Somewhere

Sasuke opens his eyes and his feet are ground to a bamboo floor and a hallway.

The setting sun creates orange and purple hues down the same path he remembers from his childhood. It feels warm on his skin, a reminder of the summer sunsets in Konoha. Birds chirp in the background, the plants in his mother's backyard are in full bloom of green and red. Sasuke once thought that he will forever forget this sensation, this reminder of simpler times in his mind.

He is not wearing shoes, but the slippers that were so common in his household before the massacre perfectly fit his feet. He wants to feel confused and in panic due to this strange situation. Yet the feelings never reach him, and it is almost as if he knew where to go and what to expect.

And so he starts walking. He takes slow steps, the faint thump of his feet touching the floor is the only sound he registers aside from the chirping birds. Sasuke looks at his hands and finds them both in perfect condition and real. He tests the fingers on his left hand and finds that they are the same ones he had before his final battle with Naruto. He feels lighter without all of his ninja equipment, only dressed in his home clothes. Sasuke does not check, but he is quite sure that the Uchiha fan is proudly embroidered on the back of his shirt.

The hall looks familiar. Of course it does, since this is his childhood home. Funny how everything that is wiped out in real life appears in this moment without a single trace of the suffering that his clan experienced while it existed. As he walks down, Sasuke knows that his own room is on the opposite direction, as well as the room where Itachi killed their parents. He walks towards the kitchen and family room anyway, not wanting to relive the same scenario after spending so many years searching for closure.

Somehow, Sasuke knows where to go. And when he opens the sliding door that takes him to the family room, his body masks the surprise and heartache that conquer him from within. This chest tightens, his limbs freeze.

"Sasuke," she says with the same sweet voice he remembers so well. Mother's jet black hair is just the same as Sasuke remembers, so much like his own. Her face lacks the wrinkles that come with age, her onyx eyes stare back at his with the same expression of tenderness he associates them with.

His heart hurts when he remembers how much he looks like his mother, while Itachi takes after their father. His eyes see them. There they are: mother, father, and Itachi. His family looks back at him from the same table where they used to share meals. Mother sits beside father, and Itachi sits on the opposite side, beside an empty spot that is exclusively reserved for Sasuke. His older brother looks at him with pride and nostalgia, pain and joy. The lines that run down from Itachi's eyes have not extended any further, his face frozen in time.

Sasuke takes small steps towards his family, but his mother gets up from her seat in a hurry to wrap her arms around him. Mikoto was not affectionate when compared to his classmates' moms, she always saved her hugs and kisses for special occasions. It feels too real, yet too perfect to be true, because mother gave him this type of hug when he came home with too many bruises on his body to hold back his pain. He embraces his mother, noticing how small she feels in his arms unlike when he was a small boy. She is about a head shorter than he is, yet still holds the same amount of strength he remembers so well. Her shoulders tremble under his hug, and Sasuke knows his mother is weeping for him.

For their family, their clan.

For the tragic life that her youngest son experienced. In spite of all the efforts Sasuke made, he finds himself here meeting with his family too soon to say that he was fully redeemed from his past mistakes. And mother knows it and shows it through her tears and shaken embrace.

"You've grown strong, Sasuke." Father gets up from his spot and joins them. He lays a strong hand on Sasuke's shoulder, a sign of support, approval, acknowledgement. Everything Sasuke ever wanted from Uchiha Fugaku. "I am proud to call you my son. Always been."

Sasuke can see the tears that his father is trying to prevent from falling, and his heart ties another knot. He has never been affectionate with his father, yet seeing him after so many years brings the urge to extend his arm and wrap it around the former clan leader. Fugaku quickly responds to his son's motion, and lays a hand on Sasuke's head although he is visibly shorter.

Something inside Sasuke feels... fulfilled. The void he felt for so many years after losing his family is absent. Instead, it is replaced by the notion that fate is giving him a second chance in the afterlife to spend it with the people he loves the most. Suddenly, the burden on his shoulders is gone. He feels free, freer than he has ever been in life.

"Mother, father, let him sit down and rest." Itachi is also on his feet, and Sasuke can finally take a better look at him. He no longer has the cracked, grey skin of the Edo Tensei. His eyes are back to the same onyx colour they both inherited from mother. He is a couple inches shorter than Sasuke, a small surprise as Itachi always stood tall and proud in his memories. "You're a lot taller than I remember you, little brother."

If they were all alive, Sasuke imagines that his family would constantly point out how much taller he is compared to them.

"Please, take a seat." Mikoto takes his hand and guides him back to the dinner table. Sasuke gets on his knees, just as he used to as a child, sits with his back straight, and looks at his family in silence. Mother does not let go of his hand.

They have not aged in the afterlife. They glow, and look healthier than Sasuke remembers. He looks down at his own hands and finds the same glow in his skin. His parents and brother are patient with him, and wait in silence as he takes in their current reunion. Sasuke feels Itachi's eyes on him, and finds the same look of pride that his older brother always sported around him.

"Is... Is this the afterlife?" Sasuke asks, and he does not dismiss the way his mother's eyes soften at hearing how low his voice has gotten since he was a boy. This is the first time she hears him talk since he was a little boy.

"I am happy that we can be reunited here and in peace," Mikoto comments. Her eyes continue to weep, for she knows the pain that Sasuke has gone through and how he has ended up in the same place as them.

"You have gained more power than any Uchiha has in the past," his father comments. "It's a shame what has happened, and that our bloodline will not continue, but this was out of your hands and you worked your hardest."

"Father, I..." Sasuke tries to explain.

"We know about Indra, about the birth of the Uchiha," Itachi interrupts. "We all knew what could have happened. You do not need to apologize, little brother. We are all proud of you."

He wants to apologize to Fugaku, to bow his head at the last leader of the Uchiha clan for failing to keep their bloodline alive. The burden he's carried for years slowly comes back to his shoulders as he is reminded that the last hope of the Uchiha was lost with him.

"Does that mean that I am dead?"

Itachi places a hand at the top of Sasuke's head. It's firm, yet still warm. "Not quite. A part of you is still fighting to stay alive, and it has a reason to."

Flashes of pink and green appear in front of Sasuke's eyes.

Sakura.

"You still have a chance of creating a future. You were destined to be together, and if I am correct, she is fighting just as hard to get you back."

Just as she always has, Sasuke mentally adds. The soft smile that Itachi gives him understands the roadblocks that have been placed between Sakura and her efforts to reach his heart. It took him too long, and at a terrible timing, to realize that he can have another opportunity to find a purpose in love.

Sasuke can sense his mother's hesitation, and turns to look at her. "This will not be the last time we see one another, I promise," he says.

"She loves you, almost just as much as I do. I wish you could stay here for a bit longer to talk. It's just..." her voice cracks, "it's just so hard seeing you suffer so much pain and I can't do anything about it."

He catches how father's jaw tightens, the welled up tears finally leaking. "Hold on to your promise, son. Your mother wouldn't forgive you if you didn't."

And in that moment, Sasuke wishes that he was fully dead. He wishes that he could stay sitting in the family room with mother, father, and brother for all of eternity. That they could talk about anything and everything, from the deepest secrets that occupied their private lives to their favourite dishes, to the beautiful memories of his parents' youth. He feels envious of Itachi, someone who lived a miserable life yet now gets to spend the afterlife with their parents. Somehow, his older brother is still one step head of him.

"Go," Itachi tells him. "Go and live your life for us. Take our sacrifices and build a better future for our clan. Only you can do it. Keep the past in the past."

Slowly, they start to fade. Father holds mother in his strong arms while she cries. Their faces become blurs, clouds, and then nothing. The room they are in fades into nothingness, while Itachi's voice resonates in his ears. His brother is still sitting beside him while they float in emptiness. He lifts two fingers and pokes Sasuke in the forehead with a smile curling on the corner of his lips.

"This won't be the last time," he says, before his smile disappears along with the rest of his body.

Now

The blade never hit Sakura.

Just as she arrived in between the two and was about to feel the impact and accept the pain, a blinding light appeared and blocked the attack. Her arms had covered her head, and she had to wait until her eyes adjusted to the white rays to finally decipher what had stopped the attack.

She never expected what she witnessed.

There was another person protecting her from Indra's sword. Her pink hair flowed like Sakura's, long and straight. She wore a similar robe. She caught the blade between her hands, and the sudden move swept the debris that was nearby, making Sakura's ears go deaf for a second. The woman was floating, her feet mere inches off the ground. Her skin was glowing, as if she was a creature from another time and place.

Indra is just as shocked when his sword bursts into little pieces of metal due to the woman's touch. But more importantly, his disbelief comes from her sudden appearance.

"I-Indrani..."

Her beautiful face. Her eyes, nose, lips. The long hair he has always loved. The soft features. Her small hands and feet. Her aura of royalty. It's her. It's his late wife, the love of his life, the real one.

Naruto witnesses the whole scene in disbelief. His arm is still twisted and he no longer glows in yellow and orange flames. The scene that plays out in front of him is one that he will never forget. There is Sasuke, lying on the ground, unconscious and bloodstained. Sakura tries to protect him by using her body as a shield, reminding Naruto of a childhood memory he wishes he could forget. Then there is that strange glowing floating lady who is identical to Sakura-chan, and holds a mighty power that can destroy swords with her mere touch. And Indra, finally, who looks shocked at the sudden appearance of the lady.

"I never thought I'd see this day come," a voice appears by his side.

Naruto turns his head and finds his own ancestor. Asura is floating in the air with his legs crossed, also observing the scene with interest.

"Where'd you come from?"

"Naruto, just watch," Asura points at the scene with his staff.

Sakura now knows it's her. Hana Sakuya, Indrani, her past life. She does not see her face, but Sakura is quite sure that it is exactly like hers. She returns her attention to Sasuke, who lies unconscious. Her thoughts are still fogged, but her heart tells her that the young man lying on the ground is the one for her and she needs to help him. Indra does not seem to notice her sudden change, for he is too focused on Indrani's appearance.

Sakura quickly puts her medical knowledge to use. She remembers her brief journey before arriving in this castle and wishes she had some of the antidote to prevent Sasuke's attacks, but now she is left with her own two hands to solve the problem. And as she reaches for her childhood loves, she begins to panic. His pulse is weak, and his lungs are filled with blood. She tries to pump chakra into his system to restore it, but he is giving out.

Sasuke is hanging on a thread and that feeling of helplessness returns.

"No, no, no, no. Don't do this to me. This can't happen. I love you too much," she murmurs in between chakra dosages. "Sasuke-kun..."

Indra feels her hands cup his cheeks as she used to all those centuries ago. Indrani looks straight into his eyes, and she feels so real. The tip of her noise is close to touching his as their foreheads connect.

"Indra-san, my love."

His knees give out, and he falls on the cold ground while the rest of the castle crumbles in the background. Indrani stands straight and strong in front of him, with the same mysterious power that he never understood she could have. It's that power that makes him weak, vulnerable, yet protected and loved.

"I..."

"It's time for you to come back with me," her sweet voice says. "I am sorry I took so long."

"I thought that..."

She bends down until their faces are on the same level. His late wife looks so sweet and nurturing. So ready to love.

"My love, this has been someone else's plan all along. It took me lifetimes to understand why it happened to us, but now you need to know the truth too."

Now Naruto observes as two women try to save the loves of their lives. They are all one and the same, yet in two different timelines and different circumstances. The effort to try to understand this situation makes his head pound, and he chooses to revisit this scenario later when it is all figured out. For now, he and Asura watch as Sakura and the old Sakura (Naruto, as always, does not remember her name) try to reunite with their men.

Damn. And he thought that travelling to the moon to save his love was romantic.

"She is finally explaining everything to my brother," Asura says. "Our grandmother's plan, the Black Zetsu that infested her body during pregnancy, the Curse of Hatred, and the reason why the Uchiha contracted such a weird disease. Naruto," he turns to his reincarnation, "you asked why I am here. She is the reason as to why it is safe for me to appear in this dimension. As the only person who can bring sense into my brother, she can also bring him the ability to forgive me for the crime I never committed. Funny how different types of love can do that to people."

Naruto looks back at the scene playing out. "Man, this is confusing."

Sasuke floats. His eyes cannot recognize his surroundings, his feet have no ground to stand on, he lies on his back as the space around him remains void. He thinks of his family, of Taka, Naruto, Kakashi, Sakura. Of what he could have left behind. Part of himself does not want to give into death just yet, but he is still trying to figure out which part that is and how long it will be until he is able to go back into the world.

The brief reunion with his family sends him signs that he belongs with them in the afterlife, far away from all the pains that mother cannot protect him from. Yet their encouraging words to keep of living resonate in his ears as a reminder that there is still another chance for his clan to survive.

There is no difference in his eyes when he closes and opens his lids. He feels no physical or emotional pain in his body. At this point, he just exists. He floats in nothingness, feeling nothing.

Then he sees her.

A head of pink hair, a pair of strong arms desperately trying to reach him. She moves her limbs in an uncoordinated fashion, yet she looks just as he remembers her. Red clothing, short hair, black gloves, a hitai-ate, a purple diamond on her forehead. She moves her lips. There is a muffled sound that reaches his ears, and he has to hear it several times to recognize it as his name.

He feels her. He feels her hands reach his arms. She wraps herself around his torso, buries her head on his chest, and makes him feel more complete than ever. They float together, her silenced sobbing trembling on his chest as he protects her with his own arms. He buries his head on her pink hair, finally being able to smell something sweet and pure.

Suddenly they are no longer floating. Sakura's arms disappear from his torso and she fades away. His back feels something cold, hard and uneven, and the heels of his feet are on the same cold ground. His eyes recognize the light and darkness that come with blinking. His head begins to pound. The physical pain comes back and it's almost unbearable.

And he senses a pair of hands on his chest. Green chakra flows through his veins, and it takes him a moment to realize where it is coming from.

"Sakura..." he wants to say her name, but the sound does not reach his ears.

Sasuke hears a short squeal after calling her name. He finally sees her face. Sakura's eyes are red from all the crying, and the trails of tears have smudged the white powder on her face. She looks torn apart, exhausted, frustrated, hurt. And he tries to figure out how she got to come all the way back if she and Naruto were supposed to be far away from the castle, ready to escape.

His mind is still blurred, still trying to understand how he came back from that void space. Sakura saved him, that's for sure. But he still feels too weak to move any of his limbs or to put more than one thought together.

"Please, Indra," he hears Sakura. "I am begging you."

"We will forever be together through them, I can guarantee that," another voice says.

There is no response to that offer, but the relief that comes from Sakura is enough to signal Sasuke that somehow it will all work out. He sees a flash of white light, and then feels an incredible amount of chakra go into his chest. It is so overwhelming that he finds it difficult to breathe at first. Sasuke tries to sit up, but Sakura's arms prevent any sudden movement from happening.

The chest pain is gone. And so is the shortness of breath, the hard time inhaling and exhaling air.

"Sakura," he can finally hear his own voice, "you're heavy."

Thank you everyone for the overwhelming love! Did y'all cry a little on the first part? 'Cause I did haha

Boy oh boy, are we almost finished with this story!?

Sincerely,

MSM