You Never Had Wings
Sakura looks around her room not remembering half the decor that is strewn around it. Most of it dainty and pink but some of it looked to be imported from other nations. She looks at herself in the mirror and notices her hair is still pink and her face and eyes are the same.
Her strength of a hundred seals is still on her forehead so… Thank Sage of Sixth path for that... or maybe Kami... who knows who she should curse or bless right now. She rubs her face, this is horrible. Waking up earlier she had immediately threw up on the floor, the shock overwhelming her when she looked down at her young body.
It only felt like a second ago she was twenty-six and with her dead and dying teammates ready to ascend to the afterlife where they could FINALLY rest after the ten year war they endured. But no, she laughs bitterly, there's never rest. And for all she knew it could have been a second ago! When she tries to remember her last dying breaths her memory goes fuzzy. She recalls Naruto beside her bleeding out but so was she and they both layed there staring at each other, but then what? Was her Naruto here as well?
This was not what she was expecting to see after death… no… This is Hell.
This room is not hers because key items are missing, namely a picture of her teammates. Big red flag. Another is a picture of her family. Flag number two. And unfortunately last and definitely least is her variety of ninja gear.
Fortunately not all of it is missing, she thinks as she finds a pouch holding a measly amount of kunai in it out of her dresser.
So she must be at least on her genin team already if not chuunin. She peeks out her bedroom window to see if she can notice any changes but nothing stands out and dread spikes through her even more as there is nothing helpful such as a diary in her bedroom to help prepare her for what is out there. She curses this Sakura… she was never one to write her feelings but… ugh it would have helped this time. The first thing she did was try to break whatever jutsu this could be, and that didn’t work but it didn’t mark it off her list.
She can't really be back in time can she? This isn’t her childhood room so it can’t be her past.
She enters the kitchen to find her father sitting at the table with a coffee in hand and a paper in the other.
Sakura doesn’t have the time to appreciate seeing this version of her father as he decides to flip shit half a second later. He throws his mug and paper down, hot coffee spills across the table and onto the floor as he glares up and down at her uniform. Her father's long string of curses boom through the kitchen.
“Your mother died asking you to stop being a shinobi, and you spit on her grave!” He yells at her then stalks forward grabbing her shirt.
She freezes as what he has shouted registers. Her mother is dead? Her hands go up to his that are fisted in her shirt, trying to get him to release her.
“You’re disrespecting her memory continuing this act of yours when you should be helping me with the family business. The same business your mother died for! You’re no daughter of mine, now get out!”
Sakura stares at her father’s fury steadily growing but she’s too shocked to move, too numb to think. Her brains on overload trying to think of possible scenarios where this could be real. And what are the chances the day she 'transfers' into this altered shit-hole dimension that she is also on her father's last nerve?
Now's not the time, she tells herself as she feels him pulling and shoving her to the door. She tries to resist and continues to hold the man’s arm all the while.
Sakura doesn’t know what could have happened to her mother because judging from what she glimpsed at earlier it doesn’t look like war time. She may be wrong but she highly doubts it from all the smiles she saw. Then again they do live in the civilian district and the dark shadows under her father's eyes tell a different story.
Her father's patience breaks at her silence and he grabs her arm hard and pulls her to the front door down the hall.
She firms her feet to the floor while pulling back, “What does being a shinobi have to do with anything? Father!”
He doesn't answer her, his scowl somehow deepening and continues to drag her towards the door.
She continues to try and get him to stop but reluctantly lets herself be dragged, “Please! Father! What do you mean?”
Damn it all, she needs answers!
“What! You dare-! You disgraceful child! Those pathetic excuse for shinobi that were supposed to protect your mother shows how weak Konoha’s shinobi training is! All they could do was bring her back half dead, you think they had a scratch?! Your poor mother is rolling in her grave with your ignorance, Sakura!”
Her father swings the door open and shoves her out with a rough hand. She nearly crashes on her face but catches herself and turns around, “Wait, father!”
The door slams shut and the people outside notice their commotion and become quiet. She looks around at the civilians staring at her, a few whispering and others going on their way. Suddenly remembering her seal she takes her hitai-ate and ties it so it’s covering her forehead. Sakura stands straighter and goes to the door and knocks lightly.
Her father was never this way, he was kind and forgiving and understood her reasons for being a kunoichi. But he never lost his wife… She feels sick to her stomach as she stands there waiting and dreading this new life she finds herself in.
She knocks harder this time. “Father! Please open the door! I'm sorry!”
“Sakura?” She turns around quickly, eyes falling on the white hair, the mask, and the Icha Icha book. Well at least one thing remains the same, she lets out a chuckle feeling a tad better.
“Kakashi…ah..”
She hesitates to call him Sensei and looks back to the front door to make it look like she’s too pre-occupied to address him properly. Maybe he will give her a hint what their relationship is here.
“You’re late to training, everything alright?” Kakashi asks.
She smiles widely, eyes squinting so as not to have to look him in the eyes “Ah, sorry Sensei! I didn’t mean to, let’s go!”
Kakashi puts his book away which has Sakura straightening up as she lets him take the lead. He only put away that stupid book when he was actually paying attention which is never a good thing when you’re the focal point. They walk together in silence, Sakura following close behind him, his broad shoulders and back are straight and tall. She seriously already fucked up somehow. They get to the training ground, their same training ground and she starts to think that maybe this is just a weird dimension. Maybe not an evil jutsu… Okay, so far so good. She spots Happy Orange Naruto and Angry Dark looking Sasuke sparring. Normal. Nice… colors are matching… even better…
Sakura takes a deep breath and turns to find Sai right next to her, she yells and throws herself back, her hand automatically reaching for her kunai but they aren’t there.
“Sai, what the hell!”
Judging by all their ages they are definitely well before when they originally met Sai! But they are all old enough to be chuunin. Sai didn’t turn up until much later so she’s either in a different dimension or jutsu. Or her favorite.. Hell. She tries her best not to groan. What if they haven’t been introduced yet, what if his name isn’t Sai.. what if..
“Weirdo.” Sai smiles, his eyes glittering with mirth, “I was beside you for at least a minute and was unnoticed. You lack awareness as usual. I guess that’s what we’ll work on today.”
Sakura looks over at Kakashi who is back to his book but nods from behind it. “Begin training.”
Sai doesn’t waste a second and begins his attack, his fist flying beside her face as she narrowly dodges. Sai and her hardly ever sparred during the last war because with all the attacks there was never any time between strategizing for the next attack, cremating their friends, and healing. She falls back, blocking his next strike with her forearm and swiping her leg to his shin but he jumps back. As his offense becomes defense the bright sun seems to fade and the beautiful greenery around her becomes ash. The face of Sai becomes a mask of hatred, dead and cold, just another tool of Danzo’s.
“No!” She yells and slams the ground with her chakra fist causing the ground to break and crumble. Sai falls back but is caught by surprise and by shards of rock flying up catching the side of his face. He wipes his face, blood smearing over his forehead. Sakura uses his distraction to her benefit and grabs him by the shoulders and throws him down, his body slamming with a thud. A loud groan escapes him, she vaguely hears others shouting.
She sharpens her chakra into scalpels and starts to go after his main arteries but only just missing each time as he blocks and twists from each strike. Sai rolls into a crouch and throws several kunai at her but without the intention to maime it’s pointless. Sakura feels herself slowing down while dodging the kunai making it so the poor bastard has a chance but it only seems to frustrate them and they go back to using a more non-lethal tactic. As she dodges Sai’s roundhouse kick she notices a blur beside her, a swirl in the eyes that’s reminiscent of her fight with Obito and it triggers her to drop her eyes to their feet immediately. Judging by their chakra signature three more ninja have joined the fight but it’s too hard to focus. Is this even real? Why do they seem familiar but unrecognizable? She jumps into the trees trying to recollect her thoughts as her mind is fighting to gain understanding of the situation. Her brain feels like it’s on fire. Didn’t she die already?
A fist grabs her shirt and forcefully turns her around, her eyes catching a glimpse of a sharingan beginning to twirl, she focuses on their lips. “Stop Sakura!”
She grabs hold of their arm to hold them still as she knees them in the stomach. He blocks her attack, slamming her knee back down and smashing her forcefully into the tree beside them. Her breath is knocked from her and for whatever reason they don’t attack her again as she regains it.
It’s gotta be Obito! Which means this has gotta be a jutsu… Her teammates are dead!
“I’m going to kill you! I knew! I knew this had to be you!” She struggles in their powerful grip and takes her head and crashes it into theirs sending them to the ground giving her time she launches into her next attack slamming the ground besides them. One of the other ninja’s grabs hold of their comrade before they’re crushed into debri. Sakura jumps back away from the devastation around them to avoid getting sucked into the dirt.
One of the ninja attacks her while she’s too busy eyeing the other two. His fist hits into the side of her face hurtling her to the ground, and soon after crashing into it, she’s being restrained by them. One of them is holding her arms while the other is holding her legs down with all their weight.
She snarls unseeingly at them, blind with rage. “I’ll kill you! Just wait!” She yells.
Sakura’s face turns from the force of someone smacking her, her stunned expression breaks with laughter, that’s the best he’s got? Smacking her face? She turns her face back at them and spits aiming for their eyes and as they blink she bucks her hips with all her strength throwing the one from her legs and then twirls her hips rotating her leg in a kick that sends the one above her flying to the ground. Whoever was holding her arms has let go, giving her the opportunity to spot an abandoned kunai and grab it. She flash steps behind one of the ninja and puts the kunai to their throat, its blade gently digging in by the edge.
“Sakura-chan,” The ninja says, pleading. “Sakura-chan, please snap out of this!”
She pauses, her hand trembling at the voice. She knows that voice, it’s Naruto’s.
Sakura focuses on the ninja before her but all that she can see starts to become blurry. The static surrounding her starts to increase in volume. Her body is exhausted and in an instant someone decides now is the time to knock her out. Pitiful, her last thought before it goes black.
Kakashi, Sai, Naruto and Sasuke stand around their pink-haired teammate while catching their breath.
“That was a workout for once. She really flipped shit today.” Sasuke huffs staring down at Sakura then looks over at Sai’s disheveled form laying on the ground beside her. “She almost blew your head off Sai… what did you say to her?”
“I might have insinuated she needed to work on her awareness…” Came the bland reply.
Sasuke smirks, “Is that really all?”
“And see how that worked out! This was exactly why I said that me and Sakura should train while the two dickbags train together!” Naruto glares at the impassive ninja. “Calling her Weirdo doesn’t help either Sai! Just so you know, ya know!”
“It’s funny that you call me a dickbag when I call you dickless. Jealous?” Sai stands up and rubs the side of his neck feeling relieved when he realizes he wasn’t cut.
Naruto barks out a laugh, “Next time Sakura tries to kill you, I think I’ll let her!”
“There’s more to this,” Kakashi sighs and bends down to feel Sakura’s pulse. “We’re lucky it was us that caught her at a bad time. If this was anyone else…”
Kakashi closes his eyes briefly to gather his thoughts. This could have ended very badly, not only did his student exhibit techniques he’s never even seen her use but also experience he knows she’s never had. On top of that she was clearly experiencing PTSD. There are too many red flags and if he was a good Sensei he would be carting her off to the hospital or T&I.
“Where did she learn that flash step, Kakashi! I’ve been asking you for months! And you’re obviously training her outside of our training, you see all those new moves!” Sasuke gripes and walks from their semi circle around Sakura, he’s over it now. “I really didn’t want to badger my brother since you’re supposed to be a Sensei and all, but I guess I have no choice.”
“If you’re asking him you better let me tag along! Sasuke, I will beat your ass if you don’t!” Naruto turns after Sasuke. “I’ve also been begging ‘Sensei’ and he keeps telling me my dad won’t let him, which I know is BULLSHIT! We want new techniques! We want new techniques!” Naruto starts to chant while throwing his fist in the air.
“Would you shut up!And my brother has enough to deal with let alone you!” Sasuke growls. “Besides I’ll be lucky if he even teaches me anything.”
The two begin bickering and Sai’s laughter has them both turning. “Wow.” Sai shakes his head and laughs even harder. “And here I thought Sakura was the useless one on our team.”
“Sai, you’re a genius!” Naruto shouts and jumps up running over to Sai and smacking his shoulder. “You can have your stinkin brother teach you! I’ll just ask Sakura-chan heeeheee!”
Naruto starts to do a victory dance while Sasuke glares at Sai who looks put off staring at the over joyed blond.
Kakashi runs a hand over his face and then shakes Sakura a bit to wake her. “Wakie wakie, Sakura-chan!”
She groans and rolls on her side. “No….”
“No… time to face the sun shine, we have a mission tomorrow and I need to brief you guys.” Kakashi says poking her cheek. Sakura sits up, her hair out of place, her eyes dead and her skin pale. She looks like shit.
“Sakura, are you okay? And hey, you know, that flash step was cool can you teach me!? Today, right now, as soon as you’re ready! I’ll do anything!” Naruto kneels beside her and pats down her hair.
“Naruto..” Sakura says and lets a moment of silence follow after. It takes only a second to realize she fucked up and completely lost it during the spar. She hadn’t even recognized them. She looks up at Naruto when his eyes catch her breath, she takes in the bright blues glimmering before her with a bleeding heart. She stares at his smile and then at his fox scars marking his face. The light, and the life shining on his face at this very moment so incomparable to what they became after all those years in war. She never thought she would see his eyes like this again. Overwhelmed by grief she throws herself at him, pulling him into a tight hug. “Oh Naruto! Kami, I-” I’ve missed you so much. I love you so much.
Sakura can’t stop the emotions that begin to spill over the breaking point, sobs burst from her mouth and her chest and her body shakes into Naruto’s. Naruto’s grip around her tightens and he slowly begins to rock her back and forth while trying to calm her down but she cannot hear him. There’s another hand on her shoulder that she can tell is Kakashi’s. She sniffs and removes herself from Naruto’s embrace and looks down at the ground.
“I’m sorry.” She croaks and tries to laugh but it comes out meek and garbled. “I don’t know what came over me. Must be that time of the month, right Sai?”
Sai looks horrified and the others not much better, unsure if they should laugh. She laughs in earnest this time but more so because she is recalling her own teammates. Sai would blatantly point out to the team whenever Sakura would go on a rampage that it was her time.
‘Must be her time of the month.’ He would joke to Naruto who would smack Sai across the head.
‘Don’t talk about her like that!’
‘Thanks Naruto, hey let’s go get some ramen!’
‘Hell yea!’
Sakura blinks herself from the memory and looks over at Naruto who is looking very concerned and ready to say something, she cuts him off.
“Well, that made me famished!” She chuckles and stands up with Naruto. She catches Kakashi’s uncomfortable eye and then Sai’s and lastly Sasuke’s before looking back at Naruto. “Ramen? Then you can go over that mission, Kakashi!”
Sakura doesn’t wait for an answer, but Naruto shouts in agreement and follows behind her. Kakashi, Sai and Sasuke watch after the two.
“Looks like she doesn’t consider you a Sensei either.” Sasuke says. Kakashi rolls his eye, “Let’s go eat.”
Sakura walks towards Ichiraku’s remembering it was just after the clothing store where her and Ino would frequent when she hears Naruto call after her, she stops and turns around. Naruto is stopped a ways behind her waiting for her.
“Where ya goin Sakura-chan? I thought we’re goin to Ichiraku’s!” Naruto shouts.
“Of course!” She turns around and starts to follow him, the others watching her suspiciously at this point.
…
When they’re done eating Naruto stands up and stretches, “Well I better get going my old man is prolly wondering where I am! Bye you guys!” And takes off.
“Bye…” Sakura stares after him. Old man? She looks down at her half bowl of ramen.
It feels like a lifetime ago she ate at Ichiraku’s. She blinks back her tears, it tastes exactly the same as she remembers. She recalls one of the last times she had it she was with Naruto, Sai and Kakashi and it was supposed to be Kakashi’s treat but he took off before he honored that promise. It was one of the best remaining memories of normalcy she had from that time. After that Kiba was brutally killed and no one knew how or why, and that was the beginning..
The ramen was beginning to turn in her stomach. She looks over at Sasuke who also stood up and flinches when she realizes he’s staring at her intently.
“What?”
“What’s wrong?” Sasuke asks her and Kakashi and Sai turn and look at her as well.
“It’s really nothing… Thanks for the meal!” She gets up and takes off towards her house.
………….
She makes it to her room by-passing the front door by just going in through her bedroom window only to crash right into her father who is in the process of dismantling her room. She takes a step back and stumbles over boxes filled with her stuff. She embarrassingly enough falls on the floor when she stumbles into another box of shit.
“Kami fucker!”
“You!” She looks up at her fathers furious face.
“Heya…. Father! I can explain! I was just coming to collect some stuff, thank you for packing!”
Sakura scrambles to her feet and quickly looks through the boxes as she dodges her fathers advances to push her out of the room. He gets her arm and tries to drag her out again only this time she uses her actual strength.
“Now father, I will not hesitate to knock you out if you don’t stop this. I am leaving but you need to let me get my shit!” She shoves him hard sending him flying back and into the wall and crashing into it.
“If your mother was alive-“
“Well she’s not, so.” She cuts him off while looking through another box.
What a pain, there was no organization now and most of what she was looking at was clothes that weren’t going to be useful and other mundane items. None of this looks like there is anything worth salvaging either.
Her other dimension father storms out of her room and down the stairs cursing all the while.
Sakura takes a deep breath and closes her eyes.
Tap tap. Tap tap.
She turns and looks out her window and finds her masked Sensei. He waves as she turns to him.
“Sensei?” Sakura goes to her window and opens it letting him in.
“Sensei what’re you doing here?” She whispers before going back to looking through her other selfs worthless shit. She can’t find the kunai pouch from earlier either… Unless it’s somewhere around but is hidden under the mess of other stuff.
“I’ve told you before. I am here for you Sakura.” Kakashi says kindly.
Sakura stops and looks up at him. “Good, wanna try and help me find some gear in this mess? I don’t even know if it’s in here. Ugh! This is so annoying!” She knocks over the box dumping everything out and once again finding nothing.
Kakashi’s eye widens as he really takes notice of the disaster of her bedroom.
“You really need to clean your room.” Kakashi dead pans before starting to search.
Sakura scoffs and picks up a pile of clothes and throws it at him. A pair of her panties catching in his hair.
“What in Kami’s name is taking you -“ Her father barges in, his eyes bulging out of his head as he takes in Kakashi’s appearance decorated with her undergarments.
“Uh, this isn’t what it looks like!” Kakashi puts his hands up and quickly throws the pink panties off his head.
Sakura snorts into her hand, “Oh Sage!” She dissolves into a fit of laughter.
“Get out! The both of you! NOW!”
………….
Sakura finds herself at her Sensei’s apartment looking around with curiosity.This Kakashi still had his plant and his collection of Icha Icha books. She goes over to check if Jiraiya issued the same books as his counterpart. She can’t help the gasp that leaves her as she picks up the sixth book. She knows Jiraiya passed away before publishing a sixth one. Another thing she doesn’t know what it could mean.
She reads the cover with shaking hands.
Icha Icha Great Escape
Is this a sign?
Was the Sixth Sage mocking her?
“You read them?” Kakashi asks her jolting her from her thoughts and she quickly puts the book back.
“Oh, just uh surprised there’s a sixth book is all! I thought he only wrote five!” She laughs wiping her hands on her shorts, “When was that published?”
Kakashi looks surprised, “Not long ago. You can borrow it if you want. I honestly prefer-“
“Paradise!” She can’t help but shout and burst into laughter at his reaction.
“How’d you-“
“I have a bet with-… with, eh” She suddenly feels silly. Naruto and her had an on going bet on what was Kakashi’s favorite. It was a long running bet that no one cashed in on. But she had a good feeling, Paradise was his go to. “Nevermind.”
Naruto was a firm believer it was Tactics.
“Mm…. Making bets about me Sakura? You’re just one surprise after another today.” Kakashi folds his arms. “Why don’t you tell me what’s really going on?”
Sakura stares over at him suddenly eerily serious. “You wouldn’t believe me, Kakashi.”
“Try me.”