#RTN Sakura

[tora-the-cat]

RTN SAKURA IS JUST SAKURA IF SHE NEVER LEARNED HOW TO MASK. THAT'S SO FUCKING PERFECT.

[ap-kinda-lit]

Charasuke: Hi, I’d like an order of books, please.

Sakura: Could you be more specific?

Charasuke: Could you be more beautiful?

Sakura: Could you be more lame?

Charasuke: Yes.

[cardinal-island]

[keithisbae1]

Noted With Thanks

He doesn't get her.

The way she was giggling at his lame pick up lines. He had better. The fact she accepted his rose, didn't he give her one like that yesterday only for her to throw it in the trash?

And how she was giggling acting all flustered and blushing. She wasn't really taking an interest in him, was she?

"What makes him so special?" Itachi and Shisui stopped mid conversation following his gaze. Ah so that was what was making the youngest Uchiha pissed. 

The new doctor taking his teammate out. Apparently he was quite the flirt like Sasuke, no wonder he seemed so annoyed.

Well it may be a date, it may not be.

It wasn't any of their business.

"Maybe he flirts better than you?" Shisui shrugged with a smug smile enjoying his torment. "And who knows, he might actually be interested in her."

This caused Sasuke to glare at the man, they knew how serious he was about her.

So it was okay for this guy to flirt around and he can get a date. But if he does it, he gets a punch to the face? How unfair was that?

"You should ask him how he does it, then who knows you might actually get somewhere with Sakura." Itachi scolded Shisui because knowing his brother, he might actually do that.

And sure enough he did, as Shisui found a little note thanking him for the idea.

This wasn't the first time Shisui gave a dumb idea to Sasuke (without meaning to) nor would it be the last.

And as for the plan succeeding... let's not go there.

[yujiaysz]

This was based on a meme I saw on Facebook a while ago. I was tired while drawing this, but I feel like I should finish it haha😭

[madmanwonder]

RTN Hinata: *Defensive* I was not that drunk last night.

Sakura: *Deadpan* You flirted with Naruto.

RTN Hinata: *Confused* And what do that prove? He's my boyfriend?

Ino: *Smirking* You asked him if he was single and got upset when he said "no" and later on try to kidnap him.

[chattegeorgiana]

Despite Road to Ninja being considered filler, I really enjoyed seeing how Kushina was portrayed if she were to live: as a wife, mother, and an active shinobi. Seeing this portrayal is really positive as it show that marriage and motherhood shouldn’t be limiting or what holds a woman back. I was wondering if Sakura’s portrayal would be similar in Kaika?

Absolutely.

Women by design have distributive attention so they're more than fit to be multilayered.

And that's exactly what I'm going to do for Sakura in Kaika AU. Not to mention that what I have planned for her requires her to be multilayered like that.

And given this is after all a magical universe where our characters can almost do anything, I see no issue with having Sakura portrayed that way.

[lecliss]

Oh wow I had no idea the website I'm using actually color codes which episodes are filler or not. Looks like I don't need to find that article then.

[dayseternal-blog]

Sorry for this strange ask, but has there even been, say, an Omega Naruto x Alpha Hinata fic?

hmm I haven't found a fic with that specific trope before. That would be an interesting story!

If you're interested, someone asked for this dom!Hinata list a long time ago (some are more like RTN!Hinata than dom!Hinata, though):

Sub!Naruto x Dom!Hinata

“I’m in Here” by @bunny-hoodlum - Rated E, RTN Canon-Divergent, One-shot. Thanks to Hinata’s newly acquired boldness, she and Naruto begin to explore their boundaries with each other – partly for distraction, partly for fun – But is Hinata the same Hinata anymore or not? Ino definitely has changed. How much of a problem could all of this be?

“Honeymoon” from “In your eyes” by @char-lotteral - Rated E, Canon-Compliant, One-shot. “She can ride me blind, I’ll give her anything she want.”

“Emi Lovelace” by TroubledThoughts - Rated E, College AU, Multi-chapter, Complete. I never thought I’d be thanking my uncle for being a pervert. I never thought I’d find myself in a bookstore with a beautiful erotica writer. I never thought I’d learn Hinata’s biggest secret. Turns out, I am happy to be wrong.

“A Chance Meeting?” by MandalorBoba - Rated E, College AU, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. During day he is a Lit student at a local university during night however he is an expensive high class gigolo. He was given instructions to arrive, make no small talk, undress and let the client do as she wished with his body.

“Lord Seventh Hokage’s, Office Struggle.” by MandalorBoba - Rated E, Canon-Compliant (lol), Multi-chapter, Incomplete. Hinata was leaning over the edge of the office table, her legs spread, hanging off of the desk, where in between those very legs, lay Naruto the savior of the world, Lord Seventh Hokage on his knees.

“Blurred Lines” by @vegebulsoup - Rated E, Police/Crime AU, Multi-chapter, Complete. Detective Naruto Uzumaki is having a hard time staying focused at work due to an elusive, dark-haired beauty.

“Calming the Beast” by Goldfishlover73 - Rated E, Canon-Divergent AU, One-shot. Naruto can’t understand why his relationship with Sakura just isn’t working. Hinata has a solution.

“to build a kingdom” by magnoliasrot - Rated M, Canon-compliant. Short one-shot. Hinata wants control and Naruto gives it to her.

“The Study Session” from “Endless Lemons” by agitosgirl - Rated M, One-shot. She’s covered in piercings and leather, and has a bad attitude. But she takes an interest in him. A very special interest…

“Professor Passion” by omegas - Rated E, College AU, One-shot. Naruto is a new university student with a crush on his professor; Hinata Hyuga. Shy first dates and kisses quickly turn into a relationship, and Naruto discovers his professor’s provocative secret – along with one of his own.

I didn't add anything new from the last time. If anyone knows a fic that anon might be interested in, please add!

[tamelee]

If novels are canon Sakura's terrible moments in fillers are canon too. Like wondering who'd se save between Sasuke and Naruto, hitting Naruto for no reason, RTN scenes.

Well yeah, in the logic where "either everything is canon or the Manga isn't canon either", that would be true but it's not and it makes no sense. They all have terrible moments in filler though. (And unpopular opinion but I don't even like the SNS filler where they're stuck to each other 👀)

[tora-the-cat]

RTN Sakura: Sasuke? The annoying playboy? Ino, crying: YOU HAVE BRAIN DAMAGE FOREVER

[lunaneko14]

BORUTO MANGA SPOILERS

Ohhh sumire just confronted sarada because she (sarada) hugged Boruto even though sarada knew about sumire's feelings. It reminded me of that scene where Sakura knew about hinata's love for Naruto, yet she "confessed" to him. Kinda wish Hinata would be this messy but ig it fits RTN Hinata more

Guuuuurl I saw that. The only thing is Sakura didn’t confess in front of Hinata and Hinata doesn’t know that Sakura knows she confessed or loves Naruto.

But Sarada was there for all this with Sumire so I can see Sumire’s side. I’m not into shipping in Boruto because BoruSara is boring and I didn’t watch or read Sumire’s story so I don’t know much about her but it seems that we’re gonna get a bit more direct shipping drama than in Naruto.

I’m just so happy Boruto is popular with the ladies and it’s canon that he gets his looks from his mother which adds to the confirmation of Hinata being beautiful.

[urheadcanongirl]

Rules and Q&A

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What fandoms/characters can I request? Are there any you absolutely WILL NOT write?

📌GAMES

Obey Me!

Lucifer

Mammon

Belphegor

Beelzebub

Asmodeus

Satan

Leviathan

Diavolo

Luke

Simeon

Love & Deep Space (LaDS)

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📌ANIME

Naruto Shippuden

Naruto Uzumaki

Sakura Haruno

Kiba Inuzuka

Sasuke Uchiha

Kakashi Hatake

Menma (OOC take)

Madara Uchiha

Ino Yamanaka (Shippuden or RTN)

Rock Lee

Itachi Uchiha

Deidara

Pein

Hidan

"Tobi"

Obito Uchiha (AU take)

Hinata Hyuuga

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Inuyasha

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Sesshomaru

Kikyo

📌TELEVISION

Supernatural

Dean Winchester

Sam Winchester

Castiel

Crowley

X Files

Dana Scully

Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Buffy Summers

Spike/William

Angel

Please feel free to ask if you don't see a fandom/character you're interested in! This list is incomplete at this time!

Do you have OCs that you write?

You bet I do! If you're interested in writing with me in this regard, please let me know. You can DM me for this. 😊 As most people won't be looking for this, I won't list them here.

Are there "taboo" topics for you?

Mostly the obvious - I will not write inappropriate content that involves minors in any way. I don't typically write gore either, but this is not "taboo" per se. I'm pretty open about sensitive topics so... As in my header, anything that might be sensitive or a trigger will be tagged as such. Please block my UHCGtw and/or UHCGexplicit tag if you do not wish to see this content.

You haven't answered my ask! What's up with that?

I'm a human (unfortunately). Sometimes a prompt will be difficult for me to brainstorm or I will be uncomfortable answering it. Sometimes I'm just lazy or living life. If you do not receive a reply, please do not DM me, but feel free to resend the ask in case it was missed.

Can I request specific genders/identities for my asks?

Absolutely you can!

Please note however that there may be inaccuracies or variances as I, myself, am a cisgender, bisexual female with male preferences. I'm happy to write something outside of this (i.e. homosexual, transgender specific, male!MC etc.) but I lack these experiences in my personal life—so please be kind. I will do my best! 😊

*** This post is a WIP and will be updated accordingly! ***

[sasusakucore]

Sakura Week 2024 Day 6:Crossover ([1]Apothecary(RtN!Sasusaku [2]Hunger games)

The 17 year old apothecary, sakura haruno got kidnapped and was sold to the inner palace, where the emperor's consorts resided,to work as a servant. She decided to make the most out of her situation while trying to find a way back to her home. But several incidents of the emperor's infant children dying are causing rumours to circulate that there is a curse involved which sakura doesn't believe and she later figures out that the makeups used by consorts and other women in the inner palace is accidentally leading to death of the infants. She tried to warn the two consorts whose children were suffering due to the poison but only one of them got the message and due to it her daughter is saved while other lost her son. Sakura didn't want anyone to know that she was the one who warned the consorts about the poison but the beautiful eunuch named sasuke(charasuke) found out and led her to the consort, whose daughter is alive thanks to her warning. The consort made sakura, her personal food taster since sakura could detect poison easily compared to others. Now sakura's life has dramatically changed and she also gained the attention of sly and beautiful eunuch named sasuke.

This is the hunger games crossover one. It has sasusaku in it and some strong political and traumatizing themes in it.

[sgrayonderii]

visitor to yomi

Even from across the universe somehow they are meant to be; because deep down, they were the same. RTN!Sasusaku AU

For Sasusaku Month 2023, Day 14 Jealousy.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/48568264

It is not a surprise to see Sasuke at her doorstep after a long night shift, but Sakura does not expect him to be slumped over at her entryway half dead and unconscious.

Her heart stops.

On instinct, she runs to his side and checks him for injuries. There is always an unsettling feeling of dread whenever she sees him hurt.

Only him.

Sasuke is reckless.

Always so reckless.

And the dull ache in her chest becomes an unbearable torrent when she imagines how the light inevitably leaves his eyes.

She cannot help but breathe a sigh of relief when she realizes he is only severely depleted of chakra. Not ideal. But not immediately life threatening.

Sakura half considers leaving him there for making her blood run cold, for making her mind stray to dark places. But the logical part of her concludes that it would be detrimental to his recovery, so she hoists him over her shoulder as she unlocks the door to her empty apartment.

As she sets him onto her couch, there is something that bothers her about him she just cannot place. Something different. Something wrong.

But Sakura cannot find herself caring about what ifs and possibilities right now. All she knows is the comfort of the steady beat of his heart.

When her hands finally stop trembling, Sakura steels herself to perform a proper physical exam.

Sakura gently lifts his chin and listens to the faint puffs of his breathing. She watches his chest rise and fall. Placing her hand on his cheek, she feels for the heat flowing through his veins.

She can’t afford to miss anything.

As she unclasps his heavy cape and lets it fall away from his still form, Sakura finally realizes what was bothering her.

Sasuke is missing an arm.

--

Sakura moves him to her bed. Sasuke is too cold for her liking, so she wraps him in her comforter. When she is sure he is situated, she lies next to him. Not close enough to touch, but not far enough to miss his warmth.

Thankfully and surprisingly, his phantom limb is already well healed and well taken care of. The bandages are wrapped professionally and carefully. He smells like smoke and healing herbs instead of rosewater and sweat.

Even though she is glad Sasuke is not in any immediate danger, a small part of her burns with a not-so-foreign feeling.

How dare he show up on her doorstep weeks after he leaves for an escort mission only to return to her like this? More broken than when he left and smelling like another woman?

Sometimes she doesn't know why she tries. Sakura will always be the girl that everyone leaves behind. It is only a matter of time before this boy who smiles like flowers wilts away at her touch too.

But tonight, just for now, she pretends that everything is okay.

--

Sasuke does not wake the next morning or the day after. And Sakura stays by his side the entire time.

She holds his remaining hand as if it were an anchor.

Honestly, she should have taken him to the hospital. Or even to the Uchiha residence. But she deludes herself that the best place for him to be is right here. Sakura is a selfish woman after all. Hasn’t Sasuke always been well aware of that?

Perhaps that is why whenever he presents a flower for anyone other than her, an ugly indescribable rage bubbles up within her.

That gesture should be hers and hers alone.

--

When the gravity of her parents never coming home finally hit her, she realized how alone she was.

The village council decided that the daughter of the heroes of the village shouldn’t stay at a common-place orphanage, instead placing her in her own apartment room, away from the fox’s wreckage.

Occasionally a caretaker would come and take care of some household chores and made sure she wasn’t starving but otherwise, she was left to her own devices. There was much to rebuild after all, extra manpower should not have been allocated to just one of the newly made orphans. The fourth Hokage wouldn’t have wanted that of course.

During those early days Sakura doesn’t want to be a burden.

She found a way to reach the high-top stove with a wooden stool and three pillows stacked on top of each other so the lady who brings her meals does not have the come as often. She learned how to budget her measly allowance so she doesn’t have to ask for more funds when the village coffers were being emptied for restoration. Sakura even acquired the ability to swallow her overwhelming grief whenever it was just too too quiet.

Sakura is after all, as the progeny of the saviors of the village, she cannot dishonor their name by being useless and selfish when so many more people are less fortunate than her and lost so much more.

And because she was such a good child, an example of a true loyal shinobi, soon the village deems her basically self-sufficient.

Soon they just left her to herself entirely.

--

On the third morning since Sasuke arrived on her doorstep, Sakura has to go back to work. She almost wants to call in sick but her strict work ethic prevents her from using her accumulated PTO when she does not really need it.

Sasuke’s breathing is steady now and the color is returning to his cheeks. She can even tell the thurm of his charka gain strength with each passing minute. Discounting his now missing arm, Sasuke probably just needs rest. Whether she is here by his side or in the hospital mattered very little.

With on last fleeting glance, Sakura leaves.

The hospital has a steady trickling of patients by the time she arrives. Sakura is quickly recruited to clinic to help with the incoming ninja for their routine check-ups.

While most of the time, a routine check- up before or after a mission was not out of the ordinary, but ninja are naturally skittish in hospitals. Besides the stench of blood etched into the walls and the screams that echoed down the hallways, most shinobi just hated being poked and probed, especially the ones with significant bloodlines. As a result, only certain high-ranking medical ninja or doctors were allow to examine them.

Sakura just happened to fit both criteria.

Her schedule is seemingly endless.

An Aburame clan member with his insects that were eating his intestines. A Yamanaka now hearing too many voices. A Hyuuga branch member with a splitting headache and a pulsing sealing mark. Several mauled Inuzuka with infected bites and torn limbs.

There is never a time for Sakura to even sit for lunch, let alone think about her house guest.

As the sun begins to set over the horizon, the nurse hands her a chart for the last patient of the day who had finally arrived after their escort mission. Before Sakura can even open the file, the patient saunters in like the world is his oyster.

“Hello Kitten, did you miss me?”

Sakura’s heart stops.

In one hand is a fresh cut single rose, dew still glistening on its petals. Sasuke uses his other hand to brace himself on the doorframe as he tries to lean seductively against it.

His other hand.

She suddenly feels very dizzy. From across the room, Sasuke watches her go pale.

“Sakura! Hey, are you ok?” He reaches for her but she flinches away as if he were a ghost. The hurt in his eyes is palpable.

Sasuke’s patient files fall from her hands. She stumbles backwards and Sakura all but collapses on the floor, no longer able to stand. Sasuke rushes to her side, his arms catching her before she can hit her head on the tile, encircling her in a warm protective embrace. His worried words increase in volume, drawing the clinic staff into the room. But Sakura can’t really hear anything.

Her thoughts are racing.

Because Sasuke is in front of her, alive and well. Uninjured. Perfect and whole.

Then who was the Sasuke she spent worrying about for the last three days? The one that is broken and lying in her bed like a corpse?

She isn’t sure what’s real anymore.

But the faint scent of rosewater keeps her from the brink of insanity.

Eventually, Sakura is able calm her breathing, brushing off Sasuke’s anxious embrace, and stands. She reassures the staff that she is fine, just a bit of hypoglycemia. Nothing to worry about.

Although it is enough to placate her subordinates, Sasuke is not convinced. He flutters around her like a worried hen, insisting that she sit down and eat something. Even digging up a melted candy bar and a few solider pills from his pockets to offer to her.

“I’m fine,” she reassures him, “Really.” Seeing him now, lively like this, warms her heart. “Don’t worry, I’m fine now.” She looks into his eyes, he softens.

“Ah, okay.” Sasuke gives her a half smile, so full of affection it makes her heart ache. He extends his hand to help her up, Sakura takes it.

A knock on the door causes them both to look up. The nurse at the door, pretty and blushing, glances at Sasuke shyly. “Dr. Haruno, Lady Tsunade wants you to take the rest of the day off. She can see the last patient if needed,” the nurse then looks to Sasuke batting her eyelashes, “Sir, if you would follow me.”

“No need my little kitten, I can reschedule. Besides this way I can see you lovely ladies again.”

Sasuke winks and the nurse giggles. His megawatt smile causes the young girl to blush even more.

Abruptly, that ugly sensation that Sakura knows all too well returns. It burns her to the core causing her to grind her teeth. Her fists clench, her nails bite into her flesh drawing blood.

Without a word to either Sasuke or the nurse, she gathers her things and brushes past them to the exit.

“Hey wait for me!” Sasuke is already scrambling after her down the hallway.

Sakura spins around, surprising him mid step. Her glare could kill a lesser man, but he receives it so often that Sasuke is only mildly disoriented. “Go back inside. You are already here, go find Lady Tsunade and finish your physical.”

“But Kitten, you are not feeling well!” there is a slight tremble in his voice, an emotion she cannot really place. “Let me walk you home at least.”

She shakes her head. “Leave me alone.”

Because at the at the end of the day, Sasuke always does.

--

There is a certain spot behind the academy training grounds and further down the path, underneath the shrubbery and pine trees, that Sakura goes to cry.

When she first started school, the teachers all praised her for being so well behaved and well read. An excellent example of a model student. But when it came to the practical exercises, she struggled.

Unlike many of her classmates who had clans and bloodlines and secret techniques more ancient than the village, Sakura was just painfully average.

Her parents did not pass on to her any impressive justus before their untimely demise. Nor did they teach her much besides the basics. From the corners of the schoolhouse, her once-beloved teachers whispered that indeed the only child of the Hokage, despite her efforts, was quite the disappointment.

And the children were crueler.

They did not like the nepotism bestowed on her position as village darling, despite being products of it themselves, and they made sure she knew it. How her efforts amounted to nothing even if her parents were heroes. How no one would look at her if Sakura had not been born under a lucky star.

Her ugliness, her weakness, her uselessness; the reasons that her parents would rather die than come home to her.

Sakura never gaves them the satisfaction. In fact, it just drove her to prove them wrong. She studied harder than anyone else. She practiced longer than her peers. She is a flower that blooms regardless of adversary.

Yet at the end of the day, nothing really filled her emptiness. So she returned to certain spot behind the academy training grounds and further down the path, underneath the shrubbery and pine trees where the ugly, weak, useless girl does not have to hold up a world of expectations.

And then on that fateful day, a little boy the same age as her, stumbled across her hiding spot. Sakura still had tears in eyes and snot streaming down her nose. Her hair was a bird’s nest and her fingers bloodied from holding kunai.

The child was descended from a large influential clan and the epitome of everything she is not. His mother the head of his clan, his father the chief of police, his brother the once in a generation genius. Handsome, strong, and gifted. He was Uchiha Sasuke, the boy in her class who is all smiles and laughter.

But his expression was the one that Izanagi wore when witnessing the horrors and ugliness of Yomi.

Sakura whose fragile perfect facade that she worked fruitlessly to obtain was stripped away in a second by the one person who was her antithesis.

The anger boiled to the surface.

“GO AWAY!” But she was the one that runs away.

Sakura retreated back to her lonely apartment, she hid under the covers, where none of the dying daylight could reach her.

She must have fallen asleep because Sakura was awoken by a light tap on her window. A silhouette outside her balcony was illuminated by the fading twilight. Even though she continued to ignore him, the tapping continued until she finally acknowledged him.

And it was Sasuke Uchiha, the boy who has never lost anything. An outstretched hand held a single rose in full bloom, hurriedly cut from his mother’s prized rose bushes. The thorns had been carefully picked away, though in haste, so Sasuke’s hands match her bloodied ones.

She was flabbergasted. “Wha..?”

“For you!” he was flushed and red and very very sweaty, as if he ran the entire way to meet her. “When my mom is sad, my dad always gives her flowers. So here, take it!”

Gingerly she took the flower from his trembling hands. Sakura felt just as red as him now. “And if you are still sad, I’ll get you more! I’ll get you all the flowers in the village! No, the world!”

Sakura smiled then, then laughter bubbled up in her. He was so silly. So ridiculous. But yet her heart has not been this light in years.

“Thank you, Sasuke.”

Perhaps that’s when her world shifted on its axis.

--

Her neighborhood is quiet when she returns to her complex. As Sakura treads up the stairs, she can’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, the last three days were just a dream. A figment of her selfish desires and exhausted mind.

But as she unlocks the door to her unit, the faint smell of cooking rice and miso soup wafts past the entry way.

It is almost surreal.

Pinpricks of tears gather in her eyes. She has not come back to a home cooked meal in years.

Sakura takes a deep breath and rounds the corner to greet this imposter.

She has seen Sasuke in the kitchen multiple times; he often helps his mother when he comes home early from the station and especially when Mikoto invites her over for teatime. But it is just jarring to see another version of him in her pink frilly apron stirring a pot of soup.

He faces her uttering a quiet “welcome home”, setting some plates on the table. The dead ringer gestures to her with his single arm to sit and eat. But all Sakura can do is stare.

This man is just as handsome but now seeing him awake the differences are obvious. His hair is slightly longer and a fringe covers the left side of his face. He does not hold himself with the brash confidence that she is used to. Rather his posture is a subdued sort of arrogance, like a beast staring down its prey.

Sasuke has always been strong, but this man was dangerous.

And his eyes. One of them the nostalgic gaze she is used to. The other, an endless lavender spiral-the pattern is something only spoken of in forgotten legends, is staring into her soul.

“Who are you?”

Without missing a beat, “Uchiha Sasuke.”

“From when?”

The man, Sasuke, spots a calendar on the wall. “A few years from now.”

She needs to calm down and think.

Time travel is not unheard of, there are even few forbidden Justus that are sealed away in the Hokage’s office that Sakura has researched. Space- time Justus are notoriously hard to replicate though, especially without a bloodline limit. But the greatest danger with those techniques are creating paradoxes. One simple singularity could destroy everything she cares about.

Two Sasukes existing at the same time surely would break the universe. Sakura clenches her fists.

She cannot the Sasuke she lo-…her Sasuke, be overwritten.

However, the planet continues to journey around its star. This man had been in their world for several days at this point. Both Sasuke and this alter ego did not seem to have any side effects of existing at the same time.

And perhaps most of all, she cannot think of any timeline where Sasuke would become like this; stoic, muted, and filled with what seems to be an overwhelming sorrow.

In the back of her mind, Sakura recalls a time where she was lost in an alternate world. She had been amnesia at the time, and even now it still seems like a midsummer dream. But Sakura still remembers it fondly despite it all.

A place where her parents are alive. The place where she, her other self, lives.

“From where?” He smiles then. Soft and gentle, so fragile. It leaves her breathless.

“Far away from here.”

--

Dinner is a mostly silent affair with only the clinking of utensils against porcelain as accompaniment. Occasionally he would refill her plate when she would be close to devouring everything. Strangely he must have known that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

Once he deems that she had enough to eat, Sasuke clears his throat awkwardly. “I assume you have many questions but before you start, I want to apologize for imposing.” He appears a bit lost, “I did not realize I was on so low chakra, so thank you for helping me.”

“It’s alright,” Now that she has something in her stomach, the anxiety has ebbed. Sakura does not know where to start but regardless of how or when or why, there is one question that she needs to be answered above all else; “Are you okay?”

On the surface, her words are very broad. Her line of sight however is focused on the man’s missing limb. This Sasuke understands her intention though. “Yes, I’m fine now. These are old wounds.”

Sakura lets out a sigh of relief that she didn’t even realize she was holding. No matter the universe, she hates seeing Sasuke in any sort of pain. “I’m glad,”

“Will you be staying long?” Even if they are not at risk for the universe imploding, having two Sasuke’s in close vicinity to each other might still prove perilous. After all, when Menma’s doppelganger had appeared, her wayward teammate caused a major terrorist incident.

“Just long enough for my reserves to recover.” Sakura nods, understanding that would mean soon.

She hesitates, but only for a fleeting second. “You can stay here… if you would like…until you recover” Sakura wants to think this offer is in the name of Konoha’s security and not her own selfish desire.

“Ah thank you, if you would have me.”

--

“Do you travel to different worlds often?” The are eating breakfast the next day at her tiny dining table. Sakura calls in sick today so she has the leisure of asking the other Sasuke everything that has been plaguing her mind.

“In a sense,” he pauses to pick out the bones from his grilled mackerel, carefully placing them in a small pile at the corner of his plate. Once he completes the task, he trades plates with her and removes the bones from her fish too. “There is threat I’m investigating; I’m just following leads.”

“Should we be worried?”

He shakes his head, “No, this world seems to exist in a different plane from what I can see. It’s probably why things are so different here.”

“Different how?”

“Like…” he contemplates, “like how my counterpart has two hands.” She snorts.

“What else?” He glances over to the picture on her book shelf, the team 7 photo. Where Kakashi looks half asleep, Menma scowling in a bad mood, her; rim rod straight trying to emulate perfect posture, and Sasuke who is winking into the camera.

“We call ours ‘Naruto’.”

“So Ms. Kushina really likes ramen in both worlds.”

He chuckles, “I suppose.”

“It seems like a fun place.”

“Ah.” The other Sasuke has that look again. The one that clouds over is otherwise statuesque face, one of yearning.

“Then why are you here? Why didn’t you go back there to begin with?” When she was somehow transported to the other world, Sasuke’s whereabouts were unknown. The other Ino, her alternate classmates, even Lady Tsunade avoided speaking about him as if he were a taboo subject. Back then, once she had regained her memories, her only thought was how her other self was so fortunate to live in the world where her parents were alive and she was so loved.

But now, Sakura isn’t so sure how wonderful that world is if it could make Sasuke, her definition of happiness, have such a sad face.

His gaze is far off and his voice barely a whisper, “…I wanted to see someone… but I’m not sure I should, she is happier without me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Another thing different about your world is that your version of Uchiha Sasuke, could make her…you… happy.

I’m just not…worthy of her.”

Sakura startles him out of his pathetic monologue by slamming his hands on the table and standing up angrily.

“That’s bullshit and you know it! In no world would any Sasuke be unworthy! You are just being a coward!”

Deep down she knows she is a hypocrite. She is the coward. But she even if she cannot have her parents or her Sasuke, she needs to make she that her other self doesn’t end up like her. Acrimonious and bitter. So ugly and hideous.

Because she finally realizes the look in his eye; the entire time he was looking for a fragment of his Sakura in her.

Hot tears threaten to run down her cheeks, because what she wouldn’t give to be in her other self’s place.

They eat the rest of the meal in silence.

-- By noontime, his charka is back to a healthy level.

Sakura knows that her time is up.

There were so many things left unsaid between her and her parents. Even if this was not her Sasuke, she doesn’t want it to end like this.

“I’m sorry for what I said earlier,” She crosses her arms awkwardly and looks at an interesting spot on the drywall. “I don’t know your circumstances and it was not my place to say that.”

“It’s alright, you were right.” Sakura tilts her head at him, his expression is gentle. “Thank you for everything.”

His strange purple eye begins to dance and a dark mist swirls behind him.

His portal to home.

To her.

As Sasuke turns around to leave, “And I think you should be kinder to yourself too. You and her are similar. In that case, he and I are as well.”

With those last words, his presence is swallowed by the abyss.

--

There is a tapping on her balcony window. A silhouette framed by fading twilight stands silently, nervously on her terrace. Sakura sighs, the turbulent emotions still swirling within her.

She opens her screen door to unsurprisingly find Sasuke there. She gestures for him to enter as the evening chill has already begun to settle in.

“How are you feeling?” In one hand is bouquet of daffodils, the other a packed bentou. He hands her the flowers which Sakura accepts with trembling hand. He sets the food on her table and begins to unload everything.

“When my mom heard you took off work, well you know how she gets,” he unpacks rice balls with umeboshi, karage, tamgoyaki, watercress, pickled vegetables…a seemingly endless spread. “Once you feel better, she wanted to have tea with you. Not that you have to, of course. I think she just likes having another girl around chat about girl stuff…”

He’s rambling now. Sakura grabs his hand, holding it like an anchor intertwining their fingers, halting Sasuke’s anxious chatter.

“You really scared me you know,” he confesses. The expression he makes now, is so similar to the one that another version of him made; one of longing.

“I’m fine now, I promise.” She squeezes their linked fingers, “thank you.”

And Sasuke’s smile, the one at this moment just for her and her alone, is all that she needs.

A/N:Originally I was going to write for D13 Bodyguard but it became too convoluted and work got super crazy. Fortunately, I found my old draft for this instead which fit the Jealousy prompt very well. This was the initial WIP for trials of izanagi but it was scraped because I thought Charasuke would be more fun to write, although he doesn't show up much here. I'd like to think this is a prequel/companion piece to that.Thank you for reading! Happy Sasusaku month~

[cherryblossombombs]

Hi! Hi! It's the first time for me to find someone who shipped both Naruto/Sakura & Sasuke/Sakura, can I ask why you love both ships? Also, as Naruto/Sasuke shipper, I want to ask what do you think about Naruto and Sasuke's relationship?

Hey, getting a lot of asks lately lol

SasuSaku: The first ship I shipped when I got into Naruto. Although I started to leave it for NS during Shippuden, I came back to it after the manga ended to try to understand why it ended towards them over NaruSaku. I looked at the series again from an SS pov and I get why it was where the writer decided to go with. Plus, it's a cute dynamic. It had power back in part 1. Sasuke considered her to be precious and went on a rampage because she got hurt. Sakura loved him to the point where she knew he was suffering. I think it could've been handled better after 699 (I feel that we didn't see more of sasuke returning his feelings for sakura).

NaruSaku: I began to attach myself to it when Shippuden started. At the time, I thought SS was dead and the author seemed to be going for "Sakura moved on and started to return Naruto's feelings" route with the increase of NS moments during shippuden. The RTN movie, the NS hug after the pein arc, Sai/Yamato being NS suppoters, the filler episodes lol. Heck, they even had their moments back in part 1. Although SS was my first ship, I swore up and down that it was going to end NS. I do think that kishi was going for that ending, but changed his mind later, I don't really believe the "red-herring" thing.

****I like to HC that Naruto is still in love with her, and Sasuke is the only one who knows. (Naruto does love Hinata but never got over Sakura, no matter how much he tries to), but that's a HC****

SasuNaru: I do ship it as well. I don't ship it like I do with NS/SS, but I understand why people would think that SNS could've been canon as well. What stops me from raising it the same point of those two ships is the fact that the author only sees them as brothers. despite the queer subtext that kishi accidentally gave them, I believe that kishi never intended to give SNS any romantic implications. However, I think it's also something cute to think about. where it turns out that they weren't really feeling familial love, but romantic love but never realized it. Had it not been for kishi bro-zoning them and giving them female love interests, it would've been a great way to introduce a queer MC/endgame into shonen manga.