Then
Sakura does not want to open her eyes. She feels how Sasuke takes her waist and pulls her close to him, letting her head rest on his shoulder as he doses off to sleep. His hand does not leave her waist and he places his chin on her head, his pulse near her ear. She hears it slowly calm down to its normal speed while hers begins to pick up.
Sasuke smells of blood and bile and it worries her. She chooses not to wake up and ask him why with the fear that he will shut her off, and of the answer that he might give her.
He is sick, that she can easily tell. The thought of how critical his condition is makes her heart skip on her chest, dreading that if he does not seek help he will not make it. How much longer is he thinking of hiding this from her?
The thoughts racing through her mind guarantee that she will not sleep well that night, in spite of being the very first time that Sasuke makes a move to show affection towards her. She just hopes that he chooses to ask for her help in getting better. She cannot think of a world without him present.
His breathing becomes relaxed, showing Sakura that he has finally fallen asleep. She opens her eyes and stares at the communal hot spring in front of them, thankful for the steam it produces and prevents them from getting cold. This is the first time they fall asleep in each other's arms, and Sakura wonders if he's ever done it with someone else before.
The pangs of pain that come to her chest are not from jealousy or any other emotion, but from the thought that he may not have much time left for something like this to happen again. Although she pretended to be asleep, Sakura heard how Sasuke had thrown up in the water and then cleaned his face. She can still smell the metallic scent from his mouth, this time choosing to let it pass and not ruin the moment because she doesn't know if this will happen again or not.
Sakura is one of the best medic ninja for a reason, and her mind is already beginning to diagnose what Sasuke has.
But she is finding it difficult to pretend that nothing is happening while she feels her insides deteriorate alongside his. If something incurable were to happen to him, Sakura does not think she would be able to continue living.
Now
Where?
Where is she?
The question dances on Sakura's mind on an endless loop. She looks at her surroundings, her eyes only finding dark wide corridors with a ceiling so high that it is almost invisible. After she exited the room where Indra has left her, she took the decision to figure out the fortress she's being held in.
Her heartbeat is slowly picking up from panic and restlessness.
Sakura's footsteps echo in the emptiness of her surroundings. It almost feels like she is stuck in an abandoned ancient palace. She begins to assess her thoughts. Sakura has to squint her eyes to try and find the end of the corridor but nothing is located. She looks down to her feet, noticing how the dark wood creaks every time she moves. The walls are made out of a similar concrete as the ones in Konoha's hospital, but if this is really an old building, then she guesses that its materials are ancient too.
She hears the faint wheezing of wind coming from behind her and turns swiftly, trying to find the source of that noise. The corridor is endless on the other side as well, but it seems to hold more answers for Sakura. Her legs take her running towards the opposite direction.
The sound of her heavy breathing is the only thing that bounces on the walls. She keeps running and running for what feels like an eternity. Sakura is quickly reminded of the first time she saw a fifteen year old Sasuke after running through the labyrinth of Orochimaru's hideout. It had been an unexpected meeting with a unfavourable conclusion.
No, she tells herself closing her eyes. Don't think about that. Keep your mind in this reality and focus on getting out of this mystery.
For Kami's sake, she's a jōnin. She's gone to the moon, faced Kaguya herself, and now has to challenge once again another of the Ōtsutsuki clan's crazy members. Indra seems to be confusing her with another person. His puzzling words dance on her mind as her legs keep moving.
What does he mean by waiting for a thousand years? And why come now when the world is at peace?
Sakura feels afraid that Indra's reappearance would be a bad omen. Not to mention that he is the only person with answers. Answers that she and Sasuke tried to find before the worst happened. She lets out a quiet whimper unconsciously, thinking of how shattered and grey the world is going to feel now that she cannot go back to Sasuke-kun and has been abducted by the one person who can help them.
Seriously, what are this guy's intentions!?
Her footsteps halt when her eyes recognize a large wooden door on her right side. Sakura turns her head, her ears picking up the faint sound coming from it. She realizes that the door isn't completely closed, and has to apply chakra so that her arms can push it open for her body to fit in.
The breeze increases when she enters another room with an endless ceiling. This one is faintly lit by fire torches held on the cold walls, hence making it easier for Sakura to adjust her eyes.
She notices how this room is also quite different from the one she had been transported into. Her brow wrinkles when she realizes that it is filled with... stuff?
Sakura tilts her head in confusion. After she notices one artifact, her eyes begin to make out more items laying on the floor, of large panels hung on the walls and immense scrolls rolled and tucked in the corners of the room.
What is this place?
The weapons scattered around the room are what get her attention the most. There are old swords, bows and arrows, a gunbai, and several kunai and shuriken. Her eyes move to the portraits on the walls, all of them coming from different time periods judging by their quality. She beings to walk towards the portraits, all of them neatly displayed on the walls.
They are paintings of people who have passed, she presumes. Most likely of member of the Ōtsutsuki clan who have done something important in the past. Has she been taken to the clan's old home and stumbled upon the weapons' room? Or is this an ancient shrine to the clan members who had once wielded these weapons and now rest protected by them?
Sakura is not thinking properly. Her mind feels clouded with these faces painted on the canvases, all of their eyes somehow directed at her. It is as if they are observing every one of her moves and she feels a chill going up her spine thinking that maybe the people on the portraits are actually alive. She has to close her eyes for a moment to calm her nerves and -once again- reassess her situation.
She has been kidnapped by Ōtsutsuki Indra, the same person who was reincarnated in Sasuke. He has taken her to an unknown destination, an old palace that seems to have been abandoned many centuries ago and holds endless corridors, weapons' rooms, and portraits with eyes that seem to come to life. Indra has spoken very confusing words, and Sakura is beginning to think that finding answers from him will not be as easy as she and Sasuke initially thought.
"You've found it."
Sakura jumps at the sound of a voice coming from behind her. Get it together! She turns around and finds Indra leaning against the door, looking at her. How long has he been standing there? Why wasn't she able to sense him?
"You must feel exhausted and disoriented, Sakura." How does he know her name? "Please, take-"
"What do you want!?" she interrupts. It seems like those are the only words that come out of her mouth when she faces Indra's tall and imposing figure.
He takes a deep breath, briefly seeming more human than what the legends say. "Please, take your time to adjust." His voice does not falter.
"Adjust?"
"To here."
"To... w-where are we?" The thought of being stuck in a genjutsu has crossed Sakura's mind, but she would have broken from it long ago.
Indra begins to walk towards her, the two strands of dark hair framing his face moving accordingly with his steps. Sakura adopts a fighting stance, ready to have another go at the legend. If something happens, she vows to go down with a fight.
However, she is unable to move when Indra lifts a hand, freezing her body with the intense gaze of his Sharingan.
"Please, we must not fight."
He gets closer and closer, until his lifted hand holds her chin. Sakura's face looks up at him with a perplexed expression. It seems to set something off in Indra's mind, for his eyes go back into their original dark colour and his hardened jaw softens. He seems to be thinking -or rather, remembering- something that happened a very long time ago.
It is the same nostalgic expression Sasuke makes when she catches him lost in the memory of his diseased family. Sakura's heart clenches at that reminder, that she hasn't even tried to contact him, that the last memory she has of Sasuke-kun is of the desperate and lost face of the person she's loved all of her life.
"Even after a thousand years, you're still the same." His fingers caress her cheek. "You haven't changed much. I feel... happy."
Indra's eyes adopt a melancholic expression. He seems to be once again lost in his thoughts, giving Sakura the opportunity to fight against the invisible force that is keeping her body petrified.
She charges chakra into all of her limbs, gathering as much force as possible until she is able to break from Indra's control.
She pushes him towards the wall with all the portraits and darts towards the door. Much to her dismay, Indra seems to possess the same lightning speed as Sasuke and blocks her from exiting. His figure appears mere inches away from hers, his arms stretched to prevent her from crossing to the other side. Sakura notices how the top of her head only reaches to his chest, and is ready to form a seal with her hands when Indra's face comes close to her own.
His eyes are still in their original colour, and he is expression shows that he is not taking her seriously. Indra is simply looking at her from up close, taking in every small change in her features that may show what she is thinking of doing next.
She cannot fight like this. Heck, she cannot even leave this place if there is a living legend preventing her from going back to where she comes from!
"What is this place?" she grits through her teeth, frustrated at how even Sasuke's ancestor cannot take her as a real opponent to begin with.
"You'll find out soon enough," he answers with such a simplicity in his tone of voice that it makes Sakura's blood boil.
Her breathing becomes heavy again, this time with anger. "Take me back. Take me back to Sasuke-kun, otherwise he will... he will..."
She cannot even bring herself to say those words. No, they must find another solution. She just needs to get back with Sasuke, get some research done, and they will only have to remember this instance as 'that weird time when Indra mistakenly took Sakura.'
"There is no way I can do that."
Sakura feels that her heart freezes for a moment. Why? WHY!?
Indra ignores her silent pleads, instead focusing on other subjects. "Like I said before, you must feel rather exhausted. Come."
He wraps his arms around Sakura and she feels the same pull on her belly button, panic beginning to invade her insides thinking of where Indra will take her. Her feet get off the ground and she feels her body twirl. Much sooner than expected, they both land on the ground and Sakura finds herself inside another room.
Just how many damn rooms does this place have!?
It is square, with a closed window on one side while a traditional bed lay on the floor. Sakura stares at the room in confusion until Indra speaks again.
"This is your bedchamber."
"What do you want from me?" she finds herself repeating the same questions.
"Take your time to rest. There is a lot more for you to see and it is better if you sleep before we continue."
Continue what?
"I can't understand what you're saying."
She realizes that he is still holding on to her, and quickly frees herself from his arm, taking a step back. Whatever is going on in Indra's mind, he must have mistaken her for someone else.
Indra's expressionless eyes stare back at her. "You need to adjust first. You need to remember-"
"Remember what!? You're not making any sense and I keep asking you questions that you do not answer!" Sakura's voice raises. "I need to get back to Sasuke-kun, and you're holding me hostage for something I don't even know." She cannot lose any more time. "I have to go. You must have mistaken me for someone else, and you should bring me back to where we were before."
The next words that come from Indra's mouth make Sakura's world spin around her. She feels the bile coming up from her stomach, her need to hold on to something until she breaks her fingers, then her arms and shoulders and she is left on the floor feeling the pain that is supposed to wake her up. But she can't. She finds herself unable to.
"You are Haruno Sakura of Konohagakure," Indra begins. "It is impossible for you to leave this place and go back to my reincarnation. He does not deserve to have you and I have waited a millennium for you. We are no longer in the same reality known as your home."
She is finding it difficult to inhale air as he continues speaking.
"Our time and space is different from the reality you come from. By now, all you've known is long gone and forgotten."
No.
"I don't believe you," Sakura confesses, her hands clenched into fists. "That's impossible."
Shinobi can play with different dimensions. She's learned that from Kakashi, Obito, and even Kaguya. Nobody has ever traveled through time and space; Indra must be hiding the truth from her for his own advantage. Although an answer was given to her questions, Sakura is still left with the same mystery dancing in her mind.
She cannot find a reason as to why Indra, out of all the god-like creatures in the world, would find an interest in taking her out of all the living shinobi. Yes, she is one of the strongest kunoichi in all of the shinobi countries, and with a promising career in every aspect of the word. However, she does not come from an ancient clan or have a secret genetic technique like the Uchiha or the Hyūga.
Her background is about as average any other shinobi who does not come from a ninja family. Sure, her perfect chakra control is a talent not exhibited in any other of her relatives, but she's always thought that she was lucky to get it, and every medic ninja that she knows has the same skill. Aside from that, there is absolutely nothing special that would seem worthy of getting captured over.
Much less getting captured by a legend that manifested himself out of nowhere and is taking the life away from the man she loves.
"You will eventually grow accustomed to it. For now, please rest. We will see each other soon."
Indra leaves her alone in the room, closing the door behind him without giving Sakura time to process his last words. She still cannot wrap her mind around the nonsense explanation he gave her. It is impossible, just simply impossible, for her to be stuck in a time and place that isn't hers.
Sakura cannot believe Indra's words. She has to keep on thinking that Konoha exists, with Naruto, Kakashi, Ino, her parents. That she is stranded in a palace that is simply far away from her home and that she will find her way back.
That Sasuke-kun is still alive somewhere, fervently looking for her. That he has not collapsed in the middle of nowhere, all alone and helpless.
No, don't let the tears fall. She is nineteen years old, a jōnin, and no longer in need of crying to find comfort. Sasuke is still breathing. Konoha is still standing. She just needs to leave this place and return to them, and if a fight against Indra is necessary then she will give her all.
The ancient legend does not know who he is messing with.
Then
Sora-ku is something Sakura has never seen before. Her eyes wander from the tall and grey abandoned buildings to the littered streets. There is not even a soul to be found in the place, and she can only follow Sasuke without even knowing where he is taking them.
He seems to know the place very well, which makes sense. If this used to be a place where the Uchiha held their weapons, then Sasuke must have visited more than once during his time as a rogue ninja.
"We are going this way," he points towards the right, making a turn into one of the abandoned buildings.
It leads them down into a tunnel lit by fluorescent light. Sakura feels something soft touch her leg and jumps when she hears a purring sound. She looks down and finds a brown coloured cat rubbing its tail on her calf.
"Cats?" she asks with a feeling of deja vu.
"Ninneko," Sasuke replies without paying attention.
They find a large space at the end of the tunnel. Sakura looks around in wonder. There are cats of every colour and breed roaming around, meowing and purring as they make their way to the centre. The animals lock their eyes on her moving form, as if they were analyzing her next step. Ninja cats. Sakura cannot remember the last time she encountered one. They are not very friendly to humans and prefer to live isolated.
"Ah, Sasuke-kun. I thought I'd never see you again."
An old lady appears from the shadows. If it weren't for her size, Sakura would have confused her with another cat. She has long grey hair, which is held back with a pair of cat ears. Her nose is painted black to mimic a cat's, and she wears a loose orange dress.
And she seems to know Sasuke pretty well.
"Nekobaa."
Why hello lovely people! Thank you so much for all your support!
Sorry for the long wait, I was out of the country enjoying some sun in the fatherland. Just like I promised, there is more Indra in this chapter. The story keeps moving, and Sakura is obviously aware of Sasuke's mysterious conditions. What do you folks think he has? What do you think of the story so far?
Indra is trying to be gentle with Sakura, but he's so damn mysterious that all of his smooth moves make no sense lol. Poor kid, he's been out of the dating game for a whiiiiiile. What does he mean by "you've found it?" and do you think Sakura is right by not believing him?
I know the chapter ended in a very filler way, but I don't think there is a reason to include some small talk between Nekobaa and the SasuSaku pair. More will be discussed in the next chapter.
Have a very amazing week! Delivery will be updated next, I promise.
MSM