Naruto 1. A Nameless Stranger Appears

**Well, I've been thinking about if for a while now, and I decided, since I love reading time travel fics so much, I would try my hand at one featuring SakuxIta as the main couple, a debut pairing for me. I don't know if I ever mentioned it before, but that couple just seems absolutely adorable to me(I've actually liked it for about a year or two now), which is strange, considering I'm not a real big fan of SasuxSaku. I won't get into why not; there are too many reasons to list here anyway. Instead, I'll just do the disclaimer and get on with the fic.**

**I don't own Naruto…*smiles sweetly, then suddenly, sprouts devil horns and gets demonic voice* if I did, half of my favorite characters wouldn't be**_ dead_** right now, would they?!**

**Note: In this fic, Sakura is one year younger than Naruto and Sasuke. Therefore, she was only six-years old when the Uchiha massacre took place. So I'm sending her back in time approximately one year before the massacre, just to clarify. Itachi is twelve and she is eleven. Oh yeah, and little Sasuke is six.**

**Summary:** After unexpectedly finding a mysterious old scroll while cleaning out some unused rooms in the Hokage tower, Sakura finds herself thrown backwards in time. Ten years into the past as a matter of fact. There, she encounters the Uchiha clan, pre-massacre, along with some other old friends and allies. Now she must learn to readjust if she is to find a way to fix events in the past, set things straight in the future and eventually, return to her own time-period. But a dark and sinister enemy lurks in the shadows, waiting for the right time to strike… Was the whole occurrence really an accident, or is it all part of some elaborate scheme? And if so, who's behind it all and what do they hope to gain?

* * *

**Chapter One**:

_A Nameless Stranger Appears_

**SXAXKXUXIXTXA**

The boy clutched his throbbing ankle and glanced at his brother with watery eyes. "Ouch! Niisan, help me. I…I think I sprained my ankle," he whimpered. "A-And…it hurts…really bad,"

The elder sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose lightly. This is what he got for agreeing to practice throwing weapons with his clumsy little brother. The younger boy was always begging him to help him with his training, and he normally just brushed him aside due to his own busy schedule of exercise, or made up a halfhearted promise just to make his brother stop bugging him, then later, some excuse to get out of it. But today he had been in an unusually good mood. Well, good enough to agree, and thus did his troubles ensue…

They'd had fifteen minutes of extremely light sparring and practicing predicting your opponent's moves and effectively using ninja tools to slow them down or counter any attack they might try to make, he'd decided to demonstrate by idly thrown a blunted kunai knife at his sibling, assuming he'd be able to dodge it in time. Big mistake: **never** assume_ anything_ with a kid like Sasuke. It was likely to save you some grief in the end.

Though he had successfully dodged the kunai knife hurled in his direction with solid centimeters to spare, he'd clumsily tripped over his own two feet, which then sent him toppling over a stray rock that was in his path, and landed them both in their current predicament. Now Sasuke was sitting on the ground, curled up in a ball with his injured ankle outstretched toward his older brother, who had stooped down to inspect and assess the damage, if there really was any. "Where does it hurt?" Itachi asked in his usual monotonous, yet velvety and silky rich voice.

Sasuke sniffled and bit his lip, trying not to cry out again in front of his brother. The fall had not only bruised the young Uchiha's ankle on the way down, but also damaged his little and still developing sense of pride as well. He pointed to a particular spot, barely stifling a small groan of agony, which, despite his best attempts to muffle it, his brother still heard. Itachi noted that the area he had indicated was indeed red and a bit swollen, but remained calm, knowing that acting panicky would only upset Sasuke even more and make matters worse. Quickly gathering up his ninja tools and any other supplies they had brought, Itachi bent down to his brother and hoisted him up onto his back, Sasuke instinctively holding onto Itachi's neck and gingerly wrapping his legs around his waist for balance.

While walking through the thick underbrush of woods that sat on the outskirts of the village, Sasuke began talking nonstop and commenting on almost any and everything that caught his attention or came to mind as they made their way back into the village, toward their family's private compounds.

"You seem to be awfully animated for someone who's supposed to have a severely injured ankle." Itachi mused. "Perhaps I should let you walk the rest of the way home then," Sasuke, knowing better than to test his brother's patience any further, took this has his cue to be quiet. And so for a while, they continued on their journey in silence, crickets chirping, late evening birds tweeting, and the sun starting to sink under the horizon.

Itachi enjoyed the silence, and took the time to start thinking, quickly becoming lost in his own little world. Sasuke, however, felt as if he were about to burst with pent-up energy and was just itching to talk again. But he couldn't think of anything too interesting to say, and he didn't want to aggravate his brother further, for fear he really might decide to leave him alone in the woods, so he kept quiet.

That is until he saw something unusual out of the corner of his eye. He glanced down at his brother, expecting him to take notice of the thing as well, but apparently, he was still too preoccupied with his thoughts to notice. So Sasuke took the liberty of pointing it out, in the urgent, excited and distinctly childish way that most young children would.

"Niisan, hey niisan, look over there! What's that aniki?"

Itachi, unable to ignore Sasuke's sudden outburst, simply because of the sheer amount of noise, followed where his finger was pointing. There, on the ground, loosely curled up in a ball and apparently, out cold, was a young girl around the same age as the elder boy.

Cautiously, he approached her, Sasuke leaning to have a better look from over his shoulder. With keen onyx eyes he carefully scrutinized the girl, taking in her each distinct feature and trying to match her appearance with any he had seen before in the past. By the way she was dressed in a short, bright red utility skirt, fishnet leggings that stopped mid-thigh, long black knee-length ninja boots that clung to her shapely calves, kunai holster strapped to her right thigh, weapons pouch 'round her waist like a belt, and tattered midriff top (1), he could guess she was a ninja.

All that, and the fact that she had a shiny Leaf Village hiate-ate tied in her hair like a ribbon, holding her bangs back. Her hair was a very interesting and distinctive color, one he was sure he'd never forget had he seen it before. Pink. It was a nice shade of light, pastel pink, and currently tied up in a high, messy ponytail with the short, cropped ends spiking out everywhere and a lime green ribbon keeping it in place. Well, sort of.

This was a girl he'd never seen before. And he was sure he'd remember features such as hers. There was just something very…remarkable about them.

Sasuke leaned forward once again to whisper in his ear, as if the sleeping girl might not really be fully asleep, and still able to hear them, or he thought she'd suddenly wake up and accuse them of talking about her behind her back. "She sure is pretty, huh niisan?"

"Yeah, she sure is." Itachi answered back absentmindedly. He was too busy trying to focus on where the girl had come from and what she could be doing there, knocked out and all cut up, alone in the middle of the woods.

"I think she's hurt. Maybe we should take her back to kaasan so she can see if she's okay." Sasuke continued thoughtfully. "And, I think she'd like having another girl around for a while. She's always saying how she wishes she could've had another kid, a little girl."

Itachi nodded, still lost in thought, and stooped down to pick the wounded girl up, noting how she was incredibly light. He resolved to figure things out on their way home, seeing as he was obviously too preoccupied to sort through everything now. So they once again set off toward home and along the way, many villagers and shinobi alike waved and smiled at the two Uchiha brothers as they walked down the streets. Well, Itachi did all of the walking, Sasuke rode contentedly, waving and smiling back. Of course, they also threw questioning and confused glances at the girl he carried, but no one dared opposed them as they sauntered through the bustling evening market areas, taking side roads and short cuts to try and get home faster.

Finally, Itachi walked through the compounds with his younger brother on his back, the unconscious girl in his arms, and as usual, a blank, unreadable expression on his face. He received plenty of curious stares as he continued along but thankfully, no one dared to try and stop him. When he reached their house he saw that the door was open and figured that their mother must've been doing spring cleaning again that day.

He walked through the doorway and expertly used his foot to close the door shut behind him. Then, he was presented with yet another challenge: how to open the sliding screen door that led to the kitchen, where, by the sound and smell of things, his mother was sure to be. But being that he wasn't a child prodigy for nothing he quickly came up with a solution.

"Sasuke, slide the door open," he commanded.

Sasuke leaned forward as far as he could and slid the handle of the door until it was opened up enough for Itachi to stick his foot in and push it open the rest of the way. As soon as they walked through the door, the strong smells of heavy seasonings, boiled herbs, stewed meat and vegetables assaulted their noses, unconsciously making their mouths water and causing Sasuke to lick his suddenly dry lips. There was a woman standing at the counter chopping up onions, leeks, carrots, tomatoes, and other assorted vegetables on a cutting board, then throwing them into a large pot boiling on the stove and was most like filled with thick homemade broth and chunks of freshly seasoned meat. It looked like tonight's dinner would be his mother's famous hardy chicken curry. A personal specialty of hers. But the home-cooked meal would have to wait. Right then, their mysterious pink-haired patient needed help.

Mikoto heard the sliding door open, and figured her sons must be home from another long day of training. She could tell because they always brought the smell of wet earth and fresh outdoor air with them. But little did she know that wasn't all they'd brought home today... "Hello boys, welcome ho-" she turned around, seeing the appearance of her sons for the first time since they'd arrived.

Her eldest son very much resembled a human taxi at the moment, with his little brother clinging firmly to his back, and a strange girl with bright pink hair who she'd never seen before unconscious in his arms. "Oh...I see you've brought home company."

"Kaasan!" Sasuke called urgently, "MeandanikiweretraininginthewoodsandIfellsoniisanhadtocarrymehomebutthenonthewayherewefoundthisgirlandshewashurtsowebroughtherhomeforyoutoseeifshe'sokay." he said in one breath.

Mikoto scrunched up her brow in confusion. "What? Sasuke, honey, please slow down. I can't understand a single word you're saying,"

Sasuke took a deep breath and was prepared to speak again when Itachi suddenly cut in, "Sasuke and I were training in the forest and he fell down and sprained his ankle, so I decided to carry him the rest of the way home. When we were getting ready to leave, we found this girl lying in the forest unconscious, and Sasuke insisted we bring her back here for you to have a look at." he explained calmly.

Mikoto smiled gently, finally understanding Sasuke's great urgency. "Oh, well why didn't you just say so silly?" she laughed cheerfully, then laid down her wooden stirring spoon and walked over to Itachi, looking down at the girl in his arms. "Oh my, she's so adorable!" For a minute, Itachi could've sworn he saw sparkles in his mother's dark obsidian eyes. He really hoped not, since that always meant she was up to something.

"Dinner will simply have to wait," she declared. "It's obvious that she needs to be inspected to see if she's suffered any serious injuries right away." Then, a flash of determination passed through her twinkling black eyes. "Itachi, you take her to the guest room across the hall from yours and stay there with her while I go get my medical supplies."

Itachi did as he was told, Sasuke still hanging on tightly to his back, and carried the girl to the room like his mother had commanded. Shortly afterward, Mikoto arrived with a first-aid kit and began to clean and inspect the wounds. "Poor thing," she cooed softly, "she's got some pretty nasty scrapes here and there, but she should be fine."

Sasuke smiled brightly at this news, happy that they'd found her in time before her open wounds had gotten infected. He sat on the side of the bed next to his mother, who was tenderly dabbing at a long cut across the girl's smooth porcelian cheek, swinging his legs back and forth and watching her work her marvelous medical magic. Itachi stood in a corner near the bedside, leaning coolly against the wall with his arms folded over his chest and watching the scene with blank and disinterested looking eyes. However, if one looked very closely and knew him well enough, they could see a tiny bit of worry and concern shining faintly in his dark obsidian orbs.

"Kaasan," Sasuke suddenly called, once again disrupting the stillness of the solemn silence that had filled the room since the examination had began, aside from the quiet murmurs here and there.

"Yes Sasuke-chan?" Mikoto answered after she'd finished bandaging a badly scratched arm.

"I was just wondering what we're going to call her. I mean, she could be asleep for a while, and it doesn't seem very nice to keep calling her the 'girl' or 'she'."

His mother looked up for a minute, her brow furrowed in a thoughtful look of deep concentration. "Hmm...You're right Sasu-chan. It doesn't really seem right, she is a human being after all, and she should have a proper name. However, since she's currently unconscious, we can't ask her what it is, or anything else about her. We'll just have to think of a suitable name to call her until she wakes up and can tell us what her real name is." she declared, her eyes now sparkling with a look of sheer determination. "Hopefully, she can still remember everything."

"What do you mean by that?" Sasuke asked curiously.

"Well, she has a rather large bump on her head, and I might need to put an icepack on it if the swelling doesn't go down soon... Such big welts in that particuliar location of the head has been known to cause people to temporarily lose their memories." she explained, tenderly pushing the bubble gum bangs out of her face. She had already removed the ribbon and hiate-ate from her hair and set them on the bedside table, causing her hair to cascade down like a soft satiny curtain.

"So...any suggestions?"

"How 'bout 'Pinky'?"

"No. It sounds like you're naming a pet mouse," Itachi quipped, still standing in the corner with his arms crossed over his chest.

"You're right..." Sasuke sighed, somewhat disappointed his brother hadn't approved of his idea. He greatly admired his older brother and was always looking for a chance to impress him.

"What do you boys think of 'Mikoru' then?"

Sasuke leaned over his mother to peer down into the face of the sleeping girl again, then, after staring at her for a few minutes, shook his head "no". "Sorry kaachan, but she doesn't really look like a 'Mikoru' to me,"

Mikoto sighed deeply and hung her head in disappointment. "I know...but...I always wanted to have a daughter named that," she said quietly.

Sasuke and Mikoto then went back into thinking mode while Itachi closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall again. "Oh, oh, I just remembered something!" Sasuke exclaimed excitedly. "There's this girl in my class that kinda looks sorta like her. Her name is Haruno Sakura, like the cherry blossom, and she's got pink hair too!"

Mikoto smiled softly at her second born and gently smoothed his spiky hair, only to have it spike back up on its own as soon as she removed her hand. "Yes, that 's a nice name dear. I like it! How about you Itachi-chan?"

"Hn," he grunted in response.

"Then it's settled: Sakura-chan it is!" Mikoto chirped, clasping her hands together in front of her and smiling broadly. "Now, I have to get back to making the food! You're father will be home for dinner soon and I want everything to be ready by the time he gets here. You know how he gets when he has to wait to eat after a long mission," With that, she stood up in one swift and graceful movement, gathering up the ends of her long dress and shuffling from the room.

"Dinner will be ready in a little while." she called from over her shoulder. "Itachi-chan, why don't you splint Sasu-chan's ankle for me and then help him get ready for dinner. I'll set the table tonight." she winked and rushed down in the hall without waiting for his reply.

Itachi, watching his mother's retreating form, had to stifle a small groan of annoyance. If she was setting the table then that probably meant he had dish duty...And what was worse, Sasuke would always insist on helping. Of course, unintentionally doing more damage then good. The last time they'd done the dishes together, Itachi had been in charge of actually washing the dishes, and Sasuke had to rinse and dry them.

Needless to say, the whole thing ended in absolute catastrophy.

His mother had a fit and very nearly fainted, while they saw red, their father's Sharingan fully activated out of anger, when their parents walked in and saw them both of them soaked from head toe and covered in suds. The kitchen in just as bad a state, suffering from severe water damage. Itachi gritted his teeth at the memory. The very **_bad_ **memory. His father had taken the funds needed to fix the damages out of the money he earned from doing missions.

He was pretty surprised his mother would give them another chance after that. He highly doubted she had forgotten. No, he was_ sure_ she hadn't. But right now at this particuliar time, she was probably too excited with having a new houseguest---new female houseguest---around to care. He was grateful for the distraction, but then again, not really. Thanks to it, or rather her, he got stuck with washing dishes alongside his klutzy little brother. He grabbed up some of the abandon medical things from the kit that his mother hadn't used. Carefully and as quickly as possible, he splinted Sasuke's injured ankle.

"There," he sighed quietly, giving Sasuke another well-aimed flick to the forehead. "I think that ought to do it. Now come on, let's get ready for dinner,"

* * *

Later on that evening, while the Uchiha family continued eating their meal, hazy jade green eyes slowly fluttered open, and Sakura found she had awoken with an enormous-sized headache, possibly the worst one of her life. "Ugh..." she groaned, placing a pale palm flat on her forehead and attempting to sit up, "Where am I? What happened to me? I feel like I just got run over by a fifty ton bullet train going 1000 mph..."

Suddenly, the door slid open, and a young boy about six or seven stepped in carrying a large bowl full of water with a wet rag sitting in it on a tray. He looked up into her bright green eyes, and for a minute seemed to have fallen into a trance, he and Sakura staring at each other in silence. Then he gave a loud gasp and bolted from the room, almost spilling all the water out of the bowl as he went. Sakura stared after him, blinking in confusion. _'Was that...No...it's impossible! But that little boy...he almost looked like...' _

"Sasuke, slow down, there's no need to pull so hard. I'm coming, I'm coming,"

The little boy had returned, this time leading another older-looking boy who greatly resembled the first, into the room. Sakura surveyed the newcomer carefully as he also did the same. He had long silky-looking black hair tied in a low ponytail with thick bangs falling to frame both sides of his handsome, pale face. Thin lines ran down from just below his equally dark eyes, making him seem a bit older than he actually was, and a great deal more severe than the younger of the two boys. His pysche was well-built and rather nicely toned for someone his age, and the intense, smoldering look he gave her sent shivers down Sakura's spine.

After a while of staring intently at one another and not saying anything, he spoke, startling Sakura again with the surprisingly deep, rich tone of his voice. "I see you're finally awake, and a bit sooner than expected I might add. You were in quite a poor condition when we found you,"

"Y-You...found me and brought me here?" she repeated slowly, suddenly feeling unsure of her voice and inexplicably shy in this strange yet alluring boy's presence.

"Yes, you were knocked out cold in the middle of the forest. My brother and I discovered you during training."

At this, the little boy shyly came forward to stare at her with large, innocent black eyes. "H-Hi...I'm Uchiha Sasuke...and this is my big brother Itachi. I hope you don't mind us bringing you here to stay with us until you get better."

Sakura couldn't help but smile at the young boy that seemed to think he was Uchiha Sasuke. he was just too cute! Then what he'd said suddenly registered in her head and she stared, wide-eyed with disbelief shining quite clearly in her lovely mint green eyes. "You're Uchiha...Sasuke...and Uchiha Itachi...?"

"Yes, that's right." Itachi answered for the both of them.

"Then...that must mean...w-where am I exactly?" she mumbled uncertainly.

"You my dear, are in the Uchiha compounds as our honored guests. I am Uchiha Mikoto, and I see you've already met my two sons. So, let me be the first to official welcome you to our honored home!"

Sakura's mind was spinning rapidly, desperately trying to process all the information she was being given. _'There's just no way...no way that I've really...been sent to the past!' _


	2. Illusions and Confusion

**Chapter Two:**

_Illusions and Confusion_

* * *

**SXAXKXUXIXTXA**

Sakura's head was throbbing painfully as she desperately tried to wrap her mind around the situation she had somehow found herself in. She started by trying to calm herself down, telling herself it was harder to think or come up with any rational ideas when she was panicking. Still, she found herself feeling a little frazzled, and understandably so.

Waking up to find yourself in an unfamiliar house that most definitely wasn't your own would make most people feel cautious and maybe even a bit fearful, shinobi or not. Sasuke and his mother watched Sakura with dark eyes filled with concern, as she seemed to become starch white in a matter of seconds, and her cheeks became a bit red, obviously flushed with exhaustion.

Edging slowly towards the bed so as not to startle her too much, Mikoto leaned forward and gently pressed a pale hand to the front of the girl's exposed forehead, only to discover it was burning hot and she was shaking cold.

Finally, it all became too much for her, and Sakura allowed the darkness to consume her as she faded back into unconsciousness. The last thing she heard was the woman's frantic cries. "Oh my," she gasped suddenly, "she's running a high fever! Itachi, quick, run to the kitchen and fetch me some cold water in a bowl with a clean cloth. Hurry!" she commanded, and just like that her eldest son was off in an instant.

Mikoto was busy brushing hair from the girl's face and murmuring soothing words as she pressed a glowing green hand onto the damp forehead and another over the tightly closed eyes, when she felt an urgent tug on her sleeve.

Looking down, she saw her younger son, staring up at her with big, desperately pleading eyes, "Kaasan, what about me? I want to do something to help neechan too!"

Mikoto studied the young face carefully for a moment, then said, "Alright, Sasuke-chan, if you really want to help you can go and get me some herbal cream from the medicine cabinet in the guest bathroom near the front. It's the one in the green jar, remember?"

If it weren't for the seriousness of the situation, Mikoto would've smiled at her younger son's solemn expression as he nodded eagerly, looking like a little wind-up tin soldier marching across the floor. "Green jar, right!" he repeated, rushing out of the room and down the hall at a sprint.

"Don't knock anything over, okay?" she called after him, wondering if he'd heard and where her older son was. It usually didn't take him this long to comply with her commands. Just then, he came walking back in briskly with the bowl of water and the clean, wet rag, a dark aura surrounding him and a deeply set scowl on his face.

His mother eyed him questioningly as he handed the things off to her, dabbing the rag in the bowl several times before wringing it out and laying it across the girl's hot forehead. Once this was done she turned back to her older boy, a confused, worried look flickering in her eyes, "Itachi-chan…what's wrong?"

He snapped his attention back towards her, after busying himself with glaring at a nearby wall until his eyes bled into the angry crimson red of his bloodline limit. Quickly regaining control of his senses and shutting off the ominous power before turning to face his mother, he mumbled darkly, "…Father's home…"

* * *

It wasn't that unusual for Uchiha Fugaku to come home to find his house fairly quiet, with his wife usually cooking in the kitchen, or off doing chores somewhere, his eldest son out training or on a mission, and his youngest son, Sasuke, _attempting _to train by himself, milling around, or harassing his brother for some reason or another.

But today was different somehow…Today the house was cast in a different kind of silence than usual…an almost frantic kind in fact…Taking off his shoes in the front hall and slipping out of his vest and traveling gear to place them neatly in the storage closet of the front corridor, he heard a rummaging sound coming from somewhere to his right, and quickly pinpointed the source and location as his younger son Sasuke.

Walking down the hall and towards the noise where he saw a light was already flipped on, he watched silently from the doorway for a few minutes as his son stood on the closed lid of the porcelain toilet, trying to reach something on one of the higher shelves in the top cabinet above the sink.

Needless to say his efforts weren't really doing him much good as he teetered unsteadily, his little pink tongue sticking out from one corner of his mouth and his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Finally, having had enough of watching the little fiasco, he called out sternly, "Sasuke, what are you doing rifling through the medicine cabinet?"

The boy turned with a start, and seeing his father standing stiffly in the doorway, looking him over with those dark, penetrating eyes, he gave a slight cry of surprise. "Wah! T-T-Tousan, when did you get back?" Sasuke asked in surprise, slowly clambering his way down from off the top of the toilet so as not to agitate his injured ankle.

"Just now, actually… Now answer me boy— what were you doing in the medicine cabinet?" he asked again, something Sasuke knew his father didn't like and usually didn't do.

Even though he knew he wasn't doing anything wrong, Sasuke suddenly felt as if he'd been caught stealing from his mother's purse, and looked away, unable to meet his father's harsh and demanding gaze, fidgeting nervously with the bottom of his shirt. "K-Kaasan asked me to get something for her...that's all..." he answered quietly, not at all like his usual outgoing self.

Somehow, Sasuke always seemed to lose every ounce of nerve, confidence, and backbone he had whenever he was in his father's presence. Fugaku never seemed to notice how much he intimidated his younger son, either that or he just didn't care. "What for?_ You_ don't look hurt..." his father stated sharply, causing Sasuke's head to slump down miserably, a heavy-coated blush staining his cheeks in embarrasment.

Of course his father would assume that whatever it was his mother asked for was to treat _him_. He was practically the only one in the house who ever got hurt. Sure, his father would come home with a scrape or two from time to time, but rarely ever anything he couldn't treat himself.

His mother never really went anywhere outside the compounds, except maybe a leisurely stroll every now and then, but was mostly the gentle and obediant housewife who stayed home and tended to the children and the chores. Maybe a fingerprick from sewing or a small cut from cutting up vegetables in the kitchen every so often, but never anything too serious.

And as for his brother...well, Itachi was like some kind of god. Untouchable. Period. In fact, Sasuke didn't think he could even remember a time when his brother had come home sick or wounded in any way...ever. He wouldn't be surprised if it turned out Itachi had never been injured on a mission, or at all for that matter. He was amazing after all. That's why everyone was always calling him a child prodigy, whatever that meant...Sasuke guessed it was the adult's way of saying he was really smart and strong.

But as for him...he was just your average academy student with good grades and ninja skills that were considered advanced for his age group. Nothing special about that, though. Not when you were an Uchiha anyway. The Uchiha family were a powerful pure-blooded clan of skillful, perfectly-designed shinobi who possessed a rare and coveted bloodline limit known as the Sharingan, a special trait only inherited by a select few. With a pedigree like that, the extraordinary became the normal, and it became that much harder to stand out as a true genius among geniuses.

"Well, boy?" his father's voice cut right through Sasuke's morbid thoughts. "If not for you, and assumingly not for your mother or Itachi, who or what are the medical things for?"

Sasuke shifted his feet several times before answering, still refusing to meet his father's penetrating gaze, "Um...this afternoon me and aniki were training in the woods and we found a girl. She was hurt really bad so...we brought her home and kaasan is treating her now." he explained, looking everywhere but directly in the older man's emotionless, dark eyes.

Fugaku stared his offspring down so hard, Sasuke swore he could see straight through his skin, and wrapped his arms tightly around himself for covering. Finally, after a while of uncomfortable silence, he said, "Where is she?"

Sasuke's young face crinkled cutely in confusion and his eyes reflected his baffled emotions. "Who? You mean kaachan?"

"No, I mean the girl. Where is the girl you brought home?" Fugaku snapped impatiently.

"Oh," Sasuke's eyes shone with understanding and newfound clarity. "She's in the guestroom near aniki's, resting. Kaasan says she's got a fever, though, so she sent niisan to go get some water and I'm supposed to-" the boy gasped, suddenly remembering what he was supposed to be doing.

"Oh no! I forgot about the healing cream!" He looked around frantically, clearly panicking. "Um...Tousan, I know you're tired from your mission, but could you please help me reach the green jar?" Sasuke asked innocently, standing on his tip-toes and pointing up at the shelf the medicine was on. "It's too high for me to reach," he pouted slightly.

Fugaku once again gave his youngest son an unreadable stare that sent shivers down the boys spine, before blinking once and going over to where he stood, reaching above his head and retrieving the jar with ease. "...Is this the one you wanted?"

Sasuke eagerly accepted it and smiled broadly, "Yep, this is the one! Thanks, otousan. I better take this back to kaasan now before she starts to worry too much." He smiled up at his dad again, about to run off, when he was stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder. Sasuke turned to give his father a questioning look. "Otousan?" he asked uncertainly.

"Hold on, Sasuke. I'm coming with you. I want to see this girl for myself. If she's to be staying here, I must make sure she isn't some kind of threat to this family." he stated coldly, and Sasuke flinched visibly at the distant look in his eyes.

* * *

Mikoto continued to dab at Sakura's sweaty face with a cool, damp cloth. "Ssshh...everything will be alright dear," she whispered soothingly, though she wasn't entirely sure if the unconscious girl could still hear her or not.

Itachi stood back in a corner of the room once again, watching silently as his mother treated the ill pink-haired girl. His expression was unreadable, his eyes lifeless and cold. But inside his head, a whirlwind of thoughts kept his mind working in overdrive. His father finally returning home from his mission, how he would react to having a stranger in the house, who the mysterious girl was, and where she had come from, how she'd gotten the leaf headband when he was positive he'd never seen her around the village before, even though she seemed around his age.

Suddenly, as if by magic, a quiet groan escaped the pale, slightly parted lips of their house guest, and vivid jade eyes fluttered open weakly to observe the surroundings with a half-lidded, disoriented gaze. The dark-haired woman stopped dabbing at her forehead to stare in shock and concern, while the son quietly focused his gaze on the girl's pained face, also somewhat startled she had come back to so soon.

They looked on as if in a trance as Sakura's mouth began moving on its own accord, though no words spilled forth from her lips. She continued to mumble mutedly until finally, a tired, broken sentence formed on her tongue. "S-So t-t-thirsty...w-wa-water..." she whispered tiredly, as if even that little sentence had taken more energy than she currently had to say.

Mikoto gently lifted Sakura's weak body up to a slightly sitting position, her head still reclined back on the comfy pillows. Raising a cold glass of water she'd had by the bedside in case it was called for to her lips, she carefully tilted the glass back until the liquid trickled into the girl's waiting mouth. "There, there now...drink as much as you want. There's plenty more to spare." she said gently.

When Sakura had finished off the entire glass, she closed her eyes again, and released a long, deep sigh. "T-Thank you," she murmured. Mikoto smiled warmly, and Itachi just watched the interaction with seeming boredom flashing through his dark eyes. Just then, a small boy came in holding a gree jar of medical cream, with a older stern-faced man right behind him. the mother half turned around at the sound of the son's approach, and gasped quietly as she saw her husband following hot on his heels.

Instinctively moving in front of the bed in an almost protective position before her husband could see, she placed on her sweetest smile of the day to greet him with. She knew he usually wasn't too fond of visitors...which was why she'd have to get him all nice and warmed up first.

But before she could speak, however, her husband beat her to it. "Mikoto, I hope there's a good reason why there is a strange girl lying behind you, because you know how I feel about strangers staying in this house. Especially if they're weak."

Mikoto was just about to respond, when to her surprise, her older son spoke up. "With all due respect, otousan, Sakura-san's skills have not yet been varified, as she has not been able to stay awake for more than a few minutes at a time. Perhaps it is only fair that you allow her to regain her strength and prove herself before making judgments of her skills." Itachi bit back in a cold, condescendingly polite tone.

Mikoto blinked in astonishment, while Sasuke stared open-mouthed in shock and Fugaku gave his son a harsh, steely gaze, which he coolly returned. Itachi had never spoken out of turn before, although he and his father had been known to go back and forth from time to time as of late. This was the main reason why there was usually an air of tension in the house.

Now, with Sakura around, it looked as if the already smothering atmosphere would be that much more suffocating from now on...

* * *

**Yeah, i know it's not the best ending a chapter could possibly have, but still, it stops here. I didn't know how else to end it to tell you the truth, and I was too eager to begin on the next chapter, which will give up a little bit more insight about how Sakura wound up stranded in the past. So hang on 'til then okay. I hope you liked this chapter well enough; i tried my best to make it work without rushing into things too much. Hope i did ok...**

**P.S. Did ya enjoy Sasuke's little scene? I thought it'd add a cute little part and cut some of the drama in the events without straying too far from the plot of this chappy.**


	3. The Nature of Awareness

**Okay, i finally got around to finishing this chapter. Whew! And boy was it long. I revealed a little bit about how Sakura ended up in the past, and tried to include as much interaction between her and Itachi (without going overboard. They did just meet-in the past, as young children-after all. Anyway, standard messages apply: please review, enjoy, etc, etc.**

Chapter Three:

_The Nature of Awareness_

* * *

_Is anything in this world really __**here**__?_

_And if so, if we didn't think it was, would it all…__**disappear**__?_

_Seventeen-year old Sakura was cleaning out the dusty old rooms in the mostly unused half of the Hokage Tower. Because things at the hospital were moving kind of slow lately, Tsunade had assigned her the task of tidying the great Hokage Tower, just to keep her occupied. It wouldn't do to have one of the proudest symbols of Konoha's history, the work place of the village's leader, to be filthy after all._

_So she'd been sorting through old files, sweeping floors, dusting bookshelves, and straightening up things all morning. Now thoroughly tired and pretty hungry, she was ready to stop and take a break for lunch. She set down the feather duster she'd been carrying on a nearby desk and carefully clapped her hands together a few times, frowning scornfully at the thick layer of dirt, grime and dust that covered her palms._

_Sakura walked down the hall and found a bathroom, quickly washing her hands and smiling in satisfaction as she inspected the once again clean smooth skin. She went into Tsunade's office to report on how the clean up job was going to the Hokage. After checking in with her mistress, Sakura decided to head outside for a little fresh air, since she'd been breezing in and out of stuffy old rooms all morning._

_She walked through the bright and busy streets of Konoha, smiling happily and sighing in contentment as the warm sunshine beamed down on her beautiful face. Everywhere she went people were carrying on their duties merrily, children running through the crowds playing tag, parents scolding them and trying to keep them under control while they shopped for groceries, birds chirping, a dog barking, shop owner's advertising their goods to people walking by in hopes they'd stop to buy something, and the occasional shinobi, restocking on supplies or taking a break like her._

_It made her satisfied and proud to see the village where she'd been born and raised bustling with so much life. People smiled and bowed in respect as she walked by and some even stopped what they were doing to wave or call out a friendly greeting. As the Hokage's beloved apprentice, everyone knew and respected her. She was one of the strongest kunoichi, let alone shinobi, in the entire village, and a renowned medic._

_She was just passing by a familiar ramen shop when she heard someone shouting to her, "Oi, Sakura-chan!" _

_She turned to see the unmistakably sunny blond hair of her old teammate and friend sticking up through the crowd, followed by a lazy-looking man with his brown hear pulled up in a spiky ponytail wearing a jonin vest that was currently being dragged along behind him. _

_She grinned widely and waved back as she moved to the side, out of the way of those who were walking by, and waited for them to reach her. When they did, the blond was practically bouncing up and down on his heels, while the brunette only huffed exasperatedly and shoved his hands in his pockets, looking thoroughly annoyed and worn out by the lively blond's antics._

"_Hey, Sakura-chan!" the blond exclaimed, his face lit up by a million-watt smile._

"_Hey, Naruto, hey Shikamaru! What've you two been up to?"_

_Naruto grinned and slung an arm around the grouchy-looking brunette's shoulders. "Oh nothin' much, I just decided to spend some time with my good buddy, Shikamaru here! We've been having fun together all day, right Shika-Shika?" Naruto asked slyly, laughing when he saw Shikamaru cringe at the innocent pet name._

"_Whatever…this moron ambushed me when I was taking a nap this morning, whining about how he couldn't find his 'precious Sakura-chan' and begging me to help him. He's been dragging me all over the village looking for you and making me spend 'guy time' with him. It's been such a drag," Shikamaru stated with another sigh, making air quotations as he repeated Naruto's words before reaching into the front pocket of his vest and pulling out a small, rectangular box, then taking a lighter out of his pants pocket. _

"_I gotta hand it to you, Sakura. Ino's hard enough to deal with on a good day, and I always knew Naruto was a hand full…but he's a different kind of troublesome, and if he normally runs you ragged the way he did with me today…then I probably would've been dead a long time ago," he said, as he placed the cigarette between his lips and lit it. Sakura's smile softened into a sympathetic look as she watched him. _

_He'd picked up the habit of smoking in honor of his late-sensei, Asuma, who'd gotten killed a few years ago fighting the Akatsuki. It was his way of coping. She vaguely wondered if she'd start getting the urges to drink and gamble if something ever happened to Tsunade. _

_She laughed a little at the thought of herself leaning back in a chair, sitting behind the Hokage's desk and downing a whole bottle of sake the way the Hokage often did whenever she was feeling stressed. She was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Naruto calling her name and waving a hand back in forth in front of her face._

"_Sa-ku-ra-chaaan? Helloooo, earth to Sakuraaa? Paging Haruno Sakura, 1, 2, 3," She shoved his hand away and chuckled lightly. Shikamaru just watched them with his hands still stuffed in his pockets and the cigarette dangling from one corner of his mouth, an eyebrow raised questioningly._

"_Cut it out, Naruto," she smiled fondly at the blond before asking, "So where are you guys headed now?"_

"_Well, we were planning to stop for a lunch break and then go back to looking for you. But since I found you, I guess we can just eat and hang out for a while," Naruto replied excitedly._

_Sakura nodded, chuckling at her old teammate's enthusiasm for lunch. "Alright, sounds good. But I can't stay out too long, I've still got to get back to work after this, you know,"_

"_Aww..." Naruto whined, pouting, "Why does that old hag always have to work you so hard? Doesn't she know you have to have time off to hang out with your friends too? It's not fair; I oughtta go down there right now and give granny a piece of my mind!"_

_Sakura shook her head, sighing at Naruto's childish behavior of wanting to have her all to himself. It didn't really come as a surprise. He'd been like this for years, since they were young academy students together. But who would've guessed that nearly twelve years down the road, he'd still be just as hung up over her as ever? _

_Shikamaru sighed tiredly, massaging his temples as he took another drag of his cigarette, "Since all you've really _got_ is a piece, why not just give her the whole thing?" he asked flatly. _

_Sakura laughed at this and Naruto gave Shikamaru a dirty look. "Oh, haha, Shikamaru, you are soo funny. Got any _more_ jokes in the lazy genius's peanut gallery?" he shot back sarcastically. _

_Sakura just shook her head as she watched Naruto yelling and waving a fist in Shikamaru's face threateningly while the unmotivated shinobi simply regarded him with a bored, droopy-eyed gaze, still puffing away on his cigarette all the while. Grabbing a hold of both their arms, she pulled them into the cozy little noodle shop and the pungent aroma of salted pork and miso wafted to their noses._

_They sat down on three stools in front of the counter and watched as the man prepared a steaming hot bowl of beef ramen before handing it off to a waiting customer. Sakura looked up at the menu thoughtfully, trying to decide what she wanted to order. Shikamaru leaned against the counter, his head slouched on one palm, absently fiddling with a pair of chopsticks from the jar on the counter, and Naruto was practically drooling as he stared around at all the other customers happily slurping their lunches, the warming, salty aroma still assaulting his senses._

_A woman that looked to be around her early thirties wearing the shop's uniform apron with her brown hair pulled back in a neat bun came from the back, her face brightening instantly as she saw the trio of young ninja sitting patiently (well, maybe one wasn't so patient) and waiting to be served. "Hello, Naruto-kun, it's good to see you again!" she chirped, before turning to face the pink-haired medic and slacker jonin. _

"_Sakura-san, Shikamaru-san! It's been a while, hasn't it? Naruto-kun's always bragging about you whenever he comes in, he says you've been doing very well with your training at the hospital. And I see you've been appointed to jonin level, Shikamaru-san. Congratulations," she said, bowing._

"_Heh…what's there to congratulate me on? The Hokage's always sending me off on some lame mission, I hardly get the chance to nap like I used to, and I haven't been cloud watching in ages…it's such a total drag…" Shikamaru complained tiredly._

_Ayame gave him a blank stare and Sakura glared at him before elbowing him harshly in the side. "Shikamaru, that was rude!" she hissed, before turning to face the older woman with a smile. "Thank you, Ayame-san. We appreciate your support," she said sweetly._

"_Hey, hey, can we order already, I'm staaarving!" Naruto whined, rubbing his stomach and pouting for emphasis. _

_Ayame shook her head as if to snap herself out of her dazed state, bowing apoligetically and quickly rushing to take and fill their orders. The three sat as they waited for their food to arrive, engaged in an awkward silence as none of them really seemed like they had anything interesting to talk about._

_Finally, Naruto began the conversation by saying, "So, Sakura-chan, besides doing chores for baachan all day, what else have you been up to?"_

_Sakura sighed lightly at Naruto's nickname for the Hokage, knowing that said woman would've knocked him silly if she were there. But having known Naruto for so long, she knew better than to expect any less from the number one hyperactive, knuckle-headed blond of Konoha. If he ever started referring to Tsunade by her proper title and bowing respectfully in her presence was when she would start to worry._

"_Nothing really Naruto." she said with a shrug. "I've pretty much been bogged down with simple housekeeping duties lately. But Tsunade-sempai's supposed to be giving me some time off next week, so maybe we can catch up then." _

_She smiled at the blond and he nodded eagerly, "Sounds great Sakura-chan!"_

"_Whatever…just make sure you leave me out of it…" Shikamaru grumbled beside them._

_Naruto laughed and patted Shikamaru on the back with a few dull thumps, causing the already less than enthusiastic brunette to shoot him a half-hearted glare, "We wouldn't dream of ever leaving you behind, _Shika-Shika," _he replied innocently_.

_Their food arrived shortly after and the small group of three ate their fill in peace, Naruto hungrily gulping down a total of fifteen bowls of ramen and nearly burning his tongue three times before Sakura dragged him away saying he'd get sick if he continued to stuff himself silly._

_After thanking both Naruto and Shikamaru for allowing her to join their meal, she bid them a fond farewell and headed back towards the Hokage Tower to finish off the rest of her work for the day._

_Half an hour later she was standing on a wobbly old stool trying to reach the higher shelves in order to properly dust and reorganize them, when her hand brushed over something cool at the very back of the shelf. Curiosity quickly sparking her ambition, Sakura leaned over ever so slightly, stretching her arm out as far as it would go in an attempt to reach the peculiar yet somehow familiar feeling object her fingertips had briefly grazed._

_She closed one eye in concentration and bit her bottom lip lightly as she felt the texture slip out of reach yet again, trying desperately now to reach the thing without having the whole shelf tip over on her. 'I can do this…almost there…' she mentally coached herself, giving one last groan of effort before snatching the long, tube-like thing just as she lost her balance and fell backwards from the uneven stool, landing flat on her back with a painful thud._

_She groaned, sitting up and attempting to brush herself off, a glowing green hand on her lower back, the area that seemed to hurt the most, and the other pressed flat against the surface that had caused her pain._

_After healing herself, she removed her hand from behind her and sat up slowly, balancing herself with both hands and staring down at the rolled piece of parchment resting in the small crevice of space between her legs._

_She reached out almost unsurely and grabbed the paper that had caused her so much grief, not sure what it could possibly contain_. _Her fingers turned it over gently, saving everything about it to memory as her sharp eyes examined it carefully with the analytical, scrutinizing gaze she had come to be known for in the field. Even without having a rare bloodline limit like the Byakugan or Sharingan, Sakura had always been one of the most observant ninja of the Rook Nine._

_It was a scroll of some kind— that much was obvious. And by the looks of the yellow, weathered state it was in, it was extremely old and fragile, at least several decades or more. But what kind of information could it possibly contain? An old treaty from one of the village's earliest wars? A list of long-forgotten forbidden jutsu? Classified, top-secret information on every great shinobi of the past? The suspense was too great to handle, and without really being able to control herself, Sakura found herself beginning to undo the string that kept the parchment's content enclosed, unraveling it slowly with trembling fingers and bated breath._

_Bright jade eyes scanned the complex series of hand signs encrypted on the scroll, most of which she had never seen before, and her brows furrowed in confusion. It was like a code, and the most complicated one she had ever seen at that. Though she couldn't remember ever seeing a scroll with its own backup security system…whatever was on this scroll must've been exceedingly dangerous or incredibly important. Sakura was guessing both. _

_She put the scroll down, about to turn it over to the Hokage for further examination, when she noticed another smaller piece of paper sitting neatly on the floor that must've fallen out of when she'd unwrapped it. Carefully, she picked the cool, crisp sheet of paper up and began to examine it thoroughly. Though it was probably as old as the scroll itself, the paper was starch white and clean as if it had been somehow preserved from the harsh effects of time. She began to read._

_**If you are reading this, than it means that I am long gone, and fate has chosen you to be the next in line responsible for fixing what I could not. I only hope that this reaches you in time, whenever that may be, as I have no idea how much of it is left, or when the chain of events will repeat. **_

_**More importantly, my partner, Uchiha Madara, who has helped me in founding the shinobi village we now call Konohagure no Sato, is beginning to show signs of treachery. Since I have met him, he has proven to be both a powerful shinobi and excellent diplomat, but also very cunning and secretive at times.**_

_**He believes he should become the new ruler of Konoha, and will stop at nothing to reach this position. Though we had initially thought of having a joint-leadership, it is clear that only one of us could possibly suit this role, and so, after much debating, Madara had departed the village shortly after unlocking a strange new doujutsu known as the Mangekyo Sharingan. And while I know I should feel grateful that his absence has allowed a brief reprieve from the tension on the home front, it would be foolish of me to think the tranquility could be long-lasting, and the not knowing what Madara could possibly be plotting makes me uneasy. But if I know my former comrade, then I'm, sure he will resurface again. **_

_**The First Hokage**_

_Her eyes widened in disbelief and her heart lurched. Her eyes reread the words, and she felt as if she was seeing them, but nothing was really sinking in. Standing up slowly and rolling the scroll back up before tucking it into a side pouch attached to her kunai holster, she began to make her way to the Hokage's office to show her the letter and scroll when she saw something move in the corner of the room from the edge of her eyes._

_Instinctively reaching into her pouch and drawing out three senbon needles, she whirled in the direction she'd seen the movement from, only to be meant with nothing. She eyed the room again carefully, and after a few minutes, warily put her weapons back into the holster. _

_It wasn't until she felt a rush of air behind her that she thought to turn around, only to be met by a harsh blow to the back of her head, causing her to slump to the floor. Above her, an unknown figure, concealed by a hooded black cloak stood smirking over the kunoichi's unconscious form. Sharp eyes narrowed at the sight of the scroll now clutched loosely in her fingers, and he carefully moved it away from her with his foot, stooping to pick it up and clasp it tightly in his own palm._

_He opened the piece of paper, studying it for a moment before a devious glint flashed in his cold eyes. He began to weave hand signs at an alarming speed, far too fast for the normal eye to trace, then, biting his thumb to draw blood, placed the palm flat against the wooden surface while using his other hand to make a strange pattern around the pink-haired shinobi that glowed blue faintly._

_He watched as the whole area began to shine brighter and brighter, illuminating Sakura's pale skin and causing her to appear almost translucent. "Perfect," he whispered, disappearing without a trace._

* * *

Sakura jolted straight forward and her eyes shot open suddenly as she gazed around at her surroundings in panic. She took in her environment before putting a hand to her throbbing head with a low groan. So that's what'd happened… but…there were so many questions left unanswered in her head.

How had she been knocked out and what did she see? What was the ominous message referring to? In her daze, she didn't notice the door slide open and a little black-haired boy come tottering in. His eyes bulged and he gasp as he saw her sitting up in bed with her eyes open, looking weak and barely conscious, but still stable for the most part.

He ran to her side instantly, and she looked down as she finally noticed the other presence in the room. "Uh…h-hello," she said weakly, coughing a bit afterwards. The boy continued to stare at her in awe with the same innocently curious black eyes.

"Y-You're awake…I didn't know if you'd ever wake up. I was scared," he said finally, his head hung low as he remembered how he'd felt strangely anxious and worried about the mysterious girl who he was sure he'd never met before in his life. Still, she seemed so familiar…

She smiled gently down at him, shakily reaching out a hand to place on his shoulder, successfully causing him to look up. "I'm fine. Thank you for worrying about me and allowing me to stay here in your home. I'm very grateful for your hospitality."

For some reason, Sasuke felt his face heating up at the sight of her smiling face and sparkling green eyes. He turned away slightly, hoping she wouldn't notice. "I-it's no problem. When me and niisan found you hurt in the woods, we couldn't just leave you so…we brought you back here. Kaasan says she thinks you'll be able to make a full recovery if you get plenty of rest." he told her, shuffling his feet nervously.

She giggled sweetly, the smile never leaving her face. "You seem to be a very sweet boy. Perhaps you could tell me the name of my brave rescuer…"

At this, the boy's face instantly lit up, his eyes gleaming happily. "I'm Sasuke of the Uchiha clan!" he stated, proudly pointing to himself with a smile that stretched all the way to his ears.

"Ah…" she nodded knowingly, her eyes now glassy and her expression nostalgic. "I see." Seeing the young Sasuke like this sent a rush of mixed emotions surging through her.

She was grateful for the opportunity to see her teammate and longtime crush like this. He was happy, and innocent and carefree, the way a child should be. However, it broke her heart to know that innocence would be stolen away from him, and that the Sasuke she'd grown up with was so much different than this energetic young boy.

She was broken away from her daze by the sound of a young voice calling to her. "…okay?" She looked up to see Sasuke watching her with concern clearly visible in his large dark eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I must've been daydreaming...what was that?"

"Are you okay? You looked really sad…is something wrong?" he leaned over and took one of her hands in his, lightly tracing over her fingers.

She smiled down at him, using her free hand to gently smooth his hair. "It's nothing, Sasuke-kun. I was only thinking, that's all,"

She smiled reassuringly and he slowly returned the look. Seeming him so happy made her desperate to find a way to preserve his happiness and protect him from the dangers she knew lay ahead. But wait…if she was really in the past…then maybe she could help!

'_That's it! While I look for a way to get back to my own time and try to figure out whatever it is that's going on here, I can help make sure Sasuke-kun is safe, and maybe even spend a little time getting to know his family. His mother seemed nice, maybe she'll let me stay her for a little while._' she thought excitedly.

"By the way, what's your name, neesan?" the dark-haired child asked suddenly. By this time he had scrambled onto the bed and was sitting with his legs folded underneath him, now quite comfortable talking to the pink-haired girl.

"Oh, erm…" Sakura thought, wondering if she should tell him her real name or make something up. What if the younger was here in this time as well? Would it mess up the time-line if there were two Sakura's…? This thought had never occurred to her before, but she couldn't help but think of it now.

"a-ah…I…my name is Sakura," she said at last, deciding not to tell anyone her surname. "Just Sakura,"

"Really?" he asked, seeming interested. "There's a girl in my class at the academy named Sakura, too! And she has pink hair just like yours! Are you related…?" he tilted his head to the side, curiously.

Sakura felt her heart speed up as she began to panic. _Now_ what should she say? As she fumbled around for an excuse, Sasuke waited eagerly, and her anxiety grew at the thought of lying to such an innocent child.

She bit her bottom lip nervously. '_To tell or not to tell…aargh! What should I do?_' she wailed mentally, inwardly bonking herself on the head repeatedly and pulling at her hair in frustration.

"Sasuke, I hope you aren't pestering our guest," A smooth voice from the door cut in, much to both her and Sasuke's surprise.

She looked up to see the elder Uchiha brother leaning casually in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. His face was as impassive as ever as he stared straight at her, causing Sakura to shiver involuntarily. For some reason whenever he looked at her it felt like he was seeing through her.

"Aww…but niisan, I was just talking to Sakura-neechan," the young boy replied, pouting at the implication of him being a nuisance. He slowly climbed down off the bed, shuffling his bare feet glumly.

"Sakura-san needs her rest. You shouldn't bother her," he continued, his tone stern and reprimanding.

Sakura, seeing Sasuke's gloomy face, decided to speak up. "Oh, he's not bothering me, seriously!" she managed to wave her arms in front of her with much effort for emphasis. "In fact, he was keeping me company. Right, Sasuke-kun?" she glanced down at him with a knowing smile, and he gladly returned it.

"Yeah!" Sasuke chirped, eagerly nodding his head in agreement. "See, niisan, I told you Sakura-neesan didn't mind!"

"Hn," Itachi grunted, closing his bottomless eyes. "Sasuke, why don't you go to the market and tell kaasan our guest has finally awoken. I'm sure she'll be eager to hear about Sakura-san's condition. And she'll need to know how much food she should fix for dinner tonight."

At the mention of food, Sakura's stomach gave a loud rumble of complaint and she suddenly realized how hungry she was, not having eaten a decent meal in at least a day in a half or more.

Sasuke stared at his brother skeptically, not wanting to leave Sakura's side after having found a new friend in the mysterious kunoichi, but he decided to comply anyway, for Sakura's sake. If she was still sick or there was anything even mildly serious that needed treating, his mother was the only one in the household fit for the job.

He pouted sulkily in defeat, before shooting his brother a warning look "Fine, but you'd better not do anything bad to Sakura-neechan while I'm gone!" he huffed out, marching out of the room to put on his sandals. With Sasuke gone, the room suddenly seemed full of an almost suffocating amount of tension.

Sakura felt her heart give a sudden jolt before sinking somewhere deep into the pit of her empty stomach at the realization that she was alone with Uchiha Itachi, future S-ranked criminal and mass murderer. He may not have developed his ultimate doujutsu, the Mangekyo Sharingan, or betrayed Konoha yet, but the fear was still there.

His dark eyes once again fell upon her as he actually pushed off the wall to walk over to her bedside, Sakura's heart beating faster and wilder with each step he took. It didn't matter that she too was an elite ninja of the village and one of the select few ever chosen to train under the legendary sanin and Fifth Hokage, or that she had long-since surpassed her mentor and hailed as one of the greatest medic nin of Konoha's history.

Right then, at that precise moment, she was just a scared, confused preteen girl that had somehow been mysteriously sucked into the past and found by the now extinct Uchiha clan. And as such, she was finding out through the traumatic experience of meeting a younger but nonetheless frightening Uchiha Itachi that her eleven-year old heart was subject to all the same old irrational fears and insecurities, and plagued by the same feelings of helplessness and inadequacy.

_Ba-dump_

"…So, Sakura-san…"

'_No, stay back you psychotic murderer!'_

_Ba-dump_

"I've never seen you around the village before, yet you were wearing the Konohagakure headband when we found you…"

_Ba-dump… Ba-dump… Ba-dump… _Her pulse rate skyrocketed even faster than before_. _Had he really found out her secret?

Then, at the mention of the forgotten accessory Sakura gave an involuntary gasp and her hand flew to the spot where the shiny metal plate of the hiate-ate would usually be, only to be met with the soft yet slightly gritty texture of her soiled pink hair instead. '_M-My headband…what the hell did that bastard do with my headband?'_

"Please don't panic, Sakura-san. Your forehead protector is with your other belongings, folded on the pile of clothes you were wearing when we found you,"

'_Oh…well that's a relief…wait!'_

_Ba-dump_

'_W-wait…then that means, under these blankets…I…'_ she quickly yanked up the covers, only to find that she was in a plain navy yukata that definitely didn't belong to her. Her panic swiftly turned to anger at the thought of Itachi doing the unthinkable.

As she attempted to fight back a startling amount of inner rage, an old familiar presence began to stir and bubble up again. '**CHA! THAT BASTARD IS SO GOING TO PAY FOR THIS!**' a familiar voice exclaimed inside her head.

'_I-Inner Sakura? Is that really you? But I thought you…I mean I haven't heard from you in years. Why did you suddenly pop up again now?'_

'**Well, after you started to train with Tsunade and got stronger, I figured you were mature enough to handle yourself without me, so I let you absorb all my strength and disappeared into the very deepest parts of your mind. But since your suddenly back in your old body, I've somehow been released again. So I guess that means I'll be kickin' it with you for awhile, just like old times!'**

'_Oh, gee, great_!**'**

'**Oi, sound a little more enthusiastic here, will ya?' **her inner self barked. **'I'm here to help you out!' **

Sakura couldn't help but mentally roll her eyes. In the past, whenever her inner had decided to "help" like temporarily taking control of her body and making her do and say all kinds of crazy things, it only ever seemed to make matters worse. It wouldn't be good to draw anymore unnecessary attention, especially considering where she was—or more like, _when_ she was.

'**Hey, stop spacing out; you're making weasel boy suspicious. Now hurry up and ask him about the clothes! We should give him a piece of our mind!**'

Sakura came out of her private chat with her alter ego to see Itachi was indeed eying her with the utmost scrutiny, his expression unreadable as he seemed to effortlessly search the deepest contours of her heart and soul just by glancing in her eyes.

'_Amazing…even without having developed the advanced Sharingan techniques yet, he's still able to penetrate so deeply into a person's soul, just by __**looking**__ at them!'_

"Er…uh…Itachi-san, was it?" she asked, making sure to sound uncertain and dazed, pretending to be unaware of who he really was, just as she had done with Sasuke. He nodded, silently waiting for her to continue. "I know this might sound like a weird question…but did you…"

Even though she'd been initially beyond ready to explode, Sakura felt her words begin to falter on her tongue as she tried to remain confident while making eye contact with the infamous young Uchiha prodigy. Needless to say, it wasn't easy. "er…did you…" she trailed off, too embarrassed to continue anymore.

"No," was the simple response.

"Eh?" was the retort.

"No. I did not undress you, if that's what you're wondering. Kaasan took the liberty of changing your clothes for you while you slept when she saw how soiled yours were," he explained shortly.

"Oh…" Sakura mumbled, flushing bright cherry red. She was ashamed that she'd immediately thought the worst of him, even if he was technically still a criminal. Well, at least in her time.

"Sakura-san…I wanted to ask…you're a kunoichi, and you look to be around my age, maybe a little younger, so why have I not ever seen you before?"

'**Quick, quick! Think of something, Sakura, before he figures out we don't belong here!' **inner Sakura screeched.

'_Shut up, you! You're not helping the situation! And I don't think **anyone **would ever guess we're from the future in a million years, so just chill out, pop a few PMSing pills, and give me a chance to think!'_ Sakura mentally yelled back.

"Uh…I…I've been away for a long time…on a…mission…"

'**Nice save!**'

'_Yeah, but did he buy it?_' she wondered to herself, noting Itachi's unreadable solemn expression, as if he were thinking over all the possibilities surrounding her appearance in his head.

"I see..." was all he said. Sakura gulped inaudibly. There was no way of telling what he was thinking from that short reply.

There was an awkward silence, and Sakura began to feel uncomfortable. But before she could say anything, a startling puff of smoke filled the room, and before she knew it, an ANBU was standing in the middle of the room, wearing the standard uniform she had seen so many times before.

"Itachi," he spoke in a voice that was clearly male, only slightly muffled by the porcelian of the mask. "You're requested for a meeting with your father and the Hokage at the Tower in no less than two minutes."

He relayed the message almost robotically, either not noticing Sakura, or not caring to, which Sakura suspected it was a bit of both. Shortly afterwards, the man was gone in a matter of seconds. Sakura watched the Uchiha's expression carefully, noticing how his face visibly darkened and for the briefest of nanoseconds, his eyes flashed with the unmistakable, chilling look of contempt.

He clearly loathed the idea of having to go to the Hokage Tower for the meeting, but understood that there was nothing he could do about it except obey. Perhaps one of the hardest parts of being a shinobi-not having any real control over one's destiny when it came to following orders.

"Forgive me for my inhospitality, Sakura-san, but it seems I must take my leave. When Sasuke returns, tell him where I am..." he stated, his voice cold, not even a hint of the slight curiosity or attentiveness that had been in his tone mere moments ago. Then he too disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Sakura felt goosebumps prickle her skin and a wave of shivers run up her spine as she thought about the look he'd had in his eyes right before leaving _'So those were the eyes of a mass-murderer...' _she thought, before everything spun into darkness again.


End file.
