Salvation

Disclaimer; All rights to Naruto belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

Chapter Two

…..

When she awoke she could smell frying fish from the kitchen, she'd slept through breakfast and morning training, she'd yet to decide what exactly this was. Though you could easily rule out Heaven if Sasuke was also there. So it was a choice between incredibly sick genjutsu and she had somehow traveled through time, sadly, everything pointed to the first.

Gently touching her red sleeping mat her big green eyes looked about the room, she remembered this place. It was the home they had stayed at during their first mission outside of the village, Tazuna the bridge builder's home.

She thought sadly about the fate of the boy, Haku and his mentor. They were bad people, but their death was still the first she'd witnessed and sad none the less. Considering the her teammates weren't covered in bandages, she guessed it was prior to the battle of the Naruto bridge.

Chewing on the inside of her lip she considered her options, she could go along with it, or try to dispel it… if it weren't a genjutsu… well, what would she do then?

Closing her eyes she performed a tiger seal, "Kai!"

Reopening her eyes, nothing around her had changed, in disbelief, she tried at it a total of six more times. Nothing had happened. Not even a waver around her. Her eyes brimmed slightly with tears, had she been given a second chance to repent? To save those she had lost?

"Sakura-Chan, are you feeling better?"

Turning her head, a sight she'd been longing to see for so many years appeared before her, her long lost friend and comrade, a man who had proudly given his life for the village he'd loved so desperately much- Naruto Uzumaki.

He was real.

Before she could think of her actions, she threw herself at him, throwing her arms over his shoulders and twisting her small fingers into his blonde hair, crying desperately into his shoulder, she clutched him to her with almost a crushing force, not willing to let him go once again. All the guilt she had felt in the past years washing forward like waves of an ocean.

"S-Sakura-Chan? Hey, Sakura-Chan?" Naruto tried, face red as a tomato as the girl he'd had a crush on for years hugged him, unsure how to react he awkwardly patted her back, trying to sooth her from whatever had caused her to cry so much.

"I'm so sorry Naruto!" She wailed into his shoulder, her voice rasp and broken with sobs. His bright blue eyes only looked at the crying girl in confusion, turning to glance at Sasuke, who too looked as though he had no idea what was going on.

Sasuke watched her throw herself in Naruto's direction, half expecting the blonde to be attacked just as he was, but to his surprise she had embraced him with tears. He didn't know what to make of his pink haired teammate, usually she'd treat the blonde with annoyance and short-tempered outbursts. Now she acted as though she hadn't seen him in years. He wondered silently what was going through this girl's head.

Sakura sniffled, drawing back from the blonde with an apologetic look on her face. She knew she looked like a crazy person but to her, this was the most heartwarming thing that had ever happened. Smiling, she grabbed his hand, giggling at the way his face lit up. "Let's go outside, Naruto!" She beamed, she was finally going to feel the sun on her skin! Finally!

"Er, uh, O-okay, Sakura-Chan!" He said confusedly, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth so he let her drag him outside, the way her eyes widened and teared up made him confused, but the way she looked at everything with such amazement and wonder made him forget his confusion and remember just why he liked her so much, even though she could be really scary, Sakura-Chan did have the warmest heart.

She couldn't believe it was real. The sunlight she had longer for for so long, it was basking over her skin. It felt so warm, so bright. The tears overflowed as she rolled through the soft spring grass, it smelled of rain and freedom.

"Why are ya crying, Sakura-Chan?" Naruto questioned hesitantly, it wasn't like he didn't like the new nice Sakura, but she sure was acting weird she kept crying.

Her big green eyes just sparkled in the sunlight as she grabbed his hand, softly pulling him to the ground with her, her smile was pure as the boy sheepishly laid down beside her in the grass, they sat in silence for a long time. Sakura just letting the sun on her skin was enough to make her want to scream in joy.

In a far off part of her mind, she knew she had obligations, if she were really given a second chance it should be used to better the future, that she should be preventing a scornful and evil Uchiha from leaving the village, preventing a weak Sannin from implanting a curse mark, preventing Sasuke from murdering his brother and turning against the village, preventing a power crazed god-like Uchiha from ever touching her beloved home, preventing Naruto from giving his life. But at this moment, as she was offered her first taste of the outside world in seven years, though she was a 26 year old in a 12 year old's body, she longed for nothing but freedom.

She gently stroked her wrists, no scars of mutilations, no cuffs. Simply the creamy white skin she'd always adored. Though, as she gently fingered the long tendrils of pink hair, thinking back to the Forest of Death in times to come, she nearly winced. She would have to cut it later.

"Feeling better, Sakura-Chan?" Naruto asked, his blue eyes searching her for her old self, waiting for her to change her mood and wallop him on the head or deliver a hard punch. But no, instead she simply smiled a smile she would once save only for teme, before her small, graceful fingers ruffled his soft sunshine-colored hair.

"Yeah, sorry Naruto. Just tensions getting to me." She said, knowing it was a lie. But she was a shinobi, a veteran at that. She could lie perfectly right down to the smallest twitch of her eyelashes.

"That's awesome, Sakura-chan!" He said with his trademark thumbs-up and foxy grin. It made her heart clutch, but she simply smiled away. Just happy to be back with her friends once more.

A loud whistle interrupted what seemed to be the best day of her life. Naruto's eyes widened in excitement as he turned to Sakura, "Sakura-Chan! Kakashi-Sensei's is back from his errands, he said he'd teach us a new jutsu today!" The blonde cheered, practically jumping out of his skin.

Sakura's eyes softened at the display, this Naruto was so different from his older self. She remembered she used to try so hard to catch up to him and Sasuke, never realizing that all she would have to do was train harder and gain more experience to do that. And when she'd finally caught up to Naruto… well… he was gone.

Sighing, she cut the memory short. She was getting a chance to fix things. She certainly didn't need past memories holding her back. Weather it made her sick to do it or not- she had to prevent Sasuke's betrayal and Madara's attempt at convincing him otherwise.

She bit her tongue and nodded, "Let's go."

…...