite figure with short pink locks that looked the exact same color as mine from when I was younger coming down the path I was walking in before I hid. My breath caught in my throat when she glanced my way, her emerald eyes gleaming in the sunlight. She was wearing a silky red night gown that complimented the color of her eyes.

There was no doubt that this child here was me, but a very different version. I'm pretty sure I've never once been happy when I was younger, so doubting really isn't much of a shocker. She was looking around for "Kuro-tan" it seemed, and that name felt familiar to me. How? I don't know. I shook my head, what I really needed to do was know where I was. I thought about whether or not I should come out and reveal myself to her, lest it was a trick in order for me to be nabbed. I accidentally scratched my arm roughly on the bark of the tree I was standing behind, and hissed, "Ouch," loud enough for her to have heard me.

I looked away from my bleeding arm to where she stood, only for her to be already owlishly staring straight at me. I inhaled sharply in surprise, and instantly began to feel dread crawl up my spine. I watched as tears began to gathered in her eyes, and suddenly she let out a harrowing scream. Her bones began to tear out of her skin, and she started to transformed into something right before my eyes. I felt a deep need to go over to her, and help her out. I felt like I could maybe shift the suffering that was rolling off of her onto myself, because she was a younger version of me and should stay as guileless as a new born baby. So I hesitantly took a step her way, before making up my mind and speed walking in her direction. A small black kitten scuttled out of the bushes, just as the earth began to shake underneath me.

"Run!" She shouted in a guttural tone filled with excruciating pain, just as wolves of all sizes began to jump out of the trees behind her, startling me. My heart jumped to my throat, and I promptly stopped in my tracks as a shock coiled around me and rooted me firmly to the ground. "Ru– argh!" She growled, her prior white fur shifting into a crimson colored one.

I snapped out of the distress that held me still, and ran the other way just as a jaw filled with razor sharp teeth snapped close to my brown shift. Fear boosted the adrenaline rushing through my veins, helping me gain even greater momentum despite the fact that these wolves could easily catch up to me.

My lungs were burning, my sides were aching, my thighs were itching, yet I would not stop. I needed to get away, and all I needed to focus on was to not trip. The only sounds I could hear was my heart beating a mile a minutes, the blood pounding in my ears, and the faint snarls of the wolves. I could see an opening a few yards to my right, and so I headed in that direction.

Nothing was making sense to me. Why was I being hunted? Who was hunting me? Why was little me's fur crimson, when the only ever she wolves that sported that exact color was of some sort of noble blood. There was a small but powerful pack in which the people of the Alpha sported this color with pride. They were a people of legend. Werewolves that were on high on the food chain. It had to be a coincidence that I had that hair color. It made absolutely no sense to me, my head starting to hammer in a way that resembled that of a drum begin pounded against. I could feel the breath of a wolf behind me, and wondered what exactly happened to little me after she had shifted. Did they catch her, and quite possibly have killed her? Tears gathered at the corner of my eyes at the thought, and my chest stung with hurt.

I increased my tempo just a bit more, until I crashed into the clearing. I abruptly felt my world turn inside out when I fell onto the grassy floor. Dizziness shook my head, nausea crawled up my throat, and I heaved in distress before going unconscious.

…

I shot up from where I slept, sweat drenching my body and clothes. I looked about the room wildly, trying to recollect my memories and on the look out for the wolves that were chasing me. My chest heaved up and down, my breath coming out as short pants, throwing me into some sort of a panic attack. Where the heck was I? I needed to get out from under the covers and breathe fresh air. I desperately needed to be in the arms of the one person who could calm—

Two strong arms wrapped around my waist, breaking me out of my panic and thrusting me into a lulling sense of security as tiny sparks shot out from his arms and into my body. I twisted my body so that I could place my arms around his torso. I buried my face in his chest, and began to apologize profusely. "I-I'm s-sorry, Sasuke-sama." He just grunted in reply, and began to stroke my head. I took in his relaxing scent, and just leaned on him until my hammering heart came back to its original cadence.

He let out a harsh sigh that had me tensing, "I won't hand you back, so just relax." I nodded my head, letting my mind wander on my eccentric dream. Was it some type of sign that my former pack was searching for me? It honestly wasn't flattering in the least, because I knew they didn't care. It wasn't even searching, it was stalking. I was begin pursued by people who just didn't know when to stop when it came to tormenting others. They took a great deal of pleasure in watching people suffer, in making people feel like they were insignificant and were pretty much less likely to find someone to care for them.

I'm glad that I've come here, however I shouldn't— no, couldn't stay. It would bring me great pain if those who wanted me dead hurt anyone in this pack. I appreciated their kindness, and help more than anything in the world. In return, I'd leave to some place else as soon as I get better.

"Yo, Sasuke!" A deep voice rumbled just as the door was thrown open. I let out a tiny yelp of surprise as my musing was interrupted, and Sasuke cursed under his breath at the new arrival who stood by with a large grin adoring the handsome face.

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