Title: Upside Down

Author: Creidhe

Language: English, Rating: Rated: M

Genre: Drama/Romance/Adventure

Published: 12-30-08

~Summary: A certain medic-nin is stuck in another dimension where the bad are good, the good are bad and Naruto is the one after the Kyuubi. The world is sinking into the depths of darkness… until she arrives as a new form of hope.

Chapter One

[Dark Paradise]

Naruto… I am so scared. Scared that you won't be waiting on the other side.

Here… Every time I close my eyes, it's like a dark paradise.

…

Strong and ice cold wind whistled and blew angry words into the dark raining night. Lightning lit up the sky as thunder roared up above, displaying for brief instants one garden of corpses stretched on for miles, a sea of lifeless eyes.

She looked up at the dark sky, her usual bright end lively green eyes were now red from crying and her face tearstained. The heavy rain matted her pink hair to her skull and soaked her clothes through. With a slow movement, Sakura lowered her head and glanced at the body in front of her. This time not even the boisterous thunders could muffle her agonizing and heartbroken scream.

Her knees failed her and she fell on the muddy bloodied soil, her hands closed around the dirt and her fingernails cracked at the sheer brute strength. She shook her head and called out his name in vain. Her throat felt bone-dry, unused. It burnt with every breath and the little air she could drain pierced her lungs like thousands of knives.

Naruto...

Her team-mate. Her best friend. He promised that he would not die. He promised that he would never leave her alone. The confident smile flashed before her eyes and she moved her shaking hands through his messy blond hair, "Come b-back…"

Tears clouded her vision as she bent over and she hugged his cold body close to her, "Please… you p-promised…"

She clung tightly to him enduring the excruciating pain on her left side. Her green vest was now covered with blood, her own and Naruto's. She ignored the pain and the blood loss. It didn't matter anymore. What was the point of carrying on alone?

He was dead.

Everyone was dead.

No one saw it coming. The enemy dressed in long dark cloaks, the famous red clouds spread fear and panic into the village and everyone's hearts. And just like that, Sakura's world was turned upside down.

Swallowing hard, the pink-haired kunoichi lied down next to Naruto's lifeless corpse, stretched her arms and pulled him closer to her. Her lips curved upwards and formed a pained smile, "We'll see each other again really soon," she whispered and planted a kiss on his cold purple lips.

As she closed her eyes, Sakura Haruno had no idea that she would be indeed seeing Naruto again.

Something was not right.

She felt dreadful. Her feet were throbbing; her head felt like it was wrapped in a plastic bag. She ached all over and to make everything worse there were the god damned whispering voices that stubbornly refused to cease.

Sakura gasped, lurched forward and coughed violently as her lungs claimed clean and fresh air. Opening her eyes, she met absolute darkness. Her heart beat was strong against her chest which proved that she was very much alive. She was dying, she remembered that much. Out of chakra, she had no means to heal her fatal wound and the mere possibility that someone else had saved her was preposterous. Stiffening, Sakura remained completely still at the sound of approaching heavy footsteps.

Light suddenly claimed her surroundings. Stunned, Sakura stared at the woman standing before her and then she knew. The horrible realization struck her hard - something was definitely not right. She knew she should have been relieved but there was a terror welling up in her she couldn't suppress.

Tsunade-shishou was dead. She had witnessed the moment her mentor fell in order to protect Naruto. Tears prickled her eyes as she stared at the blonde-haired woman standing over her with a half-worried and half-exasperated expression that she often used when she scolded Sakura.

"What were you thinking!?" The so familiar voice shouted at her.

Sakura could feel the tears run down her face and made no attempt to wipe them away. Had everything been just a horrible nightmare then?

"Tsunade-shishou…" she whispered, dreading the sound of her own voice, "Is Naruto alright?"

Tsunade glared at her, "He will be."

She nodded hesitantly as her brain processed the new found information. Thousands of thoughts screamed inside her head, aggravating the enormous headache. So it had been only a nightmare.

Tsunade arched an elegant eyebrow and then scoffed in exasperation, "Not only you completely failed your mission as you compromised our location," disappointment and anger spread into the Hokage's features. Her eyes flashed intense hatred towards Sakura, "Had he not interjected, I would have let you rot and watch as you bleed to death."

A wicked smirk adorned the Sannin's features as Sakura's eyes widened in a mixture of fright and shock, "I seriously hope he overcomes this silly crush he has on you soon. You can imagine, ne? How painful it is to heal one you wish to see dead,"

With parted lips, Sakura worked frenetically to calm her breathing as her brain repeated Tsunade's words over and over again like a broken record. She couldn't quite break her astonished gaze away from her Shishou's uncharacteristic smirk.

The coldest sensation claimed her entire body as nothing seemed to make any sense. The woman in front of her… was certainly not Tsunade-sama.

"I don't understand…" Sakura cautiously sputtered out as her gaze stealthily slipped across the strange rich decorated room.

The room was heavily decorated with antique furniture. A tall majestic armoire stood elegantly next to the bed. A small desk was facing the window, it was neatly organized but what caught her attention was beautiful silver-framed picture. Her eyes widened and it took all she had not to choke at the sight of herself hugging a tall handsome dark-haired man.

Her heart hammered hard against her chest as she shifted her eyes back to Tsunade and was startled to see the older woman so close to her.

"Are you scared, Sakura-chan?"

This couldn't be possible! Tsunade-shishou would never call her Sakura-chan. She shook her head and quickly pressed her hands over her ears. Memories came unwanted, livid and frightening images of her comrades dying. Naruto falling down, his bright blue eyes staring back at hers even as he died. All of that couldn't simple be just a nightmare.

"Who are you?" Sakura asked, her voice low and hoarse.

The question caught Tsunade off guard. She quickly backed away and straightened herself, her eyes sparkled with a hint of suspicion as she stared back at the pink-haired girl.

Sakura couldn't help but to feel naked under the impostor's scrutinizing look but she managed not to flinch or shrink away and was able to keep her panic under control.

"Funny…" Tsunade said at last, "You do look different."

The young Jounin clenched her hands around the red silk sheets and cocked a brow, "How so?" she asked, her voice came out intact and louder. A contempt look appeared on her face as she ignored the turmoil of thoughts. She saw an opportunity to get something of the impostor. Two could play this game.

"The way you looked at me just now. It was very unlike you," she replied and narrowed her eyes, "almost as if-"

"Sakura."

Both women were startled by the deep male voice. Sakura's bloodstream completely froze as she stared at the man standing by the room's door. Her jaw dropped. What kind of sick game was this? He was dead. She knew he was dead. But then why was Uchiha Itachi standing right there, looking back at her so intently that it churned her insides.

"Itachi-san," Tsunade's hostile voice as well as her wicked expression vanished at once, "Came to see our dear Sakura-chan?"

Sakura's entire body started to tremble and her vision began to fail her. She forced herself to keep her sitting position as she stared at the blurry figures. She couldn't think anymore. Her brain refused to work as if it was preventing her from having a mental breakdown.

They were dead. She was absolutely sure. They were dead; - she was supposed to be dead.

A flash of her battle with the blue-skinned Akatsuki member came to her as a new light. Quickly and ignoring both Tsunade's and Itachi's curious looks, Sakura pushed the sheets away and lifted her large white t-shirt. Taking a deep breath, she ran her hand at her left side. She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly as she felt the large scar.

"Yes, quite the nasty cut you got there," Tsunade's voice made her cringe, "and quite ugly. Too bad I couldn't get rid of it. That bastard's sword is just not any sword."

"Enough. Leave us," Itachi stepped aside, his tanned features remained blank as the blonde-haired woman walked past him. Sakura didn't even seem aware that the Sannin had left the room.

She was in too much shock to pay attention to her surroundings. The fact that she had a large scar – a reminder of that horrible day – it mean that she was indeed alive and that she was not having some kind of nightmare.

Uchiha Itachi raised an amused eyebrow as he stared at the young woman's trembling form. Her fingers ran over the scar over and over again. He shook his head as he quietly closed the door. Women… always fretting over such ridiculous things. Turning around, he crossed the room and was suddenly by her side.

"Come now, Sakura." He breathed in a husky voice and leaned closer.

Sakura felt the hair of the back of her neck rise as a warm breath caressed her skin. Startled, she shrieked and quickly shifted away from him. As panic quickly took over her rational being, Sakura's hand moved instinctively behind and searched for anything that she could find... a red pillow.

"It's just a scar," Itachi frowned when she backed away from him, her eyes wide with anxiety.

Before she could even reply, his arm was around her, pulling her to him. His lips suddenly so demanding on hers. Forcibly, he shoved his hot tongue in her mouth while one of his hands quickly moved onto her left side, his cold fingers touching her large scar.

A spark of pure electricity jolted down her back and her stomach complained weirdly as she automatically arched her back. Feeling his lips touch the nape of her neck, she started to breathe faster.

His hands moved further up her rib-cage, bringing her flesh alive with his touch. He then reached beneath his white T-shirt that she always wore to sleep. His hand covered her creamy, unsupported breaths.

Sakura gasped loudly when he moulded her breasts with his ice cold hands. Her eyes swiftly widened in disgust at her own reaction. Feeling somewhat dirty and moved by an invisible force, she jerked away from his grip and watched in trepidation as her own hand met his surprised features.

Slap.

Itachi blinked once and his deep dark eyes were no more. Two crimson orbs pierced the pink-haired girl's soul. She gulped quietly and watched him intently as he pulled away from her.

"Fine," Itachi said with an indifferent tone. Straightening himself, he walked to the door and stopped before he opened it, "Do not expect me to come tonight,"

If he was waiting for some kind of reply, he didn't get one.

The door closed with a loud bang.

Sakura shook as she covered her face with both hands and sobbed. What the hell was happening to her? Feeling the remaining strengths abandoning her, she lied back down and curled into a ball.

Whimpering, she sniffed and dozed off even as tears fell.

She was still asleep.

Itachi shook his head. They needed to be off.

He had heard her whimpering and crying. She had not made any attempt to go find him either. He concluded that everything was all very odd. Normally, Sakura couldn't spend hours away from him without becoming grumpy or extremely moody. Yesterday not only had she rejected him as she did not bother to seek him either.

Sighing inwardly, he simply called out her name, "Sakura."

"Ugh… Not now Naruto."

Itachi looked down at her pale features and he frowned, "Sakura," he called out louder this time.

Slowly, Sakura's eyes opened and her gaze hesitantly met his.

So it wasn't a dream.

The pink-haired jounin quickly sat up. Right, she wasn't considered one of the brightest Kunoichi's of her time for nothing. Her brain immediately started to work at the speed of light.

First, she appeared to be surrounded by strange people that somehow resembled Tsunade-shishou and Uchiha Itachi. Secondly, it also appeared that they were clearly mistaking her for someone else as they seemed to be expecting different reactions from her. Now, all she had to do was to play along in order to get some useful information on what was really happening to her.

Swallowing hard and pushing yesterday's memories away, she briefly closed her eyes and tried to keep her cool.

"What do you want?" she muttered, trying to ignore the way her heart was racing.

"Everyone is waiting," He said, his strong deep voice sounded oddly faint, "We received information about that mist-nin group that escaped. They make haste to the Rain country borders."

Sakura's nose wrinkled at the strange piece of information, "Alright…" she hesitantly conceded. Taking a deep breath, she tossed the sheets away, revealing her naked legs.

Seemingly satisfied, Itachi's eyes stopped on her elegant figure before he turned around, "Meet me in the Great Hall."

"Sure," Sakura absent-mindedly complied as she looked at the gigantic wardrobe. As soon as she could no longer hear his footsteps in the hallway, she let out a loud relieved sigh escape. Hands shaking, she opened the doors and cursed loudly as her eyes roamed through the offensive clothing.

Heaven's sake! She was a Kunoichi! Not some… some prostitute.

Biting her lower lip, Sakura reached for the only pair of dark pants, ignoring the revealing shirts, dresses and skirts. Groaning in irritation she decided to comb her messy hair, put the pants on and she was good to go. After a few minutes, she decided that she was half decent and as she made her way into the hallway she suddenly came to a halt. She had no absolute idea where this Great Hall was supposed to be.

Ignoring her inner-self protests, she stepped outside and took a careful look at her surroundings. The hallway seemed like a never ending path. Dozens of closed doors piqued her curious nature but she knew better than just venturing inside with no permission. She walked on and on until she came across a beautiful marble staircase. She stopped at the top of the stairs and just stayed there listening to her own erratic heartbeat. Just where the hell was she?

"Oh. Hello, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura whirled around and was surprised to see yet another familiar face, "Hinata?"

The dark-haired girl arched an eyebrow in disdain as she contemplated Sakura. The medic-nin suddenly felt highly uncomfortable when Hinata stared at her clothes. Perhaps, she should not have worn the white T-shirt. The sweet Hinata that she knew couldn't possible wear a sneering expression in her face. Whoever was impersonating her dear friends was doing an awful job. More importantly, she was not going to let these people get away with it.

"So you didn't die," Hinata hissed and walked past Sakura, climbing down the stairs, "Pity."

Sakura's eyes widened. Could it be that she was in hell and this was some sort of punishment?

"Hn," Sakura raised her chin as she recovered from the initial shock, "It takes more than just a simple sword to kill me."

Hinata stopped and snorted. She looked over her shoulder and smirked, "I will try to remember that,"

A cold sensation penetrated her spine as she stared at Hinata's retreating back. Kami… did Hinata just threat her? Gulping, she found her legs moving after Hinata. Perhaps the Hyuuga was heading towards this Great Hall as well. Trying to ignore the threatening words, Sakura paid more attention to the rich decoration. She was now walking in a red carpet, her gaze set on a pair of tall golden doors. She could hear loud voices… it seemed as if someone was having an argument.

Hinata walked through the doors first and she followed right after. As soon as both young women stepped inside, the loud voices ceased immediately.

If Sakura was confused, nervous and absolutely frightened, she was now completely lost and desperate as she eyed the familiar crowd.

"Ah… Sakura chan! I'm so glad that you could make it."

Sakura's head snapped to her left, her green eyes widened as she stared directly into Naruto's deep blue eyes.

"Naruto…" she whispered still in shock.

The whole room gasped and before Sakura could even wonder why, she felt her face grow hot as Naruto's large hand collided with her right cheek.

"How many times am I to repeat myself!?" He hissed viciously, "You are to call me master."

Kami… where the hell am I?

Author's Note: IF you followed and added this story to your favourites I have no words to thank you enough. I lost my account's password and only recently I managed to recover it. I was browsing through my stories and I always wanted to finish this one. I am re-writing here and there and I am definitely finishing this! So please bear with me!

If you are a new reader, then welcome! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. The second one will come out shortly this week! ~

Reviews make me really happy!

Lots of love, Creidhe.