Shades of Grey

Chapter 9

Sakura was so happy to finally see an inn ahead and wasted absolutely no time paying for a room and rushing upstairs. Every fiber of her being was screaming for her to go straight to the inviting looking tub, but she could not, at least not until she placed charka tags around the door and the window. When she was satisfied that she was secure she went into the small room and smiled softly as she slid into the tub. It felt as though it took forever to scrub all the grime off her from her days of travel. Once she was satisfied that she was clean she paused only long enough to throw on a tank top and a bra and then fall into bed.

Sakura found herself in a world of memories. Flashes of silver bells played before her eyes. Images of bright blue eyes, dark onyx orbs haunted her. She could almost hear playful bickering and a pencil dancing across a canvas. Sorrow threatened to take root in her soul as she longed for that which she could no longer have.

"Enough." A voice that sounded so much like her own growled.

"Inner?" Sakura turned around and came face to face with a side of herself that she had managed to push to the back of her mind for years.

"You expect that damn fox or something?" The mirror image set next to her counterpart.

"You never know anymore." The kunoichi gave a sad sigh.

"Well you did this to us now you have to find a way to deal with it." Her inner let out a sigh of her own.

"I miss everything." Sakura admitted.

"I get that, but you have to stop." Her other side cautioned.

"Just how am I supposed to do that?" The kunoichi felt her frustration rising.

"You probably won't," her inner acknowledged. "But you have to find a way to hide it."

"You are probably right." The pink haired woman agreed.

"Damn straight I am. Letting all those feelings show will get you killed out here. You saw the Uchiha he didn't give away anything. Hell, we still don't know what was going through his mind." Her other side gave her an almost scary grin.

"I won't ever manage to be like that." Sakura giggled at the very thought.

"Duh." Her inner acknowledged. "Just keep in mind that you aren't in Konoha anymore princess. Out here anger and sadness, those are just weapons that you are handing your enemy to use against you."

"I'll work on it." The kunoichi agreed.

"You be sure to do that." Her other side finally rose and left the kunoichi to remain in her dream world alone.

This time she did her best to keep that thoughts of the things that she could not have at bay. Instead she tried her best to come up with something with which she would be able to fill the void. There had to be some little part of life out here that she would learn to take at least a little happiness from.

"Wake up little one." The Kyuubi spoke to his container.

"Just a little more sleep." Sakura grumbled even as she felt the rays of light filtering in through her window.

"There is much that we must discuss." The fox insisted.

"What is it?" The kunoichi relented and found herself in the part of her being that housed the beast.

"The things that the Uchiha said were true." He told the small creature before him.

"Which part?" Sakura's brow rose as she tried to digest the implications of his words.

"All of it." The fox's words took her by surprise. "I have heard tale of jinchuriki s being able to use their demon's chakra without risk to their human forms. As soon as we find a safe place to train, we can begin work on my theories."

"A safe place?" She questioned.

"I did say that all that the Uchiha spoke was true." The Kyuubi replied. "I felt a strong chakra enter this village this morning, it is familiar to me."

"Akatsuki?" Sakura's eye twitched. After already having to fight Itachi she was in no mood to face another. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"You aren't the easiest kunoichi to wake up. We shall work on that as well." The fox chuckled.

"Why are you helping me?" The woman could not help but to question. "I don't remember you helping Naruto this much."

"Naruto was a vastly different container than you." The beast held an almost whimsical smile upon his face. "That boy thrived on conflict. His whole life was about proving to everyone how very wrong they were about him. You, my little one, are not the same. I sense in your heart a great desire to protect those that you left behind. You have already proven the drastic lengths that will go through to do so. Naruto always had a sense of hope and blind faith that he could get out of any situation, no matter how hopeless it may be. You hold no such delusions. You would sacrifice yourself without hesitation. If I wish to survive, I must ensure that you do so as well."

"You are right about that." Her jade eyes held a steely determination. "I will trust you and work with you for now. If I ever feel that you are deceiving me though that will be the end of that."

"Understood." He let out a slight chuckle. He did not necessarily relish the thought of working with any human. At least this one had proven that her motivations were pure.

The fox watched as his little human turned and began to walk away. He could have spoken to her last night in her dreams, but she had already found company within them. He had been mildly surprised to learn he was not the only one in the little creature's head. Perhaps he should not have been, a stable human would not have taken this burden upon herself. He had hung back and simply observed her interactions. He had not missed the visions of her former team, of the young Uchiha. Those were foolish dreams which he would not allow. He had other plans for his little one which did not include a traitor with no honor.