Chapter One: Two Worlds Reacting...an Alchemic Backlash

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Fullmetal Alchemist!

"Jackass!"

"Bastard."

"Show-off!"

"Knuckle-head."

"Jerk!"

"Idiot."

Sakura thought she was going to go crazy: For miles, Sasuke and Naruto had done nothing but argue like children. She had been elated when they had finally dragged (literally, she was pulling him by his right arm and Naruto was dragging him by his left) back to Konoha but she had whole-heartedly hoped that they would have matured a bit. Quite apparently, she was wrong.

'I can't believe this...' She thought, resting her head in her hand as she picked up her pace to escape the racket.

It was no use...They were just too loud.

Finally, Sakura reeled around, taking her anger out on an unfortunate tree which gave under her immense strength a moment later.

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! I SWEAR! YOU TWO ARE THE MOST PATHETIC EXCUSES FOR A TEAM I HAVE EVER KNOWN!"

"Whoa, Sakura, let's just calm down."

That was it: Sakura felt her already weakened twig of self control snap with the slighted comment.

"I'm leaving. You two can find me in Suna where we were supposed to be an hour ago!"

Before either of them had a chance to say anything, she was in the trees.

'I can't believe those two!' Sakura fumed mutely to herself.

But she had to be honest with herself: She hated being with both of them because even after all those years she still felt like the odd one out.

'Now, seriously, this getting pathetic.'

Sakura growled in annoyance at the voice invading her thoughts.

'Do you ever shut up?' She asked.

'I'm here to prevent stupid thoughts like those from getting to you!' Her inner self snapped.

'Leave me alone.' Sakura moaned mentally.

Her troublesome alter ego didn't have time to respond as a sudden flash of light caught her trained eyes...an electrical blue light.

'Fuck! Don't tell me they went at each other again!' She thought in desperation...Rasengan and Chidori were too devastating to use against a friend...

Forcing chakra into her feet, the pink-haired medic took off in the direction of the light.

Sakura slid to a halt at the edge of a lake...

It wasn't Sasuke...

In the midst of the blinding blue electric light, was a man--standing in a lake of crimson fluid. He had dark skin and red eyes with a strange X-shaped scar over his face. A large number of complex circular and linear patterns ran up his arm.

'Is this a jutsu?' Sakura wondered for a moment.

'No,' She thought, 'He isn't using seals. It must be a kekkei genkai!'

His red eyes suddenly turned to her, his arm arcing her direction...sending a massive wave of energy at her.

Instinct kicked in as Sakura's chakra automatically flowed to her feet, her knees bending as she repelled off of the branch and into the air. Her hands flew up, a set of seals already in progress.

Substitution.

The man turned on her again, destroying the log with a single blast. But by then, Sakura was already coming at his back, her chakra infused fist pulled at her waist.

"Foolish girl." He sighed, ready his deadly touch...

Sensing something wasn't quite right, Sakura pulled to the side, his hand barely missing her. Pirouetting away from his follow-through, the chunin danced away.

'What is this...' She wondered looking down at her feet...

"Never lower you guard!" The man cried as he appeared in front of her.

Sakura's fist went down automatically, the lake bottom fracturing and jutting up into a makeshift shield...and drenching her in the crimson liquid.

And suddenly everything was too bright to handle and her body was awash in a foreign energy.

The last thing she heard was Naruto and Sasuke's collective cry of, "Sakura!"

And then her suddenly white world faded to black.

TBC