Hello again! This is the second chapter. Hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.

Soulmates

By SuzukaAzumi

Chapter 2 The Kusanagi Sword

7 years later

It was dark. There was nothing around. Only herself. Sakura tried to distinguish something in the darkness without success. She had difficulty seeing her hand.

"Where am I?" she asked herself. "What is this place?"

Suddenly, the air became hot, and fire shone threatening. She found herself in a burning room of the Castle. In the background, terrifying screams could be heard.

"Mother?" She screamed. "Father? Naruto? Answer me! Where are you?"

The air became unbearably hot. She coughed a little after inhaling gaz. Tears welled up in her eyes. The ground began to shake. The mansion broke apart, pieces of burned wood fell, one almost burying her. She heard a loud growl, slowly raised her head and saw—

"My lady? It's time to awaken."

Sakura sprang from her bed. She looked around her room. She was still in her majestic bed, the curtains around it still closed. She felt relieved. It was just a dream.

She had had strange dreams since she saw that sword in the Sacred Room. She remembered it very well. Her parents had always forbidden her to enter the sacred room, saying that it was dangerous, but Sakura had always been a curious girl, so she entered the location when she thought the coast was clear. Strangely, it was very easy to open the door that was said to be protected by a strong barrier. She only had to give one push to the talisman-covered doors for them to unlock.

Inside, it was almost empty except for a human-sized statue of the sun goddess Amaterasu at the back. The statue was entirely gray and its eyes were closed. Sakura had seen statues of the goddess before, but none of them were like this one. It had so many details and seemed so real that we could have though that the divine creature was only sleeping and would awaken at the slightest shock. Her neck was bare as well as her right hand, but the left was holding what seemed like a very real sword. She could have sworn she had seen it somewhere before.

"Do you recognize it?" Said a voice behind her.

Sakura gasped and turned around. A beautiful lady with short blond hair and eyes the same green as she, wearing traditional priestess clothing was behind her.

"Mama! You are here! I thought you went out for a walk?" She said guiltily.

"I arrived as quickly as I could after sensing a disruption in the barrier."

"I'm sorry, Mama," said Sakura, looking at the ground, wishing it could shallow her.

Lady Mebuki only smiled at her daughter and turned towards the statue.

"This is a very ancient artifact. You know what is it, don't you?" She continued.

Sakura examined the sword more carefully. She could see a strange silver light emanating from it. Realization light her green eyes. "Do you mean…it's the real one? She inquired. "The real sacred sword, one of the Three Sacred Tools? How can it possibly be here, at our Castle?"

"A long time ago, Amaterasu gave her Sacred Tools to us, humans and told us that the time would come when one of us, the strongest, and the purest in soul will reunite the Three Tools; the Kusanagi Sword, the Yata Mirror and the Yasakani Jewel," Mebuki began explaining. "The chosen one will receive enormous powers, capable of rivaling those of a god, and will be given the Five Treasured Tools. He or she will then bring our world to a new era. This sword was ours to protect from the taint of evil since centuries."

Sakura was smart for her age and understood what her mother meant. "Does it mean that there are other people guarding the two other Tools?"

"One is lost in a different realm very difficult to reach and we are not sure of the precise location of the other."

The little girl continued her interrogation. "If one is lost, then why bother trying to reunite them?"

"The Tools are very powerful even if it's only one of them. Besides, it will be difficult to reach the lost item but it is not impossible," Mebuki continued. "Many people are looking to get their hands on those artifacts, and not always with the best of the intentions. Not everybody could master the Tools, it is true, but we don't know when a really powerful person will arrive."

Sakura nodded, eagerly eating every word her mother told her.

"Do you understand now why I don't want you here, darling? You mustn't disturb the barrier again," she continued. "Come now," she said as she took Sakura's hand and lead her away. Sakura glanced behind her, taking a last look at the statue and the sword and watched as the doors closed slowly.

"My lady! It is time! Lady Tsunade has arrived to wish you a happy birthday."

Sakura jerked a little, coming out of her trance. She opened the curtains of her bed, got out and took a big breath.

"I'm coming!"

At that time, when she first saw the Kusanagi Sword, Sakura had no idea how it would affect her fate and those around her. Would she have made the same choices after knowing what would happen? Maybe not.

Author's note: Thank you for reading! I'll try to update as soon as possible. Please review!