Now

Sweat and tears are drowning the skin on her face when she feels a pull on her bellybutton. It's a strange sensation, as if the swirling dimensions surrounding her and her captor were blurring into one image and there was an omnipotent force attracting her to a single place. Words cannot describe it easily, but Sakura is too preoccupied recollecting her last memories to think of where she is being taken.

Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke's voice screaming her name in desperation. The look of fear in his face. His extended hand, trying to grab hers.

Her feet land on solid ground, she loses balance, and falls on her knees. She gets up quickly, now free from Indra's tight grip, turns around and charges a punch towards the man with rage in her eyes.

"What do you want!?" she exclaims with a voice so hoarse and so loud that her throat hurts after.

Indra easily dodges her attack, but she does not stop. She is a ninja for a reason, and her survival is of utmost importance when facing one of the first users of chakra in history.

Her next punch is avoided with ease. She feels the blood pumping in her veins, her muscles tensing, her short hair splattered all over her face, mixed with her sweat and tears.

The man, considered an almost deity in the world, has a stoic expression. Indra's lips are curved downwards, his short eyebrows drawn together as he remains unmoved. His blue-lined red eyes gaze back at her panting figure, analyzing her next move.

How could this happen?

This isn't what she and Sasuke-kun had signed up for.

It wasn't even an official mission!

She couldn't distract herself. Her chakra traveled directly to her fist and it glowed with more intensity than ever before she directed it towards Indra's jaw.

"SHANNAROOOO-"

Indra catches her hand midair, catching her by surprise as he brings it down with little to no force.

What happens next remains as one of Sakura's most shocking encounters.

He brings her fist down to her side and envelops his arms around her, constricting any of her movements. His hold has a different sensation than when he kidnapped her into Kami-knows-where. Her mind is blocked from every thought when she feels his face bury between her neck and shoulder.

She cannot move for what feels like an eternity. Indra holds her tighter, not with the intention of capturing her again. It almost feels like he's protecting her. His tall figure crouches, trying to find a deeper connection between his embrace and her static form.

He lifts her feet from the floor as if she was a feather, and softly places a hand on Sakura's petrified head.

"Finally." His voice is deep, divine, omnipresent as it rings in her ears.

She feels something moist in her shoulder. It isn't her sweat or her desperation.

It is Indra's tears.

Then

He's gotten taller in the past two years.

That is the only deduction she can make about Sasuke at the moment. Since he left the gates of Konoha, left her with a single promise and a word of gratitude, Sakura cannot think of anything else that has changed about her old teammate.

He's traveled, yes. It was his wish, to travel and see the world with new eyes. That must have changed him.

The absence of his left forearm and hand are sign of a change too. He still does not want to accept the artificial arm, regardless of how the timing could have played on his favour if he had stayed one more day in Konoha.

Old thoughts aren't going to make her bittersweet. She reminds herself that his departure was for the better; he would not have been happy with himself if he was confined to the walls of the village. He came back, though. He came back and asked for her help specifically, which shows how much he recognizes her significance in the ninja world.

The worn-out grey cloak covers most of his body, concealing his sole arm from the public eye. His clothes do not look in the greatest state and she wishes he had told her beforehand so she could get him a new pair of pants and a shirt. His hair needs some trimming; it's in that awkward length between long and short, and it must bother him.

Does he notice that she has changed too? Not just her merit and intelligence, but her body?

"Sakura." His voice is a few tones deeper.

Their pace isn't fast. This isn't a high-ranked official mission, and it seems that Sasuke has taken the habit of taking his time when traveling for they choose the main roads rather than tree branches. Perhaps he prefers wandering on the ground because he wants to see what's ahead.

Seeing the world with a new set of eyes is what he wanted, she repeats in her head.

"We will stop here."

They find themselves in a small town of no more than fifty people. Sakura has had missions here in during her training; Tsunade would send her away for a couple of days to treat the sick who did not have enough supplies to cure illnesses.

Sasuke stands in front of the only restaurant in sight when she catches up to him. They sit down and silence settles. Sakura wonders if he has gotten too used to his solitude to remember how to have a conversation. Not that he was ever the talking type, anyway.

That's when she catches another thing that's changed about Sasuke. It's something she has felt with his brief letters to Team 7, of how he describes where he's been and what he's seen.

He is a lot more calm than two years ago. Well, obviously. Two years ago he was a sinking mess in a typhoon that's lasted a lifetime.

Sakura offers him a warm smile because she doesn't know what else to do. She could be stuck in a room with twenty dying patients, put her hands to work, and succeed. Put her on a mission killing an Akatsuki, or work behind the Hokage's desk when Tsunade is too hungover to bother showing up for work or Kakashi is late. Sure, send her to the moon to try and stop the planet's destruction.

But if there is one thing that she cannot do without feeling confident, it is to sit in front of Uchiha Sasuke after years of separation, reunion, betrayal, amends, and still think that it isn't going to be strange.

"You're a jōnin now."

"And you're still a genin. Sorry," she adds when his eyebrow perks up, "just had to throw that out there."

He chooses to ignore her comment. "Since when?"

"A couple of months ago. Before we went up there." She is referring to that time Ōtsutsuki Toneri almost blew up the planet.

Their food arrives. Sakura stirs her hot soup, waiting for it to cool down. She notices how Sasuke still has his cloak on, and his hand holding the spoon is the only visible thing from his body other than his legs. He must prefer to conceal the fact that he is missing half of his left arm.

"Where were you when it happened?" she asks.

"I was in Konoha."

Sakura almost slips her spoon from her fingers in surprise. He was in Konoha? When? How could she not see him?

"When you were in the moon. Naruto wasn't there to protect the village."

It is a short explanation, but it is enough for Sakura's features to soften at his silent confession. Even if she and Naruto had not been there to witness his brief return to Konoha, the mere fact that he had protected the village was enough for Sakura to know that he still pledged allegiance. That one day he may return, and that she would receive him with open arms because he was were he belonged.

"I'm happy," she says pleasantly.

Her voice is quiet enough for him to hear, and he briefly connects his mismatched eyes with her green ones before focusing on his soup.

"Naruto is still a genin," she decides to comment. It is a huge boost to her confidence that she is the only high-ranking ninja out of Team 7, even though her two old teammates are still more powerful than her. Being a jōnin is a title she earned with tooth and nails.

He snorts. "Not impressed."

"Why weren't you at the wedding?"

Thick silence settles over them once again. Sakura feels that she may be touching upon a sensitive topic, but cannot bring herself to think that Sasuke would feel anything other than contentment for his best friend's nuptials. Perhaps he feels jealous? It would make sense; Naruto finally has what they've both wanted all their lives: a family and a future to look forward to.

"It slipped out of my mind."

It is Sakura's turn to snort. "Not impressed. You better not do that on my wedding, Sasuke-kun." The comment may be bold, but it seems to peak Sasuke's interest as he once again raises his eyebrow. "It was a nice ceremony. Lots of people showed up. The Hyūga gave them a house that has a view of the Hokage mountain. Naruto couldn't wait to move all of his stuff in there with Hinata. I've never seen him so excited."

"It's a nice house," he comments.

"You saw it?"

"Aa."

"When?" He looks at her. "Oh."

She should have figured out that he went to see Naruto before they met at Konoha's entrance gate. A small tinge of jealousy, the same one that's been present in her existence since the birth of Team 7, reminds her that she is set apart from her two superhuman teammates. It's not that they point out how much stronger they are compared to her, it's that they show it by trying to protect her from every attack. Even after she proved her worth fighting against Madara and Kaguya out of all people, Naruto and Sasuke still choose to leave her one step behind while advancing in their own personal competition.

Jerks.

Her conversation with Sasuke has mostly been about her asking questions and him replying. He's as closed off as ever, and at first she was a bit upset by his sudden interruption to her plans for the coming weeks, but the prospect of going away with Sasuke-kun overrode all of her ill feelings. After all, this was something she'd been dreaming before she was a genin, when she turned into a chūnin, and now gets her chance as a jōnin.

"You're going to be a teacher?"

The gods must be in her favour for all her good deeds.

"Sakura-sensei for you." He gives her that look. Again. "Or rather Sakura-senpai, since I have a higher rank. You've never been one to follow honorifics anyway."

The idea of Sasuke calling her his superior makes her cheeks slightly warm but she tries to ignore it. Their relationship has teammates had significantly changed before Sasuke left Konoha to discover the world. Sakura can argue that they had found a sense of comradeship from the end of the war until his departure. They had spent more time together and he had even acknowledged her wisdom in medical jutsu more than once. They had spent mornings and afternoons together, either at the hospital when he was recovering or walking around the village with Naruto.

Maybe that is why he left with such an unspoken promise. Even after two years, when she thought about his fingers lightly tapping her forehead, it still brought her back to a simpler time and place.

"Your students?"

"One Aburame and two kids from civilian parents. It's going to be interesting."

Sasuke gives one nod in agreement. His black hair covers his forehead and a bit of his eyes, keeping his Rinnegan hidden from others to see. Even if Sasuke had set out to find himself in the world, to Sakura he seems more secluded than ever.

She stores that thought for later examination.

"Next year I will have three brats chasing after cats." A mention of the past brings a small smirk from his lips and she loses herself in it.

"Cats."

"Cats," she repeats. "They will go through the bell test."

Their empty soup plates are taken away by the server, and they sit in the small tavern as the only two guests. It is near noon, the sunlight sneaking into the small windows of the restaurant, giving a faint warm glow.

Sakura feels like reminiscing the past. She wants to talk about their ridiculous first missions and how they created such a strong bond in their team. She wants to hear Sasuke's opinion on the past, on how Team 7 gave him happiness after such a dark period. She's willing to tell him about her own missions as a chūnin, of her training under Tsunade-sama. There are so many things she wants to discuss with him in this small town. Her life, his life, where they are going as individuals and as teammates.

She wants to ask him how he knew she was a medical ninja all those years ago. What living with Orochimaru was like. If he kept a piece of home in his room, if he still keeps the letters they've exchanged for the past two years. What he thought of Konoha when he showed up to protect the village.

But the only two words that come out of her mouth feel heavier than any of her thoughts.

"Why me?"

The man in front of her finds her eyes with his.

"Because I trust you."

He must have noticed how much she's changed, she deduces. She's not scrawny anymore. She's significantly shorter than him. Sometimes she struggles putting on her clothes because of her muscular arms and legs but still stares at her figure in the mirror, knowing that she's no longer carrying the frame of an adolescent. Her vocabulary expands every day. Her hair length is the only thing that remains the same. That and the colour of her attire.

They leave the small town and walk on the road northward. Sakura's body feels significantly warmer than before, and she is quite sure that it isn't because of the soup. She looks at her old teammate walking a few steps ahead of her. She once thought of him as a majestic being, as somebody who would surpass anyone who got in his way.

Now he looks like a wanderer still finding his place in an expanding world.

"Sasuke-kun," she calls him out.

He stops and turns around. Without thinking twice, Sakura wraps her arms around his cloaked figure and gives him a light squeeze. His clothes smell of forest, smoke, and soil. She buries her face in them, basking in her old teammate's physical presence, thinking that finally he is here with her. And he acknowledges her.

"Thank you."

Now

Her eyes open widely at the sensation in her shoulder. Confusion invades her mind, and a million questions rush in at once and she does not snap out of her static state until Indra sets her back down on her feet.

He still does not let go of her.

Sakura is reminded of the many times she's been enveloped in the same dark chakra and the episodes of comforting Indra's reincarnation when he is in a similar state.

"What do you want from me!?" she screams, pushing him towards the opposite wall of the hollow, obscure room they had arrived in.

She needs to clear her mind, thinking of her rules as a shinobi before charging her next attack to the legendary individual who captured her. Think, think, think!

Indra disappears and appears in front of her in the blink a second. At first, she is taken aback by his imposing tall figure. He's even taller than Sasuke, living up to his name of an almost deity. She finds his face right in front of hers, his long dark hair and his gaze reminding her so much of her old teammate that her heart begins to burn.

"I've been waiting and watching you grow until now."

Sakura finds movement in her feet and takes a step back. "What are you talking about?"

She always finds herself asking too many questions to Uchihas.

"Nineteen years is nothing compared to a thousand," Indra continues, his voice resonating in her bones. "You belong to me. He does not deserve to have you."

He disappears in a burst of flames, leaving a disoriented, dumbfounded Sakura.

Whoaaaaa. Thanks for liking this story! I hope this second chapter was up to your expectations :)

I wanted to post something before Christmas since I will be offline for about a month. I know, I'm sorry. The outline is halfway there though! And I am working on it at the same time as Delivery!

What did you think of the three main characters? I imagine Indra a lot like Sasuke and this is something that Sakura will realize as the story progresses. I wanted Sakura to be more confident in herself here. She's a jounin, something that neither of her boys have achieved. So no, don't expect to see a damsel in distress here.

So far, we've only got two timelines going. "Then" is for Sakura's time with Sasuke, and "Now" is for first clearly leads to the second, and we will see how and why that happens. There will be a time when it all comes together, and a couple of flashbacks that I will most likely label as "Back then" to distinguish from the two main story lines. Is it too confusing?

Anyway, happy holidays and a new year!