"In this world, your family is dead...your clan was massacred. Here… you're the last Uchiha."
Sasuke repeated these words to himself, a fruitless attempt to get himself to accept the fact that was presented to him. It was only a few hours ago that he had last seen his mother, telling her goodbye...and that he'd see her later. His father was there too. Despite not being the affectionate type, he too had waved goodbye, silently sending him his good wishes. They were supposed to meet later for a training session. All of those plans, all of those faces...he wouldn't see them here. His mother's laugh, his father's praise, the banter between Menma and himself that he had grown to enjoy. His Sakura's smile...If he couldn't return back to his world, it was possible he'd never see them ever again.
These thoughts accumulated inside of Sasuke's head at an unnatural pace, the intensity of these possibilities building with every second that passed.
His eyes were wide and unblinking, gaze vacant as if the boy himself was not mentally present. He simply stood at the edge of the bridge, motionless. The only sign of life being the shallow rise and fall of his chest.
These observations deeply worried Sakura. It was possible that she could have broken the news to him differently...maybe some way that was less likely to lead to shock, however at the moment, she couldn't quite think of anything else. It was possible that he would have reacted like this no matter how lightly she broke the news. How else was he supposed to react to the news anyway? This would stump just about anyone...and if it didn't, then it was very likely that they themselves were heartless.
Sakura took a hesitant step forward, unsure on how she should handle the situation. After all, It wasn't every day that she had to deal with a Sasuke that was willing to act on his emotions. "S-Sasuke...I-"
"Who did it?"
Sakura paused in her movements, emerald orbs widening at the question that was obviously directed towards her. "E-excuse me?"
Sasuke stayed planted where he stood, his arms still crossed over his chest with his voice dangerously low. He just seemed so...him. This boy was now a mirror image of the Sasuke Uchiha that Sakura has become so familiar with. Whether this was a good thing or a bad thing was to be seen.
"I said, who did it?" His voice was low and just barely above a growl, a silent threat lingering in the air as he spoke.
This had caught Sakura by surprise.
"I...I don't know. Look, I wish I did, however this is really all that I know. Sasuke-ku-" Sakura was rambling, the nervousness she felt now on full display as she actively fiddled with her fingers. Her eyes darted left and right, attempting to look at anything but the person that stood across from her. This action would soon prove to be her downfall as rough hands encircled her throat, nearly crushing her windpipe due to the applied pressure.
"Sakura...you better not be lying to me or I swear…" The grip on Sakura's throat did not loosen. If anything, it tightened with the narrowing of his eyes.
"Sa-Sa...Sa...suke…" Sakura's words came out forced and just barely audible. Her voice, rough and scratchy due to the lack of air that was passing through her trachea. "I-I promise...I-I don't know anything about that day...Now please...l-let me go…" There were tears building up in her eyes, the wetness reflecting the moonlight that shone down upon them. It was in this light that Sakura was able to catch sight of Sasuke's jaw clenching and the look of pain that flashed through his crimson eyes. As if on instinct, her gaze shot towards his neck, the sight of familiar black spots extending out from the mark that has plagued her dreams.
"S-Sasuke…please...i-it's me! Sakura! Look at me! Th-this isn't you!" She was in this situation...again. She was supposed to be a kunoichi, and yet she simply wasn't strong enough. She didn't have the gutsiness of Naruto, or the skill of Sasuke. She was a full fledged kunoichi and yet here she was, helplessly begging for her life. And from her teammate none the less.
The young Uchiha seemed to struggle against the influence of the seal, his pained expression only managing to intensify every second that passed. Despite this, his eyes still burned with rage, his sharingan flashing towards his teammate before deactivating.
"God damn it Sakura..." His voice came out as a low growl, like a predator ready to attack its prey. Despite this, his whole body trembled. A result of his inner conflict.
A few more seconds passed before Sasuke's hand released her throat, the fingers uncurling themselves from her pale skin before ultimately being torn away from Sakura's now trembling form. The marks on his skin were receding once more, onyx eyes wide with disbelief as he took in the result of his actions. The pinkette in front of him clutched at her throat, her fingers rubbing around the red ring that now burned around her neck. At this point, a bruise was inevitable.
A few seconds ago Sakura had been gasping for air. Thankfully that was no longer the case, however Sasuke still couldn't deny the guilt that began to eat at him. He had let his emotions take over again, and this time, he hurt someone close to him.
"I'm sorry...that you had to see me like that." His hands were stuffed inside of his pockets once more, his gaze landing on the bridge's railing rather than the girl that stood in front of him.
It didn't take a genius to know how ashamed Sasuke was at that moment. His posture...his eyes...they said it all.
At that moment, Sakura wasn't sure about what she should say in response to the most recent events. She knew what the Curse Mark did to him...how it could change the bearer's state of mind. In the Forest of Death, Sasuke almost killed those Sound Ninja and without restraint. Had she not stopped him...he might have actually gone through with it. The only difference was that, not once had it ever been turned on her. Was it possible that her Sasuke could attack them out of pure rage as well?
"The Curse Mark...does your Sasuke have it too?"
The sound of Sasuke's voice broke Sakura out of her thoughts. However, as soon as she focused her attention back on the Uchiha, she saw that he was still refusing to look at her.
She wanted to tell him to not worry and that it was all water under the bridge, however both of them would know that was not the case. There was no way that Sakura could forget something like that so easily. Not when he was the one to attack her. For now, all she could do was answer the question.
Nimble fingers began to fiddle with one another in an awkward manner, the tension in the air thick enough to have been cut with a kunai.
"Yeah...Orochimaru right?"
By now, Sakura was well aware that not everything between their two worlds was the same. However, if there was something that she wished to be the case...it was this. She refused to believe that anyone else in this world was capable of creating a jutsu that caused so much pain and suffering.
"Aa...it was during our Chunin Exams, however it seems that mine wasn't quite the same as yours. Seeing that I'm here and my other self has gone off to train."
Sakura's head perked up at this, emerald orbs staring intently at the Uchiha. "Well…that depends. Is your exam over already?" She inquired.
Sasuke let out a small laugh at this, a sour expression spreading across his visage even with the smile he wore.
"No...the next round starts in three months. I passed the first set of one-on-one fights, but I still feel like crap. Especially considering my method of winning."
As he spoke, his elbow rested over the railing, fingers visibly clenching at the memory.
All he could see was blood, and a body so battered it was hard to believe that his opponent was actually still alive.
"May I ask...how you won?" Sakura asked with a voice of caution, eyeing the male as if he could snap at any moment. As of now, she couldn't be completely sure on how stable he really was…
It was at this moment that Sasuke managed to take a glance at the female, his bitter smile widening at the sight that met him. She was practically a cornered animal, shuddering in fear as he towered over her like a hunter waiting to pounce upon its prey. She was scared of him. "I knew it…" He chuckled lowly, shaking his head as he pushed himself up and off of the bridge railing, turning his back to the pinkette as he began to walk away.
"I'm leaving...and don't worry, I'm not going into the village to ruin your precious Sasuke-kun's reputation. I'll probably just hang around the forest or something like that...wait for whatever this is to wear off…"
At this information, Sakura's eyes widened, her head shaking vigorously. "W-what!? You can't do that! What if you get found out there? Or what if we have to do something more to get you back home? It's too early for us to know anything! I don't think we should split up! Not yet!"
Sasuke let out a scoff. "Well then, I guess we'll just have to find out don't we? What will I do anyway? Sleep in your closet? You said it yourself, your parents will be home...and apparently, I don't even have a home anymore." By the time Sasuke finished speaking, his fingers were digging so deeply into his skin that blood was drawn. The crimson, liquid dribbling down his pale complexion before it hit the ground.
"Sasuke just stop it! You're not thinking clearly! And after what just happened, leaving you alone is probably the least logical choice for us to take…"
Even with Sakura's opinion, the young Uchiha couldn't bring himself to stop. Merely letting out a defiant grunt before disappearing from her line of sight, presumably heading for the forest as he claimed earlier before.
A firm pink brow twitched in annoyance. It was rare that Sakura ever felt genuine annoyance towards the Uchiha...if ever. However this day was turning out to be anything but normal, so it didn't come as too much of a surprise at this point.
"Uchiha…" Sakura muttered in annoyance, her hands clenched at her side as she stormed off to the spot that she had trained at only a few hours ago. She couldn't believe it had to come to this...
As soon as the pinkette had reached her destination, she was disappointed to see that he was nowhere in sight. It would have been too obvious for him to go back to the spot that they first met, However, for the moment, there was nothing else she could go off on. This Sasuke may have come from a different dimension, but at the end of the day, he was still a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf.
And an Uchiha.
This did not work in her favor.
The pitter patter of Sakura's sandals against the grassy floor was all that was heard throughout the small forest, her deep green eyes surveying the area with every step she took. She didn't know why she was so intent on keeping Sasuke by her side...but there was something telling her that letting him out of her sight could be the biggest mistake she's made today.
After a few more minutes had passed with nothing in sight, Sakura was beginning to get irritated. The pinkette was by no means known for her patience, and her hot temper only managed to emphasize the fact.
"Sasukeeee!" Her voice echoed throughout the forest, the lack of response signifying the fact that he wasn't anywhere near her position. That, or he was ignoring her.
The last possibility was enough to visibly irk the pinkette, a puff of her cheeks being a showing of her frustration. "Dumb Uchiha and their stupid pride…"
The young kunoichi began to move throughout the forest once more, her eyes constantly scanning her surroundings for a sign of her teammate. Even if he was from an alternate universe...he was still Sasuke.
"Sasuke! Sasukeeeee- Mmmmph!"
Before she was able to shout for what would be the fourth time, a hand was slapped over her mouth, successfully putting an end to the pinkette's cries. The texture was rough...yet also familiar. Despite this, Sakura was quick to put up a fight, visibly struggling against her assailant's hold as their other arm wrapped around her.
"Mm-mmph!" Her arm moved forward, her elbow bending before it was jammed into the abdomen of the person that seemed to tighten their hold. It was then that an audible groan escaped their lips.
"Sakura...Sakura stop it! It's me!" Their voice was barely above a whisper, as if there was something...or someone that they were hiding from.
Not even a second passed before the owner's hand slipped away from her lips, allowing her to speak properly.
"S-Sasuke-kun! What are-"
The ravenette sighed, placing one finger in front of his lips, a sign that she should cease her speaking.
"Be quiet...there's something that caught my eye…" Sasuke's voice was the same tone as it was before, his eyes diverting from the girl in front of her, and towards a nearby structure.
Sakura nodded her head and continued to stay silent, as her teammate wished. Slowly, her head turned to face the same direction that Sasuke did, carefully analyzing the lone building that was in their field of vision.
It seemed to be an old shrine. The ivey that crawled up it's stone walls gave the female an idea of how old the structure was, however, the structure itself seemed to say enough. It was run down and obviously lacked any sort of renovations, if even basic care. On the roof, she could see that some of the tile was missing, the cracks becoming spaces that were filled by the ivey that managed to crawl through them and fill in whatever was left of the space.
"I don't think I've ever seen this building in my world…" Sasuke muttered, the sound of his voice managing to drag the pinkette out of whatever daze she was beginning to sink into.
"Okay...And? It's just a building, I doubt there's anything special about it." Sakura shrugged at the thought, unsuspecting of whatever worries Sasuke held about the building.
"Sakura...was there anyone that regularly visited this shrine?"
Sasuke's question wasn't one that she expected, however it was easy to answer nonetheless.
"No, not really." She replied, pink tresses swaying with the shake of her head. "I've maybe seen people come here...once before? And that was many years ago, before I even graduated from the academy."
"Well that's odd…" Sasuke grumbled, his eyes continuing to observe the building in front of them. "I saw a group enter it a few minutes ago. They were wearing these odd robes…"
A small twitch of a thin, pink eyebrow followed Sasuke's voiced worries. Wasn't he overthinking all of this? It was just a stupid building…
"So what if people are going in? It's nothing all that unusual Sasuke. I don't understand why you're getting all worked up over this!" The look on Sakura's face was one of frustration, her teeth now digging into her bottom lip.
"Sakura, will you listen to yourself? Not all of this is about you. I shouldn't even be here, yet here I am!" Sasuke growled, onyx eyes narrowing with malice. "If I'm correct...then this was the same exact spot where I sensed a chakra spike in my world…"
With this information, Sakura's lips tightened, forming a thin line.
"Okay...and? What do you think that means? That this shrine summoned you here? Last I checked, there was no one even coming here! Let alone doing anything thatwould even be considered suspicious." The frown on her face deepened.
"Tch, like I care about any of that! We won't know anything until we check it right? What's with you?" His own scowl deepened, his hands planting themselves on each of her shoulders, making it so his cold onyx orbs bored into her emerald ones.
"It's almost like you're afraid of what we'll find in there!"
Something about Sasuke's words made something inside of Sakura snap. She was no longer a kunoichi…but a small, casual, civilian girl. She couldn't do anything.
"N-no that's not it! It's just that, we don't have anyone here to here if anything happens to us...and even then, there might not be anything in there at all! Why waste our time?" The young girl immediately became defensive at such an accusation, attempting to convince him that he was wrong...but was it really him that she was trying to convince? Or herself?
Sasuke's head shook, his hands resting at his side once more. "You...you really aren't the Sakura I know...she was strong. Hard headed and stubborn, sure. But if there was even a possibility that we could find something or do something to help...she wouldn't hesitate." The way he looked at her, made it seem like he was disgusted. "But you...you're selfish. You're scared, and all you care about is yourself! If that's how it's going to be … then you might as well give up being a shinobi right now. This might be my only lead to getting back home, so whether you like it, I'm going."
Every word that escaped his lips stung Sakura to the core. Each one like a bullet, striking her to the core. It hurt...it hurt to the point where tears were threatening to spill over, her fists clenching at her side, digging into her still fragile skin. The hands of a girl, a girl that was unworthy of the title, shinobi.
Without further ado, Sasuke straightened his stance. Onyx eyes piercing her meek and trembling figure, before disappearing into the night.
All she could do was sit, frozen in shock as she still failed to fully process his words.
What...what has she done?
Ironically enough, as the alternate version of the lone Uchiha sprinted off towards the nearby shrine, he too wondered the same thing.
It seems that tensions grow quickly in the shinobi world! Especially when your companion is from another dimension.
I know that right now Sakura seems like a little brat, but in all honesty, in Part 1, she kind of was. This is where I want her development to really begin. As for Charasuke, my headcanon for him is that he is in less control of his emotions than the Sasuke we all know and love. The relationship between Charasuke and Sakura will become very different than what I plan for Sasuke and Sakura, so be sure to keep an eye out!
I would like to know your thoughts on my pacing for the story, as well as my interpretation of the characters. Other than that, thank you all for reading!