The last thing she remembered was falling, falling, falling. Yet she never hit the ground.

The world spun around her, faster than she could process. She tried to stop them from killing each other, but she failed. She knew better than to get in the way, but what was she supposed to do? She couldn't sit by idly while they fought; she couldn't return home with just one - or neither.

After what seemed like hours of being propelled through the air, Sakura was able to feel the stable ground beneath her once more. Or, stable enough, that was. Sand ran between her fingers as she groped around for anything to hold on to; she felt as if she were still falling, her stomach was in knots and her throat felt dry and sick. Finally, after she grabbed onto a nearby rock she permitted herself to adjust her gaze to the blindingly-hot desert vista that now surrounded her.

Panicking, she groped around for a kunai, but her vest was long gone. Her navy blue uniform was tattered and torn, and off in the distance Sakura could see the tall walls of the Sand Village which just raised further questions. Wasn't she in the Valley of the End just a moment ago?

She could get the answer for that later, though. For now Sakura made her way to the Sand Village in great stride, her toned legs able to carry her like a feather in the wind when no other items weighed her down. A feather she was indeed, for the winds blew relentlessly at her back and carried her ever closer to her destination. It couldn't have even been an hour before she arrived at the village gate, as she was already incredibly close to begin with.

Naginata pointed directly at her when she approached the guards with a smile and a wave. The spring in her step faltered when one of the Jonin restrained her; she didn't want to rock the boat by struggling, but she let out a cry in part confusion and panic when another bound her in restraints. Then she was blindfolded, and after that she was gagged, and all she could do as they dragged her away was pray - and make sure her Byakugo seal wasn't visible with a small henge to cover it up.

Her blindfold was removed with far more force than necessary. Sakura was met with a blinding light that shone directly in her face, and she was bound to a chair marked with seals. She didn't dare question what they were for.

A door closed behind her. Sakura first thought that she was hallucinating, that she was placed in some Genjutsu that she couldn't escape. The Infinite Tsukiyomi... no, that wasn't what happened to her, was it? But she wasn't under any Genjutsu, and was as deft a Kunoichi as ever. Despite all logic, reasoning, and common sense pointing to any other scenario, Sakura couldn't evade the glaring fact that she was facing someone as real as she was.

"State your name and purpose, child, and tell me what sort of foolish little girl would dare enter this place. Has the Leaf gone daft? They must not give out many uniforms, probably a financial crisis. Serves them right, I'd say."

Unaware of the insult directed at her destroyed half of a uniform, she lowered her head in respect. "Lady Chiyo," she said, holding back the tears that welled up in her eyes from the memories that flooded to the front of her mind.

Chiyo scoffed, and slapped the papers that she had in her hands down on the desk that separated them with a cracking thud. "This one is smarter than she looks. How is it that you were so dim-witted that you tried to enter our village like a born-yesterday fool, yet you know how to display such respect in the face of one as renowned as myself?"

Confused, Sakura looked up at Chiyo. She was as hostile as she was when they first met, if not more. Eyes narrowed down as they caught her staring and a pair of fingers snapped in her face.

"Never mind what I said before, you're just a dumb girl," Chiyo said, then sat down in the chair across from her. Hands folded in her lap, she glared at Sakura in a way that made her shrink where she was bound in her chair.

"Now, I'll ask once more. State your name and purpose, or are we going to have a problem here?"

Sakura blinked. "Ah, no, my Lady. My name is Haruno Sakura, and my purpose is, well..." she stopped as she realized that she was unsure of what she needed to do. "My purpose is to return to my friends, I suppose."

"Are these friends more Leaf Village scum?" Chiyo asked, bluntly and cold with a stern gaze that did not waver.

Sakura's eyes darted around, searching for anything to indicate what exactly was going on. Aside from an old typewriter in the corner, a model that had gone out of print a decade or so ago...

A decade or so.

Her lips quivered, as she could barely muster the strength to ask her question. It was such an infuriatingly stupid thing to consider, but she had no other explanation that added up as neatly as this did. Somehow, she was sent back to the past. The only question was why she was sent back to somewhere that hated the Leaf Village in recent history. But the real question was how this even happened at all! Was it when she got in the way of Naruto and Sasuke's attacks?

The sound of Chiyo clearing her throat snapped Sakura back to the situation at hand. It was hard to remember that these were not her allies, and they weren't likely to help her with anything, much less let her live. She had to be mindful of how she acted with the Sand Shinobi while she was trapped in this situation.

"Answer the question, girl. I won't be asking again," Chiyo said, her eyes filled with disdain as they looked over Sakura as she fidgeted a bit with the restraints in her seat.

"They... they're not here, not anymore...I-" before Sakura could say a word more, Chiyo set her papers down once more with a sound loud enough to interrupt her.

"Is there something you mean to tell me? Did you kill your friends to try and defect to us?" Chiyo said with a crumpled nose.

"Yes," Sakura blurted that one little word faster than she had anticipated. It wasn't as if her friends were even born yet, and it would buy her time to find a way back to them. She nodded to reaffirm herself. "I killed them. The Leaf Village... it didn't appreciate me, despite my healing abilities rivaling Lady Tsunade. Surely you've heard of her?"

Chiyo's entire body perked up at the name, a fierceness in her eyes; orbs of malice and hatred. "I've heard that name, yes. If you're a healer as good as that, the Sand Village may be willing to hide you for a time. Assuming you intended to defect to us, that is."

Sakura saw from the corner of her eye that Chiyo had a kunai readied at her side; it was now or never.

"Why do you think I'm here, Lady Chiyo? I came all this way to offer my abilities," Sakura said, and sounded convincing enough in her own ears. The words rolled out easier than she felt comfortable to admit, but she reminded herself that she did not exist yet. With that fact, why was she wracked with guilt all the same?

"I'll need a demonstration of your abilities later today, but if you truly mean to defect to our pitiful little village then I suppose I ought to trust you for now. You'll come with me to my home, where I can ensure that any follies from you will be met with your own peril. Surely you've heard of Sasori of the Red Sand?"

Sakura's heart skipped a beat at hearing that name. She was sent back long enough ago that he was still here. Chiyo looked at her with a puzzled gaze, until Sakura straightened up her posture. She had curled up into the best ball she could make without realizing it.

Sakura swallowed the lump in her throat. "Yes, Lady Chiyo, I've heard of him. He's quite famous."

Chiyo sighed, and rose from her seat. "I wish he wasn't, between you and me. Now let's get you back to my home, and remove that silly headband of your's. You'll only start trouble with it on."

Sakura nodded, and gave a deferring bow. "Yes, my lady. Understood."

The headband was thrown into the trash can by assistants in the office she has been brought to while blindfolded, leaving her pink locks loose around her face. Wearily, Sakura followed Chiyo while being careful not to wince at the audible clink her forehead protector made when it hit the bottom of the bin. She was now playing a game with puppet masters and enemies under every floorboard, and the board was rigged to kill her at the slightest mistake.

She would play it accordingly. Sakura Haruno did not exist here, only a traitor who no one would ever recognize.

The residence Chiyo and her grandson inhabited was modest, not too fancy, but not too drab. But the thing that stood out to Sakura the most was how clean every inch of the home was. The cherrywood floors shone, the upholstery was immaculately kept, and the faint scent of cleaning products wafted through the air. She tried to imagine they were just a tidy little family, and that her grandson didn't happen to quite like bleach for far more nefarious reasons.

"Your home is lovely, my lady," Sakura said softly. Around the corner she saw the kitchen, and she could hear a little dishwasher running.

"It'll be your's as well if you manage to pass my little test this afternoon, so it's probably best you like this old shack. I'd much rather live somewhere comfortable, like the Third Kazekage's mansion. Oh yes, that would be such a nice place, much better than this lot," Chiyo said, rambling on a bit while she sat down on the couch in the living room and picked up her antiquated phone.

"I have a few calls to make, dearie. Why don't you introduce yourself to my grandson? I instructed him to wait for you in his room, and not that accursed basement he loves so much." Chiyo shooed Sakura with her hand, then fixated on the phone's dial.

Not willing to try her luck with Chiyo so soon, she obediently ascended the staircase that lead to the upper floor. She was the only one who knew what was going to happen, she realized. Sasori wasn't likely to stay here much longer, and now she would be caught in the crossfire of it all. Her hands trembled as they gripped the doorknob that stood slightly ajar, unlike the others in the small upstairs hall. With all the knowledge she had of who waited inside, she entered the bright, sunny room with no fear to show.

He is the poison, but I am the antidote. I must remember that, Sakura thought to herself as she choked out a single "ahem" to grab the redheaded boy's attention. A boy who was fixated on something outside the window, a boy who would become a monster. But right then, he was just a boy that was only there to formally greet her.

He turned around, but his eyes seemed to linger on the window. He did not smile, and his pale complexion only became exacerbated in the bright sunlight. Sakura could almost call him beautiful if she didn't know the truth of what went on inside his mind, even if he hadn't thought those things quite yet.

Sasori stepped forward to face Sakura; he was still slightly shorter than she was, and most definitely younger. She was pushing seventeen, whereas Sasori looked to be fifteen. She was definitely older than him, much to her chagrin.

He cocked his head, his face still blank. "My grandmother demanded that I wait here to meet you. So hello, I'm Sasori. I'll be going back to my basement now. Don't follow me, or I'll kill you."

With that, Sasori was gone. Sakura stood in the doorway for a little while, until the sound of the soft footsteps he made faded. A door click from a lower floor prompted her to head back down to the ground floor. Chiyo sat on the couch, her arms folded in her lap. When Sakura approached her she barely registered the pinkette's presence.

"Excuse me, Lady Chiyo, when will I be displaying my abilities for you?" Sakura asked. Chiyo snapped her head up in alarm when she heard Sakura speak.

"Oh darn, you didn't fall for my little trick. I suppose I should have you do something difficult to pull off. Can you tell me anything that slug princess might do that would impress me?" Chiyo said, then coughed a bit afterward. A glint of silver flashed in Sakura's eyes before Chiyo tucked away the kunai in her pocket once more.

"I could revive a fish, if you'd like," Sakura said, almost a little too quickly. Chiyo chuckled a little, then began to cough again.

"That'll do fine, but maybe while you're at it you could help this old hag with her cough. It's grown quite cumbersome these past few months, in fact, I think it's contagious. Our own Kazekage has a cough quite like this one," Chiyo said, then erupted into a full coughing fit.

In a moment, Sakura gathered chakra into her palms that emitted a soft green glow. She pressed around Chiyo's back, where her lungs would be. Soon enough, the hacking began to subside. About twenty minutes later, Chiyo breathed a sigh of relief, and leaned back in her seat. Sakura examined what she was able to collect; it certainly wasn't Sasori's poison, but it wasn't an infection either. She eyed the door that lead to the basement suspiciously, and made a mental note to inform Chiyo about this soon. With any luck, they could catch him before he even began.

Not long after, Chiyo asked Sakura to sit down with her for dinner. She explained that Sasori preferred to not eat with her any longer, and blamed it on being a teenager rather than a budding sociopath. He was probably skinning a cat in that basement for all they knew. Her display of knowledge was suitable enough for her at the moment, Chiyo explained. Though Sakura was informed she may be called upon in the near future, and the Kazekage would want to meet her as well.

The meal of lamb and plumbs in a savory sauce was the best thing Sakura had eaten in a while; she was hungrier than she had realized, and by the time she was content she was ready to pass out wherever they would allow her to sleep. The room they provided her was the same she one she had "greeted" Sasori in earlier, but she was so tired that she didn't dwell on him too much before she passed out.

The dawn had just broken over the horizon when Sakura woke. She looked around the room; still stuck in the past, surrounded by enemies, with no clear escape in sight. She sighed, then rolled over in the bed. Sure, it was a comfortable enough bed, but no amount of feathers and soft linens could take away the hopelessness she felt.

From the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of red, as still as another object in the room. Sasori was sound asleep on a nearby chair, but barely. He shivered every now and then, invoking pity from Sakura even as she sulked. She covered him in her own blanket, and laid back down on the soft feather bed to sleep a little longer.

When she woke again, the sun had fully risen above the city, and Sasori was gone with the blanket.

Sakura groggily got out of the bed and made her way down to the ground floor, where she saw a rather peculiar sight. Sasori was sitting at the table, a spread of food set out before them, and Chiyo was nowhere in sight. Sakura hesitantly approached the young man, placing a hand on the table to grab his full attention. His large brown eyes met her green ones, both weary and remorseful.

"Did you make all this?" Sakura asked, sitting down in the empty seat.

"Who else would? How would I eat?" Sasori said, not bothered to gaze up from his small plate.

"Doesn't your grandmother make-"

"No. And no more about her. Be honest with me, why are you here? My grandmother clearly has plans for you, and I'm not about to let them happen. So tell me what your purpose is," Sasori snapped.

"I defected from the Leaf, I'm under your grandmother's protection now," Sakura said, almost as if reciting it from memory. Sasori clearly caught on, as judged from his unamused expression.

"So am I. Since we both have that in common, I suppose I'm the only one you should be listening to. I guess you won't flee even if I gave you a safe escape route, right?" Sasori said, to which Sakura shook her head.

"I thought as much. Then let me be the first to warn you about the people here. Each and every human here is just a reptile in a human suit, and the second they sense your guard is down, they'll go in for the kill."

Aside from you, is that right? Sakura thought to herself, for she wouldn't dare say that aloud.

Sasori gently placed his chopsticks on his plate, and rose from his seat to wash what he ate with. "Everyone here is a ruthless, backstabbing liar, and everyone here is better at it than you."

"Even you?" Sakura asked, forgetting herself for a moment.

Sasori gave a slight smile. "Especially me. But not always for the same reasons that they are. Take that as you will."

When Sasori finished cleaning his plate, he gestured over to the wall next to the leftmost cupboard. "That wall has a secret passageway to the basement, grandma doesn't seem to know about it. So far, I've given you an escape route, and my grandmother tried to murder you. I'll leave you with that."

After Sasori had long vanished, Sakura grew curious. She prodded around the wall as he had explained, and surely enough the wall parted to reveal a pathway. She remained there for a moment, thinking about what he said. He may have had a point.