She encountered a woman whose red hair clashed harshly with her pale kimono. The woman was strikingly familiar, and had such an overwhelming sense of purity, it made Sakura want to cry. The woman was absent of the contaminants of the world and filled Sakura with a sense of hope that she had never felt before.

But then the red-haired woman spoke, and requested something of Sakura's. Give me your love for Naruto.

Sakura's smile shrank as she deliberated the command. My love...for Naruto? She grasped at the concept as it was alien to her.

But as the red-head smiled, Sakura was reminded that everything would be okay. Just on the cusp of giving the woman what she wanted, Sakura felt a jolt.

Inner Sakura took over her body.

I refuse, she stated, clenching her gloved fists. How dare you. How dare you try to take him from me! Inner Sakura seethed.

You have to sacrifice something, Kushina told her.

But Sakura glared challengingly. They stood on opposite ends of the Hokage's office, the room dim, air unmoving. Go to hell.

I see. Nothing, then?

Nothing, Inner Sakura echoed.

What the pink-haired kunoichi failed to realize was that nothing was not an option. No one was granted free passage through negotiation. And so, Kushina simply took what she wanted.

I want your greatest dream.

My dream of being Hokage, Naruto responded, his head down, his eyes unfocused. He was more obedient than his wife. Of course, he didn't have an alternate personality to get in his way. You can have it. But please be lenient with my friends.

Your friends were generous.

Naruto did not react.

Their sacrifices had to be fundamental. Pieces of their identities, Kushina continued. There are no parameters on leniency. Each thing is no different in value. Though she smiled, her voice betrayed no emotion. You knew the consequences of this technique. That none of you were coming out of this whole.

I knew the consequences… Naruto echoed. Somehow his eyes caught sight of the vacant village below them. Naruto took it in. It was odd for him to see Konoha in such a dark and stagnant state. It was night time, he and his mother standing on the rooftop of Hokage tower. The jutsu seemed to take him wherever he was most comfortable. It didn't matter where he was, or with whom he was speaking. All that Naruto was certain of was the fact that he was bartering with the dead for an absolute impossibility. That impossibility, in this case, being time travel.

He somehow turned away from the landscape and gazed towards the red-haired woman. Not at her, but through her. It was still hard for him to focus on her, to see her in any way but through his peripheral vision.

He still was not sure if it was really her, or just an illusion. But Kushina seemed kind enough. And true. It was easier for Naruto to obey her than do anything else. The sacrifice didn't seem that bad to Naruto. And regardless of what it was, he felt oddly compelled to give Kushina what she wanted.

If we simplify it in such a way—in terms of leniency—perhaps I could have been more lenient with your friends, she admitted.

My friends… said Naruto, remembering. He remembered that he had been concerned about his friends.

I tried to be lenient with Sakura.

Sakura? Naruto blinked. For a fleeting instant, everything came into focus.

Kushina wore an unwavering smile. Your child would have had blue eyes. And silly pink hair.

Naruto's world swam. Wait...

He would have surpassed both his parents. He would have fallen in love.

Naruto wanted her to stop. Sakura... was pregnant?

He would have saved millions in his lifetime. Isn't that nice, Naruto?

Please don't do this. Take something else. Take something else from me. Don't take that from her.

It's done.

Then why? Naruto felt his knees touch the ground. Kaasan, why did you…have to— Despite being enwrapped in that fallacious sense of comfort, Naruto was trembling now. He couldn't shake what she had told him. But only for a moment. Slowly, he looked back up at her, his eyes shining, a smile on his face that mirrored hers. He looked at Kushina's wide, blank eyes.

Because I wanted him, she said.

Kushina's presence had not worked in his favor.

Hinata crawled to him. Laid her hand against his chest directly above his still heart.

A pulse of chakra flowed from her to him. She watched the organ flutter, then stop. Clenching her jaw, Hinata jolted his heart again, then again, hurting it, but urging it. Flutter, and stop. Flutter and stop. Sasu…no…

"Sasuke!" she cried out, sitting up.

Mirai Hinata stared at the bluish hues illuminating the white walls. Her eyes darted about the room until she recollected her whereabouts. She deactivated the byakugan. Second time in two days, she thought, rubbing her temple, feeling the drain of having used the technique in her sleep. She quietly panted.

Hinata? Sasuke's voice blossomed in her mind.

Placing her hand on her chest, Hinata continued to gasp for breath. Hyperventilation syndrome: The silly disorder that attributed to the many Naruto-induced fainting spells that littered her childhood. She had gotten past it years ago, but it seemed to be making a comeback. Un?

You're the one who called me, Sasuke responded. And why is your chakra erratic?

Mirai Hinata shook her head. Oh no, I didn't call—

There was a knock on the door. Hinata ignored it, but as the doorknob turned, she resented herself for neglecting to lock it.

Hinata lowered herself to her side, turning away from Sasuke as he entered the room. She felt him sit on the mattress beside her. His fingers glided along her spine, the mere contact causing her episode to recede. Just his presence calmed her. Hinata drew long breaths of air, resenting his act of sympathy.

"What triggered it?" he said.

"You shouldn't—be here," she panted.

"Hinata…"

"Just a dream." Hinata looked up at him. It was still very early.

They had reversed roles in a way. It was usually Sasuke who awoke at night, shaking and sweating, as Hinata held him and reminded him that everything was alright.

Of the two, he might have been more emotional. Often, he struggled with his trauma. She suppressed hers.

Still, the sight of Sasuke's lifeless form was fresh in Hinata's mind. She reached out to grip his wrist, taking comfort in the pulsation. "We're fifteen in this time. Our young selves," she mentioned.

"Hn," was all Sasuke responded.

"And we can't change anything."

To this, Sasuke was silent.

"Don't think I haven't thought about it. I know you do too." Hinata climbed back up to a sitting position. "Where's Kasai?" she asked arbitrarily.

"I think she wandered o—"

Hinata launched herself at him, pinning him down to the mattress. He gave her a questioning glare as she smiled shyly in success. But then she elegantly lowered herself to his chest.

Sasuke inhaled.

"I don't want to be in this time," Hinata admitted. "Fifteen was the worst year of my life." Despite her words, she maintained a smile. They lay there in silence, watching shadows begin to form at the corners of the furnishings.

"What can I do?" said Sasuke quietly.

Hinata looked up at him. "Nothing."

The young Hinata had been pacing the halls of the guest wing with a pile of linen beneath one arm. She had decided she could sneak into each of the rooms and change the sheets during breakfast. It would be a nice gesture on the part of the clan. It would also minimize the risk of Hinata having to meet the guests, face to face.

The fifteen year old hadn't slept at all. Since the previous night, she had been on edge. There were four strangers residing in the guest wing of her house: one who unnerved her, one who seemed rather friendly, one who was uncomfortably similar to her, and one whose crystal blue eyes made her heart race. When someone grabbed her hand, she nearly jumped.

It was the little girl. The little Uchiha girl.

"I like you," said Kasai, smiling shyly.

That was the thing about five-year-olds. They were clingy, affectionate, and they melted her heart. Hinata smiled. "I like you too," she confessed. Despite Kasai's relation to someone as icy as Uchiha Sasuke, she was adorable.

"Will you be my friend?"

"Um…sure," said Hinata. She watched the child's eyes go wide, as though this was a profound declaration. With Kasai clutching her hand, Hinata approached the first room in the guest wing. "But right now I really have to—" Just as Hinata reached for the knob, the door swung open on its own.

She blanched upon coming face to face with Mirai Sasuke.

Or rather, face to chest.

He was taller than the Sasuke she knew, and perhaps slightly more...human. The man rubbed the side of his head while wincing beneath the luminescent white light that filled the corridor. He wore a strong jaw and a tired frown, but his shirt was carried in his hand. Hinata reflected that his body was lined with muscle and scar, the gentle strokes of an ANBU tattoo evident against his shoulder. Her eyes lifted to the unusual markings at the base of his neck.

Hinata was jerked back into reality when the man pulled on a torn black turtleneck. It was sleeveless and formfitting, and meant to accompany chest armor. "Hinata."

She reddened, mortified that she had been staring, and stunned that the man had acknowledged her, so frankly, as though they knew each other. Hinata took a step back.

A tug on Hinata's shirt reminded her of Kasai's presence. Hinata's hand unconsciously tightened around the small one within it. She wondered, what if this Sasuke was like the young one? What if he was angry, cold, and mean? "I...I-I b-brought..."

Mirai Sasuke eyed the young version of Hinata. She wasn't managing to speak much, let alone breathe much. His eyes lowered to Kasai who gazed worriedly up at the girl.

It was surprising for Sasuke to see the full extent of his Hinata's development from the timid girl she had been at fifteen. The change was so drastic Kasai didn't seem to recognize the young Hinata as her mother. "What are you doing for the next few hours?"

As Sasuke expected, the girl panicked. "M-m-meeting...K-Kiba and...a-and...Sh-Shino...t-tr-training at...a-at-at..."

Sasuke frowned. The young heiress was quick to establish an excuse. "I see..." He had learned to decipher Hinata's incoherent babbling over the years. After all, Mirai Hinata had relapses. "I understand that you're busy. But can you watch Kasai?"

Her mouth snapped shut. Hinata said nothing, but stared uncomfortably up at him. It wasn't a refusal. So Sasuke walked past her.

"T-the kitchen's t-that w-w-way—"

Sasuke knew the way. He didn't know how long it had been since he had last eaten, he just knew that his stomach was empty, and he deeply craved protein. As he entered the dining room, he saw that they were serving rice and natto. Sasuke found an empty seat, sat down, and broke his chopsticks.

Belatedly, he paused to notice all the staring white eyes surrounding him at the rectangular table. He silently scolded himself for being too comfortable.

"Uchiha-san," Hiashi greeted from the head of the table. His face was indifferent. White eyes were always tricky for Sasuke to read.

Mirai Sasuke inclined his head. Hiashi was not alive in his time. Hinata should have been savoring this. Instead, she was closing herself off.

"Where is your wife?" Hiashi queried.

Sasuke placed a chunk of rice into his mouth. He eyed Hiashi as he chewed.

"Excuse me. I meant, where is Sakura-san?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I assume she's sleeping." Sasuke ignored as Hiashi continued to watch him.

He liked Hiashi's strategy. In fact, Sasuke liked Hiashi for no other reason than the fact that he'd never had the opportunity to like him.

"What are your plans for today?"

Sasuke continued to peer at Hiashi. The Hyuuga was persistent.

The door banged open, and the dozen or so white eyes in the room abruptly darted to the man standing in the threshold. Sasuke simply continued to eat his rice.

A disheveled Mirai Naruto forced a smile. "S-sorry to intrude." Even if he hadn't been wearing pajamas, the blonde stuck out in the highly traditional environment.

Naruto proceeded to bump into everything that he could bump into as he made his way over to the empty seat beside Sasuke. He dropped himself down and released a sigh of relief. "Thank you for putting us up," Naruto mentioned to Hiashi, before hastily filling his mouth.

"It is an honor," Hiashi responded.

"Yeah?" Naruto gulped his rice, looking momentarily disbelieving. Then he forced a grin. "The honor is all ours."

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged looks, Naruto's encouraging and Sasuke's aloof. Then both time-travelers returned to eating, Sasuke still slightly unsettled by the sight of Hiashi in Hinata's chair.