Isekai

Summary: Sakura wakes up to find herself stranded in a parallel universe, armed with nothing except for Sasuke and...an irreversible marriage contract?

Author's note: Yeah, tons of other stories to finish, and here I am, starting a new one. Poor form, I know. PLEASE REVIEW.

A man with wild, wind-blown hair crept along the ledge, back pressed against the crumbling wall, his gun pointed at his target. His breath was shallow and ragged; his throat was parched and his muscles burned of exhaustion. His partner, teammate, and wife looked at him, her luminous green eyes reflecting all of the emotions that he too felt. They lifted their rifles and nodded, each pulling the trigger in perfect unity. This was what they had been working towards, and to have finally reached their goal was both shocking and beautiful--

There was a burst of light, and then suddenly, everything was gone.

–

The oddest thing about that morning was the familiarity of it all. The beeping of monitors, doctors and nurses' urgent yells across the halls, the squeaking of gurneys, the moans of patients—Sakura could have almost believed that she had just taken a nap at the hospital. Until she realized the one in the gurney was her.

She lifted her pink head, blinking frantically as the nurse pushing her stretcher began announcing her awakening.

"She's awake! Sakura-sama's awake!"

Too weak to hold her head up, Sakura flopped back down on the pillow, watching unfamiliar lights and faces move past as she was wheeled along. What had happened? She hadn't been on a mission—the last thing she remembered was going to sleep in her bed after a late night at the hospital. Unless, of course, she had amnesia.

"You and Sasuke-sama are the heroes of our time, Sakura-sama. You've finally accomplished peace," a pretty blond nurse said soothingly as she jogged alongside, looking down at Sakura's face. Sakura choked, her eyes wide.

Sasuke? Peace? What!?

"I know, it's a lot to take in. Don't worry, we'll have you good as new in no time. Just rest," she said. But Sakura couldn't rest. Not after what she had just heard.

"S-sasuke?!" To even utter his name felt strange, like cursing for the first time. It was a long practised name; her mouth knew how to form the sounds but had deliberately not done so in so long. The nurse smiled sympathetically as they made it to the operating room, thinking she understood what Sakura was currently feeling—but she couldn't have been more off-target. Sakura felt someone injecting what she assumed to be anesthesia into her as the nurse spoke in her honey-smooth voice.

"He's fine, you'll see him soon..."

And just as she had expected, the anesthesia pulled the darkness around her, enveloping her like a dark and irresistible blanket.

–

There was beeping. Lots of it, and as he slowly came to, it sped up considerably. But it was so bright...he lifted an arm to shield his eyes and found it weighed down with tubes and bandages and needles. He looked down at his hands to see them scarred and bruised, like the rest of his body. Dried blood had caked under his short fingernails and around the cuticles. He looked away in disgust, just as a shadow appeared above, directly in front of the light source and remaining silhouetted.

"Sasuke-sama is awake! He's awake!" The silhouette's head turned to say to new additions to the population of the room. His head quickly whipped back to Sasuke. "How are you feeling, sir?"

Sasuke shifted slightly, his eyes slowly adjusting to the extreme brightness of the room, and realized that there were several people in the room. It was a hospital room, judging by the pungent scent of sterilizers and the medical devices. The people appeared to be nurses. They were all bowing to him reverently, some crying softly. It was one of the most confusing sights Sasuke had ever seen.

"You and your wife have exhibited an incredible show of bravery and selflessness, Sasuke-sama," one of the nurses said, tears of happiness streaming down his face. Sasuke's brain snagged on part of the sentence, and he blinked in shock.

"My wife?"

The nurses looked between each other for a moment before seemingly deciding something amongst themselves. A woman came forth, wearing lavender scrubs. She tentatively placed a small hand on Sasuke's arm, but Sasuke flinched and she removed her hand.

"Sakura-sama is still recovering from the surgery. The bullet was lodged in pretty deep, and she lost a lot of blood, but now she's fine," she said, finally smiling. "you don't need to worry about her at all."

Sasuke looked away, trying to comprehend the situation, piecing together what they were saying. The realization of the meaning of all of this caused him to tremble slightly.

Sakura is my wife? …Where the hell am I?

They all were staring at him, beaming with happiness, adoration, and respect for him, and Sasuke was only used to such gazes from adolescent girls.

"...Where--"

"This is the hospital in Gaulin."

It had to be a dream. It had to be. Sasuke settled back into his bed, his entire body throbbing with the many needles and tubes and bandages. Once again, he surveyed his limbs. God, what had he gotten himself into this time? He'd never been this badly banged up before.

The silence ellicited a cough from one of the nurses, reminding Sasuke of their presence.

"Please leave," he said harshly to them, shocking everyone enough to scurry out of the hospital room like little mice. The door shut loudly, and then there was silence.