The Clan

She wasn't certain why she expected to have to search for Itachi. With the threat of Danzo hanging in the balance, she should have known there was no way that any of the men in her life would leave her by herself. Sasuke had to have known he was there because he left her willingly.

She glanced around looking to see if Kakashi was with him, but oddly enough he was alone. She hadn't thought that he would willingly leave her with Itachi, but then again, he may think she was still with Sasuke.

"You heard." Her voice was soft and full of sympathy. It didn't matter how she felt about their mother it was never pleasant to watch someone lose theirs.

"I did."

"Are you headed to your Mother's? Do you want me to come with you?"

"My mother isn't going to die tonight."

Sakura shook her head. "You know no such thing. You should go home and be with your family."

"You're my family." Sakura shuddered slightly and closed her eyes and allowed Itachi to pull her into his arms. "This world is changing, but we don't have to. You love me Sakura Haruno."

"Itachi…I can't do this right now."

Itachi slowly allowed his hands drop to his sides and Sakura pulled away already regretting her words. She reached up and touched his pale tresses in a futile effort to smooth things over. "What happened to your hair?"

"I think it's some sort of side effect to the worlds merging. Everyone in the Clan's hair that I have seen is like mine—except for Sasuke."

It didn't take Sakura long to come to the next conclusion. "It has something to do with the fact that in one world you died."

"That is what I suspect, but I cannot confirm it. Only those with a whole soul will know for certain who lived and who died in what world."

Sakura frowned. "Wait. I have a question. Do you have any memories from the other world? The one where the Uchiha Clan no longer existed?"

Itachi slowly shook his head. "No. Those memories are lost to me. I take it you have both sets of memories."

Sakura nodded.

"And now that you know me from both worlds, does that change how you feel about me?"

"Itachi, that's a silly question. If what we're speculating on is true, then you don't have that part of your soul. You aren't that other man. Besides, from what I can recall right now as my memories are still a bit fuzzy, our paths crossing wasn't something that happened every day before he passed in that world. I didn't know 'him' personally. I only knew what he did to Sasuke and few other things." Itachi flinched slightly but Sakura missed it.

"And what of Hatake? You know him from both worlds. Does that change how you feel for him?"

It did. Her relationship with Kakashi was so much more. He was her friend in both worlds first and foremost. His friendship was something she valued over all things. But he was also the man she had fallen in love with. He was also a man she wanted to have a relationship with.

She didn't want to tell Itachi the truth. She knew doing so would change things and she wasn't certain that was something she wanted to happen because she did still love Itachi. He was still someone who was very much important to her. So, how, though, could she lie? He'd see right through her and that would hurt him as much as, if not more, than the truth would.

"Itachi…"

"I won't push you on this—at least not tonight. Just come home with me. In the morning, things within the clan will be hectic. Especially if my mother, the Clan's Matriarch passes tonight. Solidarity will be important, especially if we don't want the Clan to rebel. They will be outraged when they discover what has occurred."

He was right. The Uchiha Clan were some of the most stubborn, proud people she had ever met. It was only a matter of time before they discovered the circumstances of their change in hair color and what it meant. Being a part of the police force, which she wasn't even sure existed anymore, they would be prone to investigate.

Itachi wanted her to stand at his side. Looking into his pleading eyes at that moment she couldn't come up with a single reason to refuse. So Sakura extended her hand to the Uchiha Clan Heir and said calmly and clearly, "Let's go home."

It didn't take long to reach the Uchiha District, but when she returned Sakura understood why Sasuke ensured no one saw her, or rather she saw no one else when she came through. Not all of the Uchiha survived the worlds merging. In fact, as she watched the Uchiha taking the dead out of their homes, she was certain that only the strongest among them survived.

Sakura felt tears sting her eyes as she turned to Itachi. "You knew I would see this, didn't you?"

"You needed to know what happened. Sasuke allowed you to bury your hand in a sand for a little while, but I knew it was something you wouldn't appreciate."

Sakura bowed her head, knowing that may have been part of the reason Sasuke's actions, but the main one was because he wanted nothing to distract her from saving his mother.

"What do we do?"

"What do you want to do, Sakura?"

She wanted to bury her head back in the sand, but that wasn't an option. It was then that Sakura's mind settled somewhat and she recalled Sasuke's words shortly before he left her to make the two worlds one again.

"Things will be a mess and the blame for that will fall at my feet. I don't know how big that mess will be, but I accept it Saku and I regret nothing. If my family survives this then we will need people on our side. People willing to defend the Uchiha. People who understand us. People who will do what it takes to make sure that the Uchiha Massacre that happened in Sakura's world never occurs anywhere. I need to know that you are willing to stand with the Uchiha. I need to know that you are willing, despite the fact that your relationship failed with my brother to stand with me."

Sakura looked around at the death around her and how much had been lost to the Uchiha and made up her mind right then. She would stand with the Uchiha come hell or high water. They would not lose everything again.

"What do I want to do?" Sakura straightened her spine, not allowing herself to bow her head any longer. "I want to go bury our dead."