A/N-Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter-Bobalu, Loku, iamNOTafangirl3221, puppy44219, Seyann, sakura li 19, and SaNdEr-ThE-rUbBeR-bAnDeR...feel free to flog me. Read and Review!

Disclaimer-I don't own Naruto

Chapter 14

"So, you don't think she's actually going to try do you?" asked Destiny. "She may. This is an outcome neither of us thought of when we made the decision to bring her back here. Especially with the knowledge she had…and her love of this ship. And now even more so that she has actually met and befriended several of the passengers. Does she know who's going to die?"

Destiny snorted. "You know better than I would, you were her teacher for however short a time." Fate smiled thinly. "You're right. She does. And she's driven to save as many of her friends as she can…."

"I just don't know how she got it into her head that she can save the entire ship."

Flashback

"Dessy?" asked Sakura as the woman combed her pink hair. "Is there anyway I can save…. anything I can do…" Sakura took a breath. "Is there a way I can stop the ship from sinking?" The gentle strokes on her head slowed and stopped. "I don't know. We're already doing so much messing with what has been and what is supposed to be…. I wouldn't try it Sakura. In fact, please don't, it will keep things simpler."

Sakura didn't nod, but neither did she say that she didn't want to take Destiny's advice.

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Sakura walked on the first class promenade deck, headed towards the bow area-alone. Her 'umbrella' (a lacy little piece of cloth suspended over a wire frame-something that didn't even deserve the name) tapped along the deck boards every few steps. She stared out over the open ocean, the sun dancing on the water as made it's way across the sky.

She could hear other people chattering softly in the background; but she ignored them as she continued along her way. Finally she reached her destination. A lifeboat, covered, and suspended on its davits by strong thick rope. In about a day and a half, all the lifeboats would be uncovered and suspended over the ocean as the ship sank into the sea. Her body shuddered, even though it wasn't really that cold-it terrified her to even think of what was swiftly approaching. She raised one hand and laid it on the cool wood of the lifeboat.

What if she could do it? Some how. It wouldn't be too hard…

What if she could save the Titanic?

No

Sighing softly, she leaned forward so that her head rested against the side of the lifeboat. Destiny was right. What if saving the Titanic altered just too much of the future? It was a risk…she wasn't prepared or felt empowered enough to make. Instead all she could do was focus on what was going to happen in the extremely near future.

She was so caught up in the lifeboat and focusing on what was going to happen the next day that she didn't notice her observer.

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He had been given a break from his duties, due back in several minutes. As such, he had left straight away from the bridge to go try and find her. Probably a wild goose chase, however…

He found her standing by a boat, towards the bow and he stood in the doorway and watched her for just a moment She was facing it, a pale hand clutching the top of her umbrella like there was no tomorrow and another pale hand resting on the hull of the boat.

He could see, even from that distance that she was trembling slightly. Worry twinged in his gut and he left the doorway, headed towards her.

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"Are you cold?" a quiet voice spoke into her ear. Sakura jumped, wisps of pink hair that had escaped her tightly pinned up hair swirling around her face.

"You scared me," she muttered, turning around, as she attempted to bring her pulse back under control. Sasuke didn't say anything; he merely waited for the girl to calm down. Once she had, she answered his question.

"No…I'm not cold. That is to say, it is rather chilly out here, however, I wasn't shaking because of the cold."

Sasuke didn't speak to urge her to continue-he knew that she would do that on her own. "No, I was shaking," she said, casting her eyes to the wooden deck, "because of a recurring nightmare…. it even bothers me when I'm awake." 'Not untrue…it's been bothering me since I boarded the ship.' She stared at the brass buttons of his uniform

When she didn't continue unprompted, he sighed and said, "Will you tell me about this nightmare?"

Sakura sighed and turned back to look out over the ocean. "My nightmare…I'm standing outside the officers quarters of the Titanic. There are screams around me…" and while she stood there, looking out over the ocean, she told him of the waking nightmare she had every day, since she had boarded the ship. "The ship struck an iceberg, it's sinking. I'm begging someone not to leave me. People are screaming," a shudder ran through her body and she found that she couldn't go on.

She turned around and faced Sasuke. Her face was flushed from distress and her eyes were downcast. "I'm scared. It was so real…." "Of course it was," said Sasuke bluntly. "It was a nightmare. They can be very vivid."

"But it's not just that…I have this gut feeling that something horrible is going to happen…"

Sasuke frowned. "The same feeling that Tenten had when she and Neji crossed the ocean on the Mauritania so that Neji could be an officer on this boat? Because if that's the case, it's only because you're a woman. It's natural for you to have this kind of paranoia."

A twinge of anger boiled up in her gut. "I beg your pardon Sasuke?" she asked as her eyes hardened slightly. "What, the woman thing? It's true." Annoyance flashed up within her at these words.

"What are you suggesting?" Sasuke closed his eyes, wishing he had never opened this topic. "That women worry too much…it gets kind of annoying. And, for example…right now…" he sighed exasperatedly. "You're being very annoying."

Beneath her annoyance at this character development, she felt a pang of hurt at his comment. "You'd better take that back," she said, clenching her fists to control her anger. Instead of doing so, he merely turned his back on her. "Like I said…" he crossed his arms over his chest. "Annoying."

Sakura lowered her face so that her bangs covered her eyes. "Uchiha Sasuke if this ship does sink I hope it takes you down with it," she whispered hoarsely. Turning on a high heel, she walked away.

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'The nerve of him!!!' she thought angrily as she walked up the deck towards the stern. 'Suggesting that the reason I'm so nervous is because I'm a woman! My soulmate isn't supposed to be that arrogant!' She rapped the tip of her umbrella against the deck in an irritating (to the listener) fashion it calmed her down considerably.

Finally she reached the border between first and third class. Squatting at the gate, on the third class side, was a little urchin who looked like he was attempting to pick the lock. Sakura leaned casually on the railing beside him and began to speak.

"You know, if you pick the lock at night you're less obvious." She looked down at him and smiled through her annoyance. The kid with messy brown hair looked up at her-he couldn't have been more than 7 or 8.

"Konohamaru! What are you doing up there?" an older man with a pointy goatee stood at the base of the stairs on the third class poop deck and looked up at the kid. "Come down from there before a steward sees you."

"Yes, Grandpa." "Forgive my grandson miss. He meant no harm." Sakura smiled. "I could tell, he looks like a rascal."

"You could tell that even without knowing him? Well then you're different from all the others in first class-you don't just see him as a third class urchin. You see him as a person-without even getting to know him."

The kid began tugging on his grandfather's arm, not interrupting him but asking him silently to come play. "Okay, I'm coming. Goodbye miss!" he waved up at the girl, who waved back before he headed off.

Something about what the old man had said to her was resonating in her head…. about getting to know him.

'My soul mate isn't supposed to be that arrogant'…that's what she had thought earlier.

And then it hit her. She had fallen in love with an image she had with what her soul mate should be…and she loved Sasuke…she knew that….

But she didn't know him.

A/N-Hope you guys enjoyed, sorry for the late update!!! REVIEW!