A/N: Hello! Thank you for the reviews and support. I will be addressing your reviews through PM. I apologize if the chapter would be short but I got where I wanted it to end so I cut the other parts for the next chapter. I was going to update yesterday but I'm sick to the point that I'm not allowed to use my laptop. Blah. Something about stressing my eyes more. So I made this chapter through my phone (sneaky me) so excuse the spellings I'll edit it as soon as I'm feeling better (or when I get to sneak my laptop).
This chapter will show some sides to the alternate characters as well so you guys can better understand them.
Next chapter will be out as soon as I'm feeling better (or sneaky).
Chapter III
In the ninja world you should learn to expect the unexpected. A rule no shinobi should ever forget. For if they do death may come knocking them out early.
If Sakura wasn't too engrossed in the fact that she sensed her own chakra signature coming towards them, she would have noticed another identical chakra. A chakra signature belonging to the man beside her.
By the time she noticed it however three figures were already standing at a small distance away from them.
Knockout.
A shinobi never ever forgets to expect the unexpected.
No matter how illogical..
No matter how impossible..
No matter how stupid...
Or else death comes early.
If this was a battle they could have gotten killed already.
But it wasn't.
So let's just settle with them in shocked faces, jaws dropping, eyes bulging, sweats dropping, knees shaking, and mouths open reactions.
Naruto was speechless for once in his life.
Kakashi was dumbfounded.
Sasuke was calculating the Sasuke who had his finger pointing at him but could not form any words as his lips quivered in shock.
Sakura was eying the Sakura who had her hands crossed together, her stance almost ready for battle. As if one move from the sitting Sakura, she would lounged herself. She would never be caught unready.
No one dared to move.
The air was thick.
No one dared to speak.
The tension was heavy.
As if one small movement will break the fragileness and stillness of the situation.
Ninjas were used to duplicate themselves through shadow clones. It wasn't the strangest thing to see yourself through your clones.
But what was shocking in this situation was there were no clones. No tricks of the eyes. No spells. Just reality.
Reality that there were two Sakuras and Sasukes present.
"Ahm.. Ano.." there was just a level of silence a Naruto could ever take. He was getting deaf by the awkward silence looming over them but he couldn't form any coherent words as he stumbled on the right words to say.
A sharp take of air.
"You're me!" Sasuke finally let it out. His breathing ragged and heavy.
"Hn." Sasuke replied, there was tinge of slight irritation but he kept his cool.
"How?.. This..can't.." Sakura was still stuttering. As well as her knees.
"Obviously it just did." Sakura answered. Her tone flat. Unlike her counterpart she did not stuttered or showed any sign of surprise.
If the tension between them could get any heavier, it just did.
They were throwing sharp glances at each other.
And if looks could kill...
"I don't think you should be grumpy to yourself Sakura-chan.." Sasuke addressed to the Sakura he knew. He swore that Sakura could be so arrogant sometimes. Not that he would be pointing that out pretty soon.
"This is all your fault!" said girl turned to him giving him a threatening look.
"Shouting at him won't help you know." Sakura suddenly answered the other girl. She was not going to let her make a fool of herself any longer.
"You're not the boss of me.." alternate Sakura answered coldly.
"Why you!" Sakura was about to charge at her alternate self when Sasuke held her arm.
"Will you both stop?" Sasuke answered. He was getting more and more annoyed. Apparently both the Sakuras are temperamental. And it was driving him to the edge.
"I don't think they like each other very well, Kakashi-sensei.." Naruto whispered, although loud enough for everyone to hear.
Seeing as he was the "sensei", Kakashi made a motion to get their attentions. They weren't gonna fix anything if they remained exchanging daggers of glares at each other. And it was starting to scare him a little.
"Maybe the Godaime could help us." Kakashi explained while stepping between the two pairs.
"Baa-chan won't like this.." Naruto added.
"Let's go before you kill each other." Kakashi said as he made his way to the Hokage tower. He was instantly relieved when they followed him. He was in no condition to pacify them.
No one made a sound on their way to the tower.
Xxx
"INOOOOOOO-CHANNN!" Hinata yelled at her friend's door hoping she would be awake. Though she knew she would be, Ino wasn't the drinking type who'd get hangovers the next day. She, however, still had a big headache but decided to go to Ino's for some juicy gossip.
No more than a second, Ino already opened her door and gave Hinata a meek smile while making a way for the girl to enter her apartment.
"What is it Hinata-chan?" Ino asked while closing the door.
"Have you seen Sakura-chan around? I need to know what happened between them and Sasuke-kun last night!" Hinata squealed while making herself comfortable in the sofa.
The girls knew that Sasuke-kun would be confessing to her. Though they also knew that Sakura would be turning him down instantly, they couldn't help but still gossip about them. In their opinions (not that theirs matter to Sakura) they make a great couple with Sakura being serious and Sasuke being the changed player that he said he is.
But mostly because they believe that Sakura had gone through much. She deserved some happiness in her life. Happiness in the form of a very hot, single, and hot shinobi. In their opinions, she needed a man in her life, someone who would take good care of her.
She was forced to grow up so early. Well all shinobis were but she had it harder. Her parents died while she was still less than a year old. They died saving the village. Growing up alone, though praised by the villagers, made her distant from everyone else. Even at such a young age a lot was expected from her so she constantly trained and trained. Not having any rooms in her life for anything else.
But she was rewarded enormously. She became an elite medic-nin and the youngest ANBU to ever join the rank. She was a renowned kunoichi, feared and respected.
The girls also believe that Sasuke was made especially for her. Sasuke was a proud Uchiha. He was from a well-known clan and a close knitted family. He was also extremely close to his elder brother Itachi who headed the Akatsuki, a special group of mercenaries under the direct command of the Hokage. His dream is to become part of the Akatsuki with his brother. He was a great shinobi also belonging to ANBU. His sharingan wielding skills made him invincible in most of his battles. His skills almost matching Sakura's but was not quite as perfectly honed as hers.
They knew how much of a flirt Sasuke is but they could see, believe it or not, the genuine radiance of his words when he flirts around Sakura or the concern he had whenever Sakura was out on a dangerous mission. They could not forget that moment when Sasuke bravely took hundred of poisoned kunais in an attempt to keep Sakura safe. Sasuke almost died but it was Sakura who spent hours in the hospital extracting the numerous poisons out of his body. She didn't give up on him even though it was hopeless. It was the first time they saw her cry, exposing her vulnerable side when Sasuke's heart stopped beating.
She cried hard and she shouted his name all night long on how big of an idiot he was, on how she hated how he would just flash that smile on her, on how he would always be there for her...
A miracle happened late that night when Sasuke slowly woke up. He found Sakura asleep with dried tears beside him and when she noticed he was awake, Sakura gave her the most sincere smile he had ever seen on her. She hugged her so tight, her tears kept falling out. She didn't care how she looked or how out of character she was, as long as Sasuke was alive, she didn't care at all. That was the only moment her friends could remember her so exposed to her emotions.
So when Sasuke told them that he would be confessing to her that night, the group was in all support to him. They even readied the drinks for when Sakura would turn him down. So when they did not show up in the party, they assumed that they were finally together. All the more they partied.
"I haven't seen her around the party after they left. I don't think I remember seeing Sasuke-kun afterwards as well.." Ino said shyly, she was blushing on the possible meaning of her words.
She could see Hinata's devilish grin too.
"I knew it. Those lovebirds are on it! They are so in love!"
Xxx
"I HATE YOU WITH EVERY OUNCE OF STRENGTH THAT I HAVE!" alternate Sakura shouted at the alternate Sasuke who was hiding behind Sakura's back. The other Sasuke was looking at how the alternate Sasuke was gripping Sakura's arms and he didn't seem to like it.
Tsunade was having a great morning. She had lesser paper works to look into. There were no threats to her village. There were no problems in the hospital. Life was beautiful as she poured herself another sake. Shizune wouldn't be here for another hour.
Her perfect day ceased to exist when they arrived.
She was shocked at first to see the identical faces. But shook it off as she asked Kakashi what the hell was going on.
So after Kakashi explained to her, the alternate Sakura immediately accused the alternate Sasuke. She didn't care if she was accusing him. He was used to it anyway.
"Neh.. Sakura-chan I'm sorry.." alternate Sasuke answered, still hiding behind Sakura who was feeling uncomfortable with alternate Sasuke's hands holding her arms.
"Hn. Pathetic.." Sasuke uttered as he pried his alternate self off of Sakura. He didn't know why he did it; maybe it was the fact that seeing his other self being stupid and holding Sakura, made him feel different.
"Sasuke-kun.." Sakura said looking up to meet Sasuke's gaze. As usual it was emotionless yet there was something different with the way he held her compare to the alternate Sasuke.
Tsunade was watching them closely. At first it was scary to watch them, but now it became interesting. Even Kakashi and Naruto seemed to be getting at ease around them now.
"The alternate Sakura isn't as cheerful as Sakura and the alternate Sasuke is more open than Sasuke. But there's more to them.." Tsunade thought to herself as she continued to observe them. She would give a cute laugh but decided not to.
"Shisou, do you know what could have happened?" Sakura asked after some bickering.
"From the way I see it, it looks like you and your other self are the opposites. But there are still hints of similarities." Tsunade answered while looking through a bunch of old scrolls. She took out one of them, a very old, worn-out and dusty one at that.
"Sakura and Sasuke.." she addressed the ones she knew. "Meet your alternate selves." Tsunade said very slowly afraid that they might go berserk on her.
She continued to roll the scrolls as everyone in the room froze in place.
"But shisou weren't those just stories for kids like some fairytales." Sakura again asked. She remembered her mother reading her stories about another world, a parallel world where things exist in exact opposite orders.
"Yes they are but you should know that some scholars thought it would be possible." Tsunade answered. She continued her explanation when she was met with blank faces.
"The scholars also taught that there was some sort of link between the two worlds. A link which allows a person from the other world to travel to their counterpart."
If the faces in the room could get even blanker, they just did.
"But for that to happen, a very strong universal force should have happened at the same time between the two worlds." she added.
"Last night something happened that must have had triggered this." she carefully said afraid to break the stillness of the situation. The next part would even be harder for her to say.
"According to your stories, both pairs were confessing at each other.." she saw Sakura and alternate Sasuke's faces grew red. "And both were rejected.." this time it was Sasuke and alternate Sakura who looked away from her. Even Naruto and Kakashi were at the edge of their seats.
"I think that it happened at the same time pattern, creating a black hole. A loop in time and space. A link." Tsunade deduced but there was still something off. Like a piece of the puzzle was still missing.
"So that explains the alternate Sakura and Sasuke travelling here?" Kakashi asked, also feeling something was missing.
"Perhaps. According to their accounts they were engulfed in sudden darkness right?" she looked at the alternate characters who nodded to confirm her question.
"But why us?" the alternate Sakura asked with some authority in her voice.
"I don't know. Something's still not right. According to the scroll, both worlds must have somehow confirmed their desire to meet each other. Of course that chances were near to impossible, exact time is a pre-requisite, both parties won't know when..." Tsunade was seemed to get lost in her thoughts.
"How do we get back to our own world?" alternate Sakura asked again. She couldn't care how they got here, what's important that they go back to their own world. This place was already creeping her out.
"Well you need another lapse in time.." Tsunade was almost afraid to answer. She saw all their eyes grew wider.
"But we don't even know how we created the time lapse!" alternate Sasuke said. It was surprising to see a Sasuke speaking so freely.
"That's why you need to figure out what caused you to come here. Try to recall the events last night and fit them in a time pattern." Tsunade stated. "And you need to figure this out before the eclipse which is exactly two weeks from now." she saw everyone tensed. "Because if you don't both worlds will crash and disappear.."
Everyone grew pale.
It was hard enough to digest the fact that you're in a room with your parallel selves.
Now the fate of two worlds rest between your shoulders.
All because of last night's event.
"BAA-CHANNN! WE CAN'T DISAPPEAR! I'M NOT YET HOKAGEEEE!" Naruto shouted breaking the silence.
If everyone wasn't too stunned to move they would have punched Naruto out already.
"Right now isn't the time to be panicking. You have two weeks to fix this." she looked over the four shinobis who nodded lightly.
"So what now?" Kakashi asked.
"For now we keep this a secret from everyone. No one can know about this incident. If words come out, it could throw the shinobi world in chaos. I'll decide when it's time to gather the village leaders if things won't work out." Tsunade explained. She could feel a massive headache coming. So much for her perfect day.
"Avoid being seen. Sakura you go with alternate Sasuke and Sasuke you stay with alternate Sakura when you're out in public."
Everyone was giving her a blank look again. How many times have they given her that look today?
"You can't risk your identities. The alternate Sakura and Sasuke might expose themselves. And not to mention alternate Sakura might kill alternate Sasuke. You can only go out with Kakashi or Naruto. You guys are shinobis avoid being seen twice, use stealth." Tsunade was getting more annoyed with this.
"And if Sasuke might permit, you could stay at the Uchiha compound, the place is one of the most private parts of Konoha." she looked at Sasuke for permission who returned the look.
"Now leave my sight and fix this mess. Shizune would be arriving soon." Tsunade looked away from them, her sight on the view of Konoha on her window.
"Hai." Everyone nodded and left the building.
Xxx
"Hinata-chan it seems no one have seen Sasuke-kun or Sakura-chan anywhere.." Ino was starting to be concerned for them. She's been having weird feelings ever since the disappearance of her friends.
"Don't worry. They probably eloped and made new Uchihas already. Worst case scenario would be that they were magically thrown into a new parallel world!" Hinata laughed at her stiff friend not knowing how close she was to the truth already.
A/N: I know it's short and ended there. But I just wanted this much out of chapter 3 anyway. I hope you still love it. Show your support for this fic by pressing that review and sharing this story with your friends!
Mistakes will be edited in the next upload. Please be kind to the sick ~
Now if you'll excuse me I need to get some rest. Thank you~