Tsuki-chan: I'm sorry for the delay but I was stuck on how to end this. For the people that are confused, Haruko and Kurai are the same person, so if you see those two names, just think of the girl that brought Sakura back in time.
Enjoy the last chapter of Past Experiences! There's a surprise, lol!
I don't own Naruto!!!
"Just… a little more time." Kurai whispered. Rei stood behind her with a disapproving face. Like she said, just a little bit more and everything would be over. He gritted his teeth. He turned to leave when her voice stopped him.
"Don't you dare Rei, don't you dare try and stop me. If you do, I will have no choice but to kill you." She hissed. He clenched his fist.
"Well if it keeps you alive, I don't care if I die." He whispered. "It's no longer about the promise I made to Kane. This is about you and me Haruko, I love you damn it!" he yelled.
"I don't give a damn," he flinched. "My only concern is Sakura… Why, why won't you let me do this?"
"Just like you'll do everything to keep Sakura safe, I'll do everything to keep you safe. Right now, you can't move from that stop unless you want to break the jutsu so this is my time to strike. I'm going to kill that girl." Kurai clenched her fist but didn't break from her concentration. She needed to hurry.
"Rei!"
"I'll see you later Haruko."
"REI!"
"Damn it, where's Rei?" Naruto mumbled, bored. He yelped when he felt the presence besides him appeared. "You bastard, where the hell were you?"
"Naruto-kun, I need you to do me a favor." He whispered with his bangs covering his face. This was it. Knowing Kurai, she was going to put even more chakra into that jutsu so that she'd finish more quickly.
"What is it?" he asked suspiciously. This guy might have saved his life but that didn't mean he completely trusted him.
"I'm going to send you back to your time and when you get there I want you to find this man named Kane. When you do, tell him that he was right." Naruto looked at him in confusion.
"But I promised Sakura-chan I'll meet her tonight! Besides, I can't leave without Sakura-chan!" Rei placed a finger on Naruto's head and pushed him. Naruto felt his body falling backwards but instead falling on the ground, he felt his body continuing its fall. He was falling into a black hole, falling deeper. A circular glimmer of light was above him, Rei was looking down at him.
"Sorry Naruto-san but Sakura-san and I have business together. It would be best if you forget about Sakura-san." He whispered. Before Naruto could yell back, the hole closed leaving him in darkness.
Rei bit his lip. Naruto was in the future now. The jutsu Haruko was performing was dangerous. A powerful jutsu created by the first Haruno. The rest of the Haruno clan might have forgotten but that doesn't mean the techniques were all lost. Clenching his fist Rei checked the time.
Sakura wanted to meet Naruto at nine tonight, it was eight thirty. Since Kurai had quickened her speed, her jutsu would probably be complete exactly at midnight. He sat cross legged, for now he would prepare himself for the battle.
Sakura leaned against Itachi blissfully. They sat under a tree in the park, Naruto, Sasuke, and chibi-Sakura playing with each other. There was the occasional yell when Naruto and Sasuke would yell but it would immediately be silenced by chibi-Sakura's pleading. She hummed in approval when Itachi stroked her arm affectionately with his arms around her.
Outside she seemed at piece; inside Sakura was filled with turmoil. When she had seen Naruto she had decided, she had to leave. If she continued to linger, many more people from the future might end up in the past. Sakura didn't want to leave Itachi, no, that wasn't what she wanted but…
"Sakura…" she felt him whisper with his chin on top of her head. "Do you remember when I asked you to marry me?"
"Yes." Sakura blushed, wanting to burrow herself somewhere.
"I was serious." She couldn't help but gasp. "I'm sorry for frightening you back than but the thought of losing you got to me." His grasp tightened around her.
"I…Itachi…"
"You know me Sakura. I am not a man who expresses himself that well, that wasn't how I was raised." He said dead-panned but Sakura could see bitterness in his eyes. "I'm not perfect though in the eyes of other I appear to be. You see the real me, not the prodigy, not the Uchiha… just me, Itachi. So, will you marry me?"
"I… can I please have time to think about this?" she asked quietly. Sakura felt his grip around her loosen and she took that as a yes. Standing up, she walked away without looking back at him. If she had turned to see, she would have seen his emotionless eyes that resembled greatly to that of the nuke-nin Uchiha Itachi of her time.
"…I need to leave." Sakura whispered leaning against the bridge. She traced lazy circles on the wooden rail; in a few years this would be where team seven would meet everyday. "I'm sorry Itachi-kun but no matter how much I want it, I can't be what you want me to be."
Determined, she clenched her fists and looked up at the sky. She better get this over with before she lost her resolve. "Kurai, I'm ready!" she called out and waited.
"Kurai, are you there?" she said controlling the volume of her voice. Keeping the panic down, she thought. She glanced at her watch. A minute to nine, she had to find Kurai fast and than go look for Naruto.
"Sakura-san." A voice whispered softly. She froze and looked up slowly. The clock slowly ticked. There stood Rei but something seemed wrong. "This is where you will die… Sayonara."
With a flick of his sword, white blades shot out and began to fly towards her. Too shocked to react, Sakura felt her body fill with pain. She didn't even scream as she fell off the bridge, landing on the cold water. The current caught her, pooling her down stream.
"Damn it Rei!" cursing, the man to hell Kurai got up from her place. The jutsu was done and it wouldn't dispel until she allowed it. She knew Rei had a huge head start. If she wanted thing to go her way, she would have to take her chances.
She found Itachi alone, standing underneath the cherry tree. He must have taken the kids home. That was good; the less people there were the better. He seemed to have sense her but didn't move. She could tell, though, that his guard was there.
"Itachi-san." She whispered.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Kurai, I am a friend of Sakura-sans'." She said immediately. At least he didn't go off and attack her. She wasn't wearing a Konoha hitai-ate and appearing out of no where is a bit suspicious.
"What do you want?" despite hearing Sakura's name, he didn't relax.
"Please," she never pleaded before. "I need your help. If we don't do something quickly, Sakura-san will be killed."
"…how do I know I can trust you." Frustration gripped her mind, Itachi was thinking rationally but it was irritating how they couldn't move faster.
"There's no way I can give proof," she said through gritted teeth. "But if you don't come and help me, we'll be too late to save her."
"…where is she?"
"What a fighter," Rei murmured, running down stream. She might have gotten the full blunt of his attack but she was still alive, unconsciously healing the worse of her wounds. If he didn't do something soon, she would survive and Kurai was done with the jutsu now.
He found her pulling herself out of the river, clutching onto the rocks. Gasping for air, Sakura glared at him. "What do you want with me?"
"I want you dead." With no other explanation, he attacked. Rei tried to slice her in half but Sakura pulled out her kunai and blocked it. She grunted at the force.
"I don't understand," the two were at a standstill. "Why do you want me dead? I never did anything to you!"
"If you're alive, Haruko will die!" he said angrily. Shoving her harshly, Sakura fell onto the floor. She wasn't done healing and healing jutsus take most of her chakra. Breathing slowly, she got up.
"What are you talking about? Who is Haruko?" she asked carefully.
"How dare you say her name." with a roar, he charged. Sakura rolled to the side, landing on her feet. Rei seemed a bit deranged now, angrily slashing his sword. She dodged all the blows, getting a few cuts that weren't that serous. "You, who don't even know who she is!"
"So tell me!" she was starting to get angry too. "Stop saying I don't know everything and just tell me so I can understand!"
"You want to know about Haruko? Alright, I'll tell you about her. She is your-."
"How much further?" Itachi asked her. Kurai stopped herself from showing fear. His chakra rhythm was filled with silent rage, a cold sensation and crawled all over her body. Biting back her panic, she focused on running.
"We're almost there." Controlling her voice, Kurai felt relieved that her voice sounded normal. She almost smiled. At least she would know that Sakura would be protected.
"You want to know about Haruko?" she felt her insides freeze. "Alright, I'll tell you about her." Damn it, she needed to hurry. "She is your-."
"STOP IT!" Kurai screamed, adding more chakra into her legs. Giving a jump kick at Rei, who was distracted, he was sent flying. Itachi went immediately towards Sakura, who was still kneeling at the floor. His eyes narrowed at the site of her blood, his sharingan activating unconsciously towards his anger.
"Sakura… did he do this to you?" he asked slowly, calmly. He was an Uchiha, he had self control. It was ready to snap but Sakura had a feeling that even when Itachi was pissed off, it would be a silent cold rage. Biting her lower lip, she tried to look away but he hooked his fingers underneath her chin so that she was gazing towards his red eyes.
"Sakura," he said more slowly now. "Did he do this to you?"
She didn't want to tell him. The way he was acting made her scared. It was like the time he first proposed to her. Without thinking, Sakura began to shake. It wasn't because Rei was trying to kill her; it was because Itachi seemed to be growing darker. His chakra was wrapping around her, refusing to let go. It was similar to the feeling when Sasuke had activated the cursed seal for the first time.
Seeing her tremble, Itachi wrapped his arms around her protectively. So, he thought, he was the one who hurt her. Tightening his grip around her, Itachi felt his blood boiling. Tonight, blood will spill.
"You bastard, how dare you try to tell her the truth!" Kurai shook Rei by the shoulder. He grinned at her but his eyes showed no mirth, only anger, hatred, and sadness.
"Why does it have to be this way? Just send Sakura-san where she belongs and everything will be okay." Kurai punched him on the face. He didn't stop speaking, despite blood dribbling down his mouth. "Punch me if it'll make you feel better but it won't do you any good. Kane is probably informed by now, thanks to Naruto-kun. He'll stop you from this madness."
"…you know Rei," she said slowly, her eyes covered by the shadows of her bang. "I always knew from our group that you will never understand me or Kane. He won't do anything."
A feeling of dread began to pool within his stomach. "What are you talking about?"
"…Kane isn't the person you think he is. Ruthless, cold… now I'm sure, I'm definitely going to go through with this plan now." Tossing him on the ground, she turned to where Sakura was. Rei grabbed her wrist, turning her around.
"What are you talking about? What about Kane, what is he going to do?" he demanded.
"Haven't you ever wondered what happened to our sensei? How he died so brutally? I found out the truth…"
"…don't try to hide it Kane." Kurai said with her arms crossed. A boy hid in the shadows, his red emerald eyes glimmered within it. There was amusement.
"Whatever do you mean, little Haruko?" she twitched.
"Don't call me that and stop trying to distract me. You know what happened to Konomi-sensei. You may have come running, saying a rogue shinobi attacked but I know the truth." She whispered.
"Oh?"
"If you had been holding him when he was injured, that would explain the blood all over your clothes… but… it doesn't explain why Konomi-sensei's blood was all over your weapons." His canines gleamed as he grinned.
"They could have gotten on them by accident."
"True," she continued, "but that doesn't explain how ALL of them were covered in sensei's blood. Besides, there were no other bloods, including what could have been the rogue shinobi's blood."
"You were always too smart for your own good." He tsked.
"It runs in the family." She said dryly.
"Ah yes, your fa-."
"Enough about my family, right now you should be thinking whether to kill me or not since I know the truth." Despite being in the darkness, she could see him tilting his head.
"Why would I? I know you too well Haruko, you won't report me. After all, we're comrades." He saw her quirk an eyebrow.
"Whatever… just tell me this, why did you do it?"
"He was annoying me so I killed him. Something about being too… calm when I kill. What's wrong about that? We're shinobi, it's our duty to kill so we shouldn't shudder away from it." Kurai didn't move. "You agree with me, right?"
"…just leave Rei out of this."
"Hai, hai, I'll leave innocent Rei out of this.
"No way, he killed Konomi-sensei?" he said, frozen. Kurai had a grim expression.
"Now that he knows about Sakura-san and Itachi-san… who knows what he'll do." Gritting her teeth, she turned to go towards Sakura only to freeze when she saw Itachi standing right in front of them.
"Ita-Itach-san, what are you doing here?" Damn, she had stuttered.
"Where is he?" he asked in a low husky tone.
"What?"
"The guy who did that to Sakura."
"…Kane killed sensei…" in shock, Rei didn't move.
"Is it him?"
"Wait Itachi-san!" she felt a strong wind go by and the sound of flesh knocking to flesh. Turning around, her eyes widen to see Rei flying and crashing into a tree with a trail of blood flying after him. Itachi straightened, looking nonchalant but Kurai could tell he wasn't done.
He was so fast; Kurai couldn't keep up with his speed. She could watch and hear the screams of pain and the cracking of bones. Slamming Rei onto a nearby boulder, Itachi's red eyes turned to Rei's katana. "So this is the weapon you used to hurt my Sakura…"
"Ita-Itachi-san…" she couldn't breathe. The force of Itachi's chakra was chocking her. "St-Stop…"
He didn't seem to hear her, slowly pulling out gleaming sword. There was the soft scrapping of metal coming out of the sheath. Rei was in a daze, dizzy with pain. "Die… die by your own sword. The sword that hurt Sakura…"
"REI!"
"STOP!" the soft cry froze all of them. Sakura leaned against a nearby tree, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "Please stop Itachi-kun, don't kill him!"
He didn't move. Itachi's eyes seemed to be glued to her bleeding form.
"I can heal myself no problem, I'll be okay! Please… just please… don't kill him!"
"He hurt you."
"There must be a good reason." Rei's face had been filled with anger and sadness, a face so familiar. It was like Naruto's face when something bad was going to happen to his precious person but he couldn't do anything about it. The face when Sasuke had left Konoha… "So please… please stop."
"He needs to pay for what he did." But he dropped the katana, dropping Rei unceremoniously on the floor.
"Kane… how could you?" too lost in shock, Rei didn't seem to understand that he was so close to death. His eyes turned towards Kurai and they softened before they turned to Sakura. They hardened. Slowly he grabbed his sword.
"I couldn't protect sensei… but I'll protect you Haruko!" using all of his chakra, he ran towards Sakura with inhuman speed. Itachi's face turned to a vicious snarl as he turned to run after him. He was going to be too late!
There was a slash and blood spilled. Rei didn't move, didn't pull back. Itachi skidded to a stop and Sakura's eyes were wide with shock. "Ku-Kurai-san…"
My one wish…
"Are you alright Sakura-san?" she whispered. Despite the blood flowing out from her mouth, she slowly smiled at Sakura. The rosette haired girl didn't move. This was the first time she had seen Kurai smile. It was so kind and gentle.
"Ha-Haruko…"
"Jutsu activate… Haruno secret jutsu: Doragon Odori!"
There was a blinding white light and the two disappeared.
"…where am I?" Sakura whispered. They were surrounded by white and as if it was being painted by an artist, a field of bloomed cherry blossoms appeared. It seemed like it was the first day of spring.
"Isn't this place beautiful?" turning around, she saw Kurai holding her chest. It was bleeding tremendously. Sakura knew without even examining her, Kurai was going to die.
"Where are we?" she questioned.
"Where?" she smiled. "We're in a very precious part of my mind."
"What?"
"The jutsu, Doragon Odori is very powerful. It can change a person's life forever. Whether intentionally or by mistake, it can change everything," Kurai looked around fondly. "This place is always spring so I enjoy coming to it when I'm asleep."
"What are you trying to change and why did you say Haruno secret jutsu? What do you know about my family?" Sakura asked gently but filled with conviction.
My one wish…
"The Haruno family has many secrets. I uncovered all of them and all of their secret techniques. Your parents are dead; they've been dead a year after you were born. The people taking care of you aren't your real parents but your aunt and uncle. They weren't killed by rogue shinobis but… you'll figure it out on your own, won't you?" Kurai said with a grin.
"Wait, what are you talking about? My parents were dead years ago? My so-called-parents are my aunt and uncle?" she asked frustrated. Nothing was making sense anymore! "What is going on?!"
"Shhh…" she pulled Sakura into a hug. "This is only the beginning… the journey is painful and I know you will cry a lot but…" she winced, the pain was getting stronger, "I'm sure everything will be fine for you since you'll be with Itachi-san."
"Kurai-."
"No… call me Haruko…"
"Ha-Haruko?" was this the same Haruko Rei was screaming about?
"Yes… my name is Haruno Haruko." She whispered, closing her eyes. "I am your older sister."
"Wha-What? Bu-but-." She was at a loss for words.
"I ran away from home when you were five years old because I found out some things about our family. I couldn't stand it so I left but… when I tried to kill myself, I couldn't." she held Sakura closer. "You were still alive and I wanted to make sure you had a chance for happiness."
My one wish…
"Obaasan erased your memories and since no one really knows about our family, I was soon forgotten. Now… since Obaasan and Ojiisan are dead, you are the only living Haruno. No, they are no alive in this timeline… so… take care Sakura." She whispered.
"Wait, I don't understand! I thought you brought me here to test me." Sakura was frozen in confusion. This was all too much to take at one time.
"At first, yes, but when I saw you happy here with Itachi-san, I decided to let you stay."
"Why?" Sakura whispered.
"Because… I'm your older sister, right? I need to take care of you." She said with a tired grin. "But I can't take care of you anymore…"
"What's going to happen?" Sakura whispered as Kurai… no Haruko, pulled her back at arms length.
"Before I die, I am putting you in my place?"
"Wha-What?!"
"The ability to time travel is a secret within the Haruno clan and only a selected few can do this. There are other ways to time travel but the Haruno family can do this effortlessly. However… if we were to go back to the past, for example, than the person our age in the past will no exist." Haruko explained.
"B-But what about the-." Sakura began.
"-the younger you?" she continued for her. "I have been using my chakra to maintain both your forms… now, when I give up my existence, both of you can live in the same timeline. You will continue living as you had been these past few months and only you will and probably a selected few will remember the truth… but… the only difference would be that everyone will think that you are chibi-Sakura's older sister. You two simply have the same name except different middle names."
"Different… middle names?" she echoed.
"Yes… your middle name will be my name but you will still be Haruno Sakura…" she coughed, splattering blood on the lush green grass. "You know as well as I do, Sakura, I am dying. I must give up my existence to you before I die…"
"Isn't there… someway to change this?" Sakura asked gently.
"You're sweet Sakura… that's why I wanted to give you happiness." Sakura gently lowered Kurai to the floor. Everything was going blurry. "Before I transfer my existence to you, there is one more thing I have to say. This is now an alternate universe. The so called future you have come from is now a new universe where you are dead. You can start anew here… but be warned… some things might have changed, different from your timeline so be careful. Not everything will be the same…"
"I understand." Slowly, Haruko raised her hand and placed it on the center of Sakura's chest. She knew Sakura was crying, even as she closed her eyes. In a way, it was good that they were never too close. If they had been, it might break Sakura's heart. "Sakura…"
"Yes?" she could feel Haruko's chakra flowing into her.
My one wish…
"Can you call me neechan… just for once?" when all of her chakra was gone, she would disappear.
"Of course…Haruko-neechan." Sakura said with a big grin.
"Thank you." Slowly, her body began to fade away. Sakura felt her heart clenching in pain but she didn't stop smiling. "Goodbye… Haruko-neechan…"
The light faded and Sakura found herself standing, clear of any cuts. She blinked, Rei was on his knees and Itachi was behind him. Seeing Sakura, Rei grabbed her by the shoulders. "Where is she, WHERE'S HARUKO?"
"I…" he was knocked aside by Itachi.
"Don't touch her." He growled before turning towards Sakura. "Are you okay?"
"…I'm… fine…"
"Haruko………" suddenly he glared ferociously at Sakura, making her shudder. Itachi got in front of her, feeling the blood lust. "I'll be back Haruno and I swear I will avenge Haruko…"
Sakura froze as he disappeared. He said Haruno… slowly she turned her eyes towards Itachi, watching for a reaction but found none. So Haruko's jutsu had worked in the end. She held onto Itachi's arms, leaning against his back. "Itachi-kun…"
He didn't speak and didn't move, even as Sakura wrapped her arms around his chest. "I love you… I love you so much…but…" he stiffened. "Can we wait until we're older until we get married?"
Itachi turned around slowly. Their eyes met, Itachi's sharingan had turned off long ago. He felt himself drown in those emerald orbs. Those dark emotions that he had managed to control began to resurface. Deny her request, take her, mark her, claim her, make her his.
"Of course." He said softly.
"Thank-." Itachi pulled her up and kissed her. His hand trailed down her back before resting on her waist. Her lips were so soft and yielding, the feel of her breasts against his chest. It was all so tempting but he pulled back, he would play along with Sakura's requests for now…
"Let's go…" however he would make no mistakes. The demons within him were on the loose. He had almost lost her today. Playing along with her little games was going to make him lose her some day. For now, he would wait patiently until an opportunity came.
"Thank you for all your help Mikoto-chan but it's time that chibi-Sakura-chan and I went home." Sakura said with a smile. She sweat dropped, seeing Mikoto pout. Holding chibi-Sakura close, she had a solemn expression on her face.
"Visit us anytime, okay?" she whispered to chibi-Sakura. "You are always welcome here, Sakura-chan… chibi-Sakura-chan."
"Hai!" chibi-Sakura chirped.
"Sakura-chan…" Sasuke whispered shyly. Chibi-Sakura turned to him curious. "You have it… right?"
"Of course!" something gleamed around chibi-Sakura's neck. Sakura got a closer look and saw a small golden ring held by a chain around her neck. She smiled, reading what was inscribed on the back. That was so like Sasuke!
My Sakura
"Let's go." Itachi grunted, grabbing Sakura's bag. Waving at the three, Sakura began to run catch up with Itachi. Chibi-Sakura, sitting on her shoulders, held on tight with a grin on her face. Sakura couldn't help but smile as well. Everything was so peaceful!
"Kane." Rei growled at the cave.
"What do you want Rei?" there was an annoyed response.
"I presume Naruto-kun found you." He had sent Naruto where Kane was so it would have been easy to find him.
"Yeah, that fox-brat is annoying. Screaming about his Sakura-chan being stuck back in time… funny thing is that when I dragged his ass back to Konoha, the Hokage there was pissed off. Something about that Sakura girl being dead… you wouldn't happen to know anything about that, now would you?" a husky voice asked.
"Haruko is dead." A sigh was heard.
"So sad, I wanted to kill her."
"KANE!"
"Yeah, yeah… but now I'm interested in that Sakura girl. What's so special about her that Haruko would give her life up? I've been keeping tabs on what was going on in the past and I must say, the Uchiha definitely catches my interest."
"Why is that?" Rei asked cautiously. After hearing the disturbing news about Kane, he was a bit wary around him.
"There is something within him and it's finally broken free…" Rei could feel Kane's grin and shuddered. "I wonder what would happen if someone were to make it grow… he has potential to be so powerful and deliciously dark."
"What are you going to do?"
"Akatsuki will surely be after him again in that timeline but I'm sure I can do something to delay that. Now Rei, let's go play around with the people of Konoha."
Tsuki-chan: HAHAHA, YES, THERE'S A SEQUEL!
Hehe, yes, I know, crappy ending but it's hard to write endings! TT . TT
Confused people read this: Sakura is taking Haruko's place in the past and so Haruko does not exist anymore. Only certain people remember Haruko, like Sakura, Rei, and Kane.
REVIEW REVIEW PLEASE!