Lose Yourself
Naruto watches as Sakura walks into the training ground with simmering annoyance and disappointment. It’s been too long now that this traveler has been here and the hope that he has for his Sakura to come back diminishes every day. His once hopeful spirit was crushed even further when the Uchiha’s seemed to accept this whole situation with not a bat of an eye. As soon as he could he went home unable to bare the blatant disrespect for their teammate. Lying on his bed and staring at his ceiling he couldn’t fall asleep as thoughts continued to plague him. Unrested and pissed he is anxious to get this training started.
“Have you made any progress?” He asks the pinkette who looks startled at his question. He grits his teeth together. “Well?”
Sakura looks behind her and then looks back to him. “Not yet.”
Kakashi drops in front of them. “Let’s not start fighting so soon, eh? We have a long day of training.”
“You’re early.” Naruto complains while watching the grey haired nin come between them with disdain.
“And you’re annoying.” Kakashi states pointedly, he walks away from them. “I can feel your frustration from my apartment. Settle this right now, because there are going to be a lot of changes and we cannot have you two at odds.”
“You act like she should be on our team, Kakashi! Aren’t you even concerned?" Naruto asks rhetorically then answers with a shout. "No of course not!" He crosses his arms and tries to calm down. "No one cares about our Sakura except for me, and I bet if Ino knew she would be devastated too.”
“You done?” Kakashi asks. “I understand Naruto but taking your anger out on this Sakura isn’t going to solve anything. If you haven’t noticed we are all working on trying to understand what is happening. You need to set aside your anger.” Kakashi looks between the two of them, his gaze settling on the pinkette who has been suspiciously quiet.
Naruto turns from his sensei and notices Sasuke coming up to the grounds and so he starts walking to meet his teammate. Sai drops down from a tree overhead where he was eavesdropping and lands next to a solemn looking Sakura. As the ex-ROOT member walks by he debates saying something but thinks better of it and remains quiet. The tension is already high and it’s still early morning.
They all begin their stretches before they all take off to do several laps around Konoha. The day is overcast which is a small grace as the humidity is oppressive. While they run through the streets dodging some early morning walkers Sakura notices several faces she hasn’t met here in this time yet. One of them is Shikamaru’s father who catches eye contact with her, his surprised reaction and shuttered look gives her all she needs to know. The rest of the run her stomach turns with anxiety and her mind starts to come up with scenarios of which she will probably end up in interrogation sooner than later. Just the motivation she needs to continue running in this horrible humidity.
When they all come to a stop in the training field they are panting and sweating. Kakashi continues reading his book while they catch their breath.
“Too bad you were all so quick," He says sarcastically then sighs snapping his book shut. "Naruto and Sakura will spar, and that leaves the two of you together, don’t kill each other, kay?” He winks.
“Oh come on!” Naruto shouts but Kakashi has already left with a swirl of leaves, probably to finish his book.
“It will take a lot to kill me,” Sakura says to Naruto, frustration evident in her tone.
“Yeah, okay.” Sasuke snarks while turning to Sai, “You ready?”
Sai nods and so they both take off to another part of the training field. Naruto faces Sakura head on with a look she has never seen directed at her before. She can’t place a name for it but it unsettles her.
He gets in position then charges at her, she blocks the first fist he aims at her face then the other. She side steps his leg swipe and blocks another attack with her arm. He gets a hook to her rib causing her to stumble back.
“You don’t know me.” Naruto snarls, his eyes flashing red. He grabs her shoulders and throws her to the ground then using his leg to pin her to the ground and forearm against her chest.
Sakura looks at those red eyes wondering if this fox demon would see her. She feels the fight drain from her and she lets this Naruto hold her down. Her right arm comes free and she puts her hand to his arm. She understands his anger, when Neji turned out to be a white zetsu it was a shock that something could look just like someone else. After that paranoia creeps in and your foundation of what is real can be shook.
“I know.” She closes her eyes and feels as Naruto shoves her hard to the ground then gets off of her.
“I bet you’re loving this.” Naruto’s voice shakes and Sakura can almost hear his knuckles cracking. “Get up, this is a spar! You were so much talk before!”
She gets up and swallows and gets in her basic combative stance and meets Naruto's force better this time. She ducks under his aggressive punch that would have definitely broke her jaw if it connected. Sakura struggles to keep chakra out of her punches because as much as she wants to land a powerful hit on this Naruto she just can’t bring it in herself to do it. Maybe she’s changed but she doesn’t have the right to knock this Naruto out like she did hers.
“Pay attention!” She hears him growl as she barely dodges another fist to the face.
The humidity makes this all the worse, clothes heavy and movements slower than usual. Naruto moves unaffected, the Kyuubi giving him the advantage. His predictable passes to her face leaves his side open which is where she strikes her palm, like stone he’s still. He snaps a kick under her arm then rushes at her too fast for her to avoid the strike her throat. She collapses gasping in pain with her hand to her neck trying to catch her breath. Sakura’s sense heightened she hears the heavy crunch coming her way and just rolls out of the way of his fist that slams into the ground. From her knees she hops to her feet and stumbles back while healing her neck.
“Fight me!” Naruto snaps, brow furrowed and scars darkened. “You’re so pathetic, I can’t believe I thought you would actually try!” Try getting her back.
Sakura feels Naruto appear before her suddenly, so he does know the flash step… In a split second decision she stops herself from dodging and accepts his punch to the face. The world goes black.
—————
“Wow, you’re such a loser.” Sakura hears first, and then the subtle pain of a migraine. She blinks and closes her eyes as the bright light pains her.
“Loser, get up loser. I decided that's what I'm gonna call you now.” She knows this voice, it’s hers! Sakura jolts up forcing her eyes open and finds the damn Sakura that’s been causing her hell.
“Where have you been? You said we would merge or something and then you disappear!” She ground out feeling dizzy.
“Yeah, and? You think that I am an expert of what? Some dimension weirdo version of me coming in taking over? I’ve been trying to get you back here but it’s been impossible, you see the white void we are in right now?!”
Sakura looks at the ‘Normal’ Sakura and notices she still looks like before. “Maybe we can try and switch right now… or you can try and kill me…”
Normal Sakura nods, “Yes, lets do something rash when our last plan worked out so well. I don’t trust killing you just yet, it might kill me too!”
They both remain silent for a moment, with the silence surrounding them they can make out very faintly something far away. It sounds like a moose bellowing.
“Sounds like Naruto to me.” Normal Sakura says, “Why did you let him knock you out?”
Sakura shrugs then sits back down putting a hand to her head, “Regretting it now, you saw that from here?”
“I bet… I only catch glimpses, like little brief moments of a memory I remember, but I never know if it’s current happening to you or not.” Normal Sakura explains then says, “I’m surprised. He’s never hit me like that before.”
“Mine neither.” Sakura tongues her teeth carefully then rubs her head. “Maybe I deserve it… or that it’s fate, I’ve been trying to find you believe it or not. Even told Ino and Shikamaru about all this.”
A quiet minute, “How is she?”
“She really misses you, forehead.”
Normal Sakura sits down next to her and they both listen to the faint bellowing in the distant that continues seemingly without breaks for air. She sighs and turns to the other, focusing on how this Sakura is holding herself. Normal Sakura has her knees drawn up to her and appearance wise is wearing a long skirt which she didn’t realize before. Normal Sakura’s hair is the same length as hers and she looks thinner with less muscle definition in her arms and legs.
“You should focus with all you have to reach out to Naruto right now. You wouldn’t believe how much he loves you, he’s been a wreck without you.” Sakura states with conviction.
She watches as Normal Sakura’s face flushes with a pink blush, her eyelashes fluttering up at her questioningly as if she couldn’t believe it then turns while tucking her hair behind her ear.
“He’s always had a slight crush on me but,”
“But nothing, don’t you hear him right now? Don’t you want to go back?” Sakura grills and then slowly realizes that maybe this Normal Sakura has gone through so much shock and trauma with losing her mother that she doesn’t have interest going back…
“You have to go back, Sakura. This is your world, not mine! You have to try damn it!”
Soft meager words. “I know-“
“Then try!” Sakura gets up staring down at her other crouched figure.
“I am!” Debatable.
Sakura bends down and grabs Normal Sakura by the collar of her shirt. “Like you mean it! Like it’s your life on the line, you son of a bitch!” Desperation starts to creep in quickly through her veins, contagious panic spreads to the other and Normal Sakura’s standing now holding Sakura’s wrists.
“I AM!”
The bellows start to sound louder to Normal Sakura. Glossy green eyes stare into the other green eyes before her, the identical eyes interlock their souls and suddenly Normal Sakura is seeing sky and then familiar frantic blue eyes are looking down at her. Then the pain hits her and she's groaning and turning to the side holding her head.
Sakura watches as Normal Sakura suddenly disappears from her view and she is left alone in the barren ever spanning white void. Oh great… She sits back down in relief and exhaustion and just a little bit of disappointment. Hopefully Normal Sakura went where she should have and not some other part of her head leaving them in a coma or something.
After a few moments of absolutely nothing Sakura starts to chuckle then begins to full out laugh in a loud obnoxious way, tears streaming down the side of her face and stomach hurting. She should have warned the poor girl she's probably going to be interrogated.
She calms down and sighs. "She'll be okay, I turned out just fine."