Salvation

Disclaimer; All rights to Naruto belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

Picture belongs to aProverbial on Deviantart.

Chapter One

…..

"Sakura-Chan?"

She could hear Naruto's voice… he was calling her. Her skin felt warm, she could feel warm hands on her shoulders, this was it, she was in heaven. She opened her eyes, prepared to see pearly gates. Instead, she saw a haunting pair of charcoal eyes of Sasuke Uchiha.

Instantly, at a speed she was surprised she could get to considering she'd been shackled for the past seven years, her hands snapped around the throat of the man before her, blind with rage she threw herself on top of him, straddling him as she forcefully held him in place by the throat, egged on by the sound of his choking, she snapped a chakra-laden fist forward, praying it would make contact and crush his fucking skull.

But it never made contact, she was thrown on her side, sliding across a polished wooden floor in the process, she steadied herself on a heel and charged at the strange looking Uchiha, he was now almost height level with her, his face seemed to be different as well- but it may have simply been the dark lighting playing tricks on her, or perhaps her sick mind, she wasn't sure.

"Sakura! Stop!"

The sound of Kakashi's voice in her ears halted her steps, her head jerked to the left as she made contact with two of the people whom she'd missed the most. Kakashi and… Naruto?

Wait… her mind cut off the supply of chakra to her fist, her hand going limp at her sides as she confusedly stared at the two before her. Kakashi was nearly twenty inches taller than Naruto, who was laden in his bright orange and blue jumpsuit, one he'd abandoned after he went off training with Jiraiya-Sama.

He was… a mirror image of his twelve year old self… What trickery was this?

Her head snapped in the direction of the Uchiha she'd grown to despise, his eyes were narrow slits as he prepared for another attack, his arms in a blocked position in front of his face, Kakashi too seemed to think she were going to strike once again, as he appeared between the two preteens, clasping Sakura's wrists with a gentle, yet firm grip. His charcoal eye burning into her large jade orbs.

"Sakura, what do you think you're doing?" He said, calmly. She'd seen this technique before, he thought she was having a nightmare, that it was a panic attack or something of the sort.

The nightmare part… may have been true.

She was unable to process the information or sights before her, the gears in her mind turned and turned to think of some answer as she simply stared wide-eyed to the silver haired jonin before her, her mouth open but unable to find words to speak.

"Sakura-Chan!"

Was all she'd heard before her eyes slipped shut and her mind went blank, Kakashi caught the unconscious girl before she'd crashed to the floor, lying her down on her sleeping mat once more he checked her forehead, not surprised to feel how hot it had become.

"Fever dream." He muttered, surprised Sakura had managed to throw Sasuke on his back. Though she had caught him off guard, her movements were graceful and direct, she was going to end his life. Sakura, what could you possibly have been dreaming about… he thought with dull eyes. His facial expression became dry as he turned to Sasuke, who too turned back to his more stoic nature, Naruto however, looked to be at a complete loss from the situation.

"So? Sakura-Chan tried to kill teme because she was dreaming?" Naruto questioned sleepily, scratching the back of his blonde head in confusion as his eyes darted from Sasuke to Sakura.

"She wasn't going to kill him, Naruto. Sasuke probably just surprised her, you've all been under a lot of stress lately, get some sleep." He smiled from the doorway, though these events would chew at the back of his mind, leaving him sleepless for the rest of the night.

Would she have killed Sasuke if they went uninterrupted?

Sasuke's own mind was haunted with questions as he rested himself in the windowsill, looking down to his two teammates, Naruto, sprawled out over his sleeping mat as if nothing happened, drool flowing from the corner of his mouth… Sakura still and silent, the only indication that she was even alive was her feint chakra signature. She looked as if she would wake if he even stepped near her.

His fingers went to his throat, touching the tender area. He was annoyed to admit it, for multiple reasons, but she nearly killed him. When she drew back her fist he didn't see an ounce of hesitation in her eyes, it was the fact that she wanted to at all that bothered him most. He doubted she could have killed him with a punch to the face but the fact that she'd managed a perfect pin down was impressive, but seeing as she was in a panic and he wasn't trying to attack in any hostile way, he allowed her to do as she pleased.

As he tried to flex the muscles of his throat, and merely ended with a pained hiss, he realized that was a mistake. Annoying.

Sakura felt nothing but triumph as she heard Sasuke's hiss, he was probably touching at his throat, assessing damage. That bastard. Though her mind couldn't process what was going on, if it were a sick genjutsu being played by Uchiha or if it were heaven, or perhaps even… a second chance, she didn't care, she could think of that later… For now… she thought as she drifted to sleep… I'm home…

…...