Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Looking down at the letter in his hands, Uchiha Sasuke read the sloppy script slowly. It was from Naruto, who was congratulating him on his success protecting the Hidden Leaf Village. His idiot friend was saying something about the Uchiha’s quest of atonement and then mentioned how Sakura thought his efforts were very much like the members of the once proud Konoha Police force. Maybe it was the overwhelming sense of nostalgia that came with those words that had the Uchiha turning on his heels. Or maybe it was this sudden desire to stand, if just for a moment, in front of that building that had once displayed the crest of his clan. Flashes of his older brother carrying him on his back came to the front of his mind. Perhaps it was time he returned home.

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Sakura gathered the herbs she needed for the healing poultice she had in mind. Turning, she began to walk briskly down the road towards the hospital. The pink-haired nurse struggled to meet the new demands that were left in the wake of the recent phenomena of exploding humans. Sadly, there was nothing to be done for the innocent lives who had been used as bombs. However, with Hinata’s help, Sakura was able to recognize and remove any strange chakra that was present in other individuals. Other medic ninjas in the lands of Water and Lightning quickly followed the kunoichi’s lead soon after she relayed her methods to Kirigakure and Kumogakure. Within weeks, the foreign chakra had vanished and the villages soon pursued their pre-existing peace. Haruno Sakura was then able to look at the various other injuries related to the strange explosions. Ninja who had been injured during their attempts to stave off exploding humans were her most pressing patients and suffered mainly from severe burns. Burns were well within her range of healing capability. However, Sakura’s supply of expendable chakra could only be stretched so far. She began to feel a little fatigued by the end of the day and more and more burn victims were coming in by the hour. Not only this, but the other villages were facing the same demands. For the benefit of herself and the other villages, Sakura spent the evenings developing a very strong burn solvent that could easily be replicated and passed on. The herbs she had now, were just what she needed.

Clanging into the medical lab at 2:00 a.m. wasn’t an abnormal habit of hers anymore. Except for the few late night roamers and ninja on watch, there weren’t many individuals up this late. Sakura found that this was her best time for productive and undistracted work. Laying out her medical supplies on the table before her, she began her craft immediately. Her plan was to create a compound that acted as a second skin, thin but hard enough to touch without peeling away. The idea was that as the solution dried over the burned skin, a protective shell would form on the outside while keeping the medicine on the inside.  Over time, with frequent application combined with chakra, the covering would allow new skin to form without damage from reopening or splitting. How she would manage to create this, she only had a faint idea. But that’s why she was here to test and experiment.

Sakura looked down at her left arm. Although there were several adequate patients being housed at the hospital due to their critical condition, Sakura felt that neither waking them up at this hour or using them as guinea pigs were good for their recovery. On the bright side, she had managed to carefully collect chakra throughout the afternoon and had enough in store to continuously heal any minor self-inflicted injuries that could react sorely to her new cure.

Glancing over to the wall, Sakura found a candle that she had lit previously. Grasping it in her right hand, she held the flame under the bottom of her forearm, allowing it to sear her skin. She didn’t even flinch. The pain was more than bearable in comparison to anything she had ever suffered as a ninja. She applied the solution gradually to the charred place on her arm and slightly frowned at the severe stinging sensation spreading across her arm. She bent down over her scroll and noted to add less harrow leaf in the mixture, then began to proceed.

Sakura lost track of time as the faint line of sunshine began to trace the outcropping of trees beyond the village gates. It seemed that the sun was rising earlier and earlier recently. Glancing down at the large mess she had made in front of her, Sakura sighed and lifted up the small container she held in her hand before her. It wasn’t much to show for her efforts but she would let the results speak for her.

6:23 a.m. She had done it again. That was twice this week that the kunoichi had gone without sleep. Her shift at the hospital began at 8. Perhaps if she hurried home, she could catch an hour of sleep. She frowned down at the mess on the table. She’d clean it up before work, she thought as she walked out the door and down the stairs. Sakura carried the new medicine with a growing pride and relief, thinking solely of her patients.

She stopped mid-step when she sensed a very familiar chakra slowly approaching the village. Instantly on guard, she snapped her head in the direction of the village gates. Could this be real or was it another trick? Perhaps it was another Sasuke clone intent to capture her. How many times had she imagined this very thing to happen? Was it still her hopeful imagination? Sakura waited a minute for her head to clear. The chakra grew increasingly and steadily. Forgetting sleep, Sakura ran towards the gates.

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Sasuke stepped off of the forest path, stopping as he looked at the familiar sight of the leaf village gates looming above him. Taking in a deep breath, the Uchiha sighed and began to walk forward. Returning was difficult for him, for many reasons. First, being in the village meant that he wasn’t tracking down Kaguya and Sasuke couldn’t help the nagging feeling that he was losing time. Not only this, but being in the village posed a risk to everyone around him. He was the last Uchiha and even after achieving the peace between nations, there were still individuals who sought him for his power. Chino and Fushin were two of many that Sasuke knew would come for him.

He removed all emotion from his face as he approached the guards waiting for him at the entrance. It had been years since he left the village but Sasuke knew better than to  pretend that these people might overlook his past crimes. He was lucky to leave the village at all, barely being able to escape an eternity of darkness in a strait jacket. However, instead of being given a cold greeting by the guards, two men whom he barely recognized, lifted their hands in greeting.

“Uchiha?“they called out, squinting through the morning darkness. As he came closer, the two men gave him large grins as they recognized the face that matched his chakra.

“Welcome home!” they replied in unison. This was not the greeting that Sasuke had prepared himself for. Since his return after the war and even up until his departure, he had gotten looks of disgust from everyone he came into contact with: ninja, civilians, and even Akamaru had growled at him when Sasuke happened to pass by him; he had frowned at the dog and was tempted to tell the mutt that he liked cats better. Most of these encounters, of course, happened in the very beginning, right before higher authorities demanded that the Sixth Hokage bind him and lock him in prison. He hadn’t expected anything else from the village he betrayed and offered no resistance when Kakashi escorted him directly from the battlefield to the jail. He would pay for his mistakes, willingly.

The guards in front of Sasuke, however, didn’t flinch or sneer at him as he made his approach. In fact, they began to congratulate him on defeating Chino and stopping the exploding humans. As he turned to acknowledge them, Sasuke felt a mixture of feelings with those words. Should he be happy that the village knew about his efforts to protect them? Sasuke had originally planned to be the village’s burden wielder, just like his older brother. The man working in the shadows. Itachi never received the gratitude that he had deserved, so why should he?  Sasuke fought down the familiar anger that rose in his throat at the thought. He sighed. Even though he still felt uncomfortable with this praise, he remembered that he wasn’t that angry person anymore. He had changed.

“Sasuke-kun?”

Glancing to his right, Sasuke saw a familiar pink-haired kunoichi. The sun was rising steadily behind him and the pale dawn illuminated her features, making her hair seem a darker shade of pink. It was shorter, he noted. It had been over two years since he’d last seen her. She stood a few feet away from him, just inside the gates and made no attempt to come forward. She was panting slightly and he guessed that she had run here when she picked up on his chakra. He hadn’t been expecting to see her at this hour in the morning. In fact, his goal was to arrive before dawn as to avoid as much attention as he possibly could.

He moved away from the guards and closer to the person he had once considered to be dear to him. He stood in front of her, a swarm of childhood memories coming back to him. It seemed so long ago and the visions seemed to belong to someone else; the person who Sasuke was trying to bring back a little more each day. The Sasuke he had been only three years ago certainly wouldn’t have given the memories much consideration. Maybe he was changing after all.

Sakura’s eyes grew big at his nearness and she remained silent, utterly speechless at the miracle in front of her. Sasuke guessed her thoughts and decided he would break the silence this time.

“I’m home, Sakura.”

Chapter Text

“I can’t believe it. You’re finally home.”

The Uchiha responded with a small tilt to his lip and if she would have blinked, Sakura would have missed it. However, Sakura was unable to blink as she gazed up at the individual she had gone more than 2 years without seeing or hearing from. He looked terribly warn, her medically trained eyes assessing his form for any signs of physical injuries. Although he appeared unharmed, Sakura could tell that he had been involved in recent battle due to nicks and bruises on his skin, as well as the various tears in his cloak. Even though he seemed taller and his hair was longer, he looked just like the Sasuke she remembered; his hair was even rising up in the back to form his usual spikey Uchiha hair. Except now, his hair covered his left eye– the eye she knew was the Rinnegan. Something in his look had changed since she’d last seen him. Was that the trace of emotion in his expression?

“Yes,” was his audible reply, before he looked back at the guards who kept their gazes fixed on the two of them. He frowned at them and moved away from her, walking through the gates. Sakura felt unsure of whether or not it was okay to follow him, until he slowed and glanced back in her direction as if to ask her if she was coming. It made her heart jump and it took every ounce of her willpower to keep from running up to him and hugging Sasuke out of her excitement. She caught up to him quickly and the two began to walk in the direction of the Hokage’s building.

She couldn’t believe that he was finally home and was here, walking beside her. She had practiced this reunion in her minds so many times, but Sakura found herself at a loss for words. After a few seconds of silence, Sakura asked, “Where are you headed?”

He made brief eye contact with her before stating, “I need to report to the Hokage to relay important intel and notify him of my return.”

Of course, she thought to herself. Stupid question. After two years of not talking to him, Sakura felt slightly out of practice. Starting to feel slightly insecure and unsure of what to say to him, she glanced down at their feet as they walked. Sakura noticed suddenly how casually they were walking together, like it was something they always did together. Sakura couldn’t help but notice how slowly Sasuke was walking, as if he were actually taking his time so that they could walk together. Maybe it was just wishful thinking on her part.

“You’re up early,” he stated plainly, glancing up at the brightening sky above them.

Sakura was somewhat shocked at his observation and giggled. “I could say the same about you.”

He made no reply so Sakura continued, “I was just working on a healing treatment for the burn victims at the hospital. Not a lot time to waste these days.” She raised the small casing of solvent in her hand, forgetting that she had even had it.

Sasuke glanced over at her then, raising an eyebrow. “Burn victims?”

“Yes,” she replied. “The exploding humans did a number on a lot of individuals who put their lives at risk trying to stop them.” She noted his frown at her words and wondered why he would do so. “Thank you, by the way,” she stated briefly.

“For what,” he asked, still looking forward as they walked.

“For what you did to help us. For what you did to help them. Without you, we wouldn’t have been able to-” He stopped walking suddenly and turned to her, cutting Sakura short.

“Without me, none of this would have happened.” He was looking directly at her, challenging her to contradict him. Her heart began to pound furiously under his direct gaze. Sakura worked up her courage.

“That’s a ridiculous statement. If it weren’t for you, those two would have walked around with hate in their hearts for the rest of their lives. What you did was a good thing. You helped them.” He simply stared at her and Sakura offered him a small smile before continuing to walk. He followed, saying nothing.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, Sakura simply enjoying his company. Despite the rising sun, the village suddenly seemed brighter to Sakura. The colors of the buildings more fantastic in the dim light. Sasuke returning to the Leaf Village made it feel more like home, almost as if she were returning, too.

“Sasuke, there’s so much you have missed. So much I want to tell you,” she stated, turning to him. Where would she even begin to start?

Sasuke gave her a slight nod, giving her permission. Sakura smiled and began to tell him about all that had transpired in his absence: Naruto and Hinata’s wedding and how everyone was at a loss to what to get them for wedding gifts; she even added a grumbled remark about some sort of baking competition between herself and her Yamanaka friend. She even told him about Shikamaru and Temari’s engagement and relayed the details of Gaara’s 20th birthday celebration.

Sakura noted that two years had certainly not changed his conversation skills. He remained quiet throughout the entire story. He nodded at appropriate intervals and Sakura appreciated the fact that he was trying. The sun was almost completely above the forest line now and Sakura fell silent when they came upon the Administrative Division of the Academy. Sasuke began to open the door before she stopped just outside, not following him in. She hung back, looking to her left, and Sasuke turned to her.

“Forgive me, I have to return to the hospital. My shift starts soon and I’ll have a mob of angry patients to deal with if I am late.” She gave him a small smile as he stood waiting with the door open. She felt uncomfortable at his blank stare and thought that maybe she should just walk away.

“Ah,” he finally stated before releasing the door and turning back to face her.

Placing her arms shyly behind her back, Sakura began to work up her courage. “Listen Sasuke, if you need anything while you’re here, you can come to me.”

He moved toward her slightly, allowing a small smile to tilt the corner of his mouth. Sakura’s heart stopped at his next words.

“Thank you,” he said and went inside.
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Sasuke looked over at the clock on the wall. 7:58. Where was that man? Sasuke had always known Kakashi to be late for everything, including the meetings, missions, and training sessions back when Team 7 were kids, but did not stop to consider this bad habit might carry over to an official role such as Hokage. The Hokage was supposed to be in his office at the crack of dawn, prepared and ready to assign missions and review official paperwork. By the looks of the towering piles of unorganized documents all over the Hokage’s desk, Sasuke could see why Kakashi might refuse to show up on time.

Five frustrating minutes later, a very familiar ninja with a ponytail opened the door, yawning. He stopped for a second when he noticed Sasuke, but entered the room anyway and crossed his arms behind his head. “I thought that might be you Sasuke, but seeing you in person is still as surprising as ever.” He yawned again.

“Shikamaru,” Sasuke acknowledged, “Sometimes I wonder how anything gets done around here with the two of you in charge.” Shikamaru let out another yawn, unfazed by the Uchiha’s blatant remark.

“Dealing with you is going to be such a drag,” he sighed, moving to a smaller desk on the left side of the room, taking a seat at the chair in the corner. He rubbed at his eyes and began to read one of the many papers on his desk.

Sasuke stifled his impatience. “I need to report to the Hokage. Where is he?”

“Relax. I’m certain he will be here sooner or later,” Shikamaru replied, gesturing at another chair in the room, “In the meantime, have a seat.”

It was at that exact moment, Sasuke sensed the chakra of his previous sensei as the white-haired ninja made his way to his office. He entered in an almost identical process that Shikamaru had, looking tired and uninterested at the work day ahead. Kakashi glanced over at Sasuke and the look on his face said that he had not been expecting to see the Uchiha anytime soon.

“Sasuke. It’s been too long,” he stated after a few silent seconds, walking over to his former student and placing a hand on the Uchiha’s right shoulder. “I didn’t recognize you without the turban. I see you’ve lost the poncho, as well. Such a shame. I thought they suited you.”

At the mutual laughter of both Shikamaru and Kakashi, Sasuke sighed. Yes, these two were in charge of the safety of the Leaf Village. They were making his job a whole lot harder.

Taking his hand from his student’s shoulder, the 6th Hokage retreated to the chair behind his desk, looking at the stacks of unfinished paperwork. He immediately turned to Sasuke, giving him his undivided attention. Sasuke guessed that it was merely another way of distracting himself from the heavy workload surrounding him on all sides.

“I have important intel to relay to you in regards to what we last spoke about. I request a meeting with you and Naruto.”

Kakashi raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “I see. Unfortunately, Naruto is not in the village at this time.”

Sasuke frowned at this information. Mentally scanning the village for his loud friend’s powerful chakra signature, he found nothing. “When will he back? It is crucial that I meet with the both of you.”

Kakashi absently fingered the edges of the nearest pile of papers on his desk, but paused to look up at his former student’s question. With Kakashi’s silent evaluation of him, Sasuke could only guess what he was thinking. He inwardly winced as he felt Shikamaru’s observant glare land on him. He realized what the both of them were thinking. How could he, who had been gone so long and remained absent of his own free will, start asking when his former teammate would come home? Hadn’t they all asked the same question about him? He could only picture his friends as they continued to wonder when he would be back for good. Yet, they made no demands of him to return; they all extended him the patience that gave the Uchiha his freedom.

A small sting of guilt made his way to the front of his consciousness, but the Uchiha pushed the feeling away and kept an even stare at the Hokage. After the incident with Kido, and more recently, Chino and Fushin, Sasuke was even more firm in his resolution of absence. He presented a danger to his friends by even being alive. If his enemies still considered him a vagabond, they were less likely to seek him out at Konoha. Even after the Kido incident, when Sakura’s life was threatened by a man who wanted the sharingan, Sasuke became even more cautious about returning home. He knew that weaker enemies would go for those close to him; even though he did show up to help, Sakura had already taken care of everything herself. His friends didn’t need his protection from these types of enemies. Stronger enemies would either challenge Sasuke directly, or would either consider him so insignificant, that they would neither seek him or the village out; these enemies, Sasuke would have to find himself. Kaguya was one of them. He also took comfort in the fact that Naruto would be there to protect the village in the chance that an extremely dangerous enemy did show up.

Kakashi’s answer snapped the Uchiha out of his increasingly deepening thoughts. “He only left just last night. His mission’s length depends on its completion.”

Sasuke sighed slightly in his frustration. He wanted to ask where Naruto would be located but he knew Kakashi would tell him the information was classified.

“I see,” the Uchiha said, pondering his next move. How long was he willing to wait for Naruto? What if he missed something important by delaying his journey? How much time did he have left? Then again, with Naruto away, was this village safe from any real danger? Who would protect it while Naruto was gone? Sasuke glanced up at the two men before him. Kakashi wasn’t even looking at him anymore, and was instead concealing a familiar little orange book between two sheets of unfinished paperwork, pretending to be working. Shikamaru was leaning his head in his right hand, starting to doze off. Sasuke sighed irritably at the two of them. He supposed he would have to wait until Naruto came home.

Chapter Text

Sakura found that she was having a rather difficult time staying on task today. Every few minutes she caught herself glancing out the window towards the Hokage’s tower, thinking of the man who she had seen this morning for the first time in two and a half years. Sakura had never found it difficult to concentrate on her job before, even going as far as to ensure that her focused mindset passed on to the rest of her work force. Today was entirely different. Endless streams of thought kept distracting the kunoichi as she replayed the events in her head from this morning over and over, reminding herself that Sasuke had actually come home and that she hadn’t imagined everything. This Sasuke was the real one and not some cruel trick like Kido had used on her several months ago in hopes of capturing her in order to draw out the Uchiha. The man had underestimated her strength; not only did Sakura escape from his trap, but she managed to defeat him on her own while her friends took care of his subordinates. She remembered seeing Sasuke’s fleeting form after he had defeated a few of Kido’s lackeys, leaving nothing behind but flickers of flame. Sakura had been sorely disappointed at his disappearance but took comfort in the fact that Sasuke had indeed showed up to help her. Although he would never directly admit, Sakura knew that deep down he cared for his friends. It was proof that the old Sasuke was slowly coming back to them. The thought made her smile.

Absentmindedly applying the burn solvent to another patient, she almost missed what the shinobi was asking her. “Did I say something funny?”

She suddenly looked up at her patient and for the first time, really assessed her client. He was a red haired man with a scar running from his left ear to his chin. He was flashing her a large grin with his eyes closed, an expression that reminded her of Naruto. She registered the question, realizing that he was asking her about the smile she had just expressed without thinking.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I was thinking about something else.” She noticed the worried look her apprentice was giving her.

“Shame,” her client said, leaning back on his good arm. “I thought someone was finally recognizing my comic potential.”

Sakura giggled at that.

“See, I am funny!” the man said, then winced as Sakura added the last of the medicine to his right arm.

With her right hand, she began to run her chakra over the medicine to dull the sting she knew he was beginning to feel. His entire arm was a solid green limb of herbs that was putting off the sharpest smell. As her chakra touched it, the medicine instantly hardened, creating a thick cast around the burns to defend them but was still flexible enough to allow movement, though she advised against moving too much. Only her chakra would be able to soften it again for removal, but until then the medicine would stay put until the burns had healed.

From the frown on her patient’s face, Sakura could tell that he would not be happy to have to deal with this makeshift cast.

“Right, then,” she exclaimed, satisfied with her work. “I’m afraid all missions will be put on hold until those burns are healed up. No matter how hard you try, that is not coming off. However, to prevent itching, I advise you not to get it wet.”

The shock that flashed across the red head’s face made Sakura smile. “No more sauna?!”

Sakura put her hands on her hips. This man was becoming more like Naruto with every passing minute. “Absolutely not. Do you want to scald those burns before they even get a chance to heal?”

“But it smells terrible,” he grimaced after holding it up to his nose and inhaling.

“You’ll get used to it, I promise,” she said, turning and reaching for the man’s chart, locating his name at the top. Mizuno, Haru.

“Alright, Mizuno-san, you are free to go. You are scheduled to come back in a few weeks. Make sure to remember what I told you,” Sakura said, showing the man out. He nodded vigorously, making a show of holding his arm out as far away from himself as possible. He flashed her another big Naruto smile before exiting the building.

After finalizing a couple of notes on his chart, Sakura handed it back to her assistant.

“Sakura-sensei, is something the matter? You haven’t been like yourself today.”

She glanced over at the girl who was showing sincere concern for her. Sakura was annoyed with herself for being so obvious and not having better control of herself. She stopped herself from looking over at the clock.

Sakura was honestly relieved that nobody at the hospital had learned about Sasuke’s return yet. Once the rumor began to spread, she’d be an open book to those who knew her best. She glanced back over to her apprentice.

“I’m fine, Kirai. Just a long night. It took me longer than expected to develop the burn solvent.”

The two were walking down the hall towards the next hospital room. Kirai’s concern vanished and was replaced by surprise. “You developed this on your own in just one night?! My goodness sensei, do you ever do anything besides work? You sure are something.”

Sakura gave the girl a small smile as they entered the room. She managed to catch a glimpse of the clock just in time to see that she was two hours away from the end of her shift. Despite her undeniable distraction, today had been very successful. The only patient left was the last of the burn victims.

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The sun was shining through the glass of the top floor of the hospital, creating streaks of pink and orange against the tile floor. Sakura was in the medical lab once again, cleaning up the mess that had seemed to grow as she made frequent stops here throughout the day, recreating the medicine she had just conjured this morning. The first few patients had taken to her first batch quite nicely and Sakura had been able to make necessary adjustments to the recipe as she tested it on more and more of her clients. Sakura hadn’t been able to completely get rid of the stinging sensation like she had hoped, but that was a small issue if she paired her chakra with the medicine during the application. It helped nullify the sting. For those who had been severely injured, Sakura had to first heal major tissue damage with her chakra and then apply the medicine after most of it was completely healed.

Sakura had expired almost all of her reserves and was now running on what was left of her energy; not sleeping the night before hadn’t left much to run on. If it werent for Sasuke’s return, Sakura would be completely dead on her feet. She scraped the last of the herbs into an empty container and carried it with her to her office a couple floors down. Placing it on the crowded shelf to the left of her desk, Sakura was wondering where she should start to find Sasuke.

Should she even seek him out? What if he had already left? She had tried sensing his chakra signature throughout the day and had found nothing. Perhaps it was a precaution the Uchiha had taken to avoid causing a stir.

Running into an animated Ino two seconds after exiting the building told Sakura that this was not the case.

“Sakura! Did you hear?” her blonde friend said stopping a few inches from in front of her face. “I heard from Shikamaru and had to be the one to tell you! Sasuke’s back!”

“Actually,” Sakura started with a smile, rubbing the back of her head shyly. “I knew already. I saw him this morning.”

“You WHAT?” Ino screeched, grabbing her friend by both of her shoulders. “What happened?!”

Sakura jerked away from her friend who was now staring at her with a surprised, expecting sort-of look. Her hands were high on her hips.

Sakura waved frantically, exclaiming, “Nothing! Nothing happened! I just walked with him to the Hokage’s tower and–”

“YOU WALKED WITH HIM?! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Ino’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“I haven’t had the chance to!” Sakura defended, beginning to walk down the path towards the Hokage’s monument. It was the honest truth. Besides, Sakura wasn’t sure if Sasuke wanted anyone to know he was home; she certainly wouldn’t be the one to tell anyone. Now that it seemed word had gotten out on its own, Sakura was grateful she had someone to talk to about it.

The two were walking besides each other now but Sakura couldn’t seem to escape the sideways scrutiny of her friend who now seemed disappointed that her surprise had been spoiled. She jumped back a little when Ino leaned into her face with the same glare.

“What did you guys talk about?” she asked.

Sakura immediately wanted to say that they didn’t talk about anything. Even though this was a lie and Sakura had replayed their conversation from this morning in her head on repeat all day long, Sakura didn’t have much to tell her. They had only talked briefly and the short walk had seemed like only a few seconds.

“To be honest, there wasn’t much said,” she said simply.

Ino looked disappointed but didn’t push the subject, to Sakura’s surprise. As they reached the end of the corner, she noticed Sai standing in front of the Yamanaka flower shop. He had arms full of freshly cut flowers and Sakura could only guess that Ino had had him running around all day doing errands. Ino thanked him, swooping up the beautiful array of multicolored flowers in her arms and carrying them inside. Sakura exchanged a few polite words with Sai before Ino returned from the building. Sakura then realized that the two of them had evening plans together. Sakura felt a little lonely, watching as Sai took her friend’s arm in his as they walked off together.

Before they left, Ino flashed a smile at her, wishing her a silent “good luck.” It was odd, finding comfort in her friend’s concern when they had once been brutal to one another over the same man. As her and Ino matured, trivial things like that didn’t come between their friendship anymore. However, they did still find it necessary to compete over smaller things to remind each other that they were still rivals. Sakura smiled when she thought about their recent food pill baking competition over an argument that they had had that was started over a picture frame they both wanted to buy as a gift for Naruto’s wedding.

Smiling at the memory, Sakura looked around as she noticed a few quick glances at her from passing ninja and other villagers. They looked away when she made eye contact. Ah, she thought as she assessed these looks. News was spreading like wild fire. She knew by the glances that those individuals knew Sasuke was home and was either looking at her because they thought he might be with her, or that they half expected her to be displaying some sort of reaction to the news. Sakura frowned at this. She wondered where Sasuke was at the moment and how she would find him. By the scrutiny she was receiving from others, she was certain that he was still in the village.

Taking a steady breath, Sakura chased after Sai and Ino. “Sai! Wait a minute!”

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Sasuke stared at the Uchiha symbol that was still incorporated into the insignia of the Konoha Military Police Force building. Sasuke had forgotten all about it during his time in prison. Even though he spent a year of his life in this very building, his eyesight had been sealed the entire time he had been a prisoner. He hadn’t seen the symbol to remember that his clan had been its founders.

Well, not exactly, he corrected himself. It had been founded by the Senju and was given to the Uchiha as a sign of peace between the two clans. However, he couldn’t help but remember a certain man in an orange mask telling Sasuke that this building and what it stood for had been the Senju’s way of distancing the Uchiha and separating them from the Hokage’s seat. Sasuke pushed the thoughts down as he felt his former anger spark deep down in his chest. No, he told himself. Tobirama, the reanimated second Hokage, had told him that this wasn’t exactly the truth. In fact, the Konoha Military Police Force was meant to give the Uchiha a purpose, a funnel for their energy that would benefit the Leaf Village. Of course, that same Hokage said himself, that if benefitting the village meant getting themselves killed in the process, they would still be considered useful.

Sasuke pinched his nose as he exhaled the memory. Facing the village had been a lot harder than he had thought it would be. There was the constant reminder of his family’s death, their mistreatment, his brother’s sacrifice–the list went on. On his journey, he was free from all of this and wasn’t bothered by any sort of reminder about his past. Searching for Kaguya had given Sasuke a purpose that kept him going; being away also helped him clear the anger from his heart.

But as he felt it trickle back in, Sasuke managed to focus on a good memory that came with the familiar symbol. When he had been little, his older brother had carried him home after he twisted his ankle. They had passed this very spot that day and Itachi had first explained to him why the building displayed the red and white fan. Itachi had told him that only superior shinobi could enforce the law on other ninja. He remembered how he had exclaimed to his older brother that he aspired to be a part of the leaf’s police force one day, too.

He remembered Naruto’s letter: “So, like, I talked to Sakura. You’re like the police force!” His childhood dream. He once again thought about Itachi and how his sacrifice had practically saved the leaf village. Itachi had killed the entire Uchiha clan, the army that threatened to destroy it. His brother had been the superior shinobi that enforced the law on his entire brethren.

Sasuke released another sigh as the sun set to the left of him, an orange glow lingering on the horizon. He sat on top of the nearest building, adjacent to the Konoha Military Police Force. Sasuke figured that concealing himself in its shadows would keep any unwanted attention away. It had been two and a half years since he’d been home. There was bound to be a stir.

“Sasuke? What are you doing up here?”

Stunned, the Uchiha swerved to his right to see his pink-haired friend walking towards him across the rooftop. How had she even been able to find him?

Taking a seat a couple feet away from him, she gave him a small grin. “You’re not the only one good at concealing your chakra.”

Although he would never admit it, he was slightly impressed that he hadn’t been able to sense her chakra. He hadn’t forgotten her chakra control abilities, but to hide her presence completely from him was something to marvel at. How long had she been standing there? He noticed that she was still wearing the same lab coat he had seen her in this morning. He assumed that this meant she had been working all day.

He gave her a nod in greeting, then turned to look back at the building across the road. “How’d you find me?”

“Sai found you,” she said, pointing to a small chirping sound across the street.

Narrowing his eyes, he activated the Sharingan, seeing for the first time, a small orb of chakra perched on one of the buildings in front of him. Before he could even think of sending a shuriken through it, the little bird of ink flew up in the air and disappeared.

Slightly annoyed by the thought of that ninja who was technically considered a part of his former team, and for the fact that this wasn’t the first time that Sai had spied on him, Sasuke said nothing in reply.

They sat in mutual silence for a while before Sasuke glanced over at Sakura. She sat staring out across the rooftops and he couldn’t help but notice how bright her hair was in the sunlight. Despite his annoyance, he appreciated her quiet effort of company. As Sakura matured, Sasuke found that she was rather good at reading his emotions. He followed her gaze and realized she was evaluating the same symbol he had been just a few moments ago.

“You’re the one who told Naruto about the Uchiha connection with the police force, weren’t you?” His words seemed to startle her, like she hadn’t expected him to speak. She turned to him, surprised.

“Yes,” she replied. “Naruto and I were talking about you the other day. Naruto said that even though you were away, he felt like he was still on a mission with you to protect the village.”

Sakura faced the building again, continuing, “I told him it was like you were a part of the Konoha military police force; you know, like your clan.” She emphasized the last part by pointing at the Uchiha crest on the building in front of them.

He didn’t know why, but Sasuke took comfort knowing that his two teammates continued to find the good in him. He had gone on his journey not only to find Kaguya, but to atone for his sins. Sasuke didn’t deserve the happiness his friends offered him here; quite frankly, it was hard to even be around them sometimes, remembering how much pain he had caused the both of them.

“When I was little, it was my dream to be like my father, the head of Konoha’s military police.” He didn’t know what had caused him to say this out loud but he felt like Sakura would be the person to tell, if anyone were to know about it. By the unsurprised look on her face, it seemed that she had guessed as much.

She smiled at him, leaning forward to wrap her arms around her bent legs. “Was it? I didn’t know that.”

“Yes,” he said, finding the bright star that had just revealed itself in the sky. He pushed the thought of Kaguya away at the celestial body’s sudden appearance. Instead, he began to wonder how much about his past his friends knew. He was aware that they knew about Itachi and his lifelong secret. But just how much about his clan, did Naruto and Sakura really know? Sakura surprised Sasuke with what she already knew about him.

Her quiet voice brought him out of his thoughts.

“It’s like you’ve achieved that dream, without realizing it. I think your family would be very proud of you.” He made brief eye contact with her at the statement, and he quickly looked away. Sasuke suddenly felt very grateful for her words. Would they be proud of him, he thought. He wouldn’t think so after all that he had done. He once thought that the only way to make them proud was to avenge them. Sasuke was able to see past that now. Regardless, her words had brought him a small peace.

After a few minutes of silence beneath a starry sky, he heard Sakura yawn. He glanced over at her and saw for the first time how tired she looked. Her eyes displayed dark circles under her lids and her shoulders slumped slightly as she leaned against her knees. Sakura had met him this morning at the gates and he remembered how early it had been. Not to mention, she had worked all day.

He rose to his feet and Sakura looked up at him in surprise. He could tell that there were so many things she had been wanting to say; unfinished thoughts waiting to be verbalized. Selfishly, the Uchiha wasn’t sure if he was ready to hear them. It would only make it harder for him to leave, again.

“Come on,” he said, looking away from her. “I’ll walk you home.”

Chapter Text

Sasuke remained silent as they walked together towards her home. Sasuke wasn’t sure where Sakura was living these days; he knew she probably didn’t live with her parents anymore, at least. He let her lead the way.

Sakura also didn’t talk and it annoyed the Uchiha to no end. He could tell she was on the verge of saying something, but just as she was about to, she pursed her lips together. She had spoken to him this morning, but now she seemed hesitant. There was a part of the Uchiha that was glad she was quiet, leaving a formality between them. However, there was a part of him that wished she would speak to end the tension that hung over their heads.

She had never been as loud or boisterous as Naruto, but this unsuspecting quiet was beginning to bother him.

He shook his head at the thought. It had been awhile since he had last seen her; there was bound to be a stiff silence.

As Sakura stumbled along, he noticed again how tired she looked.

“You work long shifts at the hospital,” the Uchiha said awkwardly, turning away from her redirected gaze.

Offering him a small smile, she replied, “Yes, they often run together.”

When she didn’t elaborate, Sasuke asked, “What do you mean?”

“There are a lot of demands, lately,” she explained. “A team of medical ninja was sent to Kumogakure so I’ve been a little short staffed at the hospital.”

He recalled his more recent conversation with one of the Raikage’s right hand men. Sasuke had travelled to Kumogakure when he discovered their missing shinobi on an island in the Land of Water. C had told him that a Konoha medical team was sent to Kumogakure to help assist them in removing Chino’s foreign chakra from their shinobi.

He remembered the acute sting in his hand when he reached into the pool of red, the chakra swirling within it cutting at his skin, trying to enter his body. The red pools in Hell Valley were where Chino had kept the ninja as she turned them into human bombs. He wondered if extracting the foreign chakra caused pain for the medic because of the chakra’s nature.

“You might be wondering where Naruto is,” she offered and Sasuke blinked in surprise. “Tsunade, Hinata, and He are accompanying the medic team to Kumogakure. The Byakugan can see the chakra and after helping me discovering how to remove it, Hinata was an asset to the team. After showing Tsunade how I was able to extract the chakra, she was able to improve upon the method and went in my place.”

Sasuke raised his eyes in surprise. She had been the one to discover how to extract the chakra? When C had told him that Konoha had developed a way to do so, he didn’t imagine Sakura being the one responsible.

“Naruto wanted to see B, I imagine,” she added quickly, interrupting his thoughts.

Ah, Sasuke thought. That made sense. It was odd, knowing his closest friend was now in Kumogakure, just days after having been there himself. He pictured the large Octopus-Bull eight tailed beast and his jinchūriki. He began to recall the battle he had with the self-proclaimed rapper, Killer B. He smiled at the thought of the world’s two most obnoxious shinobi as being friends.

Glancing over at Sakura, he thought more carefully about what she said. “You stayed,” he said, matter of factly.

“Yes,” she replied, “I chose to stay behind, this time.” She looked away shyly and Sasuke wasn’t sure why. He looked away from her and remained silent.

After a few quiet seconds, Sakura stated, “Kirigakure and Kumogakure have their own set of victims from the exploding humans incident, but so does Konoha. I stayed behind so that I could research and develop a burn solvent that helps speed up the healing process in patients without the necessity of extreme chakra depletion on the medic’s part.”

She exhaled tiredly and glanced down at her arm. Sasuke snapped his attention to the direction of her gaze and noticed large circular scars running across the bottom of her forearm. His eyes widened as the realization hit him. It was shocking to make the connection between Sakura and the extent she was willing to go to. He recalled other moments of her fearlessness. Most prominently, Sasuke remembered the faces of three Oto chunin applicants terrorizing the girl who fought so desperately to save Naruto and himself. More recently, he could recall her unexpected efforts in the war. She was no longer the teammate who relied on her partners to defend her in battle. Instead, she was becoming a shinobi the ninja world relied on. The Uchiha in him had always admired power and this capable Sakura was beginning to grow in his acknowledgements and respects.

Looking back at him, Sakura offered another tired smile at his silence.

He shook his head and replied lamely, “So not much sleep then?”

“No. Not much.”

They stopped at a small little apartment located in a tight alley between the left corner of the hospital and the connecting path that would eventually take you into the Uchiha compound. She reached in her pocket for the key and fumbled to unlock the door. Sasuke wanted to ask her why she had chosen to move so far across the village, but his conversational ability seemed to be exhausted.

“Thank you, again, for walking me home, Sasuke.” She turned towards her door to enter but stopped short and turned to face him once more. “Can I see you again, tomorrow? I know Naruto isn’t here, but maybe you, Kakashi, and I could go out for ramen like old times and catch up.”

He frowned automatically before he could catch himself. He knew he wasn’t afraid to be involved anymore, but a rendezvous with his old team wouldn’t help the situation at all. They both knew he wasn’t home for good. Perhaps this was why she hadn’t asked him how long he had been planning on staying. He didn’t want her to get used to his company again only for him to leave so quickly. Through his travelling, Sasuke had decided that being home meant bringing danger to the village; in other words, he aimed to eliminate the risk by searching for the biggest threat to the current peace.

If Sakura knew this, she would be devastated.

“I have to continue my training, tomorrow,” he said bluntly. It was better to put a limit on their interactions with one another. It would be the best thing he could do for her.

She looked away at his answer, then gave him a small smile. “Maybe another time, then.”

He nodded silently and turned in the direction of the Uchiha compound. For some reason, as he walked away, the Uchiha raised an arm in farewell. He supposed Sakura wasn’t the only one who had changed. He needed Naruto to hurry up and come back so he could return to his mission and let his friends move on with their lives.

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Sakura didn’t see Sasuke the following day, or the next, or even the next. In fact, she didn’t see him for the first week that he was here. She wanted to seek him out, to tell him he was being unfair by keeping his distance from those who cared about him. Had she not waited, waited, and waited for him to come home? And now, he was here and she was just about sick of waiting.

Sakura shuffled the papers on her desk into a neat pile and pushed them to the side. It was mid-afternoon and contemplating about Sasuke hadn’t helped her get as much paperwork completed on her break like she had planned. She rubbed her temples and closed her eyes.

After sitting in silence for a few minutes, Sakura began working again. The pink-haired medic had scheduled checkups for all her burn patients today which had kept her very busy. Working on these select patients within a shorter time frame allowed her to compare results between patients more quickly. Her main objective was to evaluate her burn solvent’s short-term efficiency. A week wasn’t long enough for severe burns to completely heal, but she wanted to make sure the herbal cast was holding up for her patients.

The first patient was a young kunoichi named Hoko who had suffered third-degree burns across her right shoulder and up her neck and face. Unfortunately, the woman’s right eye had been completely disintegrated due to its direct connection with the explosion. Sakura had barely managed to save her left eye and had spent a large amount of chakra trying to heal the rest of Hoko’s face. Once Hoko had finally stopped screaming, Sakura had wrapped the right side of her face and kept a medical patch over the left eye, returning later to apply the solvent to her burns. Even though the kunoichi’s former face was impossible to return to its previous state, the healing solvent paired with Sakura’s chakra was working miraculously. Her skin showed little redness and the ointment was helping the skin regeneratre without major scarring. Hoko’s left eye was restored while her exposed right eye socket was now almost completely covered with a layer of puffy skin.

“Does it look bad?” Hoko asked with a hoarse and broken voice, reaching up to touch the newly applied bandages. Her good eye was uncovered now and she was able to move her lips which Sakura was relieved to see.

“It looks better than I originally thought it would,” Sakura replied, stretching out her palm to rest on the girl’s hand.

The girl frowned despite the good news. She understood why a young kunoichi would be upset and Sakura knew she couldn’t offer any heartfelt words that would genuinely make her feel better.

After a long minute, Sakura finally said, “What you did for your village was honorable and brave. I am thankful that we can rely on shinobi like you to rush out onto the battlefield.” The girl looked away from her and Sakura reached over and grabbed a mass of blue from the side table next to her.

Placing the forehead protector into Hoko’s hand, Sakura said, “You may not have a right eye anymore, but in its absence, I see a badge that declares your bravery in battle and dedication to your village. There’s no one more worthy of wearing this headband.”

For the first time since the incident, Hoko’s lips tilted upward at the edges.

“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” came a voice from the doorway. They both turned to see the Sixth, displaying the white and red of Hokage. He entered carefully and presented himself to the ninja and took his hat off. Hoko tried to stand but Kakashi raised a hand and she sat back down, offering a small bow from her seat.

“Lord Hokage,” Sakura interjected on Hoko’s behalf, “what a surprise. We were not expecting you.”

Sakura’s former sensei turned and nodded in her direction, “Yes, well, I wanted acknowledge these fine ninja.”

Hoko looked down respectfully when he turned back to her. The Sixth proceeded to thank her for her assistance in the fight against the exploding humans. She was going to be publicly honored along with the others if she gave her assent. Kakashi offered her a masked smile when she nodded slowly to his question.

This is how it went for the rest of her shift. Kakashi followed her to all her appointments, recognizing each ninja individually and lifting their spirits by honoring their efforts in the battle. Sakura smiled as her former teacher went above and beyond to interact with these ninja. To this day, he continued to surprise her with his performance as Hokage and in this moment, Sakura couldn’t help but feel an extreme admiration for this man who once had to drag around three ignorant little ninja who thought they knew so much.

Sakura could honestly say she missed the days where the four of them were a team, Naruto and Sasuke at each other’s throats, constantly trying to outdo one another; Sakura feigning after Sasuke and yelling at Naruto; Kakashi hiding in a tree somewhere, ignoring their squabbling altogether as he read Icha Icha Paradise. How much had the three of them really changed?

“Sakura?” Kakashi asked, a few minutes after the last patient walked out the front doors. She just realized he had asked her a question and she had been too lost in pleasant memories to hear him.

“I’m sorry. Did you say something Kakashi sensei?” she asked, turning to face him.

Shaking his head, Kakashi stated, “I asked if you needed an escort home.”

Sakura smiled, shaking her head and waving her right arm. “There’s no need. I’m sure the Hokage has more important things to–”

“Oh nonsense,” he interjected quickly, motioning towards the door. Honestly, Sakura felt obligated to stay for the night shift. She had taken on the most of the day’s work herself, but they were still short on staff.

“Come on now,” Kakashi called out to her. “Hokage’s orders!”

She scowled at him. She hated when he used the “Hokage” card on her.

After being reassured by her apprentice, Kirai, who took charge in Sakura’s absence, the pink-haired kunoichi joined her former sensei.

The streets were lit by the glow coming from the many shops and markets who hadn’t quite reached closing time. It was hard to escape the attention of many who recognized the Hokage. One marketer even rushed out onto the street to offer the “Honorable Hokage” a free dango, to which Kakashi tried to politely refuse but the kind merchant wouldn’t take no for an answer. Kakashi thanked him and smiled largely.

As the two of them walked farther away from the village’s center, the night time bustle began to fade behind them. Once they were out of sight from the kind merchant, Kakashi put the sweetly smelling dango in Sakura’s hand. She smiled, taking a bite from one of the brightly colored dumplings on the stick. Her team had always known her weakness for sweets.

After a minute, Kakashi removed his hat from his head, allowing it to rest on his back. He inhaled the fresh air loudly and Sakura noticed his usually fixed posture relax slightly. Seeing him this way made the young kunoichi think of the past again; back to the days where Kakashi wasn’t in charge of the village. She couldn’t imagine the stress he dealt with.

After giving him a few minutes of uninterrupted silence, Sakura asked, “What’s this about Kakashi? Why are you walking me home?”

“Hm?” he asked, dropping all previous formalities. “Can’t your former sensei assist you home, on a dark and scary even–”

“Let me guess,” she interjected, pointing an accusing finger in his direction. “You’re trying to get out of more paperwork, aren’t you?”

He laughed and waved his hands innocently and Sakura knew she had hit the nail on the head.

“That’s not my only reason,” he defended himself, then placed a palm on the back of his hand as they continued to walk down the darkening path. “I actually wanted to talk to you.”

“To meh? ‘Bout what?” Sakura asked, just having taken the last bite of her final dumpling.

His former playfulness turned solemn as he asked, “Are you getting the rest you need?”

Rest? Why was he asking her about that? She couldn’t just come out and tell him she hadn’t slept much since the medic team left for Kumogakure. Not only was she responsible for maintaining the hospital, but ever since Sasuke’s return, she had arrived home feeling exhausted but restless thoughts of him kept her from sleeping. It was all she could do to spare the chakra to erase the dark circles from her eyes every morning.

When Sakura didn’t reply, he continued, “I understand that your load is heavy right now at the Hospital, but you need to make sure that you are taking care of yourself, first.”

“Who told you I wasn’t?” she asked, giving him an innocent smile.

The ninja beside her switched from Kakashi to Hokage as he said, “Actually, I have been keeping an eye on your situation since the departure of the medical team last week. I checked your hours and confirmed them with your staff this morning. I can say for certainty that you are not resting.”

Annoyed at his snooping, she glared at him, pointing her now empty dango stick at him. “Look, they need me, and I know my own limits.”

He didn’t look properly chastised. In fact, he gently took her left arm and pulled down the sleeve of her lab coat to reveal her circular scars. “If you knew your limits, these would be properly healed by now.”

She pulled her arm away and tugged her sleeve back down. “Look, I’m doing what I have to. My patients need me and I don’t have the extra chakra to spare at the moment.”

“And this is why I have arranged for you to have the next couple of days off.” After seeing Sakura’s gawking silence, the Hokage seemed to change back into his sensei persona as he smiled and walked a couple steps in front of her, knowing he had bested her.

“But!” Sakura implored, “What will they do without me?”

“It’s all been arranged,” he replied coming to a slow walk as the two of them approached her little apartment nestled into the side of an alley.

She inhaled to come up with an argument, but Kakashi placed a hand on her shoulder and offered her a tired smile. “So take some time off and leave the rest to me. You do too much, sometimes” he spoke from behind his mask.

As she watched her sensei begin to leave, she called loudly after him, “What am I supposed to do?!”

“Sleep!” he called back, “And, uh, maybe go visit a friend!”

A friend? She didn’t have to ask who Kakashi meant. After the white haired ninja disappeared into the night,

Sakura turned her head to look down the opposite path, the narrow one that eventually wound its way towards the Uchiha compound.

Chapter Text

Sasuke frowned at the red and white fan displayed on the stone in front of him. The last time he had visited this place, he had come with Orochimaru and Taka in order to reanimate the first four hokage and learn what the purpose of a village was. His family’s district had been in rubbles and Sasuke had barely managed to locate the stone door that concealed a hidden meeting place beneath the shattered structure of his clan’s Nakano shrine. When the Akatsuki had showed up to claim Naruto, the village was completely destroyed by Pein. Despite its location on the outskirts of the village, the Uchiha compound hadn’t escaped destruction.

Now, it had been cleared from the shattered pieces of wood and stone that had piled on top of each other. In its place rested an expanse of endless green, free from buildings or any familiar structures that Sasuke remembered from his childhood. There was a sudden sadness that overtook him as he remembered his childhood home and the people who used to occupy the space before him. Other than the memorial before him, there was no lingering evidence of the clan who once lived here. And yet, there was a part of Sasuke that was relieved when he saw the place of his family’s massacre wiped from the face of the earth.

After he had left Sakura’s several nights ago, he had turned towards the Uchiha compound. Just as he arrived at the border, he had suddenly redirected his path towards the forest surrounding the district. He had been weary from his travel and didn’t want to face the ruins of his clan that night. Not in the dark, where the memories of his family’s death would have surely haunted him. Instead, he decided to camp out among the trees for a few days until he was ready. It had become a common practice of his, sleeping in the forest. Despite Kakashi’s efforts to provide him with a room, the Uchiha had insisted against it. What was the point, he had thought. It wasn’t like he was staying long, anyway.

Now, as he looked at the memorial, his thoughts flashed back to the Konoha Military Police Force building. It had been in the same location as the previous one. Had that building escaped the demolition or had they simply rebuilt it the exact way it had been before? The Uchiha crest that he had evaluated just a few days ago stuck out strongly in his thoughts. What was the point of rebuilding it with the Uchiha crest just as it had been when the clan served as the police force?

“I had a hunch you might be here.”

Sasuke turned slowly to face the ninja who had suddenly appeared behind him, unsurprised. Of course, Kakashi always had a way of showing up when he was least expected–or wanted, for that matter.

“And I suppose you are looking for me, for a reason?” he replied. It came off more disrespectful than Sasuke had meant it. But it was still better than all the snide comments that had come to the surface of his tongue upon being interrupted by his former sensei. Despite his efforts to change, Sasuke supposed that he would always possess that signature sarcasm of his.

The white haired man came to stand beside him and together they appraised the memorial.

After a few minutes of silence, “Actually, I’m not the only one who has been looking for you.” Sasuke received this comment with even more silence. They both knew who Kakashi was referring to. Sasuke had been purposefully avoiding Sakura’s bright charka signature ever since he had walked her home a few nights back. It hadn’t been too difficult, considering her almost 24 hour presence at the hospital. The hospital was the area he had been staying the farthest away from. Not only was he avoiding Sakura, but he had been dodging anyone whom he had past connections with, especially those who maintained contact with the pink haired kunoichi.

Not receiving any response, Kakashi continued, “I’m here because I’ve recently received word from Yamato. He says I have a significant number of ninja who are seeking to become Konoha citizens, thanks to you.”

Sasuke looked at the Hokage then, understanding dawning on his features. He made an effort not to look even slightly sorry. Instead, the Uchiha smirked and said, “Well, what was I supposed to do? Leave them how they were?”

The ninja Yamato was referring to were the ninja Sasuke had recently released from their bounds to their previous “owners” in a place called the Coliseum. Located on an unmapped island in the middle of the ocean, wealthy individuals gathered at this place to fight their ninja against competing ninja. The rules were that if a ninja was to lose in one of these fights, the owner of the victorious ninja received the losing ninja as their own. If a particularly strong ninja were to partake in the fight, different owners would offer up their strongest ninja in battle in order to acquire the ninja for their team. This was how they advanced their power. He had visited this place with Orochimaru in order to meet Oyashiro En, the leader of Bright Lightning Group’s original owner. He had been rumored to collect kekkei genkai and Orochimaru had entered Sasuke in the fight–without his knowledge–with the hope that Sasuke’s sharingan might draw the man out. Oyashiro took the bait and Sasuke defeated the man’s ninja that had been pitted against him. During the meeting with the repulsive man, Sasuke had acquired the information he sought about Bright Lightning Group. Afterwards, he challenged all the owners in the coliseum, offering the Uchiha kekkei genkai to any who were brave enough to put their ninja forward. In the end, he had been victorious against them all, had acquired them as his own, then set them free. Of course, Yamato, being in constant surveillance of Orochimaur’s activity, was nearby and Sasuke entrusted him with the freed ninja.

Kakashi lowered his Hokage’s hat, turning to look Sasuke squarely in the face. The mask on his face didn’t hide the prominent lines of a smile as he said, “I suppose not. It seems you are doing the right things this time around.”

A palm landed firmly on his left shoulder, and Sasuke couldn’t help but widen his eyes at the sudden contact from his former sensei. It had been years since he had received a compliment from anyone, let alone any form of physical contact. It was even more surprising coming from Kakashi, a man Sasuke had once believed to be far too disappointed in the Uchiha’s past to acknowledge their previous bond.

As if reading his mind, the white-haired ninja spoke, “With everything that’s happened recently and seeing how much you are making a difference in peoples’ lives, I just want to tell you that I am proud of you. It’s good to have the old Sasuke back.”

As Kakashi removed his hand and began to walk away, Sasuke was stunned at the words still ringing in his ears as they worked their way into his heart. His gaze followed his former sensei as he walked towards the direction he had come.

“Oh,” Kakashi added, turning back to face him. “I suppose since you’re the reason for all our new citizens, you won’t mind helping me welcome them to Konohagakure.”

Sasuke’s momentary shock faded at hearing this but before he could interject his argument, the Hokage waved and quickly said, “See you at the gates bright and early day after tomorrow.” He quickly disappeared.

“Tch,” Sasuke grumbled, turning promptly back to face the Uchiha crest memorial. Smooth Kakashi, praising him just before assigning him work to do. Unbelievable. Grabbing his left shoulder, the Uchiha couldn’t help let a smile escape as he replayed Kakashi’s words in his mind.

Standing alone in the tall grass, the breeze tossing his hair across his eyes, Sasuke glanced up at the sun. It was warm on his face and Sasuke found that he quite liked the feeling of it. Everything seemed a little brighter these days, a little warmer. For so long, Sasuke had lived in darkness, numb to all feeling except for the hate that guided his path as an avenger. As if he had been stuck in perpetual winter, the sun seemed to be revealing itself to him a little more each day, approaching him, causing a spring of feeling to rejuvenate him.

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After Kakashi had left her that night, Sakura found herself not being able to sleep again. Her thoughts kept wondering to Sasuke as she thought about him leaving the village again. She wanted nothing more than to seek him out. Unfortunately, his chakra was nearly nonexistent, as he kept it completely concealed. The only reason she knew he was still in the village, was because Kakahi told her to “go visit a friend.” If there was one person the Uchiha had to stay in contact with, it would be the Hokage.

The day after that, Sakura had been so tired that she slept throughout the entire day. She would wake up to eat, use the bathroom, and she even attempted to get up and sit on the couch at one point but ended up falling asleep again. She hadn’t realized just how tired she had been and was relieved to feel her chakra replenishing slowly.

At the crack of dawn, the following morning, Sakura was wakened by the faint streams of light spilling across her face from her window. Despite the birds singing outside, Sakura could hear the steady “pit-pat” of the rain on her roof. Glancing out the small window on the left side of her bed, Sakura watched the rain hit her windowsill for a few minutes, then quickly decided to open the window to sit out a little pot of flowers that Ino had given her under one of the drops that was spilling off the awning. She frowned at the sight of her wilting flowers.

Glancing around her apartment, Sakura noticed that like her flowers, her apartment had also been neglected. Unfortunately, due to her almost consistent pace at work, Sakura hadn’t been able to clean her apartment in some time. There were clothes towering in the corner of her room, dishes piled in the sink, and thin layer of dust on almost every surface. She sighed at the sight of it, knowing what her mother would say if she were to see her daughter living in this state. Well, it was decided then.

Jumping out of bed, Sakura tied her hair up, changed into some cleaning clothes, and set to work. The rain was a lulling sound and even though she spent hours scrubbing and washing, the noise eased her mind and she began to feel a little of the stress lift off of her shoulders. At one point, Sakura wanted to open all the windows so the rain could come make its noise inside, but she knew that would be a silly thing to do.

Instead, she decided to cook. It wouldn’t be long before her food would go bad. She hadn’t eaten much the past few days and a lot of her groceries had already expired. Deciding to cook all of what she had left, Sakura ended up making enough food to feed an entire family. As she chopped the tomatoes, she couldn’t help but think of the ninja whose favorite food was the red fruit. She remembered Naruto arguing with the Uchiha about whether or not it was a vegetable or fruit. Of course, they had asked her and she told them it was a fruit. She smiled at the fond memory.

Glancing out the kitchen window, Sakura noted that the rain was beginning to get a little heavier. Where was that certain Uchiha right now? What would he be doing? She looked at all the food around her. Well, she could take him something to eat—it was the perfect excuse. If she went looking for him now, would she even find him?

Slipping into the rain coat hanging next to her door, Sakura cradled the bento close to her body to avoid getting it wet. Stepping out into the rain, she glanced in the direction of the Uchiha compound. Well, it was a good place to start.

Sakura was a lot closer to the compound now, being on this side of the village. Why she had moved closer, she had no idea. Maybe it was because she wanted to completely separate from her parents, or perhaps she wanted to live as far away from her other friends as she possibly could. It was difficult for Sakura, seeing everyone move on and find happiness while she waited and waited for the same man who was here and now avoiding her. What did she do in her past life to deserve falling in love with a man who had no desire for her? Would she ever find her own happiness?

When Sasuke was in prison, Sakura had often tried to visit him. She wasn’t allowed to see him except for the occasional “check-up” appointment that she was allowed to perform in order to make sure he was healthy and not rotting away behind bars. He would perk up slightly when he sensed her chakra signature enter the building and it broke her heart to see the man she loved bound the way that he was with a seal over his eyes. How they had ever managed to reduce him to such a state, was simply because he let them. She would touch his shoulder kindly and ask him all the procedural questions a doctor would ask their patient. She wasn’t allowed more than 40 minutes at a time with him, but in those 40 minutes she would tell him what was going on outside with everyone. Sometimes, but more rarely, would he participate in conversation with her. Once, hearing the guards’ footsteps returning, Sasuke leaned towards her, asking “When will you come back?” She hadn’t been able to give him a definite answer.

Looking down at the package in her hand, she wished she would have been able to do more for him back then. The only thing she had ever been able to do was work her hardest and wait for him. Would there ever be a day where she could walk by his side, assisting him on his journey?

After a few wet minutes in the rain, Sakura looked up at the small wooden entrance that read “Uchiha.” Carved into the supporting posts were two red and white fans, the Uchiha family crest. Well, Sakura thought, here we go. Stepping through the entrance, Sakura found herself staring out at a field of tall grass. She looked left and right, not seeing anyone. He heart sank a little but then she noticed that in the center, rising from the grass, stood a large pillar of stone emblazoned with the Uchiha crest. As Sakura got closer, she could see that the names of every Uchiha had been etched onto its surface. It surprised Sakura to see. She had been here after the destruction had been cleared but never saw the memorial. In fact, she had the feeling that nobody had. Did Kakashi do this? It was something she could see her former sensei doing. She supposed he did it in secret to protect it from would be violators, those who held a grudge against the Uchiha clan.

Squinting in the rain, she reached out to touch its surface. It was cold and wet as the rain bounced off of it. A feeling of sadness overcame Sakura as she trailed her fingers down the list of names, coming to rest over “Uchiha Itachi” and then “Sasuke Uchiha” whose name was at the very bottom of the list.

“Sakura.”

She jumped away from it, jerking around on reflex. The bento she had been carrying fell from her hands, the contents spilling out onto the grass. She pulled her hood back from her face to see the figure standing before her.

A rain-drenched Sasuke stood staring at her, a touch of confusion in his features. His coat was completely soaked and water poured from his bangs, running down the sides of his cheeks. For a second, the rain almost made it look like Sasuke was crying, and Sakura couldn’t help but realize where she was and imagine what a young, distraught little Uchiha experienced in this place.

“Sasuke?” she called out to him, raising her voice a little over the developing rain. She bent down, scooping up the spilt contents back into its box. “You frightened me.”

“What are you doing here?” he asked, taking a step towards her.

“I came to bring you some food” she gestured to the bento, trying to smile at him through the sheets of rain. “I didn’t think I would actually find you, though. I’m sorry it’s ruined.”

“Come on,” he said tiredly, waving her to follow him. She quickly did so and followed him towards the woods, wondering what she had done wrong. Sasuke took them to the thickest part of the forest where the trees blanketed the sky, shielding them from most of the rain. He stopped at a large tree, taking his coat off and hanging it on a branch. She glanced around her feet, noting the remains of a campfire and a disassembled structure which she assumed was some kind of tent. Realization suddenly dawned on her.

“Sasuke, you’re not sleeping out here, are you?”

He glanced over at her, then sat down, leaning his back against the tree. After a long second, he replied, “It suits me.”

She frowned at the sight of him, dirty and wet. When was the last time he had gotten to rest in a proper house? When was the last time he had access to running water and fresh food? She shook her head in disbelief.

“Did Kakashi not–”

“Yes,” he interrupted, redirecting his gaze away from her, “he did. I refused.”

She squatted down, making herself level with him and saying, “But you’re drenched.”

His eyes flashed over at her, slight annoyance sharpening his voice as he replied, “I wouldn’t be, had someone not been standing like an idiot in the rain. Aren’t medic ninja supposed to know something about colds?”

She frowned at him, narrowing her eyes at his attitude. Had coming here really made him this annoyed with her? If he hadn’t concealed his chakra, if he hadn’t made every attempt to avoid her since walking her home that night, then she wouldn’t have had to stand out in the rain like a total idiot. She refused to tell him these things. She also resisted the urge to throw the remains of the bento box at his face. Her scowl softened slightly when she noticed the dark circles under his eyes and the rigid way he held his body, all signs of fatigue.

Suddenly, she grabbed his coat from the branch and threw it at him instead. He caught it, his only visible eyebrow raising in surprise.

“Come with me. You need a shower.”

Chapter Text

Sasuke’s eyebrows drew together at the kunoichi standing a few feet in front of him. Her silly red rain jacket nearly reached her knees and Sasuke couldn’t help but think she looked as if she were drowning in it despite the water that was running off it. Just having thrown his jacket at him, she was trying her best to look serious, one hand on her hip and the other still clutching the remains of the bento box. If only she knew how ridiculous she looked.

It took everything in the Uchiha to check his temper. The previous night had been rough on him. Just as he feared, after all this time, the nightmares returned and Sasuke struggled to find peace in the darkness. With the dawn, had come the rain and the Uchiha had retired to the training zone nearest his campout, fighting the invisible targets in his mind to ease the tension in his body that accompanied the memories. Just as he was about to send his chidori through a tree, he had sensed her. Why he had immediately turned and headed in her direction, the Uchiha didn’t know and was now regretting approaching her.

Now, as he sat with his jacket in his hands, he swallowed his retorts. After a few seconds, he rose to his feet and crossed his arms, replying to her order, “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Then neither am I,” Sakura said, walking over to him, situating herself in the exact spot where he had just been sitting.

Sasuke raised his hand to massage his temples and under his breath, he said, “I see you’re just as annoying as you’ve always been.”

“You haven’t changed much either,” she replied, glancing up to make eye contact with him. After a few seconds of shared glaring, Sakura’s stern expression faded and she offered him a faint smile, to which Sasuke couldn’t help but breathe out his frustration at the sight. Infuriating woman.

The thunder that shook the ground had the both of them wearing shocked expressions as a tree a few meters away from them lit up as it came into contact with the lightning that streaked down from the sky.

Without another second’s hesitation, Sasuke reached his hand out and grabbed Sakura’s arm, pulling her quickly away from the tree, just in case. He led her a safe distance away before releasing her arm and slipping back on his soaked cloak.

“Ok,” he said, “I’ll go.”

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This was not a good idea, the Uchiha thought as he stared at Sakura’s apartment door. She was fumbling with the lock in the rain and Sasuke frowned as the rain went from heavy to excessive in the span of two seconds.

He was making a huge mistake. It would be one thing for Sasuke to accepts someone’s hospitality but it was something entirely different to accept Sakura's—the one person he was doing his best to avoid at all costs. What was he going to do now? This was the last thing that Sakura needed, for him to show up back in her life. He was doing her harm just by interacting with her.

A large click resounded and Sakura pushed firmly on the door.

“Come in,” she said pleasantly, and Sasuke took one last second of indecision before sighing and stepping over the threshold.

Sakura flicked the lights on and hung her rain jacket on the rack next to her door. He jumped when her hands lightly touched his shoulders and he made to jerk away from her before realizing that she was just trying to lighten him from the load of his drenched cloak. He rolled his shoulders back, allowing it to roll off into her hands.

“Well, it’s not much, but make yourself at home,” she said after hanging his jacket next to hers. She gestured to the apartment around her and Sasuke couldn’t help but take it all in, committing the layout to memory. He didn’t know exactly what to expect, other than that it would be small, but the room before him was simple, clean, and surprisingly comforting. There was a large sofa, a yellow sitting chair in the corner, and a small bookshelf on the adjacent wall. He couldn’t help but realize how warm it felt compared to the cool weather outside and the smell of cooked rice instantly made his stomach growl. He coughed in an attempt to disguise the sound.

Sakura smiled at him, leading him down the hallway to the bathroom.

“The shower is in here,” she said, opening the door. “Once you are dry, then I’ll fix you something to eat.”

Sakura then retreated to the far room at the end of the corridor and Sasuke couldn’t help but stand awkwardly in the hall as he heard her shuffling noisily in the bedroom. She returned a few minutes later, offering him a pair of large baggy pants and a blank white t-shirt, which Sasuke also noted to be his size.

“Whose-” he began, then firmly clamped his mouth before he could finish the sentence, instantly regretting what he was about to ask. He blushed furiously and turned to look away from her.

“Oh,” she said, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly, obviously catching on to his train of thought. “Those were my father’s clothes before I claimed them. They’re big but that’s all I have and they should work until I can clean yours. Is that okay?”

“Yes,” he said quickly, hiding his face from her. He entered the bathroom and closed the door, letting out a heavy exasperated sigh. He glanced down at the clothes in his hands and couldn’t help but feel a little relieved despite his embarrassment. He leaned his head back against the door. What the hell was he doing?
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Sakura pulled fresh rice from the cooker for the second time today, arranging it once again into nori wrapped balls of rice, adding fresh tomatoes on top. She fumbled gracelessly with the plate, almost spilling it onto the floor when she heard the bathroom door open. Steadying herself, she breathed deeply to calm down as she walked over to the dining table, setting down the plate and pretending like nothing had just happened.

Sasuke walked into the room, appropriately post-shower disheveled, wet hair dangling in his eyes. Sakura couldn’t help but appraise how her father’s clothes hung loosely on his body. She snapped her gaze away when she noticed him raising an eyebrow at her directed stare.

“Here,” she gestured quickly to the plate at the table. “I hope you don’t mind vegetable Gunkan-maki. I added tomatoes for you.”

“It looks more appetizing when it’s not on the ground,” he said bluntly, coming to stand beside the table. It took Sakura a second to realize he was teasing.

“Yes. Well, you’ll be glad to know I’m not usually so clumsy,” she said, then froze when a smirk became present on his face.

“Are you sure about that?” he remarked, sitting down across from the food. Sakura’s face turned scarlet at the realization that he must have seen her flailing just a few minutes ago.

She took a seat opposite him, helping herself to her own portion of the Gunkan-maki. This wasn’t her first time making it, but she found herself questioning whether or not that it was good and if Sasuke would actually like it. He ate quickly and Sakura realized that it might have been awhile since he had last eaten anything homecooked.

With this thought, she began to ask him about all the food he ate on his journey, what he did for shelter, and if he was treated kindly. He had short positive answers to the first two questions, both to what Sakura had expected. The medical side of her questioned whether he was getting the nutrition he needed along with the rest his body demanded after using the Rinnegan. He didn’t answer the third question and Sakura pretended not to notice.

He finished his first serving so Sakura jumped up to get him more. Halfway through his second serving, she noticed him purposefully slowing down.

“There’s more where that came from,” she said with a small giggle. “I want you to eat as much as you can before you—.”

He looked up at her and Sakura held her breath. She could have tried to backtrack or make an excuse for what she was about to say, but they both knew what she meant.

“When will you be leaving?” she asked boldly after a few minutes, a sad smile marking her features as she averted her eyes from him. She might as well ask, since he wasn’t denying it.

Looking back down at his food, he answered, “Soon.”

And there it was. The answer she knew she didn’t want to hear. It hit her like a fist to the gut and heavy silence hung over the both of them. Soon.

As if wanting to leave absolutely no doubt, Sasuke added, “Once Naruto comes back to the village, I will return to my mission.”

“But—” she began, then cut herself short, redirecting her gaze away from him. There was no point to try to convince him otherwise. She had already tried this once before and Sakura was aware of what Sasuke had to do for their village. She had once helped Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, and Obito defeat Kaguya. But now, Sasuke continued to search for traces of Kaguya and investigate her race of people that the shinobi world still believed to be out there.

It was hard for her not to think selfishly in this matter. What would she do if Sasuke might never be home for good? She couldn’t bear the thought of eternal loneliness without him. And what would she do if he decided he wanted nothing to do with her, when he was home?

Standing, she grabbed the now empty plates from the table and returned to the kitchen as Sasuke observed her silently.

He followed her lead and began to help her, taking the plates from her hands and proceeding to wash them in the sink. Sakura panicked at his nearness and in order to busy herself, began to boil water for hot, herbal tea. She couldn’t look at him and didn’t want to face him, so kept her body strategically placed so that he was at her back.

“Sasuke, I understand why you must leave. I understand why you believe that you have to be the one to carry this weight. But please, when you’re home, don’t treat me like a stranger.” Despite how hard she tried to resist them, small tears pricked the corners of her eyes as she said this. She couldn’t help but think about the past week of knowing he was here but not being able to see him. It was unfair and absolute torture. She wiped furiously at her eyes before Sasuke could see them. All she could ever do was cry.

Sakura heard Sasuke turn the faucet off and lean against the counter behind her.

“Then also understand that it is not my intention to hurt you.”

She could acutely feel his presence from behind her and after a few minutes of gathering her courage, she turned to face him.

“If you think that deliberately going out of your way to avoid me, isn’t hurting-”

He took a step towards her and looked down at her, suddenly interrupting her, “Is this what you want? Is this how you want to live?”

“Sasuke,” she began, placing a palm on her forehead. “However long it takes, I will wai-.”

Sasuke turned away from her with an impatient sigh. He walked out of the kitchen and looked out the dining room window, watching the lightning streak across the sky. He placed his hands on the window sill and leaned forward.

“What is it with you people,” he breathed out angrily. “You and Naruto. Why can’t you just move on with your lives and forget me?”

Sakura gawked at him, frustrated with his hurtful words. “Because we can’t, you idiot! You don’t think that would be easier for me? For all of us? But guess what, Sasuke, it’s not going to happen.”

A solid ten minutes of tense thunder-filled speechlessness surrounded them before either of them made another sound. The sudden screeching of the kettle shocked Sakura into movement and she removed the pot from the heat.

“I’m sorry,” Sakura said, pouring the hot water into two cups . “I didn’t bring you here to yell at you.” She suddenly felt very guilty. This was not how she pictured an evening with him.

“Don’t apologize,” he said, still facing the window. “I’ll never be able to give you what you want.”

After she finished infusing the tea leaves, she placed the cups on the table and continued to stare at his back. He turned to face her and the two of them both looked down at their feet.

“How do you know what I want, Sasuke Uchiha?” She saw him silently glance up at her in the corner of her vision. He pulled his hands from his pockets, sat down at the table again, and reached out for one of the cups on its surface.

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Sasuke stared hard into the tea, not wanting to answer her question. Of course, he knew what she wanted. Sakura, his childhood friend who grew up alongside him as a genin, wanted him to be with her. Selfishly, Sasuke had wanted nothing more than to find happiness, too, at one point in his life. That’s why he had created the bonds that he had. He had wanted to be with his friends and eventually take root in Konohagakure. However, this was a dream Sasuke had abandoned a long time ago. His purpose had changed. He had become a ninja that the shinobi world now relied on. For the sake of those around him—for those whose happiness he had to protect but could not share in—Sasuke had given up that dream. There was something bigger now that was more important than what either of them wanted.

Instead of replying, he took a full drink of the steaming tea in his hand, warm relief traveling throughout his rigid body. He suddenly realized that this was a medicinal tea as his tense muscles instantly became relaxed. He couldn’t help but be surprised at the tea’s effects.

“Well,” Sakura stated, sitting at the table with him again. “For starters, I want you to stop dodging me when in you’re in the village. Can you at least do that?” She tried to smile, diminishing some of the tension between them.

Stubborn, as always. She didn’t know what she was asking. By requesting this, she was only prolonging her own heartache.

“I’ll agree,” he stated. “But only if you comply to something that I want.”

She stopped mid-sip, lowering her cup and arching an eyebrow. The expression on her face wasn’t one of curiosity or wonder. Her eyes only professed worry.

“What’s that?” she asked finally.

More intently than he ever had before, he firmly held her green eyes with his, wanting the full weight of his words to hit home with her. “I want you to stop waiting for me, Sakura.”

Chapter Text

Sakura looked at him blankly, then returned her attention to her tea. She took a long drink, swallowing the liquid heavily and sighed.

Sasuke waited. He was hoping that she would agree to his terms. He couldn’t give her the happiness she wanted—or deserved for that matter. How much easier her life would be if she tried to move on. If she found happiness with someone else, Sasuke wouldn’t have to feel guilty anymore.

After a minute, Sakura met his eyes with just as much boldness as he had looked at her a second ago. “I’m sorry Sasuke. I would rather you ignore me than admit that I would give up on you. For as long as you care for me, I will wait.”

Irritation like a developing fire burned throughout his body and in order to calm himself, Sasuke took a long drink of the medicinal tea before saying, “What makes you think I care for you? I tried to kill you. And have done much more, since then.”

That statement didn’t have the desired effect like he had hoped. She only continued to stare at him squarely and asked, “Did I not try to kill you first?”

“You didn’t go through with it,” he dismissed her. “I was prepared to kill you. I wouldn’t have pulled back, Sakura. If it weren’t for Kakashi and Naruto—” he looked away, too ashamed to look at her.

That day burned a hole in his memory and he hated to recall it. It was one of the days that Sasuke regretted most and appeared often in his nightmares. Not only did he fully intend to kill Karin, that day, but Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi, too. He had wanted them all dead. It didn’t matter to him that he had once had bonds with them. At that time, all Sasuke could see was his goal of destroying the leaf village and everyone in it. Sakura had arrived right before he was about to send a chidori through the red-haired kunoichi from team Taka, whom he had sacrificed in order to kill Danzo. Although it was a ploy to kill him, Sakura had arrived on the scene, begging to join him in his quest for revenge. He had demanded for her to kill Karin in order to gain his trust, but he ended up aiming a chidori at Sakura’s back instead. Fortunately, Kakashi had followed her and stopped him before he could deliver the blow. After battling with his former sensei, his vision suddenly had failed and Sakura had used the opportunity to strike him. She had paused, unable to commit herself to go through with killing him. At the time, he had considered her weak, and in his hatred, had grabbed her by the neck, stealing her kunai and aiming it at her. If Naruto hadn’t jumped in, she would be dead. He undoubtedly would have killed her. If neither of them had interfered, Sasuke wouldn’t be sitting here, talking to her, eating the food and drinking the tea that Saskura had made him.

He placed his forehead in his palm at the thought. What would he be doing now, if she had been killed by his hand?

A small weight rested on his shoulder, and with her comforting hand, came her reply. “You’ve already apologized for your past. There’s no need to bring it up, now. You’re not that person anymore. You’re the Sasuke I remember.”

Lifting his head, he widened his eyes and pulled away from her touch, snapping, “And you’re naïve. What reason have I given you to make you believe that? What makes you so sure, to dismiss everything I’ve done despite my pathetic apology to you?”

She pulled her arm back towards her own body, saying, “For starters, you saved Chino and her followers from the path of revenge. But that’s not all. You’re doing so much for the village just by investigating Kaguya.”

He remained silent, staring down at his fisted hand around the cup, forcing it to relax. How could she possibly use those actions to justify everything? Why couldn’t she just hate him? That’s what he deserved. Despite taking a journey to atone for his sins, Sasuke still felt undeserving of the love that his friends had for him. Even though he had changed drastically, becoming more like his former self, Sasuke kept seeing his sins as unforgivable.

Interrupting his thoughts, Sakura suddenly added, “You also came for me.”

“What?” he asked, completely unaware what she was talking about.

“Try to deny it all you want, but I saw you that day. The day that Kido kidnapped me. You came to save me.”

Sasuke found himself suddenly remembering another day. He had been receiving rumors that he had been recently sighted dealing with missing-nin in order to devise a plot against the Konohagakure, but didn’t think twice about it. He hadn’t done such a thing and he would leave it to the Leaf to handle things on their own. He was just a few steps away from getting closer to the time-space dimension where Kaguya had once resided, that he’d be damned if something came up now to distract him. Just before he was about to use the Rinnegan, he saw an unfamiliar hawk flying towards him in the distance. As he had reached up with his arm, the bird landed firmly and Sasuke retrieved and read the note it was carrying. Someone named Kido claimed to be holding Sakura as a hostage, threatening to kill her if he didn’t make an appearance in the village. Sasuke had clutched the note and his hands had gone white. He had cursed, spun on his heel, and had never taken flight as swiftly as he did in that moment.

Arriving on the scene that day, Sasuke encountered several Anbu who were fleeing from the village, headed in his direction. Sasuke had noticed tailed beast chakra surrounding them and instantly used his Fire Release to encircle them in a ring of fire. Coming through the flames, Sharingan activated, the Uchiha had placed them all under a genjutsu. By using the Sharingan, Sasuke was able to acquire the information he wanted. They had all been Kido’s subordinates and he watched their memories play out, learning of Kido’s plan to use Sasuke for his Sharingan drug, the tailed-beast chakra capsules, and Sakura’s capture. He had grabbed one of the men by the collar, roughly pulling him in closer as he watched the man’s memories of Sakura play in his mind. Sasuke saw what they had said to her, how they had caught her, and watched as a copy of himself walked up to her and mocked her on Kido’s orders. It was hard to finish watching the memories play out after that, but he allowed it to continue, soon finding relief in them as he watched Sakura escape and take Kido on, herself. He re-lived this particular man’s panic as Kido’s subordinates got the alarm that Kido’s chakra had suddenly diminished which indicated his defeat, cueing their flight from the village.

After this, Sasuke had released the man, catching a feel of his former teammates’ chakra coming towards him, including Sakura’s. She had been alive and Sasuke couldn’t help but feel foolish for not having enough faith in her abilities. He had shown up to save her, only to find that he had not been needed after all. He had been relieved but annoyed at the same time, having left Kaguya’s trail. Knowing that Sakura was well and safe, he didn’t waste a second, bounding off into the woods once again in search for what he had left behind.

Leaning his head back, Sasuke drank the last of the tea, resigning himself to the last of its calming effects. After a minute, he said, “You saved yourself. I did nothing for you.”

She was smiling again, and Sasuke wondered if it was because she knew he couldn’t back his way out of this one. Finally, she said, “Even though you were a little late, you still came. This is how I know you care.”

His eyes widened slightly and he turned to look at her. Was that why he had gone after her? Yes, he had been worried for her and Sasuke couldn’t help but admit to himself that the bonds he had once had with his friends, he was trying to restore on some level. Yes, Sasuke supposed he could say with honesty that he cared for them now, like he had used to before being consumed in darkness. He couldn’t exactly say he would be in this very room, if he didn’t. But if he confirmed that now, admitting this to Sakura, he knew she would never stop waiting for him. He couldn’t have that. So instead, he said absolutely nothing.

“There’s one other thing, that has given me hope,” she said with a smile, leaning towards him. Before he could even ask, he felt a small tap on his forehead and a small breath escaped him as her fingers pulled away from his forehead. She stood then, grabbing the empty cups from the table, laughing at Sasuke’s expression of shock. She walked away from him, leaving Sasuke to rub his forehead and revisit the hundreds of memories that came with the familiar gesture.

A scene came to his mind. Leaving the village had been easy, but saying goodbye to his friends had been a little more difficult. Sakura had once again expressed her desire to go with him on his journey, looking embarrassed and afraid of rejection. Sasuke had told her that she had nothing to do with his sins, and of course she had been disheartened. In that moment, he had walked up to her and poked her forehead, reassuring her that he would be back soon.

Ah, he thought. He supposed he was making a habit of using that gesture with her. Well, he would have to be less transparent with her in the future. He sighed, hoping that wouldn’t be too hopeless.
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Sasuke roused to the sound of loud banging and without realizing exactly where he was, he threw the mass that was on top of him away from him and reached out in the dark for his katana. Grabbing firmly onto the sword’s hilt, he aimed it towards the direction of the noise. After a hazy second of confusion, Sasuke realized he was in Sakura’s living room, having just jumped off the couch and practically destroyed the blankets and pillows that were now sprawled across the room. As the day’s previous memories returned to him, he snapped his head towards the source of the jarring noise and realized it was coming from the door.

“Sakura-san! Sakura-san! Are you in there?!,” someone yelled from outside, pounding as if they could break the door down.

Sasuke moved angrily towards the door in his stupor, wondering why someone would be creating such an uproar in the middle of the night like this. Just as he was about to throw open the door and aim his sword in their direction, Sakura came bursting out from the bedroom down the hall.

“What is it?! What’s going on?!” she demanded as she ran towards him, wrapping a cloak firmly around herself to conceal her nightclothes. Sasuke was instantly released from his leftover sleep when he saw this, looking immediately away from her.

The noise came again, along with the frantic shouting, “Sakura-san! Hello?! Damn it!”

Sasuke was right behind her whenever Sakura’s hand finally made connection with the door’s handle and he watched as she threw open the door to reveal a young ninja dressed in the standard medic colors of cream and red.

“Oh, thank goodness,” the man exclaimed at the sight of her, panting heavily.

“Fumio?” Sakura gasped, “What in the world is going on?”

The man faulted in his frantic breathing for a second when he suddenly noticed Sasuke’s glare over Sakura’s shoulder. Reflecting on it later, Sasuke supposed he did look rather severe with his weapon drawn and his face expressing his extreme desire to punch this man in the face.

The ninja redirected his attention back to Sakura and remembering his panic, managed to stumble out, “There’s been an emergency. We need you, immediately.”

“Go,” Sakura demanded, speaking in an authoritative voice that Sasuke didn’t recognize. “I’ll be right behind you! You can update me on the way.”

She didn’t even take a second to close the door before she was running back down the corridor towards her bedroom, nearly giving Sasuke whip-lash as he tried to follow her movements.

“Sasuke,” he heard her call from the bedroom, “I don’t have time to be formal with you, right now, so I’ll just say it.”

Sasuke made to move down the hall towards her voice but stopped when she retreated from the bedroom, now clad in her medical garb. She took his arm and pushed something cold into his palm. He raised his hand and unwrapped his fingers, finding himself looking down at a small silver key.

“I want you to stay here while you are in Konoha,” she said resolutely.

Sasuke’s eyes widened and he instantly thrusted the key back at her but she had already walked past him and was now proceeding to slip on her shoes by the door.

“No—” Sasuke began seriously, about to tell her that he couldn't—wouldn't—didn’t want to stay here. He had just stayed the one night because of the storm and that was all. He didn’t manage to speak a word of this before Sakura interrupted him.

“Look,” she said, slipping on her lab coat that had been hanging next to her red rain jacket. “This is an offer with no strings attached. I understand you are leaving and you don’t plan to stay. But for as long as you are in the village, let me help you as a friend.”

She turned to face him then, using one second of her time to level him with her determined demeanor.

Before Sasuke could register what she had said, the door was slammed as Sakura made her hurried exit. Looking down at his palm again, he sighed and fisted the key.

Damn it.

Chapter Text

Sakura found herself staring at a scene she wasn’t quite ready for. She had surpassed Fumio in their flight after he told her the details of the situation. One of Sakura’s newly admitted mental health patients, a young child named Emiko, whose parents had been recent victims of Chino’s chakra human bombs, had just jumped off the top floor of the hospital wing.

When Sakura finally made it to the south side of the hospital, she immediately spotted a group of medical ninja huddled in the street before her, surrounding the child’s body. At Sakura’s sudden appearance, a tear-streaked Ino called out to her from the crowd.

“Sakura!” she cried frantically as Sakura approached them.

In Sakura’s panic, she rushed forward and the group parted for her, revealing the gruesome reality before her. The small child lay sprawled on her back, a pale figure in the dark. Emiko’s arm was twisted horrendously at her side, having taken the brunt of the child’s fall. Shizune was kneeling beside the girl, fingers covered in blood as she held the child’s head in her lap.

Never had Sakura witnessed something so horrifying as this: a child, younger than most in her clinic, who had felt that life was not worth living and so flung herself from the top story of the medical wing.

Sakura knelt next to the child and Shizune backed away.

“She’s gone,” Shizune whispered, looking away from Sakura’s eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

Looking down into Emiko’s face, Sakura saw that the child stared blankly up at the sky. There was nothing in them. Blood pooled beneath Emiko’s head and Sakura placed her hands on either side of the child’s sticky wet temples. Instantly, green chakra pulsed from her palms into Emiko’s head. Ever since Fumio had relayed the details to Sakura, she had already been planning the steps she would take to heal the girl but Sakura gasped as she realized the true state of the child’s brain and tears instantly sprung forward to her eyes.

“What was she doing in the medical wing?!” the Kunoichi finally burst, lashing out at her staff. “She was supposed to have been in her room!” No one could look her in the eyes as she searched desperately for answers.

“Sensei,” Kirai, her medical pupil spoke up. “It’s my fault. I called the majority of the staff away from the mental health section to help assist with the hospital patients. It was in the middle of the night and I didn’t think– Without you, we’ve been–”

Sakura looked away from her, tears pouring freely down her cheeks. Memories of the child plagued her conscience. With no family and no other relatives, Sakura had admitted Emiko fully into the mental health clinic. Due to the child’s extreme condition, Sakura recommended her for 24-hour care. She was only 6 and Sakura believed that she would have a promising recovery with the help from the clinic. Unfortunately, due to the increase of patients and lack of staff, Sakura had been unable to be with her.

Damn it. Kirai was right. If only she had been here. If only she had been able to manage her patients better. If only she would have gone with her gut and came in yesterday, despite Kakashi’s wishes. If only she hadn’t been so distracted with Sasuke and her feelings for him. None of this would have happened. It was all her fault.

She concentrated her chakra more fiercely into the child’s skull, willing the damage to be undone. Sakura’s former strength still hadn’t quite fully returned and after a few minutes, her breath grew ragged and sweat began to bead on her forehead. To her expectations, the brain wasn’t responding, and as Sakura tried to hope, she knew it was too late. The damage was irreversible, even for her medical ninjutsu. The child had just been too small, and the fall too great. Sakura was merely trying to revive what was already dead.

Sakura’s thoughts jumped to the woman who had used the One’s Own Life Reincarnation Jutsu to revive Gaara, whom had died by the hands of the Akatsuki. They had taken the tailed-beast that had resided inside of him; the cost was Gaara’s life. Chiyo had been able to bring him back with this jutsu.

Sakura wished desperately to be in mastery of that jutsu. If she were, would she be able to save this child? Could she be so selfless? Sakura wanted the answer to be yes.

Ino came up beside her, kneeling. “Sakura. There’s nothing you can do.”

“I’m sorry,” Sakura whispered as she lifted the child to her, holding and rocking the little girl in her arms, whispering her name. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. You’ll get to see Mama and Papa soon.”

After a while, all Sakura could feel was numbness. She couldn’t feel Ino prying her fingers off Emiko’s clothing or her arms being untangled from the little girl’s body. Sakura watched as Emiko’s lifeless body was carried into the hospital. The circle of people was a blur around her and the kunoichi didn’t move when one of them reached out to grab her. Sakura could barely register the voices around her.

“We need to get her inside. She might be going into psychogenic shock.”

“She’s our top medical ninja. Something like this wouldn’t affect her that much; she’s seen far worse.”

“Her chakra reserves are low, you idiot!”

Despite the voices, Sakura sat on the ground, willing herself to move. To get up and face the situation like the strong kunoichi she knew that she could be. She was responsible for this, after all. Her fault. Her fault. Her fault.

But before she could rise, her arms were wrapped over the necks of two ninja and she let them help her inside.

.

.

.

Let’s get this over with, Sasuke Uchiha thought as he approached the village gates at sunrise. Kakashi wasn’t there, of course. He had specifically told him to meet him at the entrance “bright and early” today.

“Liar,” he muttered under his breath, leaning against the gate’s “あ” symbol in annoyance.

He had blatantly ignored the gate-keepers who seemed very tired after their long shift. Their interest had spiked when they saw the Uchiha, but after passing them in silence, the ninja resumed their laidback positions. Sasuke could empathize with their exhaustion. With last night’s events, Sasuke had found it difficult to find sleep again.

After Sakura had left, he had immediately placed the key she had given him on the table. Like hell he would stay in her apartment for the remainder of his visit. What did she expect? For him to accept and they awkwardly bump into each other for a few more nights, struggling to make conversation, and ignore the fact that he was leaving?

Tossing throughout the remainder of the night, he had kept sneaking glances at the silver object on the table. In the morning, just before he left, he had grabbed the key from the table, unsure of what to do with it. What if was her only key? He couldn’t just leave it on the table. He had thought about leaving it under the mat on the porch–but there wasn’t one.

Now, as he pulled it from his pocket, the Uchiha couldn’t help but stare at it in frustration, as if it were an unwelcome burden. Why did Sakura want to do this to herself? She knew the truth, so why did she insist that he stay? He wouldn’t—couldn’t do that to her. Besides, what would that mean for them? If he crossed that boundary, how would she ever move on?

He rubbed the key’s surface absently, then hurriedly stashed it in his cloak’s interior pocket when he sensed a familiar presence land beside him.

“Sorry I’m late,” Kakashi greeted. “I’m afraid that I got–”

“Save it,” the Uchiha interrupted him, his lip almost tilting at the corner. Sasuke had almost forgotten what it was like to wait around on this man. Even though it annoyed him to no end, a warm nostalgia came with his former sensei’s excuses.

Kakashi sighed, “Just as impatient as you’ve always been.” Sasuke noticed the smile that this man was failing to conceal behind his black mask. Sasuke supposed Kakashi was remembering a better time, too.

After a minute of silence, Kakashi finally said, “Our guests should be here anytime. I’m afraid our friend Yamato won’t be joining us. However, I believe you’ll recognize their escort who agreed to meet up with him.”

Sasuke looked over at the white-haired ninja beside him, unamused with this guessing game. The only ninja he had any desire to see pass through this gate was that annoying, spikey haired, idiot. Maybe if he would hurry, then Sasuke wouldn’t have to face this awkward situation he was currently finding himself in. Naruto was sure taking his time.

With the sunrise, a light pink-yellow hue began to illuminate the trees, outlining a group of people as they made their way to the entrance.

Sasuke sighed. Well, here we go.

As they got closer, Sasuke heard a loud voice at the head of the crowd.

“Forward! We are almost there! The village gates are just yards away!”

This loud figure soon came into view and Sasuke resisted the urge to sigh again when he recognized the thick-eyebrowed, tights-wearing ninja who happened to be jogging in place. Not only was Rock Lee doing squats every few feet, but he had several children wrapped around his arms and legs who were giggling and grinning as they bounced around with his movements. One child had two fists full of Lee’s hair as he rode atop Lee’s shoulders, and Sasuke could faintly hear the child repeating Lee’s orders.

"Forward people” the child yelled, “To the gates.”

After him, came the rest of the group. In sharp contrast to Lee’s energy, the crowd that followed him practically sagged in exhaustion. Sasuke couldn’t help but smirk when he noticed the angry glares the ninja were giving Lee. Knowing Lee, he had probably turned the travel into a form of “Youth” building expedition.

Some of the angry countenances disappeared completely when the people noticed the gates. Lee seemed to spot the two of them waiting.

“Ah, Lord Hokage! As you can see, the mission has been successful, sir!” he shouted, forming a salute with his childbearing right arm. The dangling youngster giggled as the ninja snapped his hand to his forehead. The other child on his shoulders copied Lee’s salute.

“Sasuke?!” Lee rose his thick eyebrows, lowering his hand again. “Is that really you? You were the last person I was expecting to see today.”

As Sasuke raised his hand in a half-interested attempt at acknowledgement, he picked up the low murmuring in the crowd. He couldn’t help but pick out his name among the talk. Some of the children detached themselves from Lee and ran up to the Uchiha, yanking on his cloak and saying, “Sasuke! Sasuke!”

Suddenly, he realized that the faces in the crowd wore smiles. Almost everyone either waved or yelled out his name.

Kakashi suddenly elbowed him, grumbling, “You’re outshining the Hokage.”

“Get used to it,” the Uchiha retorted, detaching a child from his leg and holding her away from him at a safe distance as she giggled manically.

“I’m sorry about that,” a young woman said as she came up to him, removing the child from his hands. “The children have all heard the stories about how you saved us from the arena.”

A burly ninja, a man Sasuke barely recognized from his fight with him in the arena, suddenly clapped him on the back, saying “Yes, The Great Sasuke Uchiha and his Sharingan! They’ve been dying to meet you.”

“We are very grateful,” another ninja said to him as they all began to circle him, offering their thanks and bows. Sasuke found this sudden attention both shocking and undeserved. Feeling a little suffocated, the Uchiha looked over at Kakashi, who was smiling like a dumb idiot at him, crossing his arms as he laughed. Lee was also grinning at him. Neither of them were trying to help him out.

One by one, the crowd broke away as their sights landed on the Hokage. Parents began to chastise their rambunctious children, telling them to act presentable in the presence of the Hokage. Sasuke couldn’t help but smile as one father grabbed his child by the shirt as he swung fists back at him, whispering “Straighten up! We don’t want the Hokage to know you’re a little demon.”

Kakashi laughed at this and offered the crowd a welcoming smile.

“Welcome to Konohagakure, everyone. I’m sure Lee has told you all about us and the village. And by the sudden frowns I see, I assume he has also run some of you into the grown.” Lee looked proud despite everyone’s glares of judgement towards him.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck again, awkwardly. “Sorry about that.”

Looking closely at the ninja, Sasuke could see fatigue etched in the lines of their faces. It seemed that they hadn’t quite caught a break since their release from their previous owners. Some of them still carried injuries in the form of sprained arms, bruises, and burns from their fight with Sasuke, to which he felt guilt knot up in his stomach. He wished now that there had been a better way to secure their freedom.

It seemed Kakashi realized this himself, for he spoke up, “Well, I suppose a village tour will have to wait. Let’s get you guys some rest. For those of you who have injuries, I want you to come with me to Konoha’s hospital. Lee, I want you to escort the rest to their lodgings, and please go easy on them.”

“Yes sir!” Lee saluted once again, turning to march in the direction of their quarters. Sasuke watched the little boy from earlier clamber back onto Lee’s shoulders and begin to yell, “Forward!”

After the group split, mostly men remained. Sasuke found it difficult to look them in the face even though they all looked on the Uchiha with admiration.

“Right then,” Kakashi said, turning and walking through the gates. Swinging his cloak, Sasuke walked hurriedly to catch up to his former sensei in order to avoid conversation with these ninja.

Sasuke was trying to come up with an excuse to split. He didn’t quite care to go to the Hospital and face Sakura after their conversation last night. Also, he didn’t particularly want to see the look on her face when she found out that Sasuke had caused all of these injuries. For some reason, he didn’t want her to know it was him.

“Look, Kakashi. I better–” Sasuke began, but was cut short when a ninja landed in front of them. Sasuke recognized the spikey pony-tailed ninja and frowned when Shikamaru rushed up to Kakashi’s other side, speaking to the Hokage in a low voice.

Sasuke was about to take advantage of the situation and just leave altogether, but found himself rooted to the spot when he heard Sakura’s name in Shikamaru’s hushed speech. Without realizing what he was doing, Sasuke strained to hear the conversation.

“Why haven’t I been told about this sooner?” Kakashi asked him in annoyance.

“I couldn’t find you. This was the last place I looked. I only just learned about it myself,” Shikamaru exclaimed.

“Where is she? Is she okay?” Kakashi asked, slowing his pace.

“Ino says she’s keeping an eye on her,” Shikamaru replied.

Kakashi reached up and grabbed the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. “Damn it.”

Sasuke’s frown deepened when Kakashi suddenly turned to the group that followed him, presenting them with a sudden excuse. “My apologies. It seems we won’t be going to the Hospital, after all. If you guys don’t mind, Sasuke will escort you to the lodgings along with the rest of your group. I’ll personally accompany a medical ninja to see to your injuries in your rooms.”

In sharp contrast to Sasuke’s current feelings, the group seemed relieved to be going straight to their shelter.

“What the hell, Kakashi,” Sasuke hissed at the Hokage. “What is going on?”

“Sorry Sasuke,” his sensei replied. “I need to see someone right now.”

Sasuke wanted nothing more than to grab him by the cloak and demand answers. What the hell were he and Shikamaru talking about? Did it have to do with Sakura’s sudden leave last night? Did something bad happen to her? Before he could get these answers, Kakashi and Shikamaru were gone and Sasuke was left with a group who stared at him expectantly.

Chapter Text

Sasuke paced the ground outside of Sakura’s apartment. It was almost midnight and she still hadn’t come home.

After Kakashi had left him with the crowd of newly admitted Konoha citizens, Sasuke had escorted them to their lodgings, left them in Lee’s care, and vanished within minutes. He hadn’t had any desire to hang around.

After he left, Sasuke had stopped by Kakashi’s office only to find it void of both his former sensei and the shadow master ninja. Sasuke didn’t know why he had gone straight there knowing that Kakashi and Shikamaru would most likely be gone. If Sakura was involved, Sasuke assumed the two of them had made a bee-line for the hospital. To be honest, Sasuke had seriously considered heading in that direction, too, but had mentally chastised himself. Surely Kakashi could handle the situation being the Hokage, he supposed. The Hokage had chosen to keep him in the dark about it, after all.

To occupy himself, Sasuke had spent the rest of his day looking for distracting things to do. He had trained for most of the evening, practicing taijutsu to avoid over using his chakra. When his heart was no longer in the practice, Sasuke had turned to the methodical task of cleaning his weapons. Despite all this, Sasuke had kept worrying. It was dumb, to constantly find himself instinctively feeling like Sakura needed saving. He had seen her skills on the battlefield during the 4th great shinobi world war; he had experienced her medical prowess first hand; he had witnessed her victory against Kido. So why was he worrying? The Sasuke he had been just a couple of years ago certainly wouldn’t have been. He wouldn’t have even thought twice about it. Perhaps he really was changing.

And so, to the Uchiha’s embarrassment, he currently found himself lurking in front of Sakura’s apartment under the cloak of darkness. He told himself he was just here to return the key. He would give her the key, tell her he refused her offer, then leave. But as the minutes ticked away, Sasuke’s uneasiness grew.

Where the hell was she? It was nearly 1 a.m. Surely she would have come back by now. Did something seriously bad happen to her? No, he told himself. He was choosing to have faith in her abilities. He supposed if it were serious enough, somebody would have made the effort to tell him. Or maybe not, Sasuke suddenly thought. He had been mostly absent for the past 6 years. It made sense that the leaf village would operate on emergencies without considering him.

Maybe Sakura was just busy. Sasuke knew she was extremely preoccupied with her position as the hospital’s head medic, especially now considering she had told him that a unit had departed for Kumogakure. Taking into account Naruto’s persisting absence, Sasuke concluded that the medical crew must not have returned yet, either. Maybe, Sasuke suddenly thought, Sakura had already been here and decided to return to the hospital for the night shift.

Completely annoyed with himself, Sasuke pulled the key from his pocket and swiftly unlocked the apartment’s front door. He told himself he wasn’t snooping as he slyly investigated the living room, bathroom, and kitchen, glancing around for any signs of her coming and going. There wasn’t any point in sticking around if she had gone and left already.

Suddenly, he heard the front door’s handle unlatch and the Uchiha looked sharply towards the door. He exhaled a sigh of relief and pretended not to feel annoyed as he leaned against the kitchen table. The Uchiha forced an expression of passivity on his face, quickly concealing his apprehension. He’d be damned if he gave her the satisfaction of seeing him even slightly worried.

However, as the door swung open and Sasuke caught the faint outline of a stranger, he lunged forward. Shoving the intruder back outside and to the ground, Sasuke unsheathed his katana and leveled it at the man’s throat.

“Woah! Back off!” cried out a familiar voice, and as Sasuke’s vision adjusted to the darkness, he was able to recognize the ninja laying on the ground before him.

Deactivating his Sharingan, Sasuke sighed, “You? What the hell are you doing here?”

Pushing the blade away from his face and rising to his feet, Shikamaru dusted off his shoulders. “Boy this is a drag. I could ask you the same question, you know. Should we add "stalking women” to your list of crimes?“

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the ninja before him as he secured his blade back into its sheath. Sasuke didn’t even know how to react. Part of him wanted to demand why Shikamaru felt like he had the liberty to just walk into Sakura’s apartment. Who the hell did he think he was? The other part of Sasuke was somewhat disconcerted at the fact that someone other than Sakura had caught him here; he decided to ignore this part. Sasuke had every right to be here if he wanted. Unlike Shikamaru, he had a damn key, after all.

"Not that I owe you any explanations,” began the lazy ninja, “but, I’ve been looking for you. In fact, looking here was the last on my list, considering I figured it would be the last place you’d be.” Shikamaru paused to give that statement time to sink in before adding, “Guess I should have looked here first.”

“Spit it out,” Sasuke sneered at him, “What do you want?”

“Actually,” he stated seriously, “it’s about Sakura.”

Sasuke’s annoyed expression disappeared as he heard this.

“What happened?”

.

.

.

Sasuke couldn’t help but feel a stab of concern as Shikamaru relayed to him the events that had happened the previous night. He told Sasuke that Sakura felt entirely to blame for the little girl’s death due to her absence the previous two days. Shikamaru then told him that Sakura had chosen to throw herself into her work, but as the day continued, she began to break down.

“Break down?” he had asked.

“You’ll see what I mean soon enough,” Shikamaru said as the two of them had quickly made their way towards the hospital.

What was that supposed to mean? Every time Sasuke had witnessed Sakura have a breakdown, it usually involved him. First, in the land of Water when she thought he had died, he had regained consciousness only to have her kneeling over the top of him crying. The time that stuck out most in his mind was the night when he left the leaf village. She had been waiting on the road that led outside of the village when he had arrived, bag packed and not wearing his forehead protector. That night, all Sasuke had thought about was revenge. Even though she had cried out to him, confessed her feelings, and begged to go with him, he had still chosen to sever that bond.

It was a bit ironic now, just how much he was willing to do to keep it, Sasuke thought as he walked through the hospital doors. Sasuke couldn’t help but notice how different the hospital was, now that it had been rebuilt after Pein’s attack on the village.

Ino and Sai were the first two people the Uchiha noticed as he made his entrance. They were standing by one of the check-in desks. Sai had his back to him but turned when he saw Ino’s expression change into one of shock.

“Sasuke?” she exclaimed in disbelief, “What are you doing here?”

Sasuke didn’t respond as he turned to Shikamaru who followed close behind him.

“Well? Where is she?”

“This way,” Shikamaru said before heading towards the stairs leading up to the second floor.

Walking quickly, Sai and Ino caught up to them as they ascended the stairs. Sasuke didn’t know if he was annoyed or somewhat eased to find Shikamaru not in any particular rush to reach the top floor. Sakura wasn’t in any immediate danger, then. Good, he thought to himself.

But then Ino’s voice interrupted his thinking. “Do you really think it would be good for Sasuke to see her like this, Shikamaru?”

What the hell did that mean?

“Despite whatever objections we might have,” Shikamaru replied, “it’s Kakashi’s orders."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at that slightly accusative statement. He supposed they had every right to think what they wanted about him. Sasuke knew he couldn’t really win his old classmates over after everything he had done. To be honest, Sasuke didn’t necessarily care if they didn’t like him. It didn’t matter, he told himself.

"Well, as a member of Team 7,” Sai suddenly spoke up behind him, “I feel like my personal decisions should be considered.”

Sasuke couldn’t help but turn and glare back in the ninja’s direction, “And what decision is that?”

Ino grabbed Sai’s arm but the ninja pulled away, crossing his arms as he said, “That you get back to your mission outside the village.”

Sasuke ignored that comment and kept walking. He wasn’t going to let that stupid ink-obsessed, poor-choice-of-a-replacement get to him. He would keep walking.

“Sai,” Ino nudged, “you know that Sasuke has important stuff that only he–”

“That’s just part of his excuse,” Sai continued, interrupting her. “If you want to know what I think, I think it would be best for both Naruto and Sakura if you left and didn’t come back.”

“No one asked what you thought,” Sasuke said calmly, hiding the anger that was rising steadily in his throat, “Now get lost.”

“Unlike you,” Sai began again, “I intend to protect my bonds with those two. That includes Sakura. I’m still not that great at understanding one’s feelings, but even I can see that Sakura suffers greatly because of you. How is she supposed to find happiness if you keep reappearing and then ditching her again?”

Sasuke fisted his palms as they turned a corner. Reacting will only give him what he wants, he thought. If only they all knew how often Sasuke had told himself these things. He knew what he was doing right now was contradicting everything he had done up until now. But hearing Sai say this, Sasuke had the sudden urge to prove this idiot wrong.

Finally, they took another hurried left, revealing the Hokage dressed in the Hokage’s white and red, leaning casually against one of the walls. He had his arms crossed, one foot against the wall as he looked up at the ceiling. As opposed to the rest of the hospital, this corridor’s lights had been dimmed dramatically.

At the sight of his sensei, Sasuke finally pushed past Shikamaru, leaving the others behind as he hurriedly approached the man who had requested him.

“Kakashi, do you care to explain all this to me?”

“It’s about time,” he said, straightening up. After realizing he wasn’t going to receive a response to this, the Hokage asked, “What do you know, already?”

“Not much,” Sasuke answered flatly, still annoyed at the three ninja who were now eavesdropping a few feet away.

Sasuke frowned at his sensei as the ninja placed his hands casually in his pockets, sighing.

“Well,” he began, “It seems our Sakura has finally found her way into Tsunade’s stash of alcohol.” Kakashi then emphasized his statement by pointing at the door directly across from the wall he had just been leaning against. Just to the right of the door, a small silver plaque that said “Haruno Sakura” labeled the door.

Sasuke couldn’t help but let out an annoyed sigh as he pinched his nose. Despite what Sakura had just gone through, he could help but think: this was what was wrong? She was drunk? He supposed he was somewhat relieved that there was nothing more wrong with her, but the more dominant feeling that the Uchiha was feeling was frustration. He had been unnecessarily worried about her all day, dealt with Shikamaru, Sai, and Ino all in one night, and now, Kakashi was telling him that she had gotten herself drunk. God, this woman would be the death of him.

“That’s all?” he spat out. “You’re the Hokage. Go in and get her. Why do you need me here?”

“I’ve already tried,” Kakashi said bluntly, looking shamefully away.

“We all have,” Ino interjected from a few feet away. “She doesn’t want to see us.”

Sasuke just looked around at them like they were all a bunch of idiots.

“You call yourselves shinobi?” he insulted them, walking towards Sakura’s office door.

As he grabbed the handle, twisted the knob, and pushed the door inward, Sasuke had to immediately slam it back shut to avoid being hit directly in the face with a thrown bottle. As the door clicked back shut, the glass shattered against the wood on the other side.

“I SAID STAY THE FUCK OUT KAKASHI!”

Eyes now widened, Sasuke turned back to look at Kakashi. The Uchiha certainly wasn’t expecting that.

Kakashi just rubbed the back of his head embarrassingly, letting out a small laugh as he said, “You’re forgetting that she’s a shinobi, too. And a terrible drunk. The two don’t mix well.”

“Hn,” Sasuke remarked, thinking silently to himself, hand still resting on the door knob. He supposed Sakura would be the rather violent drunk. She had always been the angry type with the people closest to her, especially to Naruto. Sasuke had always watched coolly as she exploded on him over the smallest things. There was more than just her temperament in effect here, though. After all, she was also dealing with a death. That was also more than likely intensifying her behavior. To be honest, he didn’t know how he would handle this, other than to…

Twisting the knob again, Sasuke ducked as he entered the dark room. As a number of bottles flew over the top of him, he was finally able to locate their source. Sakura was positioned in the corner of the room, sitting down behind a pile of empty bottles, many of which she was firing off at him like rounds. She wasn’t even looking as she threw and cussed wildly.

Dodging them, he was finally able to reach her. Grabbing hold of her left arm with his right hand, he tried to prevent her from throwing the next bottle. Sasuke found that keeping his grip on her was very difficult considering her inhuman strength, something he shouldn’t have been surprised about. In order to keep from losing control, Sasuke ended up having to spin behind her, pinning her left arm and the bottle between them.

When she turned to counter him, Sasuke had already activated his Sharingan. Their eyes briefly met and even in the dim light, Sasuke saw the surprise in hers right before he placed the kunoichi under his genjutsu. Sakura immediately slumped and Sasuke released his hold on her arm, guiding her shoulder to the wall. Once she was in an unconscious sitting position, he stood and began to look around.

The furniture was knocked over and Sakura’s desk was split down the middle. Liquor bottles and broken glass lay everywhere, but Sasuke was relieved to see that most of these were still full. She had definitely gotten herself drunk, but it could have been much worse.

He heard crunching glass behind him as Kakashi entered the room, stopping a few feet away from him. He also heard Shikamaru and Sai grumbling to one another about him, throwing in occasional insults. Sasuke ignored this.

“You don’t think you went a little far with the genjutsu?” Kakashi asked, bending down to check on Sakura, “You never did have much restraint.”

Sasuke scoffed at this. If Kakashi had wanted it handled a certain way, then he should have done it himself. He watched as his former sensei reached out to place a palm on Sakura’s forehead.

“Her body temperature seems normal,” Kakashi remarked, then held his ear close to her mouth. “And her breathing is level for now. We should continue to watch for signs of alcohol poisoning throughout the night, but I think her primary need is rest at the moment.”

Sasuke felt his shoulders relax. He hadn’t realized how rigid he was holding himself until that moment. Just as Kakashi made to reach out to her, Sasuke found himself butting in.

“I’ll take her,” he said, not knowing why he had felt the sudden need to. Even as he looped her arm around his shoulder, carefully lifting her up from the ground, Sasuke tried to talk himself out of it, but couldn’t. Kakashi stared blankly at him, as if he were truly shocked the Uchiha was offering to help her.

A voice resounded from the doorway and Sasuke’s glare fell on Shikamaru as the ninja said, “Like we’d really trust her with you.”

Sasuke really got their attention when he bent down and tipped Sakura over his right shoulder, holding her up by the back of the legs. There wasn’t really a delicate way to hold someone with one arm. Still, Sasuke found that he would rather do it than anyone else.

He walked towards the door but found that Sai wasn’t giving way. Instead, the ninja held his ground and stuck out his jaw, speaking low, “If you think I’m just going to let you do what you–”

“Move,” the Uchiha demanded, activating the scarlet in his eyes. The Uchiha had just about endured all he could from this one.

Suddenly, Kakashi was there, placing himself between the two. “Alright, let’s keep level heads, here,” he spoke with that authoritative voice that reminded them all that he was the Hokage.

Placing a firm hand on Sai’s shoulder, Kakashi added, “Sai, that’s enough. You are all forgetting that Sasuke is one of us. He is also a member of Team 7. We can trust him to take Sakura home.”

With that, there was no more arguing. Sasuke pushed through the group, leaving them all behind as he descended down the hall and down the stairs. Once he was out the door, taking a firmer hold on Sakura and making sure she was stable, he disappeared into the night.

Chapter Text

Sakura groaned as she rocked back and forth slightly. Her head pounded as she realized blood was rushing to her head from being upside down. Peeking in the darkness, it took her a hazy minute to realize that she was being carried and that she was watching the back of someone’s feet as they walked.

“Kakashi?” she murmured. She tried to lift up slightly but a wave of nausea came over and she barely managed to keep from throwing up. She heard someone speak, a deep murmur that she couldn’t distinguish. The world was a blur around her and she realized her body wasn’t processing sound. Her vision, she realized, was also cloudy.

Why was she being carried? What was going on?

“Put me down,” she managed to get out, a small alarm going off in her head that maybe it wasn’t Kakashi helping her, but it was an enemy. Why else was she so dizzy? Had they poisoned her? Her ninja instincts told her she should try to get away, to kick, scream, to do anything to free herself. Lifting her right hand from the ninja’s back, she pushed hard in an effort to lift up, but failed because of the nausea.

Suddenly, the ninja who was holding her stopped and set her on the ground. As she was sitting, the ninja pushed back against her body until she was leaning against a solid surface. Sakura felt something cold touch her mouth and she instantly spat out as liquid hit her tongue. She wouldn’t be drinking anything this ninja was giving her.

Sakura heard the deep murmur again but couldn’t recognize the words. In her dizziness, she was barely able to make out a dark figure crouching in front of her. Her instinct was to fight this person and run but her body wasn’t moving.

A hand came to her forehead and lingered there. Sakura squinted, trying to pull away. She was able to make out small orbs of light in the distance. It was comforting to know she was still in the village, but she was obviously in some sort of alley. This was not the place where she was supposed to be. Where was she supposed to be?

Sakura heard the voice again and the hand on her forehead slid down to her chin. She felt pressure on it but when she didn’t open her mouth, the hand pressed harder and Sakura found that she was too weak to resist. As her teeth opened, Sakura felt a small of amount of water rush into her mouth and she swallowed some by accident. She tried to cough and when she did, vomit came up her throat and out her mouth.

The ninja suddenly stood and took a step away from her. After she was finished, Sakura fell forward but before she could fall into her own mess, an arm caught hold of her body.

“Let go,” she breathed. Her voice failed her; Sakura had meant to scream it.

She heard the murmur again. It was slow with three beats to it. They were saying the same word over and over. It almost sounded like her name.

Her vision grew black and when the ninja picked her up again and placed her on his shoulder, she slipped back into unconsciousness.

When she stirred again, she found herself laying on her side with something firm against her back. Reaching around her, she identified the feel of pillows and blankets. Was this her bed?

She heard the same voice again and saw the figure of a person leaning against her bedroom doorframe. She wanted to speak out but when she tried a palm gently covered her eyes and she fell back asleep.

.

.

.

Sasuke watched as the pink-haired kunoichi tossed silently in her sleep. For a second, he thought he was going to have to force her to stay on her side, but she failed in her attempt to roll onto her back because of the wall of pillows he had fortified behind her, and so she returned to her side.

Walking around to the foot of the bed, Sasuke quickly found another pillow that had been lost between the bed and the wall and tucked it against her chest. He also pushed her legs up until her knees were bent, so that her body made a “Z” shape. That would keep her from rolling on to her stomach.

Sasuke sighed and let himself slip down the wall adjacent to her bed, making sure he was still in eyesight of her. Isn’t this what you were supposed to do for someone who was intoxicated? Watch them to make sure they would be okay? Sure, he imagined he would eventually find himself in this situation one day, but he never imagined having to look after Sakura. Naruto, or Kakashi maybe, but not her. In fact, if that were the case, he would have probably ditched either of them onto Sakura for her to look after. In order for Sakura to have done something that was completely unlike her, she must really be suffering.

But even in her suffering, Sakura had always dealt with it in strength, hadn’t she? Why would she suddenly resort to alcohol? To be honest, Sasuke blamed that Sanin-Hokage-Sensei of hers. With as much time as Sakura had spent with her, Tsunade was bound to have an influence. While they were mostly good influences, he didn’t see why there wouldn’t be some bad habits his kunoichi teammate had picked up over time.

Sasuke sighed, resolved to let the questions go. For now, all he cared about was that Sakura was alright. Kakashi had said she would be okay as far as Alcohol Poisoning was concerned. In the meantime, what she needed was rest and water. He had tried to give her the latter of the two earlier on the street, but she had resisted him. He had tried to talk to her, but she seemed too out of it to listen.

In all honesty, Sasuke had been surprised that Sakura had been able to wake up at all. It seemed that even when she was drunk, she was nearly impervious to genjutsu. On anyone else, the genjutsu wouldn’t have worn off for hours. He remembered using the Sharingan on Sakura before his battle with Naruto, when Sakura had once again pleaded with him. Of course, he had been more ruthless at the time, but his goal had been to immobilize her with his genjutsu in order to prevent her interference in their fight. After the battle, when Sasuke laid side by side with his blond friend, arm missing at the elbow, Sakura had shown up and healed her teammates devotedly despite the genjutsu he had just placed her under.

“Sakura… I…” he had begun, only for her to interrupt him.

“Just shut up for now. I’m concentrating.”

He had continued despite her command, “I’m sorry.”

She had played it off, saying “Sorry? For what?”

Sasuke had stared up at her, genuinely regretful of his behavior towards her over the past 3 years. It was with this feeling that he had spoken, “For everything up until now.”

For some reason, Sasuke found that his regret still lingered. Maybe that was why he was keeping a careful eye on his drunk teammate while she slept, right now. Looking back, Sasuke realized he owed Sakura a lot. Whenever Sasuke had been sick, injured, or hospitalized, it was always Sakura who had attended him, sitting by his bedside and doing things like bringing him flowers and peeling him apples.

A sharp image of shattering glass and falling apples came to his mind. He had smacked her offered plate away angrily and proceeded to challenge Naruto to a fight.

Sasuke sighed again and buried his face into his palm.

He truly felt guilty for not valuing his friends more. Even to this day, he was away from them. Sasuke couldn’t help but recall what Sai had said to him in the hospital: “If you want to know what I think, I think it would be best for both Naruto and Sakura if you left and didn’t come back.”

Sasuke knew that Sai was right. He didn’t deserve the happiness the two of his friends held out towards him so freely.

.

.

.

Sakura’s pounding head woke her the following morning. She groaned, covering her face with a pillow to block out the light streaming through her bedroom window and hugged it to her face tightly to relieve the throbbing. Finally, as her body refused to slip back into unconsciousness, memories from the following day began to return to her.

She recalled Emiko’s death and Sakura’s sorrow returned to her, frustrated tears pricking the corner of her eyes. She had been so upset, that Sakura began to question her decisions in opening her mental health clinic as she worked throughout the rest of the day after the child’s death. Not only this, but a couple of her burn patients had come in with late negative reactions to her healing poultice. The skin looked as if it had started to heal, but had stopped and recoiled at the medicine, reddening and swelling. Of course, this had prolonged her patients’ healing and they had only come in when they couldn’t bear the pain anymore. After softening the medicine and removing it, Sakura had used the last of her chakra to reverse the damage.

Drained and frustrated with herself, Sakura had gone into her office at the end of the day and cried. She had remembered Tsunade telling her that she had to be tough in this profession. Sakura had asked Tsunade one time what she did when the pain was overwhelming and Tsunade had jokingly admitted: “That’s what sake is for!” At the time, Sakura had shaken her head and laughed, dismissing the comment completely. But as she sat in her office, Sakura recalled the memory and so had determinedly located the stash she knew her sensei hid in her office.

Taking them all back to her own office, Sakura had stared at the bottles for a few minutes before deciding to go through with it. It’s not like anyone or anything else could help her anyway. Ino had told her it wasn’t her fault, Shizune had said that there was nothing that could be done to stop someone bent on suicide, the rest of her co-workers promised to do more than what they already were, and Kirai had made her feel even more guilty for apologizing to her all day–she shouldn’t have put so much responsibility on the girl’s shoulders anyway. She didn’t want to talk to anyone anymore.

Naruto always had a way of making her feel better, but of course, he was gone. The only other person she cared to see was Sasuke, and even he wanted nothing to do with her. She had tried to be brave, offering him a key to her apartment she knew he didn’t want. She had practically dragged him to her apartment so he could get out of the rain and have a decent meal. He didn’t want her help. He didn’t want her affection. He would rather be on his own.

These were the thoughts that Sakura had as she opened the first bottle. She didn’t make it very far into the first bottle before she began to feel funny. And as she began the second bottle, she heard voices outside her door. Kakashi had apparently shown up to console her, for he had asked, “Sakura, can I come in?”

“Don’t even think about it,” she had said, crossing her arms over her chest. And every time he had tried, she fired a bottle in his direction. Eventually someone made their way in, pinning her arms behind her. All she remembered was that as she faced the person, she saw red eyes before everything went black.

Red eyes? Sakura thought, removing the pillow from her face, realization dawning on her. Sasuke?

No, Sakura thought, Kakashi had the Sharingan, too. Although she only ever saw Kakashi use genjutsu against Zabuza, she knew he had the ability. But would he have used it on her? Not likely.

Then, Sakura recalled waking up in the middle of being carried by someone. At the time, she had thought it was an enemy but apparently it was friend if she was currently laying in her bed. Maybe it was Kakashi after all.

Sitting up in her bed was more painful than Sakura had expected. She deserved it, she supposed, for acting so foolishly yesterday. She knew what the consequences would be but in the moment she hadn’t cared.

Grabbing her head, she slowly swung her legs over her bed before finding her balance to stand. Squinting in the morning light, Sakura stumbled until she could grab her doorknob to steady herself. Before opening the door, a couple of muffled voices met Sakura’s ears and she immediately froze, ninja instincts returning to her. Voices? Who was in her house?

Silently, Sakura placed her ear against the door. It was hard to hear anything clearly because of the constant sound of her hearbeat in her head and ears.

“She’s sleeping,” a low voice grumbled.

Someone responded, but the voice was too distant to hear. A girl’s voice?

“She just needs sleep, now go away.”

Her eyes widened as she matched the sarcasm to the tone of voice. Along with the pounding in her head, Sakura could feel another form of thrumming begin in her heart. Sasuke? Was it him who had brought her home?

Oh no, she thought. If Sasuke were here, then he probably witnessed her drunk episode last night. That’s just fantastic, she thought, seriously considering turning around and crawling back into bed due to her embarrassment.

After a few seconds of working up her courage, Sakura carefully unlatched to door and peeked outside through the crack. The morning light was almost too much for her befuddled senses. She took a couple steps out into the hallway, looking towards the direction of her front door. Sasuke wasn’t there. Maybe he left.

Just as she was coming around the corner, Sakura stumbled and grabbed hold of the wall, leaning against it for support. Something caught hold of her arm and Sakura snapped her head towards the left, an action that had her reaching up to support her head.

Looking down at her, a trace of concern in his usual blank expression, was Sasuke.

“You’re awake,” he stated rather than asked. Despite her pounding head, Sakura couldn’t help but react happily to his voice. She tried to smile. She almost couldn’t believe it. He was here.

“Sasuke, I didn’t expect you to be here. Did you bring me–”

“You should go lie back down,” he ordered, interrupting her immediately. He tried to lift her off the wall by pulling carefully on her arm, but she waved him off.

“No. I just need some medicine from the cabinet.”

“Don’t bother, I’ll get it,” he said, holding on to her as she tried to make her way into the kitchen. He lead her into the dining room instead, forcing her to sit in one of the chairs.

Grabbing her head, Sakura relaxed into the chair, thankful to be sitting again.

“It’s in the cabinet above the stove. Look for the container that has a yellow label. Would you mind bringing me some water, too, if you don’t mind?” She heard him rustle around in the cabinets for a minute, bottles clinking. Sakura groaned inwardly; she had forgotten how terribly messy that cabinet was.

“What is this?” Sasuke asked, returning a moment later, sitting the glass jar down in front of her, along with a cup of water.

Sasuke stood over her as she began to pour some of the jar’s contents into the water. Just having him in the same room made her nerves do funny things, but now he was standing within a couple feet of her, which was really making her sweat. It also didn’t help that she was mortified to have him see her in this pathetic post-drunk state. What had she done? If she was so bent on having Sasuke respect her and believe in her, why had she gone and done that?

Finally, after taking a heavy gulp of the mixture, she replied, “It’s a mix of Cysteine and Potassium that breaks down the Acetaldehyde in the liver. I developed it for Lee for when he uses the Drunken Fist.”

“Hn,” Sasuke replied, taking the jar off the table and putting it back in its place in the cabinet.

Relief permeated throughout Sakura’s body as the medicine began to take effect. Slowly, Sakura summoned to her fingertips what little chakra she had managed to gather in this state overnight. Once her fingers began to glow, she placed them weakly on her temples.

Immediately, the sensitivity in her eyes began to fade and her vision slowly cleared, returning to her at last. The sharp noises dulled and Sakura’s pain began to ebb away.

Looking behind her, Sakura was able to see Sasuke clearly for the first time. He was leaning against the wall behind her, eyes closed, arm crossed over his chest. The sun from the adjacent window was illuminating his features and casting a glint across the ninja headband he had hanging from his belt.

“Thank you for helping me,” Sakura stated as she appraised him. Seeing him in her home like this, knowing that he had once again come to her aid, gave Sakura a little bit of hope.

“It’s not like you ever help yourself,” he stated matter-of-factly, annoyance apparent in his voice.

Sakura blushed, embarrassed at his rude comment. She deserved it she supposed, in this circumstance. However, the comment still stung.

“You didn’t have to,” she said, trying to offer him an apologetic smile. “But I’m grateful regardless.”

Sasuke looked away from her, obviously out of patience. He didn’t give her a reply.

They sat in silence for a few minutes then, neither of them talking about what happened last night. Sasuke leaned against the wall, frowning. With everything else, Sakura was also feeling extreme guilt for getting him involved in this.

“Who was at the door,” she asked, suddenly remembering his previous conversation with a person outside.

“Your bothersome blond friend, and not the one I want to see.” Sakura had two blond friends: Naruto and Ino, whom were both definitely “bothersome” as Sasuke had put it.

"What did she want,” she asked, turning her body more towards him.

“To bring you these,” he said, pushing off the wall, grabbing a package off the kitchen counter and walking over to drop a wrapped bouquet of flowers onto the table in front of her.

“Oh,” she exclaimed, taking the package gingerly in her hands. The flowers were a mix of vibrant red and blue and Sakura recognized the type of flower immediately. In all her years spent with Ino, she was able to decipher the meaning behind the two types of poppies. The blue poppies represented “get well” and “sympathy” where the red poppies were symbolic of loss and grief. Only Ino would use flowers to communicate her feelings about Emiko’s death and Sakura couldn’t help but feel sad again, despite being touched at Ino’s gift.

Sakura stood then, unbundling the flowers while walking into the kitchen. She located an empty vase in the cabinet below her sink and proceeded to fill it with water. As she placed the flowers carefully in the vase, Sakura couldn’t help but think that the red poppies looked so much like the Sharingan. Sneaking a brief glimpse at the man in her dining room, she noticed that he had shifted in her direction, watching her from his peripheral vision.

Loss, death, red poppies, and the Sharingan. Sakura realized that she was struggling now with the death of someone she barely knew, but Sasuke had lost the people closest to him. And if she felt like a failure now, she couldn’t imagine what Sasuke had experienced on that terrible night, long ago. Her feelings of anger, regret, and sorrow had caused her to react irrationally last night. She kind of understood a little better now, why Sasuke had left the village and chose the path that he did.

As Sakura continued to unwrap the bundle, she discovered a single bright pink peony bloom hidden among the poppies. She knew exactly what this one meant: bravery and strength. Tears suddenly pricked Sakura’s eyes as she recalled a conversation she had had with Ino.

“Sakura, even your name is a flower! You should have much more interest in Hanakotoba.”

Sakura had giggled at Ino’s logic as she waited for her friend to finish closing down her flower shop, one summer evening.

“It just all seems a little too much don’t you think?” Sakura had asked. “And besides the only flowers I’ve ever given to anyone were to people who didn’t necessarily know what they meant.” When she said this, Sakura thought of Sasuke, Naruto, and Lee. Looking back, she had been silly to think they could decipher the meaning.

“It’s always a pleasant gesture to receive flowers, no matter if you understand what they mean or not,” replied Ino, plucking a flower out of a basket she had near the front desk. It was light pink and the size of two fists held close together.

“For example,” began Ino, “placing the bloom in Sakura’s hand. "If I gave you this, you would be happy to receive it because it is beautiful.”

Sakura had nodded in agreement, fingering the lacy petals.

Taking back the flower, Ino had reached up and pulled back Sakura’s hair, arranging the flower so that it adorned the left side of her newly fixed bun.

“But in Hanakotoba, this flower means bravery and strength,” Ino had said with a smile. “So when you receive this flower it means that the giver thinks highly of you. It means that they admire your bravery and believe in your strength.”

Sakura had reached up to touch the flower that matched her hair color, feeling extreme happiness at her friend’s words. She had worn the flower for the rest of that night.

Now, as Sakura clutched the bright pink blossom in her hand, tears began to stream down her cheeks. Despite her failure to save Emiko and despite her pathetic display of drunkenness, her dearest friend still believed that she was brave and that she was strong.

.

.

.

Sakura turned so that her face was hidden from him.

Sasuke couldn’t help but stand up straight when he realized that Sakura was crying. For a second, he didn’t know why she was and he instantly regretted being so harsh to her a moment ago. Yes, he was beyond annoyed with the girl who had him running around worried yesterday, who had gotten herself drunk, and was now making him feel completely at a loss for what to do in this situation.

He knew what the former Sasuke would have done. He would have left. He wouldn’t have cared if he saw her crying; in fact, he would have thought her weak. Even back in the day, before he let darkness envelope him, Sasuke would have let Naruto deal with this. Naruto would know what to do. Naruto always knew what to say. And to his extreme exasperation, Naruto wasn’t here.

She was wiping at her face when Sasuke approached. He didn’t touch her. He just stood behind her, listening to her sniffle. Sasuke knew what it was like to suffer by yourself. He knew that Sakura was in pain. Most of the pain she had experienced in her life was because of him so he felt like he needed to make up for all of that now.

Finally, after a few seconds, he forced himself to say, “I’m sorry about the girl.”

“Don’t be,” Sakura said, after a few seconds of silence. “It’s my fault. I couldn’t be there to save her.”

When he didn’t say anything, Sakura continued to wipe her eyes and say, “I opened this medical clinic to save children who were suffering from mental trauma. I brought Emiko to Konoha because I thought I could save her. But I failed.”

What could he say? He wanted to tell her that it wasn’t her fault; that nothing she did could have changed someone’s mind once it was set. He knew that for sure. In fact, Sakura had tried to stop him before he had left, but was unable to. But Sasuke sure wasn’t going to bring that up. That would only make her cry more. So he didn’t say anything.

Sasuke was starting to regret not letting Sakura’s friend come inside. Ino would have done a way better job at consoling her than he was currently doing.

Wiping her eyes, Sakura finally turned to face him. Her eyes were red and glassy from crying. Sasuke sure knew that look. He had seen it several times.

“About last night,” Sakura said, trying to smile. “I–uh. I’m sorry. About all of it. But can I ask you a question?”

After Sasuke nodded, she asked, “Why did you show up to help me?”

Sasuke knew he couldn’t remain silent anymore despite how badly he didn’t want to answer. Several answers ran through his head:

Because I was scared something bad had happened to you;

Because I was worried sick when Kakashi left me that morning to find you;

Because I haven’t been here for you when you needed me;

Because I’m sorry for everything I’ve done.

Because I don’t want to see you in pain anymore;

But Sasuke couldn’t say these things. If Sakura heard these words, he would only be causing her more pain in the long run. He wanted to be here for her now, but he knew that he couldn’t be. He had to find and stop Kaguya.

So instead, he pushed down these words and said, “Because Shikamaru came looking for me.”

Sakura looked down, and said, “Oh… I’m so embarrassed.”

“You should be,” he chastised, allowing a small smirk to touch his mouth. “You threw up on me.”

Her face turned a bright red and Sasuke smirked a silent victory.

After a few smug seconds on his part, Sakura deflated his pride when she said, “Now we are even. For the genjutstu, I mean, since it’s obvious who did it now.”

Sasuke’s smirk vanished at her smile. Yeah, he supposed he deserved that.

A knock came from the door and Sasuke instantly frowned, his mood darkening. Walking to the door, Sasuke swore that if it was that loud blond again, he’d tell her she could take her flowers and get the hell–

But it wasn’t Ino at the door. It was Kakashi, garbed in white and red. He wore the hat of the hokage and was accompanied by the woman Sasuke knew as Shizune.

Giving Sasuke a knowing smile under his mask, Kakashi raised a hand in greeting. “Didn’t expect you to still be here. Care if we come in?”

Chapter Text

Sakura looked down at her feet guiltily when she heard Kakashi’s voice from the door. Sasuke had already been hard enough to face, and now here was the man who was to Sakura both sensei and Hokage–not to mention whom Sakura had cussed vividly at and blamed for her own mistakes last night–coming to see her.

“What do you want?” she heard Sasuke spit out rudely as he stood anchored in the doorway, arm crossed and looking as smug as Sakura had ever seen him.

“To see Sakura, of course!” another familiar voice called out cheerfully, and Sakura’s eyes grew wide when she recognized Shizune’s smiling speech. Pushing past the pissed-off Uchiha, Shizune squeezed between him and the crack in the door rather forcefully. Sometimes, Sakura could see characteristics of Lady Tsunade in the young woman who was also the Sanin’s pupil.

As Kakashi made his entrance, Sakura caught the annoyed look Sasuke was giving The Hokage. Kakashi awkwardly rubbed the back of his head before whispering, “She refused to be left behind.”

Shizune embraced Sakura immediately.

“Sakura,” Shizune said, holding Sakura at arm’s length to look her up and down, “I am glad to see you are okay. You certainly had us all worried!”

Sakura tried to look apologetic, but tears sprang forward to her eyes. Shizune looked back at Kakashi worriedly, and in response, the Hokage made his way to them.

Sakura wiped at her eyes and strengthened her resolve and looked up at Kakashi. It was time she owned up to her behavior the night before. “Lord Hokage,” she began, placing her hands together and bowing before him.

“None of that,” Kakashi stuttered awkwardly, ducking to lift Sakura’s chin up so she could meet his eyes. “I will always be Sensei to you.”

“Kakashi Sensei, I am extremely sorry for my conduct last night,” she continued when he released her chin. “Please forgive me.” She faintly recalled throwing glass bottles towards him and inwardly groaned. He was certain to be disappointed in her. Sakura had proven that she had a breaking point, a weakness. Ninja who showed weakness would not survive in this shinobi world.

“We all have bad days,” Kakashi began, standing beside her and placing a palm fixedly on her disheveled head. “Just ask Shizune,” he added, gesturing in the surprised woman’s direction, “She’s had her share of drunken episodes too. Tsunade is my witness.”

“Kakashi!” Shizune cried out, raising her hands to cover her red face. Sakura smiled and Kakashi grinned back at her under his mask.

“Yes, well,” Shizune interjected, grabbing hold of Sakura’s arm and taking her hand. “You can say that none of us are perfect. Sometimes we make unwise decisions which lead to more unwise decisions, and so on. What’s important is that you are okay and that you know that none of this is your fault.”

Sakura nodded her head but didn’t reply. She looked down at her feet again. Of all people, she should know what to expect being in the medical core. She had witnessed so many deaths during the Fourth Shinobi World War and here she was making a huge fuss over one child she barely knew. However, this was a suicide that Sakura believed she could have prevented if she had only done her job.

Sakura looked over at Sasuke, who was now leaning against the wall, arms crossed and eyes closed. He had the same scowling look on his face that he always wore, eyebrows angling down to make a sharp “V” and his mouth a hard, pursed line. Perhaps, if Sakura had just forgotten about him–hadn’t made such a big fuss about his return, she could have done her job. Maybe this was why she was feeling so guilty.

Sasuke spoke suddenly, his voice a grumble from across the room. “Why are you here?”

All eyes turned to the forgotten ninja, a small silence falling upon them.

“Ah,” Kakashi spoke up, walking over to his moody student and placing a hand on his left shoulder. Sasuke glared at him. “Apologies for just showing up unannounced. We didn’t interrupt anything did we?”

Sasuke’s eyes grew wide at the comment and Sakura waved her hands frantically.

“No, nothing!” she said quickly, which seemed to make the Hokage’s smile grow wider. This made Sakura’s face turn almost the exact same shade as her hair color. Sakura caught Sasuke’s eye and they both looked away hurriedly.

“To answer your question Sasuke,” Kakashi said, codeswitching back to his Hokage speech and taking on his authoritative personality. “We came for the both of you. We have some new residents in the village who need your medical attention, Sakura. Think you can help us out?”

Sakura looked over at her sensei who was looking at her expectantly. Shizune offered Sakura a smile of her own and Sakura nodded. It was time she got back to doing what she did best. Sakura caught Sasuke’s gaze and she looked away. It was time she put her patients first in all matters, even matters concerning her heart.

… …

Sasuke had groaned inwardly when Kakashi proposed that they all go to the barracks to provide medical attention to the ninja Sasuke had rescued from the Coliseum. Sasuke had thought he had dodged this very situation the other day, and when he acted as if he were about to leave their group, Kakashi had spoken up, saying, “Why don’t you come with us Sasuke? I’m sure we can find something for you to do. After all, you’re the reason they are here.”

Sasuke had grumbled under his breath, resentful for how many times Kakashi was going to remind him of that fact. This is what he got for helping people: work, responsibility, and more work. Sasuke had gotten used to cleaning up a mess, wiping his hands spotless from it, and avoiding all aftereffects. That was one thing that Sasuke really liked about not being in the village.

“You are?” Sakura had asked, turning to face him.

Sasuke’s stomach had pitched as a former concern entered in his mind at her question. This is exactly what he had been trying to avoid yesterday. He didn’t want to be there when Sakura was healing the injuries he was directly responsible for. Ever since the Uchiha had entered this village, everything was going exactly how he didn’t want it to. Literally everything, and this was another example.

Sasuke hadn’t replied and instead Kakashi had spoken up on his behalf, not mentioning this most important detail. He skipped the part where Sasuke had directly attacked these ninja, instead just telling Sakura that he had rescued them. Sakura had looked down at her feet and smiled which made Sasuke feel even more guilty. It was lie, but he couldn’t tell her the truth, just when she was starting to think well of him.

At first, Sasuke had thought that the four of them would be working together, but five minutes into their walk, Shizune had departed for the hospital, and Kakashi had merely dropped them off at the door, saying, “I forgot that I had a meeting today. I’m late, so if you will excuse me.”

Sasuke had glowered at him as Kakashi placed a reassuring hand on each of their arms, saying “I believe in you two,” before walking away–rather unhurriedly for someone who was late to a meeting.

Now, Sasuke stood completely useless against a wall, offering no assistance as Sakura kindly tended to the people she was healing. She had seen almost every patient while Sasuke sat back and watched her. It was something that Sasuke had never seen her do before. She wasn’t wearing her lab coat, but Sakura possessed a focused demeanor as she conducted check-ups on all the ninja. It was strange to witness her apply knowledge that Sasuke hadn’t been there to witness her gain. She had always been smart, smarter than him in almost all areas of knowledge at the academy. But the woman before him wasn’t raising her finger to tell her teammates how much she knew, or chastising Naruto for how little he knew. The woman before him, currently stooped over a middle-aged man’s back and using her chakra to draw out infection through a deep cut along his shoulder, was the Sakura he had missed out on. This was who Sakura was now, and Sasuke couldn’t help but admire her.

A tug on his shirt tore the Uchiha’s gaze away from his pink-haired teammate and onto a small child who was looking up at him.

“You Uchiha?” a little girl asked, crossing her arms in a challenge. Sasuke frowned down at her in reply.

“Hatsuko,” the man Sakura was healing hissed back at the girl, “Go back to your mother. Leave this man alone.”

Hatsuko ignored her father, and matched Sasuke’s glare with one of her own. “Hurt my papa again, and you’ll have to fight me!” she yelled, punctuating her statement with a raised fist and a stuck-out tongue.

Sasuke hurriedly snuck a glance at Sakura and flinched when her gaze landed on him, whom obviously had not missed the exchange. He glared back at the child, not saying a word.

“Hatsuko!” her father roared, standing up hurriedly to walk in the child’s direction. The little fiery juvenile sprinted off in another direction. “This man saved me!” he called after her, just as she slammed the door down the hall from them, “GET BACK HERE AND APOLOGIZE!”

Wincing, the man grabbed his shoulder and Sakura rushed over to lead him back to his chair. “Forgive me,” he bowed towards Sasuke. “My daughter is young and doesn’t understand what you did for us.”

“I’m the one who should be apologizing,” the Uchiha said softly, feeling guilty and properly chastised by a little girl. For the first time, he walked over to the man and stood solemnly before him. “Perhaps if I had thought more clearly, I could have found another way to–”

“Don’t blame yourself, young man” the ninja interrupted, flinching suddenly as Sakura tightly secured the final knot of his stitches. Clearing his throat, he continued, “There was no other way. What you did for us is something to be proud of. We would all be stuck fighting for our lives in that hellish place if it weren’t for you. We are all extremely grateful.”

Sasuke glanced over to Sakura. Now that the cut was now clean and freshly stitched, Sakura covered the wound with gauze and wrapped it securely with bandage wrap.

“You’re all done,” she stated, “I’ll be back in ten days to remove the stitches. Make sure to keep the wound clean. Be gentle and apply fresh bandages every night, except for tonight.”

“Yes ma'am,” he said, standing and bowing graciously to Sasuke’s teammate. “I am grateful to you both. Konoha has some very fine ninja. It is thanks to you that I don’t have to worry about being separated from my family or sold to another shinobi. You have brought me the peace of freedom, Uchiha Sasuke.”

As the man took his leave, he apologized once again for his daughter’s behavior.

After he was out of sight, he turned to Sakura who was now cleaning up the stitching kit that was laid out across the counter. She pushed it carefully in a big yellow bag that she had brought along with her. Sakura picked it up and Sasuke closed his eyes when she walked past him out the door. She stopped to wait for him in the hall and he followed her until they were past all the people who stopped them and thanked them.

Once out the door and into the darkness, Sasuke caught up with Sakura and took the bag out of her hand. It was the only polite thing he believed had ever done for anyone probably ever in his life.

“Thank you,” she said surprised. A small smile touched her lips but Sasuke was absorbed in silence.

Once they were alone together, walking the dark passageways to her apartment, Sasuke couldn’t remain silent anymore and spat out, “I know what you’re thinking.”

Sakura peeked over at him as they walked, a look of confusion on her face. Almost like she wasn’t expecting any kind of explanation from him about anything. “You do?”

“You must think I haven’t changed at all,” he said, looking away from her.

She reached out and gently took his elbow, stopping them and turning him towards her slightly. He pulled back from her but didn’t look away.

“That’s not what I think,” Sakura whispered to him. “I think you are a hero for saving all of those people.”

“But I hurt them, ” he said firmly, “I’m still hurting innocent people.” She was looking at him softly in response and Sasuke didn’t know why, but he was suddenly angry at her for it. Was she still trying to justify his actions in her mind? Why was it so hard for her to hate him?

“You are being too hard on yourself,” she offered kindly, touching his elbow again reassuringly. “You’ve changed. What you did was for the best.”

She began walking again, but Sasuke dropped the yellow bag at his feet and quickly grabbed her sleeve, keeping her from moving. “I can’t let you walk away thinking good of me. I was angry when I fought them. Angry with Oyashiro En and all the other ninja who had put them there. I had taken them down in the quickest way that I knew how. I fought children–”

“Sasuke,” she said seriously, picking her bag off the ground and slipping the handle in the crook of her arm. “Before I ever was a medical ninja, I was your teammate. By healing them, I could recognize you in their injuries from the very beginning, but I was surprised not because I learned that you had done this, but surprised because of how careful you were with them when I know how hard that must have been while facing them all.”

Sasuke scowled at her. “That’s not an excuse.”

Sakura looked up at the sky as a faint light suddenly fell on them, and Sasuke followed her gaze. The moon was peeking out between two dark silvery clouds. He looked back down at her, staring at her as she watched the moon. Her face and hair lit up for a moment and she offered him a small smile in reply. “I’m not someone to offer advice, but sometimes you have to hurt people in order to do what’s best for them. It’s a part of being a shinobi. I’m sure Itachi would agree. I think he would be proud of you, Sasuke.”

Sasuke’s eyes grew wide at the mention of his brother’s name. Did she mean him? Itachi had sacrificed everything, even his own happiness, in order to protect the village. He had killed their family and abandoned Sasuke. Is this what she meant?

Her voice interrupted his thoughts as she said, “Let’s forget the past. Let’s learn from our mistakes and grow from them. I’m going to work towards becoming a stronger medic ninja for the village and you can work towards being the best shinobi that you can be. Can we do that together?”

Sasuke held her gaze, scowl remaining fixed on his face. The best shinobi that he could ever be, huh? Sasuke didn’t know if that was a possibility, but he would try. He would do what was best for the village and the people he cared deeply about. Sasuke didn’t answer her but when Sakura tugged on his sleeve, he followed her.

… … . .

They spent the rest of the walk in silence. Sakura didn’t release Sasuke’s sleeve and he didn’t pull away. It was a fragile moment, a moment that Sakura was afraid would break if she spoke or breathed too hard. Sasuke’s right hand swung at his side, sleeve caught barely in her fingers. Sakura wanted desperately to grab his fingers but she knew that would be crossing the line of whatever they had between them.

Whenever they reached the door, Sakura released Sasuke’s sleeve and walked in first, setting down her bag. “I’ll make you some tea, if you’d like. Or if you’re too tired–”

“Sakura,” came Sasuke’s emotionless voice from outside the door. Sakura turned and realized that he didn’t follow her in and her stomach lurched suddenly. Sakura walked back outside and looked up at him, worry settling heavily in her heart.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, trying to reach for his sleeve again. He pulled back this time and instead slowly placed his hand in his cloak and revealed something small. Sasuke held it out to her without looking at her, and Sakura took what she recognized to be the key she had given him. Was he really giving it back to her? Did this mean he really leaving?

“We both know I can’t stay here,” Sasuke said, looking away from her. “My answer is no.”

Sakura stared down at the key in her hand, and realized for the first time that Sasuke was saying goodbye. Sasuke wasn’t just saying no to coming in. He was distancing himself. He was telling her no. Tears sprung to her eyes as she looked down at the ridiculous key.

“No to what, Sasuke?” she whispered, as he made to turn away from her. Without a care, she walked in front of him, placing a palm on his chest. “No to what?”

“No to everything,” he said, finally meeting her eyes, confirming her thoughts.

“I thought that we were growing closer; I thought that we could try–” Sakura said desperately, trying to understand why he would do this. Why couldn’t he just let her into his heart? After everything they had been through together, why did he not care for her in the same way that she cared for him?“

"The most we will ever be is friends, Sakura, and that’s all,” he replied, and Sakura searched his features for any signs that would betray his words but his face remained perfectly stoic and firm. His dark onyx eyes did not waver.

“I’ve already told you. I can’t be the man you want me to be. I have a mission, a duty to protect this village, and so do you. You said it earlier; we can work towards our goals and become better shinobi for our village,” Sasuke said plainly, and Sakura felt shocked at how he was using her own words against her.

Tears began to roll down Sakura’s cheeks and she wiped furiously at them, begging herself to stop. Be strong, she whispered to her pounding heart. It was a useless plea.

“I love you, Sasuke. I will wait for you. I know that we can make this work if–”

His right hand caught her arm and he pulled her towards him and Sakura froze. Gently, he held her before him, looking down at her and replying, “I want you to stop waiting. I want you to move on with your life. Find someone who can give you the happiness you deserve. That person is never going to be me.”

Sasuke released her after a minute, and he turned away from her, showing her his back like he always did. The distance between them grew as he walked away.

Sakura wanted to call out to him. She wanted Sasuke to know that she couldn’t stop waiting for him. That there would never be anyone else. But instead, all she managed was to plead through her tears, “Please don’t say goodbye. Please don’t leave me alone again. You are breaking my heart!”

And then he was in front of her again, so quickly that Sakura had missed it when she blinked. She flinched when Sasuke reached out and placed two heavy fingertips against her forehead. After a second, his fingers moved to support her chin.

“Sometimes you have to hurt people in order to do what’s best for them,” he whispered in that deep monotone voiced that only belonged to him. When Sakura opened her eyes, he had disappeared into the surrounding darkness.

Chapter Text

Sasuke squinted when the morning light flickered into view above the tree line, illuminating his face and warming it instantly. Summer was definitely on its way now that May was just around the corner. It made nights spent in the forest like last night bearable.

This morning made the twelfth day that Sasuke was in Konoha. To Sasuke, that was twelve days that he had not been searching for any signs of the Otsusuki clan. Last night, when he had seen the moon peek through the clouds, Sasuke’s stomach had twisted. As he watched Sakura admire it, he couldn’t help but despise it for what it reminded him of. Every day and every second that Sasuke wasted in this village, he felt like he was putting the village at risk.

According to Chino, when the White Zetsu army had passed under the Valley of Hell–the remote canyon located in the Land of Hot Water where Chino’s clan had one resided–she had been able to indirectly read their minds, coming up with her own idea of the human bombs after having witnessed this. After Sasuke had defeated her, Chino had told him something else that had frightened Sasuke. The White Zetsu army had been expecting a threat greater than the Allied Shinobi Forces. This almost confirmed Sasuke’s theory, the theory that perhaps Kaguya had created the White Zetsu Army to fight a force more powerful than herself. Sasuke was convinced that more of her kind was out there and they would be coming here.

This is the information that he desperately needed to tell Naruto. Sasuke had to put Naruto on his guard without affecting the peace that currently existed between shinobi nations. And here Sasuke was, waiting rather impatiently on the ninja who could rival Sasuke’s strength. Only together could they hope to defeat this threat.

Perhaps if Sakura knew about all of this, she would be able to understand why Sasuke had to leave immediately. Sasuke had listened as she had confessed her love for him again last night. He had denied her… again.

Sasuke was convinced that if he pushed and pushed and pushed Sakura away from him, she would eventually move on. He would force her to believe that there was nothing between them, spare her an eternity of disappointment, and do so by not returning any of her feelings. Did Sasuke even have any feelings for her? He most certainly couldn’t deny that he did; she was the only woman that he could possibly have any feelings for. What was the difference between caring for someone and loving someone? Sasuke wasn’t sure. All he knew was that it was difficult to walk away last night; it was hard to resist crossing that threshold and spending one more night in a safe place with someone he cared for; it required the better half of him to tell her that she needed to stop waiting for him and find some other man to love. Did this mean that he did love her?

Sasuke held his head in his hand, a headache forming in his temples from the rough night’s sleep. He silently cursed Naruto for taking his sweet time to return. Sasuke definitely wouldn’t have slipped this far if Naruto had been here when he arrived. Sasuke needed him to return so he could do what he knew was the right thing. A family of his own was something that Sasuke had dreamed for at one point in his life, and before he had left the village, he had admitted to himself that he cared deeply for his pink-haired teammate. Now, despite all that he had been through, Sasuke had taken on his brother’s legacy, a purpose that was more important than any dreams of a happy life filled with friends and possibly love. His friends deserved that dream, and Sasuke had to protect that future.

It was with this train of thought, that Sasuke jumped down from the tree that he had been sleeping in and made his way towards a small stream nearby. When Sasuke arrived, he speared one of the many fish teeming about the water’s edge. Then, Sasuke summoned his hawk and watched as the bird flew into the air, spiraling and diving back down to land on its master’s arm. Sasuke reached out and offered the small fish to the winged fowl who gulped it down appreciatively. Sasuke reached into his hip pouch and pulled out a small note that he had composed last night, securing it to the hawk. Jumping back into the air, the bird flew off into the sunlight.

.

.

.

Sakura picked herself up the following morning and made her way to the hospital. When she arrived, Sakura’s assistant, Kirai, had made her way over to Sakura and bowed low before her, apologizing for her mistake in regards to the mental health ward. Sakura had helped her pupil off the ground and hugged her, telling Kirai that she was proud of her for trying to take charge in her absence and telling her that they would work harder together to ensure a better future for the hospital.

Sakura began by seeing all of her mental health patients, young children who had been negatively affected by the war. She visited each and every one of them, counseling them and doing medical checkups on them. Several children from the Coliseum were also newly admitted into the mental health clinic, all of whom Sakura was glad to see didn’t suffer from any Sasuke-inflicted injuries. It made forgetting him today a little easier.

One little boy was passed to Sakura from an elderly member of her staff named Miho whom Sakura had hired at the start of the clinic. He clung to Sakura’s hip throughout the rest of her checkups, playing with her hair and crying every time Sakura placed him on the ground. It was hard for Sakura to release the child back into Miho’s care, but Miho had whispered to him that she would take him to visit the koi in the small pond just outside the hospital, a promise to which the little boy skipped off merrily to.

After seeing all of the children, Sakura attended to every single one of her burn patients. She surveyed the healing process and was impressed with how well the mixture had repaired their burnt skin with minimal scarring. Even the patients who had allergic reaction were doing well despite the entire ordeal. They even agreed to let Sakura try an altered version of the substance on their remaining burns, which Sakura had been able to develop by analyzing the patients and finding alternative ingredients to accommodate for their sensitivities. These burns began to heal very quickly and Sakura was able to reserve her chakra supply for other patients.

Sakura grinned when the red haired man named Haru Mizuno had walked in, flashing her his Naruto-like smile.

“I can’t wait to get this off so I can go back to the sauna!” he told her, sitting down on the exam table, holding out his green arm. As Sakura removed the herbal coating, revealing new skin with every peel, the young ninja made joke after joke in an attempt to make her laugh. He kept on insisting that he wanted to prove to her that he had a sense of humor.

Despite her mind being filled with thoughts of Sasuke, Haru reminded her so much of Naruto that she found herself missing her obnoxious friend. Sakura also felt relieved just to laugh. It was like breaking the surface of water and taking a big gulp of fresh air after being under for so long. Her smiling only encouraged Haru and he continued to try to make her laugh.

“I’m very grateful,” he said to her after she washed away the last of the herbs from his arm.

Sakura expressed her appreciation for his kind words and walked him out of the room. Haru began to walk away only to turn quickly on his heel and offer Sakura a nervous grin as he walked back up to her.

“Before I go,” he said shyly, rubbing the back of his neck quickly, “I just want you to know that I think you are really great. And–uh–I’d like to do something for you–you know to pay you back for everything that you’ve done for me.”

Sakura stared up at him in silent surprise and he quickly added, “It doesn’t have to be a date–well, unless you’d like it to be–uh, I mean, I would like it to be..”

He stopped and looked away. Because of his confidence throughout the whole exam, Sakura would not have expected for him to be so bashful now. It took Sakura a second to realize that he was actually asking her out on a date. Sakura’s face turned red and she simply said, "Oh.”

“I mean,” Haru interjected, rubbing a large hand through his red hair. “Only if you want to…”

“I, um,” Sakura began, trying to find the right words to say. She remembered another time where she found herself in a similar situation. A man whom Sakura had healed during the Fourth Shinobi World War had written her a letter and confessed his love for her. She had told him no, much like Sasuke had told her no last night. It was sad really, that Sakura denied others for Sasuke who in return denied her.

Find someone who can give you the happiness you deserve.

Sakura replayed Sasuke’s words in her mind, hating every syllable of that sentence. Is that really what he wanted? Sasuke claimed that he wanted her to move on and here was a man who was offering her that start. What if she said yes? Would Sasuke be satisfied then?

Sighing in defeat, Sakura replied, “I’m sorry, but I actually have someone already who I care deeply for…”

It was almost embarrassing how easily and genuinely Sakura admitted it.

“Oh,” Haru muttered quickly, offering an apologetic smile and closing his eyes. “That’s unfortunate–I mean for me that is. Well, anyway, just– thank you for everything. I wish you the best happiness, with whoever he is.”

Thank you for everything.

Sakura’s heart skipped at those familiar words, but frowned because it wasn’t Sasuke who had said them. She was hopeless. Sakura was foolish if she believed there would ever be anyone else.

“Thank you,” she said quietly, offering her own small, awkward apology. “I wish you the best happiness as well. I’ll be seeing you.”

“Off to the sauna, I go,” he said, walking away with fabricated relaxation, crossing his arms behind his head and taking exaggerated steps while whistling. The behavior was so like Naruto that she couldn’t help but smile sadly.

Unlike Naruto, Sakura didn’t know how to get through to Sasuke. She had never been able to. Naruto, on the other hand, had a way of making Sasuke understand things; he always knew what to say to him. Maybe she should be more like Naruto. So what would Naruto do? How would he make Sasuke understand?

And then Sakura’s shift was over and she helped the rest of the staff settle things for the evening. Afterwards, Sakura found herself walking decidedly toward the Uchiha compound. Be bold, she told herself. Be bold.

.

.

.

Sasuke stood on the small boardwalk where he had learned how to do the fireball jutsu from his father, staring down into the water of the river that it connected to. Memories returned to the Uchiha. He pushed the painful memories of sitting all alone at the edge of this very dock after his clan’s death, thoughts of bitter vengeance running through is mind. Instead, Sasuke recalled the many night he had spent here practicing the fireball jutsu, focusing on the memory of his father saying, “That’s my boy.”

What would his father say to Sasuke now? Would he look at him with thoughts filled with Itachi? Would he be disappointed of everything that Sasuke had done? Would he be proud of him? Sasuke wasn’t sure.

Now, as he stared into the orange tinted water, it seemed as if the entire lake was on fire. Sasuke stared out at the bright circular sun that dipped low in the sky, lowering behind the trees of the forest on the other side of the water. Sasuke felt the urge to try the beat the sun’s heat. Arching his back and leaning his head back, Sasuke quickly made the stream of familiar hand signs, completing them with tiger, and filled his lungs with the air around him until he couldn’t inhale anymore. Then, with everything he had, he exhaled a firey ball that blocked his view of the sun. The water spilt, recoiling and twisting away from the fire that he breathed and Sasuke couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride as the blazing orb expanded to cover the entire surface of the water, almost reaching the bank on the other side.

After a few seconds, Sasuke straightened and watched as the spherical inferno dispersed into small embers that hovered in the air before him. Steam from the water rose up to catch them and they went out. The evening sun was still burning, a fire larger than any Sasuke could ever hope to execute. He smiled in defeat. Damn sun.

Suddenly, Sasuke felt the boardwalk shift slightly and he looked over his shoulder at the person who had just walked out onto it. It was Sakura. She wasn’t looking at him, and Sasuke noticed that she was wearing her lab coat. She must have just gotten off work. Why on earth was she here?

Sasuke made an audible sigh of annoyance and turned to look back at the water. This was the last thing he wanted right now. He had only just gotten her out of his mind and now she was here. It annoyed the Uchiha to no end. What did he have to do to make her understand him?

“What do you want, Sakura?” he spat out harshly. “ Here to confess your love, again?” He made sure to make the comment sting. It was time for this to end.

“Yes,” she said with steady conviction, and Sasuke frowned immediately. “And I’m not going to stop. I’m going to tell you however many times it takes.”

Sasuke spun with a growl, but it was replaced with an expression of wide-eyed surprise when he stood facing a large tree that was propelling swiftly towards him. It was so unexpected that it was nearly to him before he could react. He immediately dropped to his palms, scarcely evading the massive trunk as it passed over his back. In push-up position, Sasuke immediately looked under his right armpit to see the tree land out in the rivet behind him, causing a tsunami of water to rise up on all sides of it as it sank. The water swelled beneath the boardwalk and curled around its edges, splashing and soaking the bent down Uchiha.

Snapping his head back to Sakura, he stared at her in exasperated disbelief. She had just thrown a tree at him!

“WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!” he yelled at her, rising to his feet and glaring at her. “Why did you just do that?!”

Sakura smirked and Sasuke watched as she slid off her lab coat and pulled down her hair. Reaching into her hip pouch, Sakura pulled out two black leather gloves. Sasuke raised a watchful eyebrow as she pulled them on tightly, tugging down on the glove of her right hand firmly which was raised to make a fist.

“Because apparently the only way to make you listen, is to fight you,” she replied with a grin, walking down the boardwalk towards him. “Maybe if I beat you within an inch of your life, like Naruto did, then I will get through to you.”

Chapter Text

Sasuke ran his fingers through his now wet hair that was hanging down from the weight of the river water. He stared at his pink-haired teammate in astonishment as she walked towards him, hands fisted at her sides as she came down the boardwalk.

“This is ridiculous,” he spat at her quickly, not sure of what he was supposed to do in this situation. Sasuke would be the first to admit that he rather enjoyed sparring and would love for the opportunity to battle with Naruto again, or even Kakashi. But Sakura? The last time he had gone toe to toe with her, they had both meant to kill each other. That was the only time that he had challenged her and he regretted it every time he looked into her face. Sasuke didn’t like the idea of going up against her at all, simply because it went against every instinct in his body. Sakura was someone that he had once, and now again, considered very dear to him. Before Sasuke had deserted the village, he had always been there to protect Sakura, not fight her!

“I’m not going to fight you,” he said rigidly as she got closer and closer. Then he saw her right fist begin to glow and she started to run at him, gaining momentum with each step.

“You don’t really have a choice!” she yelled, pulling back her fist, and aiming for his face.

Sasuke’s eyes grew wide when she didn’t pull her punch. He instantly jumped into the air, barely dodging her blow. He watched from above as Sakura’s weight carried her out onto the water. The kunoichi instantly spun on the lake’s orange surface, reaching into her weapon’s pouch, and throwing shuriken up into the air towards him.

To Sasuke’s surprise, these were also true to their mark and Sasuke had barely managed to spin in the air fast enough to avoid the first two, but one got close enough to deeply cut the top of his left shoulder. Sasuke winced and landed to his feet on the water next to her, channeling chakra instinctively to the soles of his feet.

Angry now, he grabbed her wrist and tried to pin her arm behind her back, much like he had done to her a few nights ago in her office. However, she was less compliant this time, soaked with slippery water, and with one less arm to secure his hold, he couldn’t maintain a grip as she spun out of it.

Sakura grabbed down hard onto his forearm and Sasuke cussed internally at the sheer strength of her hold.

He managed to catch one small smirk from his teammate before she had both hands on his arm, and was swinging him up and out into the air before her. Sasuke collided not too graciously with the water and he skipped across it like a rock. He sent chakra to his palms and grabbed onto the waves that rose up around him. Sasuke managed to stop his momentum and he spun on his palms, pushing against the water’s rocky surface and landing back down on his feet.

That was it. He was thoroughly pissed now. Rising to stand fully, he activated his Sharingan and sent his teammate a heated red and purple glare.

. . .

Sakura crossed her arms in triumphant satisfaction at Sasuke’s leveled stare. She tried not to waver at the crimson and violet eyes that fell upon her. Instead, she looked down at Sasuke’s feet, like she often did when sparring against Kakashi. The Sharingan wasn’t something Sakura was fearless of, being as it was one of the most powerful kekkei genkai that was renowned throughout the shinobi world as one of the “Three Great Dojutsu.” His other eye was also classified as such and it terrified Sakura even more, simply because she had witnessed the power of the Rinnegan through the Akatsuki’s many demonstrations. And then there was Madara. How she would battle that type of powers, she wasn’t sure. On the other hand, Sakura was proud of herself for being able to incite this type of reaction out of Sasuke. This is exactly what she wanted.

“Glad to know you’re taking me seriously now,” she taunted.

Suddenly, his feet moved, and Sakura jumped back as he lunged towards her. Dammit. He was a lot quicker than she expected and he caught hold of her waist and threw her down into the water, the both of them now submerging into the lake’s murky depths.

Sakura reached forward, then sent her elbow back into his side. Even underwater, Sakura’s strength was immense and the Uchiha grunted when she made contact with his ribs. He released her and she made a break for the water’s surface. She inhaled sharply when she emerged. Kneeling on the water’s surface, she looked down to find Sasuke. But when she looked up, he was already before her, standing above her and looking down at her.

Before she could react, Sasuke had a hold of her arm and he pulled her up to look at him. She closed her eyes when she met his, hoping it wasn’t too late. Sakura had her defenses up. If he caught her in a genjutsu, she was certain that she would know. His grip was unyielding as she tried to pull away from him.

“Enough of this!” he hissed at her. “What are you going to accomplish by this?”

Sakura stopped struggling long enough to answer him. She opened her eyes and glared at his chest when she answered, “I’m going to make you understand.”

Then, to punctuate her statement, she headbutted him. Hard. Neither of them were wearing their forehead protectors, so the impact of their skulls was brutal. After a dazed second, Sasuke bounced back from the hit, and Sakura had already pulled back her fist to strike him. She missed, aimed again with her other fist, and watched as her fist slid past Sasuke’s cheek as he dodged again. Sakura continued to take shots at him, each unsuccessful as the Uchiha backed and ducked away from her. Blasted Sharingan. She would be lucky if she even managed to graze him.

Sasuke remained solely on the defensive the entire time Sakura drove him back towards the forest on the other side of the lake. He eluded every punch and kick she threw at him, but never tried to strike her back. His sword still hung limply at his side and his fingers didn’t even twitch to make a hand sign. This infuriated Sakura. Sasuke was barely exerting himself. She had managed to piss him off just enough to engage in combat with him but she would have to take it to the next step before he would fight her with any real intent.

She continued to swing, jabbing faster and faster, using every spiraling kick and punch she had in her book. And of course, Sasuke was still managing to evade her every move. She was hoping that if she continued to apply the pressure thick enough, he would eventually have to strike back.

This reminded her of her fight with Kido. Sakura had repeatedly hit the man who had kidnapped her in an attempt to draw Sasuke back to the village in order to steal the Sharingan. During her battle with him, he had taunted her about Sasuke as she tried to land a solid blow against the unwavering tailed-beat chakra that he wore as a cloak. “No matter how many times you try, the result is always the same,” he had told her as her punches made no damage in his defenses. At the time, he had been referring to her attacks, but Sakura couldn’t help but think of his remarks in relation to her unrewarded feelings for Sasuke. She had told him countless times how much she loved him and not once had he reciprocated her feelings. She had been victorious in her fight with Kido and had convinced herself that like with that fight, she wouldn’t give up on her feelings for Sasuke.

It didn’t matter how many times she was going to have to tell him, she loved him. She loved him with everything that was in her. Sakura wasn’t simply going to tell him that anymore. She was going to make him understand once and for all, even if that meant having to pulverize him.

. . .

Even with his Sharingan, Sasuke was barely managing to avoid any of Sakura’s ferocious blows. He knew that the instant she managed to land a hit, he would be done for. Sakura had already cracked a few of his ribs and with each turn his body made, pain exploded in his side. Not to mention, that she had almost knocked him unconscious with that headbutt. Sasuke gritted his teeth at the pain in his side and head and contemplated how to stop her merciless stream of blows without hurting her.

He couldn’t bring himself to throw any hits back, or use his ninjutsu against her. If she would only look into his eyes, he might be able to place a genjutsu on her, but she was being tactful by completely avoiding them, predicting his attack solely from the movement of his feet. She could have only learned this from Kakashi. He was impressed at how successfully she was managing to pull this off.

Sakura was skillfully pushing him back and he raised his arm against her blows. He learned pretty quickly that even this was risky, considering her superior strength. Any contact at all sent vibrations through his bones, so Sasuke tried to avoid her reaches altogether.

His foot touched solid ground finally, cueing Sasuke that they had reached the bank on the other side of the river. Just as he backed into the woods, he managed to slip behind a tree just in time for her next blow. Of course, the tree splintered and broke under her chakra-infused punch. The collapsing tree reminded Sasuke why it was important to not slip up even once. The moment he did, it would be over.

He bounded into the treetops and Sakura scanned the ground around her. She had momentarily lost sight of him when she had bounded away from the tree. It didn’t take her long to find him, because she caught his eyes. This time, she didn’t look away. Just as he was about to place her in a genjutsu, she spoke.

“Fight back!” she yelled up at him, her voice filled with anger.

Sasuke saw the emotion in her green eyes. It took his pounding head and throbbing side to remind him that he was thoroughly annoyed with her.

“I can’t.” he growled down at her.

She suddenly kicked the tree he was standing in and Sasuke had to jump to the next one to avoid crumbling down with it. At this rate, she was going to destroy the entire forest.

She was no longer making eye contact with him, and Sasuke grunted. He had missed his opportunity and he wasn’t going to be able to use the Sharingan on her as long as she avoided his gaze. He was going to have to make her look at him

Sasuke suddenly reached into his weapon pouch and crouched. He waited until she appeared in the tree beside him and then he sent rigged shuriken into the air around her. Sakura looked around in surprise as Sasuke yanked back on the wire strings that were attached to the shuriken that made full circles around her. He pulled again forcefully, and the wires tightened around her body, jerking her back against the tree. Successfully tying her to the tree, he watched for a few seconds as Sakura struggled to free herself.

Sasuke made his way towards her and crouched in front of her. “You need to stop this and listen to me.”

She looked away from him, still avoiding his eyes. “Let me go.”

“Not until you’ve calmed down,” he stated firmly.

A smirk touched her features and Sasuke instantly frowned. “Calm down? I’m just getting fired up.”

“Sakuraaa,” he warned. But before he could tell her how ridiculous she was being, an explosion erupted from somewhere behind him. Sasuke turned instantly and watched as a trail of paper bombs began to ignite. One by one, they were detonating closer and closer to where they were. He spotted the last one just a couple of feet away from him. When had she-!?

Releasing the wire that kept them both attached to the tree, Sasuke grabbed Sakura with his one arm and dove out of the tree just seconds before it exploded into a million pieces.

“YOU’RE CRAZY!” he yelled as he tried to keep a firm hold on her in the air. It was difficult considering the wood and fire that was hailing on the them now. She managed to raise her knee between her stomach and Sasuke’s chest. Sasuke tried to tighten his grip but her foot came next and she kicked away from him. They both successfully landed on their feet next to each other.

A shadow covered them and Sasuke looked up to see the tree top crashing its way down on them. It fell quickly and Sasuke reacted on instinct. Summoning his chakra, he formed his hand signs and yanked out his katana. He ran his chidori down the blade and sliced through the air. The tree spilt and collapsed on either side of them.

. . .

Sakura had gawked as Sasuke’s split the tree with his chidori. Now, the tree top created walls around them and Sasuke turned and glared at her with those powerful eyes. In that moment, he was seriously a fearsome sight to behold and it made Sakura rethink her entire plan. How far was she willing to go to piss him off

“You’re taking this way too far,” he growled seriously, taking a step towards her.

“I have to make you understand,” she said as he took another step. “It’s the only way.”

“Understand what, Sakura?!” he asked heatedly, taking yet another step.

“Understand how much I love you!” she yelled, sending her chakra fist in the ground between them. She heard Sasuke curse as the ground rose beneath him. Bounding back from the split tree and collapsing floor, Sakura lost eyesight of the Uchiha in the rubble. The landscape was now a disaster, and it had all been her. Sasuke had yet to send an attack her way.

And then she heard him, in the shadows of the trees behind her. How the hell did he manage to pop up out of nowhere?! He was running very quickly towards her, a shadow in the shadows.

Sasuke lunged for her and she turned and ran. Grabbing hold of a low branch, Sakura swung up into another tree, bounding from limb to limb until she had reached her maximum speed. Sasuke was right behind her, keeping up with her. She could practically feel his fingers grazing her back as he reached out to grab her.

And then suddenly, he was stepping out of a swirling vortex just in front of her. He had suddenly appeared there. Of course! He was teleporting. That explained how he was appearing from nowhere. Was this the power of the Rinnegan?

Sakura had bounded from the last limb a little too early. She reached back her arm, letting her thrust carry her through the air towards him.

“Shannaro!” she yelled as her fist connected with his side. A loud crack resounded in the air and Sakura smiled. After a second however, Sakura realized that it wasn’t Sasuke that she had hit. Instead, her fist had connected with the purple rib cage of Sasuke’s partially formed Susanoo. The skeletal chakra arm reached out and snatched her, picking her up off the ground. Sakura tried to break free but the grip was too strong and she stopped trying altogether when she met Sasuke’s fiery eyes.

“How many times do I have to tell you that I refuse to stay in this village and play at love with you. Fighting me isn’t going to change my mind. Find. Someone. Else.”

Sakura resisted the tears that sprung to her eyes. There were those words again. Those heartbreaking words that made Sakura want to cry.

“Playing at love?!” she yelled. “Do you think that’s what I am doing?”

Sasuke didn’t respond but he didn’t release her either.

“You want me to move on?” she yelled again. “Is that what you really want me to do, Sasuke?”

Again, no response.

“You want me to fall in love with someone else? Do you want me to ‘play at love’ with Lee, or Kiba, or Shino, or some other random person you don’t even know?”

Sasuke frowned at her. He narrowed his eyes at her words. “Yes,” he finally replied, looking away from her.

Sakura glared down at him.

. . .

Sasuke poured more chakra into his Susanoo as Sakura pushed against his avatar’s fingers. Damn woman and her ridiculous inhuman strength. When would she give up?

“Get it through your head,” she said through her teeth as she flexed her arms out. “There’s never going to be anyone else.”

His Susanoo arm brought her closer to him and this time Sakura looked at him squarely in the eyes despite his Sharingan and Rinnegan eyes. He matched her scowl. The both of them were so stubborn. He was angry with Sakura. Angry that she had caused him to exhaust his visual prowress. Angry about the pain in his forehead and side. Angry that she had brought this bothersome subject up… again.

Sasuke couldn’t admit to Sakura that it bothered him to imagine her with someone else. There was a part of him that longed for a family of his own. Sasuke had been beating back this part of himself ever since he set his feet in this damn village. Maybe it had taken this fight to make Sasuke realize that his feelings for Sakura ran deeper than he had thought. How else could he explain why he had absolutely zero desire to fight her back, or the way his vision had gone slightly red when she mentioned Lee’s, Kiba’s, and Shino’s names so easily in reference.

Did Sasuke love Sakura? Maybe he did.

But how much? It would be selfish of him to accept her feelings. It would be cruel of him to take what she so freely offered and then leave her behind. If he loved her, he wouldn’t do that. Right?

Slowly, he placed her gently back down until she was on her two feet again. “Enough. No more fighting,” he pleaded as the Susanoo disappeared into the air around them.

“Tell me that you understand first,” she said undecidedly. It seemed she wasn’t sure whether or not their fight should end.

“Understand what, other than that you’re not going to stop ringing my ears with your nonsense?”

Sasuke sat down on the branch that currently supported them, leaning his back against the tree and clutching his side.

Sakura strode over towards him. Crouching beside him, she reached for his shirt and Sasuke tried not to pull away when she lifted it. He winced when her fingers grazed his cracked ribs. He cursed under his breath when he saw the explosion of purple that was forming under his skin and then exhaled when Sakura’s palm began to glow green. It was impressive that she had any chakra left to spare.

“Did you really have to do that?” he groaned as she slowly mended the bone. “That was uncalled for.”

“Let’s just say you’re lucky that I hit you underwater . . with an elbow,” she replied and Sasuke glared at her devious grin.

“If you think that pummeling me is going to change my mind about leaving–” he began, but was cut off as she looked up into his eyes. Sasuke leaned his head forward so that his hair hung over his Rinnegan eye. His other eye, turned back to onyx.

“I don’t expect you to stay here and ‘play at love,‘” she said softly. Sasuke looked away.

“All I would need to know is that you love me back,” she continued gently. “We don’t have to be together to love each other, Sasuke.” Their eyes met at that statement, but Sasuke broke and looked down at her glowing palm instead.

“That’s a miserable life, don’t you think?” he grunted. A pain went through his side and he winced. It was hard enough for the Uchiha to even talk about things like this, not to mention that she had her bare hand against his side while he spoke.

She finished and carefully pulled down his shirt. Then, she moved to his cut arm and her fingers began to glow again. “You can decide that you don’t love me. You can decide to leave this village and never return my feelings. But you’re not going to walk away thinking that if you do, I’ll move on. Is that clear?”

“Hn,” he grunted again.

“Good, I’m glad you get it now.” She offered him a small smile before turning her attention back to his arm.

“You didn’t have to break my ribs to tell me that,” he glared at her.

After the wound was healed, she placed her palms on her hips.

“Well you are kind of stubborn,” she said.

"And you’re annoying.”

Chapter Text

Sasuke watched as Sakura finished healing the long cut on his shoulder. The glow around her fingers subsided and as she lifted her hand, Sasuke instantly noticed that the cut had completely vanished, not even a faint scar left behind. Along with the wound, the pain vanished as well. He tried hard not to move away when she reached for his blackening temple and left eye. Her headbutt had nearly knocked him unconscious, and Sasuke couldn’t imagine how he must look after such a blow. Sakura’s own forehead was quickly darkening and Sasuke frowned at the bruise. Damn woman and her reckless strength and large forehead.

Sasuke’s eyes widened when Sakura reached out and tenderly brushed his bangs away from his left eye. For some reason, it unnerved Sasuke for her to see his Rinnegan, and he suddenly wished the swelling was much worse so it would completely cover it. If Sakura sensed his unease, she didn’t let on and instead cupped his chin firm with her other palm.

“Sorry about that,” she commented quietly. “The good news is that your skin and Rinnegan match now.”

Saskue just scowled at her. “Hn,” he deadpanned. She thought she was so clever.

But before the relief of her glowing green fingers could brush against his rapidly swelling goose egg, Sakura suddenly swung around at the sound of someone landing on the branch beside them. On instinct, Sasuke stood immediately and placed himself between Sakura and the three ninja that had just joined them, reaching for the katana at his waist.

Sasuke relaxed when he recognized the familiar porcelain animal faces belonging to the Hidden Leaf’s Anbu.

“What do you want?” he spat towards their lofty location.

The ninja exchanged glances before each taking on displeased positions, crossing their arms over their chests.

Sakura moved ahead of him then and quickly asked, “Is there something wrong?” As if she didn’t know the answer to that question already.

One of the Anbu, a petite kunoichi with a fox mask, gestured to their surroundings with the wave of her arm. “We were sent here to investigate the disturbance occurring in this area, but we didn’t expect the source of such a problem to come from the Hokage’s very own students.”

The taller, lanky Anbu spoke next, pointing at Sasuke’s position on the opposite branch. Sasuke glared at him when he said, “Him maybe. But not you, Haruno-san.”

Sakura just rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “Ha ha. Well you see–”

She was promptly interrupted by the third Anbu, who swiftly pulled a kunai from his weapon’s pouch and aimed it at Sasuke.

Sasuke’s skin prickled and he sneered at the man, who was now walking towards them. The Uchiha’s hand itched for his sword again. This bastard. Did he really think that he could possibly take him on? Anbu or not, Sasuke would not let this ninja near either of them.

“No-no!” Sakura exclaimed, waving her hands back and forth, “Just some training.”

Sasuke scoffed and stood up straighter. Training, his ass. Like anyone would believe that after looking at the destroyed wasteland around them.

One of the Anbu–the tall one–let out a laugh. “Looks like you were the winner, Sakura.” Sasuke frowned. Or maybe they were gullible after all.

Sakura giggled and Sasuke shot her a look of annoyance when she said, “You guessed right!”

“We’ll report to the Hokage what we have found here,” the female Anbu said formally, unwavering from her serious persona. She disappeared then, the tall Anbu following her cue and vanishing as well.

The third Anbu remained, the one who had directed his kunai in Sasuke’s direction. The ninja had bright orange hair that reminded the Uchiha of Jugo. Burn scars covered his exposed right arm, and Sasuke’s stomach knotted when he realized why the young man had been suspicious of him. This ninja must be one of Chino’s burn victims that Sakura had mentioned. Although Sasuke wasn’t directly responsible for this man’s injury, Sasuke couldn’t help but feel guilty.

The young man was watching the both of them intently, and Sasuke noticed how Sakura was focusing her gaze slightly away from him. Why was that? For some reason, the behavior bothered him.

“There’s something else you might like to know, Haruno-san,” the man finally spoke softly. Sakura raised her eyes to him and Sasuke’s glower vanished when he heard the ninja’s next words. “Uzumaki Naruto has returned to the village. He’s looking for you.”

.

.

.

Kakashi tried not to roll his eyes at the blonde ninja who was furiously “suggesting” that Kakashi treat the three of his former students to Ramen at Ichiraku. Ever since Naruto had returned with the rest of his Kumogakure-bound caravan, Kakashi had had zero silence. It had been 15 minutes of non-stop questions about Sasuke. When had he returned? Why now? Why hadn’t Naruto been told about this while he was away? Where was Sakura? How come she didn’t try to contact him? Finally, to get the kid to relent, Kakashi mentioned ramen in an attempt to detour his thinking. Now, Kakashi found that he was being driven mad over a new topic. Ramen, ramen, ramen. It would never end.

“It will be like old times!” the ninja elbowed him for the fourth time. “I can’t remember the last time we all ate together.”

This is one of the many times that Kakashi was appreciative for the mask concealing his face. Naruto would have little idea how big of a frown he was shooting him. Ever since Kakashi had become Hokage, it seemed that everyone believed for some reason that he was loaded or entitled to whatever he wanted as if nothing had a price where the Hokage was concerned. When, in fact, neither was the case. Every time someone ran into him, it was “Oh it’s the Hokage! He wouldn’t mind treating us!” This was especially true concerning Guy, Naruto, and believe it or not, Choji. Sometimes, Shikamaru was a part of this freeloading gang. This was just one of the many downsides of being Hokage. Kakashi couldn’t wait for retirement. He was getting to old for all of this stuff.

After a few seconds, Kakashi relented against Naruto’s pleading and sighed.

“All right,” he finally agreed, reaching the bar that announced ラーメン一楽 across the hanging tapestries. “But only just this once since it’s a special occasion.”

Naruto guffawed and marched into the ramen bar. Kakashi couldn’t hold back the smile that came so readily to his lips. The Rokudaime was also looking forward to this moment. It had been too long since he had rendezvoused with the former members of Team 7. Well, the last time since they weren’t trying to all kill each other, that is.

And just as Kakashi had that thought, a silent Anbu with orange hair appeared beside him. It was one of the trio from the team he had sent to deal with a situation that had been reported on the outskirts of the village.

“What did you find?” he asked the young man quietly so Naruto couldn’t hear him above his loud conversation with Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku.

“Your students, actually.”

Kakashi’s eyes grew wide. “What?”

The Anbu nodded once and continued, “They claim they were training, but it seems like they were trying to kill each other. They should be here any minute."

Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. After a few seconds, he said, "Thank you. You’re dismissed,” and the Anbu vanished into the air.

Kill each other? Kakashi had never expected such a thing to happen between those two. When he had gotten the dispatch that there were earth tremors coming from the Uchiha district, he had crossed his fingers and sent a squad of Anbu out to investigate. Without a doubt, his first suspicion was of Sasuke, but as he contemplated, Kakashi just didn’t understand why the Uchiha would be causing such havoc. He was more likely to believe some random ninja with anti-Uchiha philosophies was suddenly making an attack on the land. But now, it seemed his previous assumption was closer to the mark. Kakashi wasn’t sure what role Sakura had to play in this, but from the report, it seemed she was the one responsible for most of the devastation. Why would they want to kill one another? Surely, it wasn’t as serious as it seemed.

Only a few seconds later did Kakashi notice the two familiar figures of his students making their way down the main street. They caught sight of him immediately and made their slow way towards him. When they stopped a few feet in front of him, Kakashi crossed his arms at the sight of their disheveled outlines and bruised faces. Sakura’s forehead was darkening, but it was nothing compared to the explosion of color that was blooming across Sasuke’s left temple and eye. He had a large knot that was growing bigger by the second. It was a small injury considering the many Sasuke Uchiha had probably had in his lifetime, but it still looked murderous.

Sakura was grinning guiltily at him, blushing and looking appropriately sorry. Sasuke stood without any shame whatsoever, looking at Kakashi with little interest.

Kakashi scowled at the two of them, hoping his mask wouldn’t conceal too much of what he was hoping to communicate. “You two have some explaining to do.”

Sakura started to speak but was instantly cut off when Naruto bounded back out of the ramen shop. “Sakura-chan!” he yelled, coming towards their group. “Sasuke! Good to see you!!”

“Took your time getting here,” Sasuke said indignantly as the ninja bounded up to him.

Naruto slowed in his greeting when he caught sight of his dark-haired teammate’s current state, looking intently at Sasuke’s rapidly swelling face. “What the hell happened to you?!” he exclaimed.

Neither Sasuke, Sakura, or Kakashi spoke first.

Naruto continued, “Who did that to you Sasuke? Who’d you fight?! Where’s the other guy? I bet he looks worse!”

Two other sighs matched Kakashi’s as the three of them shared the same thought about their blonde friend: What an idiot.

Naruto’s imagination ran away with him as he rambled on, slapping Sasuke on the back of the shoulder. “It had to have been somebody really strong for them to have to be able to hit you like that! Who was it?!”

Kakashi looked over at Sakura who was practically boiling now. Naruto’s stupidity was unchallenged sometimes.

Naruto elbowed Sasuke with a smile. “Don’t tell me you sparred with Lee while I was gone! I can’t believe I missed that fight!”

Sasuke scoffed and turned his head, “There’s no way in hell I’d let that loser get one on me.”

Kakashi shook his head. He felt like they were both missing the point here.

“Kiba?! No, wait, it must have been Kakashi!” Naruto pointed at his white-haired sensei.

“Unlikely,” was Sasuke’s blunt reply and Kakashi couldn’t help but flash the Uchiha an affronted look.

That’s when Sakura lost it. She grabbed onto the fool’s collar and began to thrash him about angrily. “I’m going to give you a black eye to match, if you don’t stop being such a blundering idiot! And here I was excited for you to come home!”

“Wha- Wha-” Naruto yelled, his head whipping around violently. “What did I do, Sakura-chan!?”

She dropped him, stepped over him dramatically, and stormed into the ramen bar, leaving the rest of her team behind. They all winced when they heard her sit roughly down at the bar and angrily place her order.

Kakashi helped Naruto up, whose eyes were like spinning saucers. “What did I say,” he asked nauseously.

“Apparently,” Kakashi locked eyes with Sasuke. “Sakura is the one who got the better of Sasuke.”

“What?!” Naruto snapped out of his daze. “Sasuke, you bastard! You fought with Sakura?! Why the hell did you do that?!”

Sasuke glared at him as best as he could with one eye. “She attacked me, you loser.”

“What did you do! Why I oughta–!”

"Enough,” Kakashi intervened, grabbing Naruto from behind and pushing the two of them through the tapestries and into the ramen shop. Sakura sat on the far right, creating enough steam to compete with the ramen she was viciously slurping down. Kakashi took the seat beside her when Naruto and Sasuke froze in their spots. They both looked at him gratefully as they took the two seats left of him.

“Hokage-sama!” The ramen-maker exclaimed, marveling at the four of them. “What a surprise. I haven’t had the opportunity to serve this motley crew in quite some time!”

“Yes, it has been awhile,” Kakashi replied kindly, offering him a smile. “My treat tonight,” he added, gesturing to the three of his ragged students.

Naruto seemed to forget his anger and shouted at Teuchi that he wanted “three orders of extra-large Pork Miso Ramen with extra pork!”

After they ordered, Naruto began to ask Sasuke question after question about his travels, to which Sasuke grunted in reply every now and then. Kakashi noticed that Sakura’s mood seemed to lighten considerably at the familiar chatter between them. Then, Naruto told them all about Kumogakure and how he had gotten to battle with Killer B and how Lady Tsunade threw a fit about his resulted injuries.

“I guess I shouldn’t have been so reckless,” Naruto added, rubbing the back of his head, “but it was totally worth it!”

At that moment, Sakura suddenly stood and said, “Lady Tsunade! She must be back, as well. I need to see her immediately!”

She stood up quickly and said, “Please excuse me!”

Naruto stood and yelled after her as she ran out of the shop, “Wait, Sakura-chan! We only just got here! We haven’t even–”

“Just let her go,” Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder. “A lot has happened.”

“Like what?” he demanded, looking between the two of them.

Kakashi didn’t miss how Sasuke had suddenly stopped eating, and was watching the swaying draperies that Sakura had just run through. He caught Kakashi’s eyes and turned back around.

“And besides,” Kakashi continued, ignoring Naruto’s question. “I think there’s something Sasuke has been waiting to talk to the two of us about, anyway.”

Sasuke frowned when the two of them placed their gazes onto him.

.

.

.

Sakura dashed towards the hospital in the increasing darkness. How she had any energy left after fighting Sasuke, was a mystery to her. The lights from the shops illuminated the street, making it easy for her to avoid people and place leveled steps. Sakura needed to see her teacher. She needed to apologize for the mess she made of everything while she was away. She needed to tell her what happened from her own mouth. She just needed someone to talk to about this.

Sliding through the glass doors of the Hospital’s front entrance, Sakura was instantly met by her own pupil, Kirai. “Sakura-sensei?”

“Did Lady Tsunade come here?” she demanded, avoiding the worried gazes from her co-workers and staff.

“She’s upstairs, ma'am, but–” Kirai began, but didn’t get the chance to finish before Sakura was bounding up the stairs.

Any minute now and she would see Tsunade. She would tell her how she didn’t think she was up to being the head of Konoha’s medical core.

When she reached the top of the stairs, Sakura could hear the Lady’s voice coming from down the hall. Sakura didn’t stop. She walked until she reached the last door.

“It’s still a little early,” Tsnuade was saying, “so I’m surprised we can see anything at all.”

Without hesitation, Sakura opened the door and walked inside. “Lady Tsunade–,” she began, but stopped short when she saw what was happening before her.

Hinata was in the room, as well. She was laying down on a cot, with her shirt lifted. Tsunade was standing over her, placing a white probe on her abdomen. On a screen, half-concealed by Tsunade’s body, there was a black and white image displayed.

“S-Sakura?” Hinata gasped, sitting up.

“Sakura?!” Tsunade chided, “You know better than to barge–”

“I’m so sorry!” Sakura blurted, covering her eyes, “I didn’t mean to intrude!”

“No, it’s okay.” Hinata smiled shyly. “Come see, Sakura.”

Sakura’s knees wobbled at the scene, and she was suddenly overcome with emotion. “Hinata, are you– You’re –?” She couldn’t say the word. She couldn’t make herself believe the image that she had caught a glimpse of on the fuzzy display.

Tsunade grabbed her hand tenderly and brought her over to them. “Here,” she said, handing Sakura the ultrasound’s transducer. “See for yourself. You need practice with this new machine anyway.”

Sakura tenderly placed the probe back onto Hinata’s belly and began searching. Tsunade pointed to a little black circle that moved onto the screen. “It’s barely visible, but it’s there. Congratulations Hinata. You’re going to be a mother.”

Tears of joy flooded Sakura’s green eyes, spilling onto her cheeks and running down her chin. “Hinata,” she cried. “I can’t believe it! I am so happy!” She hugged the dark-haired girl firmly, and tears sprang to Hinata’s eyes as well.

“Does Naruto know?” Sakura suddenly asked, pulling back to look at her friend.

“Took him long enough to figure it out,” Tsunade interrupted, “but he knows. He found out on the mission. The ultrasound just confirms it.”

“Poor Naruto,” Hinata mewled. “I have been unbearable to him the past two weeks.”

“What do you expect from a pregnant woman who’s dealing with morning sickness while traveling?” Tsunade comforted. Sakura giggled, picturing clueless Naruto try to make sense of his struggling and temperamental wife.

After Hinata left, Sakura followed Tsunade to her office. Sakura had butterflies in her stomach and had been too distracted by Hinata’s news to remember her previous train of thought. It was Tsunade who brought it up.

“I head what happened,” the Sanin said quietly. “Kakashi wrote me.”

Sakura froze at her words, the delight suddenly sapped out of her. “I- I failed.”

“Sakura,” Tsunade exclaimed, turning to her student and wrapping her in an embrace. “You are not to blame for any of it.”

A new wave of tears returned to Sakura’s eyes as she gripped tightly to her sensei. “What do I do? It’s so hard. What did I expect in rescuing these children and bringing them here?”

“It’s still developing Sakura,” her sensei reassured her. “You can’t let this one incident overshadow all the good that has come from the Mental Health Clinic you’ve developed.”

“But I’ve been distracted– I didn’t do enough.” Sakura had to make Tsunade understand that if she hadn’t been so preoccupied with thoughts of Sasuke, then maybe she could have done more.

Tsunade sat with her on a bench in the two chairs adjacent from her desk. “According to Kakashi, you have been doing more than enough in my absence. Sakura, don’t put so much responsibility on your shoulders. You are human.”

“But you–” Sakura refuted, wanting to tell her how Tsunade could have been able to save the child if she would have been here instead.

“-are also human,” Tsunade finished for her. “Hell, when I was your age, I abandoned the Leaf Village and went off to occupy myself with gambling and liquor. You’re doing more than I ever did.”

Sakura looked down at their joined hands. Tsunade always had a way of making her feel encouraged. Even when she failed repeatedly, Tsunade was always there to support her, even if it was considere tough love.

"Maybe that’s what you need,“ Tsunade added.

Sakura shot her a confused look and Tsunade continued. "A vacation.”

“Oh no,” Sakura exclaimed. “I couldn’t leave you here! Not after having started the Mental Health Clinic. That’s my responsibility.”

“Psssh, what are a couple of kids that I can’t manage?” Tsunade laughed. “Seriously, go on a vacation. Go represent Konoha and open other Mental Health Clinics in other villages. You know, like you did with the Sand Village. Get a little drunk while you’re at it. It’s good for the soul.”

Sakura didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t leave the village now, could she? Not when her patients needed her. Not when she just got the Mental Health Clinic established. Not when Sasuke, the love of her life, was now here. She frowned as her thoughts turned again to him. For how long? How long, now that Naruto had come home?

“Speaking of liquor,” Tsunade’s voice grew angry. “I heard about what you did! You owe me a new alcohol collection!”

Sakura clasped her hands together in apology and blushed at the recollection of her drunken behavior. “Forgive me Lady Tsunade! I wasn’t myself–I–”

“Did you get drunk?” Tsunade asked bluntly, cutting Sakura’s explanation short.

“Maybe a little,” Sakura replied, face red in embarrassment. She was going to get walloped in the head any minute now.

The blonde Sanin just grinned instead. “Well then it was worth it! I’m so proud of you. You’re becoming more like me every day!”

Sakura grimaced. Maybe she did need a vacation.

Suddenly, Tsunade grabbed the girl by the chin. “Heavens child, what happened to your face?!”

Sakura smirked. “I did it! I told Sasuke how I felt about him. I gave it to him loud and clear.”

Tsunade beamed proudly and then placed her palm gently on her student’s forehead, fingers glowing. “It’s about damn time.”

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.

Sasuke and Naruto sat on the roof of the Hokage’s tower, looking down at the glowing lights of the village. After Sakura had left them, Kakashi, Naruto, and he had walked here so they could speak in confidentiality. Once they were enclosed within the Hokage’s office, Sasuke had begun to tell them everything he knew about Kaguya, including what new information he learned from Chino in regards to Kaguya’s army.

“What do you mean ‘a force more powerful than herself’? What does that mean?” Naruto asked, pacing the room.

“I’m not sure,” Sasuke affirmed. “My theory is that Kaguya didn’t create the White Zetsu to fight the allied shinobi in the war. I believe there’s something bigger out there. Something more dangerous.”

The three of them exchanged glances. Kakashi sat in his chair, hand under his chin in quiet contemplation. Sasuke had secretly been hoping they would be able to debunk his theory, to dissect it and find that it was faulty and find it untrue. But neither of them said anything and stared back at Sasuke with fearful eyes.

Finally, Kakashi spoke. “You’re saying that you think there’s more of the Otsutsuki clan out there that we don’t know about? And that they pose a threat to the village?”

“What about Toneri?” Naruto suddenly asked, and Sasuke looked at him with confusion. “I mean, he was an Otsutsuki that came to Earth in order to get the Byakugan. Could he have been the threat she was so afraid of?”

Toneri. Yes, Sasuke remembered that name being mentioned by Kakashi through correspondence. He was one of the direct decedents of Homura Otsutsuki, a son of Kaguya who colonized the moon. Toneri was the one whom Naruto, Hinata, Shikamaru, Sai, and Sakura had to chase to the moon in order to rescue Hinata’s little sister, Hanabi. Toneri had been defeated and was left on the moon to ensure it never approached Earth again.

Sasuke walked to the window to think, his back to Kakashi and Naruto. Toneri couldn’t be the threat if he was a descendent of Homura. According to Hagoromo, the Sage of Six Paths, Kaguya had begun to prepare the White Zetsu Army long before her sons betrayed her. She had to have been afraid that someone more powerful would come after her chakra. Her sons inherited chakra, so neither of them, or their descendants, could be the force she was afraid of. There had to be someone else. Someone much more worse.

Sasuke had relayed this to them, and watched as they exchanged glances.

“Should we arrange a Five Kage Summit?” Kakashi asked.

“No,” Sasuke had replied quickly. “I want to do some more investigation myself, first. I could be wrong about all of this so there’s no reason to alarm everyone just yet.”

Now, after this conversation, he and Naruto sat on the top of the Hokage’s building. Sasuke gazed down at the village below him which was glowing with evening lights. He was amazed at all the technological advancements that were starting to be incorporated into the village. Electricity had made a huge development, and was becoming more common in the typical household. Sasuke wondered what the future of this village might be in just a few years.

Naruto, who was leaning his back against the railing next to him, peered up at the faces carved into the mountainside. He was looking at the 4th Hokage’s face with a strange acuteness, as if he was trying to tell the deceased man something important.

After a few seconds, Naruto turned back around, and rested his elbows on the railing. “So, how long are you staying?”

Sasuke smirked. “You know that I can’t stay. I’ve stayed long enough waiting on your slow ass.”

Naruto laughed for a second before resolving into seriousness. He had a tendency to do that whenever it was just the two of them. “So what’s the plan?”

Sasuke didn’t mind letting Naruto in on his next steps. Despite his idiocy, sometimes Naruto could offer helpful council. “I’ve requested permission to return to Sunagakure to pick up my search there. I’m waiting for clearance from the Kazekage.”

Naruto nodded. It seemed he didn’t have any better suggestions. After a second, he just said, “Don’t stay away so long, this time. Don’t forget where your home is.”

“I’m staying away to protect it,” was Sasuke’s blunt answer. He didn’t understand why Naruto and Sakura couldn’t come to terms with this one simple fact.

Naruto chuckled, as if the conversation should stay lighthearted. He changed the subject. “Your face looks awful, Sasuke. Did you insult her? I try to avoid Sakura’s bad side. She’s going to murder me with that monster strength someday, I’m sure of it.”

The Uchiha grunted in response. Sasuke didn’t know what to say. He’d rather not tell Naruto the nature between his fight with Sakura earlier this evening. He was just glad Naruto was finally back so that he could leave this damn place. He was tired of the mental war that was going on inside his head, here. The village was contagious, and he needed to get away from it.

“What’s going on with you two?” Naruto asked directly and Sasuke flinched.

“Nothing that concerns you,” he spat out icily. His left cheek was beginning to swell and Sasuke winced at the pain he felt when he talked.

Naruto frowned at him, becoming more intent by the second. “What did Kakashi mean by 'A lot has happened’?”

Sasuke shot him a glare. “Just mind your own business, loser.”

Naruto was determined to get some answers, but his voice softened. “Is Sakura okay? Just tell me that.”

Sasuke came up short. The insult he had prepared died on his lips. Sasuke wasn’t sure whether Sakura was okay or not. He had tried to help her after her incident with the death of her patient, but Sasuke wasn’t the ideal person for that sort of thing. If Naruto had been here, he would have done a better job. Now that Tsunade was back, Sasuke was sure that she was probably the one who could help Sakura the most. Sakura had practically stormed out of Ichiraku to find the blonde Sanin.

“I think so,” was all Sasuke could offer. Naruto just nodded.

After a few seconds, Naruto stretched and put his arms behind his head, smiling, a familiar gesture Sasuke had seen a million times. “Hinata and I– we’re going to have a baby.”

Sasuke turned to look Naruto squarely in the face. His teammate was grinning so wide, Sasuke thought his lips would split. Sasuke couldn’t believe his ears. Not only was Naruto married, but he was expecting a child, now? How could that be? Sasuke couldn’t imaging the knucklehead with a miniature Naruto on his shoulders.

“Congratulations,” Sasuke said, adding a bit of kindness to his usually monotoned voice.

“I’m happy Sasuke. I’m going to have a family!” He clapped Sasuke on the shoulder before adding, “You know, I want to see my friends happy, too.”

Sasuke felt joy, jealousy, and sadness all at the same time. He knew what Naruto wanted for him– wanted for Sakura. What must it be like to come home to someone every night? He remembered Sakura’s words to him earlier today: “All I would need to know is that you love me back.” His heart ached. Sasuke’s mind wandered suddenly and he couldn’t shut out the images of raven-haired children playing at his own feet. But then those visions changed from laughing children to screaming ones, and Sasuke shuddered at the thought. What if they were taken from him? What if, because of who he was, his family would be targeted and killed? He couldn’t even think about such things. A family would only cause him pain.

Sasuke stood up straight, and walked over to the large claw-like pillar jutting up from the rooftop and leaned his shoulder against it. He turned his back on Naruto. “I don’t want a family.“

Naruto didn’t move closer, giving Sasuke his space, but he crossed his arms over his chest and spoke louder, "You think you’re fooling me with that, but I know you Sasuke. I may be clueless about a lot of things, but I know you’re not such a heartless guy anymore. I know you care. I can see it on your face. It’s not going to kill you to open your heart.”

Sasuke’s temper flared like the inferno inside of him and he turned on Naruto, raising his voice, “And then what? What happens when I lose those close to me again? What will keep me from the darkness? From choosing the path of revenge?”

“I will,” he answered seriously—almost invincibly. “I’ll stop you.”

Sasuke just shook his head. He knew that the minute someone killed someone he cared about… again, there would be no stopping him. Instead, he asked, “How can you promise that nothing will happen?”

Naruto walked over to Sasuke then, and gave him a slight shove in the shoulder with his fist. There was a confidence in Naruto’s eyes that Sasuke recognized. It was the same look that had once annoyed the hell out of the Uchiha, but eventually saved him. “If you believe in my dream, then fight for the future we have striven for. Help me ensure the peace of the next generation, and nothing will take your family away from you, Sasuke.”

Sasuke looked down at his feet. Kaguya’s face flashed in his mind and Sasuke’s sudden hope at Naruto’s words dwindled. It was like a viscous cycle. Sasuke had to kill this new danger in order to guarantee the peace Naruto talked about. To do that, Sasuke would have to give up his personal life here in the village so he could find and eliminate the threat of the Otsutsuki race. No matter how he looked at it, Sasuke would have to fight for this bright future that Naruto envisioned, but have no part in it.

Itachi’s words came into Sasuke’s mind, and they beat throughout his body with every drum of his heart. “Self-sacrifice. A nameless shinobi who protects peace within its shadow. That is a true shinobi.”

“I’ll fight for this future,” Sasuke stated, unwavering in his firmness. “My resolve to protect this village is stronger than ever. In order to do that, I can’t share in your happiness, Naruto.”

Naruto sighed and looked down at his feet, as if he had said the wrong thing and wished he could take back his words.

Sasuke walked to edge of the building once more, and peered over the side again at the home he was giving up. Without looking back, he said, “I’m leaving tomorrow.”

Chapter Text

“This is wonderful, Sakura,” Tsunade exclaimed as she evaluated the effects of Sakura’s newly developed burn medicine. The former Hokage was flipping through the files of Sakura’s burn victims, assessing Sakura’s detailed descriptions of their injuries as well as their reactions to both the medicine and Sakura’s charka treatments.

“Thank you, My Lady,” Sakura smiled bashfully at her sensei’s praise. “I am hoping to develop more medicine in the future, in order to help more patients without the use of chakra for every injury.”

Tsunade looked up at her after hearing her statement. She pinched her chin and looked up, pondering. “That’s brilliant. If we could develop medicine that reacted quickly to smaller injuries, we could potentially reserve chakra and treat more patients.”

Yes, that’s exactly what Sakura was thinking. During her sensei’s absence, Sakura had struggled to make up for the combined chakra supply that Lady Tsunade and the other traveling medic ninja provided at the hospital. Without their help, Sakura had drained herself completely every day, stretching herself so thin, that Sakura had had a hard time replenishing her own chakra before the beginning of each day. With medicine like this, perhaps they could reserve their chakra over longer periods of time and potentially double their patient intake, like Tsunade said.

Sakura carefully picked up the jar of medicine she had saved from the batch she created. Removing the lid, she dipped a finger into the green herbal solution. She extended it out towards her sensei.

“Something I also discovered was that this particular medicine responded to my chakra.”

Tsunade shot up an inquisitve eyebrow, placing back down the files. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” Sakura began, sending chakra to her finger. It began glowing green under the medicine. “After some testing, I found that if I applied chakra to the medicine, it hardened.”

She demonstrated this for her sensei who widened her eyes as the gunk on her finger solidified into a small shell, completely encasing her finger. Sakura picked at it to reveal that no amount of scratching or tampering could remove it.

“What if we could develop medicine that was enhanced with the application of chakra?” Sakura thought out loud, sending chakra back to her finger to liquify the substance back into its original state.

“That’s ingenious!” Tsunade exclaimed. “Can you imagine the possibilities?!”

They were both grinning like mad. It had been too long since Sakura had obsessed over medical things with her teacher. When they put their minds together like this, Sakura often felt like there was nothing they couldn’t do.

Getting a little ahead of herself, Sakura blurted, “For the next couple of weeks, I’m hoping to–”

“Sakura,” Tsunade interrupted, walking over to her and placing a hand on her student’s shoulder. It was the third time she had done this since Sakura had come to see her after eating ramen with Team 7. After Tsunade healed Sakura’s forehead, Sakura had begun to fill her in on every detail that had happened at the hospital since her departure. Her burn patients were something she couldn’t wait to get to. She was just about to tell Tsunade about all her plans for the hospital and the mental health clinic, when she was suddenly interrupted.

“What is it?” Sakura asked timidly, looking worriedly at her sensei.

Tsunade sighed and cupped her hands together. “Actually, I’ve been thinking about what I said earlier–about a vacation for you.”

It took Sakura a long second before she understood what she was saying. “You were serious about that?”

Tsunade looked away guiltily. “After Kakashi’s correspondence during my mission, I have been worried about you. You deserve a break. If you’d like, I could submit a request for a mission for you. An excuse to get you out of this village.”

There was a mixture of feelings that swelled up in Sakura’s chest. She was confused. Tsunade had been serious about her leaving? Sakura couldn’t help but feel a little hurt as she stared blankly at Tsunade. But why? Did Tsunade want to be rid of her? Suddenly, she couldn’t hold back the tears that suddenly came to her eyes.

“You want me to leave?” she squeaked, her composure shattering. “I mean, I know messed up, but I–”

“No, no,” her sensei began, taking Sakura’s hands into hers. “I’m not disappointed in you. I want you to go and do something. If just for a little while.”

Sakura blinked away her tears but was still confused. How could she possibly leave now? Not only did her mental health clinic patients need her, but how would Tsunade keep up with it all without her? She would essentially be abandoning them.

Sakura started to shake her head, fumbling with her words. .“But I– I don’t think– I can’t just leave the clinic–”

“Stop right there,” Tsunade interrupted. “What good can you do Sakura, if you’re not taking care of yourself first?”

That comment stung a little. She blamed herself for not pushing herself harder and getting distracted by Sasuke and here was Tsunade telling her that she was doing too much and needed a distraction.

“These patients are important to me,” Sakura began again, hoping that her dedication and resolve could be expressed in these words. She cherished these patients; she was responsible for them. They needed her, didn’t they?

After a few seconds, Sakura looked down at her hands. The green mixture still covered her finger. “But where would I go? What would I do?”

“My dear girl,” Tsunade said in her gentle but stern voice. “You have so much potential. I want you to go out into the world and change it. Get away from this place for a while. I know I certainly did when I was your age. But instead of gambling and drinking like me–well, drink a little–go open some more clinics and raise mental health awareness. Go deliver your medicine and mentor ninja in other villages.”

Sakura thought about it for a long minute. How could she be expected to go out and change the world when she had failed in her own village? How could she even think about leaving? Then, she suddenly had another thought. Maybe they were better off without her. Maybe she wasn’t what was best for the village at this point in her life. Maybe she could focus on herself for just once in her life and come back to the village with new experiences and knowledge; come back rejuvenated.

These thoughts were selfish of her and she started to shake her head.

“I don’t know, Lady Tsunade,” Sakura said, locating a rag on a cart nearby and wiping her green hand on it. “It’s so sudden.”

“It’s up to you. I want you to do what’s best for you,” She said, walking over and placing her hands on her hips and leaning toward her. “Think on it and get back to me.”

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.

.

Naruto ducked his head as he made his way towards Sakura’s apartment. It was the one place left he was hoping she’d be. He had already tried the hospital and Granny Tsunade had informed him that she had just left.

He sighed nervously. Naruto hadn’t gotten the chance to tell her about his big news. He hoped she wasn’t still mad at him about earlier. Naruto silently chastised himself. Perhaps he really needed to work on not jumping to conclusions and sticking his foot in his mouth, especially when it concerned Sakura. She really was going to be the death of him some day.

But it wasn’t his news he was so uneasy about telling her. Sasuke had only just informed him a few moments ago that he was leaving the village, now that he had had the chance to discuss the new information regarding the White Zetsu Army with Kakashi and himself.

“Tomorrow?” Naruto questioned. “But that’s so soon.”

Sasuke kept his back to Naruto, a dark figure in the night outlined against the village lights. “There’s nothing left for me to do here,” he remarked distantly.

Naruto had wanted nothing more than to convince him to stay, to hook his arm around his friend’s neck, tell him he could stay for a few days to catch up on all the sparring they were behind on. Maybe drag him back to Ichiraku’s and insist the Uchiha owed him a free bowl of ramen, for losing their last fight. But the situation wasn’t so simple. Sasuke had a mission–a mission that only he could complete with his Rinnegan. Sasuke was right when he said earlier that every day he remained here was a risk to the village.

Standing, his friend came to a stop beside him so that they were standing shoulder to shoulder, each facing the opposite direction. “I’ll let you and Kakashi know if I discover anything else.” And then he started to walk away.

Turning, Naruto laughed. “Is that a goodbye?”

Sasuke stopped walking but didn’t turn when he responded, “Congratulations again. Your future is bright. I aim to keep it that way. For everyone.”

“Wait,” Naruto said quickly. This was goodbye, and Naruto wasn’t ready for it. He was never ready for it. He wanted to say something. Something that would help Naruto feel like his friend was living a meaningful life–not one of loneliness.

Sasuke froze again when Naruto said, “I’m sorry it has to be you. I truly am. I want you to have a bright future, too.”

There was no response for a long moment, and Naruto thought that maybe Sasuke wasn’t going to say anything at all. Naruto sighed, resigned to say something else but was surprised when Sasuke finally responded.

“Tell Sakura that I’m sorry for everything. Tell her that I have to do this.”

Naruto hung his jaw and shook his head, before spitting out, “Come on man. You should tell her that yourself. Go and at least say goodbye–”

“It’s for the best,” he said quickly, monotoned and serious. Naruto knew there would be no arguing with him. Unlike Sasuke, he didn’t see how it was “the best” to leave without saying goodbye. They both knew how she would take it and Naruto couldn’t bear to see her brokenness after finding out he had left without a word to her.

Naruto had sighed and Sasuke disappeared into the night. “Goodbye … Sasuke,” he said to the wind.

Now, fist in his pockets, he stared dejectedly at the lights coming from Sakura’s windows. He raised his hand and rapped his knuckles against the door.

He heard a crash and laughed silently to himself when he heard Sakura curse at a stool. The door opened, and Naruto flashed his pink-haired teammate the largest half-moon grin his facial features could manage.

“Naruto?” she exclaimed, opening the door wider. A smile broke across her face as tears suddenly came to her eyes. Naruto raised his hands in the air, confounded when her arms wrapped tightly around his chest. She was suddenly squeezing the breath from his lungs as tears trailed down her face.

“Sakura–” he choked out, face turning purple, “Your strength– hurting me,” he choked out.

After releasing him, she held him back at arm’s length and continued to cry. “I’m so happy for you! Congratulations! I can’t believe you’re going to be a dad!”

“Oh!” he released a sigh of relief. He suddenly turned giddy at the reminder of his big news. “How’d you find out?!”

“I saw Hinata,” she said excitedly, pulling him through the archway of her doorframe. “At the hospital.”

That’s right. He suddenly remembered how Hinata was heading there with Granny Tsunade first thing once they got back. Naruto was glad that Sakura had been there for the visit, to be a part of it. He was glad Hinata was the one that had gotten to tell her, even if he was a little disappointed to not have gotten to see Sakura’s initial reaction. He’d have to have Hinata tell him how it all went down. His pregnant wife was probably waiting up for him right now, as they spoke.

Sakura was suddenly pouring him a cup of hot tea as she raved about how excited she was to be an aunt. Naruto took the cup she offered and listened as she continued to lecture him on how to treat a pregnant woman, both emotionally and medically. She was saying something about swelling feet and cravings. Naruto found it difficult to take it all in as he stared at her with his eyes wide and mouth open. “Can you write that all down for me?”

She rolled her eyes, but then grinned at him. “It’s going to be great. I’m so excited for you, Naruto. A baby is going to bring so much joy and happiness into your life. You deserve it.”

He cheesed and nodded, laughing while rubbing the back of his head. “Yeahhh.”

Suddenly Naruto was thinking about her words as she looked off into the distance. She said that the baby would bring him happiness.

“My resolve to protect this village is stronger than ever. In order to do that, I can’t share in your happiness, Naruto.”

“Your future is bright. I aim to keep it that way. For everyone.”

Sasuke’s words burned in Naruto’s thoughts. He looked away from Sakura guiltily. He was suddenly remembering how he had once promised her that he would bring Sasuke back to the village for good. Even though Sasuke had returned to them, he still wasn’t home to stay.

“Sakura,” he began, unsure of how best to relay her Sasuke’s message. “Er– about Sasuke.”

Her smile and crinkled eyes faded. A frown and worried brow replaced them. She looked down into her cup. “You talked to him?”

“Yes,” he tried to sound lighthearted. Naruto really didn’t know how to put things in a way that wasn’t so blunt and insensitive. If anyone deserved happiness, it was Sakura. How could he tell her that the love of her life was giving up on his own future filled with happiness all for the sake of the village– a future with her. It seemed Sasuke was the only one who thought that she could have a happy life without him, but Naruto knew the truth. Sometimes–on the rare occasion when he wasn’t being so dense and unaware–Naruto could see how Sasuke’s absence affected her. She would look longingly at her friends who were happy and whenever Sasuke’s name came up in conversation, she would suddenly grow silent. Naruto felt selfish, basking in his own joy when all he wanted was to see his friends as happy as he was.

“He’s leaving, I know,” Sakura whispered and looked back up to meet his eyes. He nodded in response.

Setting her empty cup on the table they sat around, she asked, “I’m assuming that he’s leaving very soon.”

“Tomorrow,” Naruto spoke hesitantly, flinching at his own words.

Sakura frowned, looked away and blinked hard, as if she were processing the word and questioning it, as if she were confused.

Naruto wasn’t sure what happened between them while he was away, but it seemed as if Sakura were expecting this news already, as if she wasn’t surprised at how soon he was leaving. Naruto hoped that this was the response he continued to receive as he began to tell her the rest of the message. It would be very nice not to piss her off and end up thrown through a wall tonight.

“He told me to tell you that he’s sorry. That he has to do this,” Naruto blurted nervously, and Sakura gaped at him which made him duck his head. Her sudden glare at the wall was making his gut tighten.

Naruto suddenly put a palm to his head, looking up at the ceiling, “Gah. I’m sorry Sakura! I tried to convince him–” and then under his breath: “why do I always end up putting myself in near death situations like this?”

She stood suddenly, which made him flinch and throw up his arms. Kindly taking his empty cup from his hands, she smiled at him which made Naruto both skeptical and worried. “Thank you– for coming and telling me that. It means a lot.”

"Sakura,” Naruto began again, trying to explain Sasuke’s actions. Trying to come up with some justifiable excuse as to why it had to be him instead of Sasuke to tell her this. Naruto understood Sasuke better than a lot of people, maybe even better than Sakura. Sasuke was always that person with the drive to get things done, and even obsessing over it until he had accomplished his goal. This was true concerning Sasuke’s revenge against Itachi, revenge against the Leaf, and now unlocking the secrets of the Otsusuki race in order to protect the village. This was another goal, and Naruto wondered if Sasuke’s habit of excluding his friends would always be a constant in his missions.

How could he explain this to Sakura? How could Naruto best make her understand his closest friend?

But then Sakura said something that made Naruto second-guess himself in the matter of who in team 7 understood Sasuke the most.

“If Sasuke is already saying goodbye, then he’s not leaving tomorrow.”

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Sasuke couldn’t wait to walk out of those village gates and be gone from this place. He had missed his freedom–those wide-open skies that left Sasuke feeling like he was someone else. Even though the village was dear to him, when Sasuke was surrounded by those walls with the Kage’s faces peering down at him from the mountain, the Uchiha couldn’t help but remember who he was. In the village, Sasuke was the only survivor of the Uchiha massacre; he was the convict that killed, murdered, and betrayed his village; he was the one who had tried to defeat the Hokage.

Sasuke told Naruto he was leaving tomorrow. This wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the entire truth either. Sasuke had told his dearest friend goodbye–in a way. He had also told him to tell Sakura his farewell, too. Sasuke seriously hoped she would understand why it was best that he left without seeing her. It would be less painful, he had hoped. But Sasuke knew that he was also chickening out. To be honest, he didn’t want to see her face when he told her goodbye, or watch her cry, or listen to her pleads for him to stay. He had already told her everything he had needed to.

Because of this thinking, Sasuke decided to leave at 2 in the morning. He knew it was just the right time to leave without anyone noticing his departure. He didn’t like the idea of running into someone he knew–or didn’t care for–and small talk his way into an explanation, even if he didn’t owe one. The truth was, he was avoiding everyone he cared for. Sasuke didn’t like greetings, and he certainly didn’t like goodbyes. It was easier this way, to leave in the middle of the night. By the time someone thought to look for him or question his whereabouts, he would be gone. Sasuke wouldn’t have to deal with the responsibilities of goodbyes.

Walking down the path towards the village gates, Sasuke reached up and fingered the large knot that was still bulging from his eye. He stopped, suddenly, remembering his conversation with Sakura after their fight.

“All I would need to know is that you love me back. We don’t have to be together to love each other, Sasuke.”

He frowned, gritting his teeth against the weakness in his heart. She had told him that if he left, she wouldn’t move on. Sasuke hoped that it was a lie. He didn’t tell her that he loved her. Sasuke hated the idea of telling her about the feelings that had begun to strangle his good senses ever since he set foot back in this stifling village. He was afraid to give her hope. Afraid to sentence Sakura to a life of longing and waiting on him because she knew he had feelings for her. No matter how he looked at it, a lonely life was a loveless life. No, he would never tell her he loved her.

Sasuke looked down at his feet, surprised that they weren’t moving. Why was he stopping? Why did he care? The Sasuke from a couple years ago wouldn’t be thinking how he was now, with sadness in his heart combined with happiness for his friend who was expecting his first child.

Sasuke sighed, determination creeping back into his core. He had to protect them–all of them: Naruto, his wife, and future child; Sakura and her obnoxious blond friend, Kakashi and his future retirement; everyone Sasuke had ever known– he wanted them all to be happy, even if he couldn’t.

He walked for a long while, resolving himself to his duty and mission. He repeated Itachi’s words throughout his head, as if it were a chant he cited going into battle: “Self-sacrifice. A nameless shinobi who protects peace within its shadow. That is a true shinobi.”

Sasuke felt pride for his brother. He would be a true shinobi, like Itachi.

Diluting the darkness, the full moon peeked out from the clouds. The crickets were loud and the only other noise Sasuke could hear were the pats of his own feet against the road’s cobblestone. He passed the swing in front of the academy and stared at it momentarily before walking on. Coming around the bend on the only road out of the village, Sasuke halted just before he reached the stone bench on his right.

Standing quietly in the middle of the path, was the same girl he left all those years ago. The same girl who was going to dare Sasuke to make the same decision again– the decision to leave her behind.

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Sakura watched as Sasuke’s distinct figure came around the corner. Even in the faint light, she could recognize that outline anywhere. He was walking slowly, on the only road out of the village. She had been right to come here. He really was leaving.

It took the Uchiha a minute to notice her. When he did, Sasuke stopped mid-step beside the bench that Sakura had been left on all those years ago. She prepared herself; she was not going to be that same girl.

Sighing, Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose. “What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?”

Taking a second to hold together her determination, she frowned at his comment. She tried to keep the crack out of her voice when she spoke, ““I thought we had agreed you were going to stop dodging me. I thought we had an understanding.”

He didn’t reply. Sakura tried to calm her terribly beating heart. Tears were already threatening to come to her eyes, and she chastised herself for them. Stupid girl,she thought to herself and held them back. Sakura was not going to cry. Not again. She was going to be strong.

“You haven’t changed,” she stated unhappily, and Sasuke blinked hard at her comment, raising wide eyes to meet hers. “You still won’t tell me anything,” she continued determinedly, doing her best to say what she felt. “You can’t even say goodbye.”

She was suddenly remembering what she had cried out to him the last time they stood together on this path: “Why don’t you ever tell me anything?” Sakura was half-expecting the same cold response from him that Sasuke had spat out at her: “Why should I have to tell you anything?”

The rough whispered apology that Sasuke gave her instead, was the last thing she was expecting. “You’re right,” he spoke guiltily, looking away from her and letting out a sigh. “I’m sorry. It’s better this way. It’s easier.”

Softening slightly, Sakura made her way towards him until she was standing only a few feet away from him. “Easier? For who, Sasuke? You?” She swallowed the lump in her throat, stilling herself to finish. “Because there’s nothing easy about this for me.”

Sasuke flinched and averted his gaze again. “I didn’t want to hurt you. I wanted to avoid this.”

She reached for his sleeve like she had that night in the alley. She had to keep him here, standing in this spot, as if to prevent him from disappearing. Her hand was shaking but Sasuke didn’t move as her finger hooked under the hemmed fabric.

The clouds opened up again and when the moonlight fell upon Sasuke’s features, Sakura met his eyes. They were unyielding onyx, firm with resolution. “My answer is still the same as before. I still can’t be with you. I have to leave. I have to do this.”

“I know you do,” She responded, dropping his sleeve. Turning, she walked a few steps ahead of him and reached for the bag that lay in the shadow of nearby tree. Slipping the pack onto her back, she rotated back towards him. “That’s why I’m coming with you.”

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Sasuke’s calm, determined expression dissolved as he caught sight of the travel sack she slipped on. Her words formed in his mind, and he nearly exploded.

“You’re not coming,” he frowned. Sasuke was trying his best to think rationally, but the sight of Sakura standing fiercely, arms crossed, had Sasuke breathing hard with panic in his chest. Now was not the time for this.

“What are you going to do to stop me? Knock me out and leave me on that bench again?” It was almost a challenge.

“I’m considering it,” he snapped, closing the distance between them.

She stared up at him, hands coming to rest on her hips. “Go ahead and try it. I’m not some helpless little girl you can leave behind, anymore.”

It took him a heated minute to focus. Suddenly, he was faced with a situation he didn’t know how to handle. He was going to be searching for evidence for the most powerful race in the universe. It was a very difficult journey and he was constantly having to stay on his guard. Not only this, but just by being with him, an Uchiha, would put a huge target on Sakura’s back. What if something happened to her because of him? This was his greatest fear. He couldn’t lose any of his loved ones again.

“No,” he spoke firmly, shaking his head. “It’s too dangerous. I want you to stay here, where it’s safe.”

She laughed, and the small noise made Sasuke nervous in a way that infuriated him.

“Actually,” she smiled, pulling something out from the side compartment of the bag she carried. Between her fingers, she held out a scroll for him to see. It was red with words “A-Rank” scribbled in black ink across the top. “I’m a Jonin, now. I have my own mission to fulfill along the way.”

Sasuke glared at the scroll she was concealing back into its special place, as if it were to blame for this entire inconvenience. What the hell was Kakashi thinking? Did he really give her permission to accompany him? Why would he do that?

“It’s my turn for my own journey,” she beamed again, adjusting the pack on her shoulders. “I’m leaving the village either way. I understand if you want to do this on your own. But I’d hoped we could do this together, so we aren’t alone anymore.”

Sasuke ran his fingers through his hair. God, she was annoying. An annoying, frustrating woman who was making Sasuke’s stomach do somersaults. Sasuke undoubtedly did not want her to come. He was afraid of putting her in danger. He should have told her no; he should have walked away at that very moment. But he couldn’t. Words from the past whispered to him in her sobbing voice: “You told me that day, what a painful thing solitude can be. I understand that pain, now. I have a family and friends, but if you were gone Sasuke… It would be the same thing for me, as being all alone.”

It nearly broke his resolve, the thought of her feeling completely alone, just as he had for his entire life. Sasuke had come to terms with the loneliness that came with the responsibility of finding the Otsusuki clan. But, if Sakura were there, if only for a little while, could he escape that eternal loneliness? The thought was tempting, and his longing overwhelmed his dread.

Knowing he would regret it the moment he did this, he huffed crossly and grabbed onto Sakura’s travel pack, lifting it carefully off her shoulders and roughly hooking his only arm through one of the straps. “I’ll take this. You’re just going to slow us down with it.”

Sakura’s face lit up as Sasuke began to walk forward, not even waiting for her. She immediately followed him, catching up to peer around at his expression. “You really mean it? I can come?”

“Don’t make me regret it,” he said unfeelingly, trying to figure out if she would have even taken no for an answer. “And don’t get in my way.”

Sakura wasn’t listening. His pink-haired teammate was glowing and smiling mutely to herself. It was going to take Sasuke some considerable effort to get used to having her on missions with him, all over again. The old Sasuke wouldn’t have been looking forward to the second chance.

Chapter Text

Sakura was trying hard not to be “annoying.” At first, the silence between them felt so awkward that she felt compelled to engage Sasuke in some sort of conversation. She began asking him questions about Kaguya and he answered them all; including one particular truth that Sakura had not known. Apparently, it was the reason why Sasuke had come back home to the village in the first place. It was about the White Zetsu army that Kaguya had created by using the chakra from the God Tree. Sasuke disclosed to her that Kaguya created the army to fight something else, a force stronger than the united shinobi of the war. Sasuke added that he wasn’t exactly sure what this threat was, but that it was something to be feared if Kaguya had felt so threatened by it that she created an army in preparation of it.

“It’s my goal,” he said, giving her a sideways glance “to eliminate this threat. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

For the first time, Sakura realized the gravity of Sasuke’s mission and a combination of anger and appreciation arose in her being for the role Sasuke was playing. Anger, because he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders; his redemption for all his mistakes in the past. It just didn’t seem fair, Sakura thought, for Sasuke to have to do this on his own. Appreciation, because Sasuke was doing what had to be done to protect the peace they had all fought so hard for in the Fourth Shinobi World War.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked seriously, scanning the back of his head as he walked a couple steps in front of her. She felt that she had just as much right as Naruto to know what exactly was keeping Sasuke from coming home. “Back in the village, you could have told me.”

He was silent for a moment before his quiet voice reached her in the dark. “I didn’t want to worry you.”

Whether or not that was true, she didn’t question him. It was better to believe that that than the worries in her mind of him simply not caring enough to tell her.

And then, she stopped talking all together. She backed off the unrelated questions when Sasuke’s answers became short, and then turned to the usual “Hn"s . She knew he was trying, but that he was struggling to participate in a conversation where he was forced to small talk. He had been on his own for so long, Sakura realized, that of course he wasn’t going to be as talkative as she hoped. It was her own desire to talk to him that had her blabbing. She stopped, and did her best just to be comfortable with the mutual silence. As long as she was at his side, she told herself, it didn’t matter if he was his usual quiet and reserved self.

Instead of talking his ear off, Sakura gazed up at the stars that peaked through the black treetops and thought of all the questions she wanted to ask him. She had a million, but tried her best to discard the questions that came to mind that involved some of his shadier actions during his time apart from Team 7. Questions like: Did you ever think about us when you were away with Orochimaru? She knew the answer, and instantly put the question in the back of her mind because she didn’t want to hear it spoken out loud.

After about 30 minutes of her silence, Sasuke stopped when they reached a small clearing between the forest trees and motioned to the soft, green grass. He sat her bag gently down and said, "We have a while yet, before we reach the Land of Rivers’ border. Rest now, and we’ll continue after the sun has risen.”

“Oh,” Sakura stammered, walking towards him and leaning over her bag to undo the strap. “Of course.” She didn’t bother packing a sleeping bag; the weather was growing warmer by the day and Sakura knew that it would be more trouble lugging it around than it was worth. So she awkwardly placed her bag under head as she reclined along the soft grass. Sasuke nodded and turned, which had Sakura leaning toward his direction, perched up on her elbow. “What, you’re not resting?”

Sasuke continued to walk away from her until he stopped next to a large oak tree a few feet away. He sat, perched his back against its trunk, and stared off into the darkness. “I’ll keep watch for now. I’ll wake you when it’s your turn.”

“Oh,” she said, feeling both guilty and a little selfish for not even thinking of offering to do so herself, first. “Are you sure? I don’t mind to–”

“Just rest,” he said resolutely as he continued to gaze out into the blackness that surrounded them.

“Give me an hour or two, then wake me,” she said shyly, knowing there was no arguing with that stern voice and fixed posture. She turned to rest on her back. “I’ll take over so you can sleep, too.”

“Hnn,” she heard him hum. She couldn’t help but feel like his mood was increasingly growing sour by the minute, whether it be because she had talked his ear off earlier, or that he was simply needing sleep, she couldn’t tell. She decided to stare up at the stars for a few more minutes before summoning the jutsu to her fingertips that helped her fall asleep quickly. Without it, she would be a tossing ragdoll of nerves that never got any sleep. Looking up at the stars she thought of another question she’d like to ask Sasuke, before falling into a deep, chakra-induced sleep.

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The last thing Sasuke would do, was wake her up. He felt like a selfish prick when he heard Sakura yawn. At first, he was appreciative for her questions. It kept him focused on his goal, his mission to annihilate the Otsusuki race. After the 20th question, Sasuke’s eye began to twitch. He had forgotten what it was like to be on a mission with anyone other than himself and the effort required to keep up a conversation was jarring. Then she just completely stopped talking which had Sasuke mentally retracing his steps, wondering what he had done wrong to make her withdraw suddenly. Did he sigh out loud? He couldn’t remember. And then, she yawned and Sasuke wanted to kick himself. Of course, she was tired. He had purposefully stayed up late to leave the village at 2am and they had been walking for hours.

Now, as he leaned against the trunk of a tree, Sasuke reminded himself that he was going to have to be more thoughtful as long as his pink-haired teammate accompanied him on his journey. Whereas Sasuke’s body was wound tightly and all he wanted to do was to keep moving, he was going to have to keep in mind that Sakura had other needs. He couldn’t just do as he felt anymore. Sasuke berated himself for being even slightly annoyed about it. So what, if you have to make a couple of extra stops along the way, he told himself, just appreciate that someone you care about is even here for you to worry about.

But to be honest, Sasuke couldn’t be happy that she was here. Sakura had won their argument and now Sasuke was marching her straight to the Hidden Sand Village, as if she was just as disposable as he was. No, he’d find a way where he didn’t have to involve her in this. Maybe she would be distracted enough with her own mission that Sasuke could pursue the danger without directly involving her in the mess. It was the worry for her safety that was drowning his usual, indifferent composure.

After the faint two beat of Sakura’s breathing confirmed she had finally drifted to sleep, Sasuke allowed his gaze to slide over to her sleeping form. Her hair was tangled between her head and the khaki pack she was propped against. Her knees were bent, and her left arm was thrown over her eyes. The fingers of her right hand were splayed out against the grass in such a way that had Sasuke glancing down at his dangling sleeve, the very material that she had held onto with those fingers just hours earlier.

He began to blink heavily, and then, he was suddenly seeing those very same fingers reaching out for him, bloodied and broken at excruciating angles. Her desperate screaming reached him in the vision and Sasuke was staring at her struggling body as a monster leaned over her broken body, a fist around her throat. First, it was Itachi that held her throat and Sasuke was a child again, begging him to spare her life. Then the figure morphed and it was Gaara, the sand demon, who stood over Sakura and covering her face with his sand. Sasuke was clawing at a wall of sand that separated him from her and he was whispering Naruto’s name, pleading for him to save her. The monster shifted again, and the form it took next, had Sasuke kneeling and trembling at the pale face of Kaguya. Sasuke couldn’t shut out the noise of Sakura wailing his name.

“Sasuke,” that voice was calling out to him, and when he opened his eyes, Sakura was crouching in front of him, a shadow against the yellow morning light. “Wake up.”

He stared at Sakura, who was clearly unharmed and currently smiling at him. “So much for waking me up. The sun’s up.”

A dream? It had been a nightmare and Sasuke shook his head to release himself from the trembling that still possessed him. He cursed under his breath, chastising himself for being so careless as to fall asleep. He must have been more tired than he originally thought. Sasuke felt a sudden guilt for dozing off. What if someone had attacked them? What if he had woken up and she hadn’t been there? What would he have done, then?

Shrugging her pack onto her shoulder, Sakura stood and surveyed a path before her. “What do you think about heading southeast and making a stop for supplies in the Hidden Valley Village? We could reach it by sundown tomorrow if we’re diligent.”

Sasuke stood and frowned at her retreating form. She took a few steps before turning to check to see if he was following. “Are you alright, Sasuke?” she asked, concern edging her soft voice as her rose-colored brows furrowed. She tilted her head when he didn’t respond.

Sasuke wanted to tell her right then and there that he had changed his mind. He wasn’t alright because he was regretting the decision to let her come. He shouldn’t have let her step a foot out of that village. Go home, he wanted to say rudely. Go home, where you’ll be safe. The words wouldn’t form so he stalked towards her, and then past her without even offering to take her pack this time. He let silence consume him as the visions of his nightmare haunted him.

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Sakura was disappointed in how downhill the situation was going between them. She didn’t even realize she had formed expectations of traveling with Sasuke until he was walking silently in front of her for an hour, not even attempting to speak to her. What had she expected? Honestly, Sakura had fantasized about this very scenario for two years and had imagined them growing closer during their time together. But here was Sasuke, typically moody and unwavering in his mindset of speechless companionship.

Had she done something wrong? Maybe she had talked too much yesterday. She gave Sasuke his silence for another hour before she couldn’t take it anymore.

She smiled and skipped forward until she was level with him as he walked. “I think there’s a river coming up. I can cook you some fish, if you’re hungry.”

“How are you familiar with this area?” he asked immediately, masked regard in his voice. Sakura couldn’t miss how he was making a point to not look at her.

Not expecting that reply, Sakura responded timidly, “Well, actually, it’s a long story.” When Sasuke continued to walk without questioning her further, Sakura decided she’d just tell him. "But, um– we had a mission here. There’s an old Akatsuki hideout nearby. Team Guy and Team 7 discovered it when we pursued them after The Kazekage’s kidnapping.“

Sasuke looked at her then, dark eyebrows up, clearly not expecting her familiarity of the landscape to have such a history. "A hideout? Where?”

“Well it’s rubble now,” she offered, updating him on the story. “It got destroyed during our fight with Sasori.”

A small, unexpected snort came from the Uchiha and he closed his eyes as a smile touched his lips. “That explains how he died, then. He went up against the Kyubi.”

“Actually,” Sakura smiled, happy to reveal her secret to him. “That was sort of my fault–the destruction.”

Sasuke’s eyes snapped open again and he faced her fully this time. “You fought Sasori?” He asked it as if he didn’t expect her to be able to make much headway in such a battle. She crossed her arms, not sure whether she should be offended.

“Don’t act so surprised. I did kick your butt the other day.”

“Where was Naruto?” he asked, disregarding her statement entirely. He didn’t stop walking and was failing to feign disinterest in her story, pretending to be completely unimpressed.

“After they extracted the Shukaku, Deidara took Gaara’s body from the cavern in an attempt to lure Naruto out on his own,” she told him. “You know how Naruto is. He took off after him. If it weren’t for Kakashi pursuing him, he would have met the same fate as the Kazekage.”

Sasuke frowned at this information as he processed it. Sakura opened her mouth to continue when Sasuke asked, "They left you?”

She grinned at the question. She had to be careful, because for a second there, she mistook his question for concern for her. “I wasn’t alone. I had Lady Chiyo with me. We faced Sasori together. If it weren’t for her, I’d be dead.”

He watched her from the corner of his vision as they walked. “What happened?”

Sakura winced at the memory of the blade that erupted from her middle. On reflex, Sakura reached up and brushed her fingers against the scar that marked the spot to the right of her left ribs. The poison had been the worst of it, that feeling of her burning veins as the toxic substance blackened her vision and tried to pull her under. If Lady Chiyo hadn’t used the last antidote on her, she wouldn’t be here now, telling the tale. She would be forever grateful to the honored puppeteer for fighting alongside her and giving her and Gaara back their futures.

“I took a hit,” she replied after a thoughtful minute. “Lady Chiyo saved me.”

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Sasuke took it out on the fish. He targeted them as they flipped above the water, and the kunai he sent through them pinned them fiercely against the tree he was using as a back drop. They probably couldn’t eat more than a few fish a piece, but Sasuke killed nine, just because he felt like it.

Sakura’s revelation to him earlier had only ignited an anger inside of Sasuke. To think of those bastard Akatsuki members hurting his teammates, had Sasuke sinking back into a pensive disposition. Sakura had almost died, along with the Kazekage. Why was this the first time he was hearing about this? Because you don’t care, the old Sasuke’s hateful voice resounded in his head. It had been true. It was why he hadn’t been there to protect them–to protect her.

Sasuke tried to tell himself that if Kakashi had stayed with her instead of following Naruto, it wouldn’t have happened and that it was their fault. But the longer Sasuke kept thinking about it, he turned the blame on himself. If Sasuke had been there, he could have followed Naruto instead, or stayed with Sakura. Whoever this Lady Chiyo was, he was grateful to her for saving the life of his comrade. The guilty part of himself reminded him that he, himself had also tried to kill Sakura at one point in time.

“Sasuke,” Sakura called out to him, kindly. “I think that’s enough fish, don’t you? Want to help me with the fire?”

Sasuke jerked the fish from the kunai and cleared his simmering aura before walking back over to where Sakura sat next to a pile of branches she had constructed into a campfire. Inhaling, he formed the sign and ignited it with a fireball. He handed her the nine fish, sat and leaned back against a log to watch as she skinned them carefully and speared each one, placing it over the fire to cook.

The sun was setting, a bright orange ball on the horizon that was reflecting off the river in a bright orange stripe. Fish continued to dive out of the water for the small fireflies that hovered just above the surface. The sight soothed him slightly, as nature always did.

He sighed, trying to mentally come up with an excuse to not say what he was about to. After a second, Sakura looked over at him and he knew she was seeing right through his guarded behavior to the smoldering emotions beneath his skin. He leaned forward, finding contentment in the sound of the fire and the smell of a cooking meal. He humbled himself in that moment and said, “I’m sorry.”

Sakura looked at him through the fire, surprise apparent on her face despite the large flames. Her green eyes were a shocking contrast against the flickering red. “For what?” she asked softly, offering him one of those head-tilted smiles of hers.

“For not being there,” he mumbled, looking down at the dirt beneath his crossed legs. “You guys needed me, and I wasn’t there.”

“Sasuke,” she grinned again, and stood. She removed a fully cooked fish from the fire and handed it to him before taking a seat next to him. “We didn’t need you. We wanted you there, and we need to know that you are our friend, but we handled it.”

Sasuke frowned at her with a sore expression. That kind of stung a little. Sakura nudged his side, laughing. “Stop blaming yourself for things that you had no control over.”

“You almost died,” he reminded her bluntly. “Maybe if I had–”

“That’s the risk of being a shinobi. I wouldn’t be one if I wasn’t willing to lay down my life for my village.” She said it with a voice that reminded the Uchiha of himself, an unwavering conviction that couldn’t be argued with. “Maybe, if I had gone into work,” Sakura added suddenly, looking down at her hands guiltily, “that child from my clinic wouldn’t have committed suicide.”

At that, Sasuke focused hard on the flares of the fire, the roasted fish still held untouched in his right hand.

“But that kind of thinking will consume us, Sasuke. We can’t think like that,” Sakura glanced up at him with a sober gentleness that made his heart beat. “Remember what we talked about in the alley, not too long ago?”

Sasuke nodded, recalling their conversation. He had walked her home after she treated the new citizens that Sasuke had released from the Coliseum. He had been directly responsible for injuries as the result of battling them in order to win their freedom. During his conversation with her, he had told Sakura not to think the best of him. She had responded with “Let’s forget the past.” She had asked him if they could work on being better shinobi together.

“We just have to learn from our mistakes, try to be the best person and shinobi we can be in the present, and stop blaming ourselves for the past,” She leaned forward and grabbed a fish of her own, before leaning back and taking a bite out of it. After she swallowed, she grinned at him again, “And have a little more faith in me, would you? I’m not the girl who needs to be protected anymore. I can take care of myself.”

Sasuke had indeed, underestimated her if she had been able to take down Sasori. He knew that Sakura was strong and Sasuke was growing in his admiration for her more and more every day. He did have faith in her abilities; he had witnessed them himself. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t worry. It didn’t mean that he was going to just let her charge into a battle by herself. And that certainly didn’t mean he wasn’t going to spend every damn day for the rest of his life making sure no one ever hurt her like that again.

Chapter Text

Sakura started to doze heavily beside him, belly full of cooked fish, and a content smile hanging on her face like the crescent in the sky above them. The fire had started fading a while ago but with Sakura so close beside him, he didn’t want to jostle her by moving to get more firewood. When she began to drift into sleep moments earlier, the crackle of the fire filling the silence between them, her head had begun to nod ever so slightly in his direction. It was already difficult enough for him to be sitting right next to her, but when her ear suddenly came to a rest on his right arm, Sasuke froze instantly. Half of him wanted to instantly slip away but Sasuke found that there was another part that wanted to stay.

Just a few more seconds, he thought to himself as Sakura curled up against his side. How was she even able to be so close to him without the same hysteria that was currently squeezing the life out of the Uchiha? It’s not that Sasuke hadn’t let others touch him before. Karin, for example, was over him all the time, but Sasuke hadn’t ever felt like this. Hell, even Sakura as his teammate for all those years had held him, jumped on him, supported him, and held his hand. Why was this so different from all those other times?

Peering down at her face, Sasuke asked himself, What’s so wrong about this? But then, he remembered why. He recalled those hateful words he spat at Kakashi during the war, right after he had used genjutsu on Sakura to prevent her from following Naruto and himself. I have no reason to love her, or to be loved by her. Even though Sasuke had been denying what was between them; even though he had been clinging desperately to his selfish goal, Sasuke had meant what he said. Especially the part about Sakura having absolutely no reason to love him. At that time, there was no reason for either of them to love one another. Sasuke was consumed in darkness and had thought he would never reciprocate her feelings. Never.

How different it was now, when he stared down at her and felt something for her again.

But, Sasuke just couldn’t let this happen between them; any of it. He wasn’t an idiot. They were alone together on a journey, and even though they were both shinobi focused on a goal, they were still human. If he selfishly allowed this moment, and every other moment that might happen between them play out, he would be betraying his own redemption. He had thought about this before, what would happen to Sakura after all this when he told her he couldn’t come home. He would thoroughly devastate her. He would be the worst of all men at that point, and if it were anyone else, Sasuke would probably have killed the bastard for doing it to her.

I’m sorry, he thought silently before reaching up and supporting her head as he placed her pack under it to support her in his absence. He did it so smoothly that her deep breathing never hitched, and the pink-haired ninja continued to sleep soundly.

Sasuke backed away from her and took up a spot across the dying fire, using it as a mental and physical barrier between them. He watched her silent sleep for a few more minutes before his own eyes grew heavy. He knew that if he fell asleep now, they should be safe. Sasuke had slept silently out in the woods for 2 years. They would be able to rely on their ninja instincts if anything happened.

Or so Sasuke thought, as he finally let sleep take him. When early morning birdsong woke him with the sunrise, Sasuke blinked hard to only find that Sakura was not where he had left her. He sat up straighter, looking around quickly. Where the hell did she go?

Her pack was in the same spot, but it was open and supplies were bulging out of it. Sasuke walked over to it and frowned because she wasn’t there beside it. No need to overreact, he told himself as he surveyed the land before him, the river twining endlessly through the forest landscape beyond.

Sasuke decided to remind himself right then and there, that Sakura could take care of herself. As he followed the river down the forest, in a near frenzy, he recalled all the times that she had done so: against Sasori, the puppet master; in the Fourth Shinobi World War, a Sanin’s pupil like himself; against Kido, when Sasuke had showed up to rescue her and discovered that she had already taken care of everything. She was fine, he told himself, as he stalked through the trees, Sharingan activated and purple chakra emanating off of him in waves.
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Sakura pulled a clean shirt over her wet skin, the fabric clinging to her sides and arms. She slipped on a fresh pair of shorts, thinner black ones that she had packed because they would be more suited for travelling in the heat. Taking her time, enjoying the sun that kissed the river as it colored the sky the same shade of her hair, Sakura reattached her ninja weapons to her legs and side. As she did so, she smiled, remembering her conversation with Sasuke the night before. She still couldn’t believe it, that she was with him, finally walking by his side after so long.

When she woke this morning, the sun was still not up. Sakura had stood and smiled when she located Sasuke’s sleeping form across the charred remains of their fire. He had that same expressionless face, even in sleep and Sakura had resisted the urge to laugh to herself about it. She always thought that he had to work so hard to keep it that way all the time, but even when he was unconscious, the mask was unwavering.

Sakura took advantage of his sleep by grabbing a few things from her pack and tiptoeing away from the campsite. Now was the only time where she would be able to wash without having to make Sasuke wait on her. She knew that she could just hold out for the village that they’d reach tonight, but to be honest, she felt rather disgusting having gone two days now without a bath. And so, she walked half a mile down the river bank until she felt private enough to strip and slide into the freezing water.

Now, staring at the sunrise, she was giddy to get back, not wanting to miss getting to wake Sasuke up again. But when she started to climb her way back up the bank, she stopped suddenly when she saw Sasuke stomping towards her, a red and purple glare meeting hers.

He stopped just above her, seething, and said nothing.

“What’s wrong?” she asked suddenly wary as she yanked a kunai from her weapon’s pouch, angling her head around to detect an enemy. Why else would he activate the Sharingan?

“You,” he spat, before turning and stalking back in the direction he came from.

“Me?” she asked in astonishment, before hiking up the remainder of the bank to catch up to him. “What did I do?”

“Don’t just run off like that,” he hissed between his teeth as he looked at her over his shoulder. All she could see was the purple of his Rinnegan.

Sakura balked at his anger but continued to follow him. Was he angry because he woke up and she wasn’t there? “Sorry,” she offered when he slowed his pace a little. “Didn’t mean to upset you. I was just taking a bath.”

He continued to walk ahead of her, purposefully not making eye contact with her. “We’re in enemy territory now. Don’t be naïve and take off on your own like that.”

Sakura suddenly wanted to punch him, just to remind him who she was talking to. “Sasuke, I’m a Jonin, remember? And this isn’t enemy territory anymore.”

After a long sigh, Sasuke just said, “I know. Just do me a favor and let me know before you run off. It’s been a long time since I’ve had to keep up with you.”

She poked him hard in the side then, an action that had the Uchiha looking her up and down in disbelief, like he couldn’t believe she just did that. “Are you admitting to me that you were worried about me?” Sakura asked with a smirk.

He frowned and blinked at her in irritation. “No,” he breathed. “I’m worried about having to tell Kakashi and Naruto you were killed by some ninja while I looked the other way.” He turned and began walking away.

Sakura crossed her arms at that comment and stuck out her tongue. “Maybe, I’ll be the one to tell them what happened to you.”

He scoffed, loudly, and said nothing else as they made their way back towards camp.

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Sunset couldn’t come fast enough. They had made only two stops since this morning during their momentous traveling, and each time, Sakura announced loudly to him, “You going to be okay if I leave you for a minute? I’ll scream if I need you.” And, “Sasuke, just so you know, I’m okay!” Each time, she returned to his side with that innocent smile of hers and giggled, arms crossed behind her back as she leaned slightly forward.

Damn, annoying woman. As if he wasn’t already ashamed of his outburst this morning, it seemed that Sakura was going to take advantage of it every second, not just because it obviously wounded her pride, but because she was relishing in the fact that he had been worried about her.

Sasuke really did feel ridiculous. Of course, Sakura had gone off on her own to bathe or whatever else. He knew how absurd his reaction was the moment he saw her standing on the bank, hair still wet and clothes draping over shoulders and clinging to her curves. If Sasuke hadn’t been so pissed off, he would have tried to duck into the trees before she noticed him. Sasuke told himself that his excuse was that he had been on his own for a long time, now. He had forgotten what it was like to wake up in the middle of the night and ignore the fact that one of your teammates had slipped off into the woods. It was normal stuff like that, that Sasuke had never made an issue about. Until this morning, that is.

When Sakura walked ahead of him, arms still tucked with fingers connected behind her, he slowly dragged his fingers down his face in annoyance with his entire situation. He decided he would let her lead for a little while.

When they finally arrived at Tanigakure, Sasuke frowned at the gravel path that slithered down the hillside toward the village built in the deepest part of the valley. The valley walls rose up jaggedly to either side of the town, a bony ribcage surrounding the heart. Now that the sun was setting quickly, the village was lit by the soft twinkling lights of the night vendors.

Sasuke didn’t necessarily care for this place. Not only did Sasuke not appreciate the fact that Tanigakure remained a neutral party during the Fourth Shinobi World War, but the history of its development was a tangled web of crime and corruption. Sasuke didn’t know much of the details, but apparently the previous leader rose to power through deception and bribery. Sasuke had even heard a rumor a few years back that he had executed many of his own citizens for speaking out against him.

Now, however, the current village head, a man name Magyaku, was the reason the village had turned itself around. Not only was the village now nicknamed “The Land of Peace” thanks to its current savior but was now a competing source of agriculture among the lands.

Sasuke supposed, that Magyaku had made the decision not to join the Allied Shinobi forces, because he wanted peace for his people. The thought still didn’t take the bad taste out of his mouth. Sasuke didn’t care if they were in a time of peace now, he would distrust and dislike them for their decision to look the other way during the war.

They entered the gates easily, and Sakura smiled kindly at the guards, announcing who they were. What he meant by that, was that Sakura mentioned that they were leaf shinobi and Sasuke relayed that they were just passing through. They received clearance immediately when Sakura mentioned the 6th Hokage, and then revealed that she was a friend of Naruto Uzumaki. It seemed his friend’s popularity had even reached this small village. Neither Sasuke nor Sakura mentioned who Sasuke was. It seemed it was an unspoken realization between them that mentioning Sasuke Uchiha’s name might have a negative reaction. It wounded his Uchiha pride, but Sasuke put a halt to that risky line of thinking.

Entering side by side, Sasuke and Sakura began walking quietly toward the center of town. Sasuke couldn’t help but marvel at the blue-black river that reflected the house lights that glowed on either side of it. While the houses were perched on dirt platforms, cattle grazed on the grassy river bank just below. It was really quite beautiful.

“I’m going down to the medical center, if that’s alright,” Sakura announced suddenly, turning to face him as soon as they entered. She flashed him a kind, apologetic smile.

“What?” Sasuke asked, stupefied at her sudden desire to run off on her own again.

She began backing away from him and Sasuke stopped and frowned at her explanation. “This village is one of the world’s superpowers in medicine. They have some rare herbs that grow here! I’d like to see it in practice.”

And the real reason why she wanted to go through here, comes out. Sasuke supposed this was a part of her specific mission, to gather medical intelligence for the Leaf.

“Why don’t you find us a place to stay for the night, and I’ll meet you when I’m done,” she shouted back at him over her shoulder.

Sasuke made to follow her and demand that she stay put, but stopped walking when he registered her command, looking blankly after her. What did she just say? Stay? Sasuke had told the truth back there and had meant it literally. They were passing through, not staying the night.

Sasuke cursed externally and internally. Damn annoying woman.
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It was late already when Sakura had been received by the village hospital. A kind man named Fumio, was actually the head medical ninja here and received Sakura with much enthusiasm. She talked to him for an hour just about the herbs that grew along the rivers that ran through the valley. It was a purple flower called the Grink flower, and it was mixed with a spice to help people with permanent disabilities to manage pain. Sakura was completely enthralled as she watched Fumio prepare the mixture. She took thorough notes and in exchange, gave the man some of her own creation. The pink-haired medic ninja even wrote down the ingredients and instructions for how to make and utilize the burn salve in his hospital.

Walking away with her fists full of the Grink pain prescriptions, Sakura hurried down the street to the only inn that Tanigakure had to offer. Despite it being the only one, it was large and had at least three stories. Eager to tell Sasuke about all that had happened, Sakura made her way to the front desk.

“Hello,” the kind, elderly woman at the front desk called out to her as she entered. “How can I help you?” She eyed Sakura’s full hands curiously.

“Actually,” Sakura began, unsure of what to call Sasuke. They most certainly were not together. They had once been friends, then enemies. They were friends again now, weren’t they? She could call him that. “I think that my friend–”

“Oh,” the woman blushed, waving a hand at Sakura with half-grin stretching across her face as she laid her opposite palm against her cheek. “That handsome young man, with the spikey black hair? Yes, he came in a while ago. What a beautiful face, that boy has!”

Sakura couldn’t resist the twitch that tugged at her strained smile at this woman. “Yeah—um… did he happen to–”

Cut off once again, the dark haired elderly woman looked down at a sheet. “Sakura, right? Your friend said an ‘annoying’ pink-haired woman by that name would be arriving. That must be you, dear.”

Sakura laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. On the inside, Sakura was screaming. Who does that Uchiha think he is, describing me in that way? This was his way of repaying her for running off, she figured.

“Well ‘annoying’ might not be the exact word I would have used,” Sakura replied with a nervous laugh. “Do you know which room he is in?”

“He’s in the room next to yours, dear.” The lady said, handing Sakura a room key.

As Sakura made her way up the third stairway, she couldn’t figure out why she was surprised that Sasuke had gotten a separate room from her. And then she was even more embarrassed for assuming they would share one. She sighed heavily into her splayed fingers. Of course, they wouldn’t. It was ridiculous for even thinking it. It wasn’t like Team 7 had ever shared one before. Kakashi had always made sure Sakura got a room to herself, while the three boys camped out together in one to save on expenses. Why would Sasuke do anything different? Foolish, annoying Sakura.

When she walked past his door, she stopped and stared at it for a minute before going on to her own. It was late, she told herself. Sasuke probably was already asleep. Sakura was suddenly feeling insecure about leaving him on his own while she went off to the hospital. She didn’t want to annoy him any more than she already had, so she closed her door tightly behind her.

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Sasuke jerked his head up from the map he was labeling when he heard the door down the hall open and shut. It was eleven o’ clock at night, and Sakura was just going straight to bed? After he had waited up all this time, to make sure she made it back safely, she had decided to just retire without saying a word to him. Hmm, Sasuke thought to himself. He half expected her to come knocking on his door with the excuse of wishing him goodnight.

Why do you care? That condescending voice resounded from inside of him. I don’t, he replied, straightening the map out on the table with his hand. He ignored his mild irritation and continued to mark the path that they had traveled from Konoha. He charted how much ground they had left before reaching Sunagakure. It wasn’t like Sasuke needed to do this. The Uchiha knew exactly how long it would take them to get there; he had traveled there before. The fact of the matter was, Sasuke had to find something to do in order to refocus on the pressing issue of the Otsutsuki race.

Even though Sasuke’s primary aim was to locate all of the dimensions, he also wanted to discover all of Kaguya’s connections. Sasuke wanted to find the cracks in the space-time dimensions without having to rely on the Rinnegan. He also wanted to know the answers to these questions: Where would an enemy most likely infiltrate? Where could they all relocate in the case of an attack? Who would continue to be their allies if something so terrible as Kaguya showed up on their planet? He wanted to find out anything and everything about the Otsutsuki race that might give them even a small advantage.

After marking out the areas he had traveled to in the last 2 years, Sasuke circled specific locations that still held Sasuke’s interest for various reasons. Sunagakure was first on his list because the Kazekage was the Leaf’s number one ally. Konaha had had difficulties with the village in the past, especially with Orochimaru’s plot to destroy the village. However, Orochimaru had manipulated the Sand shinobi by killing the Kazekage and using his body during the chunin exams, so they were just following orders. Ever since that time, Sasuke would say that Konoha and Sunagakure had worked well with one another, especially now that Gaara was the Kazekage. Sasuke was suddenly remembering the talk that Gaara had with him back during the Kage summit.

"It’s not too late for you. Don’t fall into a world possessed by hatred. You won’t be able to return."

"So…? If I come back, what is there for me?"

"Sasuke, you and I are alike. We have walked through the darkness of this world. That is why we are able to see even a sliver of light. Both back then, and even now."

Even though he had been cold and told Gaara he had closed his eyes long ago, Gaara had been right. Naruto had shown him that sliver of light. He had found it and had somehow crawled through it out of the darkness. Barely. Just barely had he been able to return. Gaara had been right.

Sasuke honestly hoped he would receive a welcome from the Kazekage despite having ended on bad terms with him.

Sasuke caught himself listening closely to the sound of running water coming through the wall. She had to be showering which settled Sasuke’s anxiety. It seemed she was okay, then. He didn’t understand why he was suddenly trying to come up with an excuse to walk down the hall and knock on her door. That wouldn’t be like him at all. Sasuke didn’t necessarily want to have separate rooms, simply because it was a pain to make the effort to communicate with her, but he didn’t dare tell the lady downstairs they would be sharing one. Not only was it indecent, but Sasuke knew Sakura needed space. Hell, he needed space from her. He was already having a hard time concentrating on his mission, he couldn’t imagine the distraction she’d be in the same hotel room.

And then, Sasuke heard a set of footsteps coming down the hall towards him. The knock that followed wasn’t on his door, but on Sakura’s. Sasuke stood from the tiny writing desk and stalked across the room and stared down at his doorknob contemplating whether or not he should open it to see who it was. Another knock on her door had Sasuke swinging it open. When Sasuke looked one door down, his icy glare sharpened at the dark headed man who stood in front of it. Sasuke recognized the tools strapped to his hip that identified him as a ninja. The stranger was leaning back away from Sakura’s shut door to look further down the hallway to the right.

“Can I help you?” Sasuke asked icily, resting his side against the frame to communicate that he was content to stand there.

“Oh,” the man said, whipping his head back around to assess Sasuke’s figure. The ninja raised a hand in greeting and flashed the Uchiha a grin. “A friend of mine is expecting me. I think she locked me out.”

Sasuke took a step out of his room and fingered his kunai pouch with his right fingers. “I think you have the wrong room,” he responded coldly. He certainly didn’t recognize this man. He was tall, dark headed and wore a single glove on his left hand. Whoever this guy was, Sasuke would be damned if he just let him stand there knocking on Sakura’s door all night. Surely, she hadn’t invited a “friend” to her room in the past few hours. The Sakura he knew would never do something like that. Either this man was lost, or he was lying.

“Oh,” the man said again, squinting at the faint room number on the green door. He turned back to Sasuke with an embarrassed smile. “You’re right. My mistake, I’m a digit off. A friend of yours staying here?”

“That’s really none of your business,” Sasuke spat at him, completely disinterested in making small talk to a man who was currently a threat. “Now get lost.”

The man raised his hands in apology. “Alright,” the ninja said before turning and retreating the way he’d come. Sasuke’s gaze followed him until he no longer heard the sound of his shoes going down the three flights of stairs. He listened closely to the old clerk’s voice as she said goodbye to the man. Sasuke grit his teeth at the fact that the ninja didn’t stop at another room. Whether the man was simply stood up or had followed Sakura, he didn’t care. Whenever a shower disheveled Sakura opened the door a second later to see who was there, Sasuke immediately turned back toward his room.

“Was that you who knocked?” Sakura asked following him and looking in through the doorway, unease apparent on her face. She was fisting a white towel around clumps of her hair. “What is it? Is there something wrong?”

Sasuke grabbed the map off the table and gathered the rest of his things. Sakura gawked at him when he shoved past her and marched into her room. The Uchiha held open the door for her and said nothing when she came back in and Sasuke locked the door behind them. He tossed his things onto the floor and threw a pillow next to them. Decency and distraction be damned.

“Sasuke? What happened?” Sakura asked, reaching out worriedly and taking his fingers. He jerked them away immediately and snarled at her, his temper and shame getting the better of him. She frowned at him and Sasuke turned his face to hide his flush from her. Now was not the time to allow any physical contact between them even slightly. He took up a spot on the floor and turned his back to her.

“It’s nothing” he said without a trace of emotion in his voice. “It doesn’t make sense to waste money on two rooms. Now go to sleep.”

Sasuke was embarrassed with himself for the behavior that he was continuing to display out of his concern for her. First this morning, and again, now. She was driving him mad just by being on this mission with him, and Sasuke was suddenly wondering how often things like this happened when she was on her own. He hated this whole situation and wished the uncaring Sasuke could take over for just a little bit. If that bastard would have just minded his own business, they would be sleeping peacefully in separate rooms right now. Sasuke scowled when he felt Sakura sit next to him on the floor.

She stopped drying her hair and said quietly, “I had a feeling someone was following me after I left the hospital earlier.”

Sasuke sat up on his elbows, his right shoulder in alignment with hers. They were facing opposite walls. “Why didn’t you say something?” he asked incredulously. She should have told him that! He could have prepared himself more. He wouldn’t have let that man walk away. Sasuke might have even killed him. And with that thought, Sasuke understood why she didn’t say anything.

“I could have handled it,” she said, raising her chin to look him in the face. Sasuke’s gaze suddenly softened at her fierceness. Stubborn, infuriating woman, who was trying to leave him out of things. Sasuke couldn’t help but take her all in. The way she looked in something that wasn’t red and white, made him blink twice at the nightclothes. And that darker shade of pink her hair took on when it was wet had him quickly looking away. He chastised himself immediately. This was the beginning to his end. Even if Sakura could have taken care of that man on her own, it was worth all of this mess just to make sure that man never set eyes on her like this.

Sasuke clenched his fists. “If there’s a ninja following you, it could mean that we are being watched because we are outsiders. But if he’s trying to enter your room– I just know that it’s not good.” Sasuke wanted to track this man down just to have the answers. Even if it was a time of peace, Sasuke shouldn’t have let that man just walk away.

Sakura smiled, which irritated Sasuke because he didn’t understand how she could be so relaxed about all this. She replied, “I planned on figuring that out if he came here. You just beat me to it.”

Because taking a shower at that exact moment, especially when you think someone is following you, is a smart way to ‘figure things out.’ He contained that comment but sighed irritably in response.

“And besides,” she continued, “He might have just been curious to know who I was. Or, he probably mistook me for someone else.”

With that pink hair? Sasuke doubted it. And someone who was 'curious’ didn’t follow you to your lodgings and knock on your door. The ninja would have approached her in the street if that were the case. It was probably more like that the man knew who they were or knew Sakura’s value to Konoha– specifically to Kakashi, the Leaf’s Hokage, to Naruto, the jinchuriki of the Kyubi, or to Sasuke, the last of the Uchiha. Sasuke reminded himself how Kido had captured Sakura in an effort to lure Sasuke back to the village. Who knew what someone’s intentions toward her might be, and Sasuke just didn’t want to risk finding them out.

“I’ll stay here tonight, just in case he comes back,” Sasuke said resolutely, laying back down and turning his back to Sakura. “It’s probably better that we stay together for as long as we are in enemy territory.”

“I agree,” Sakura said with a teasing, smiling voice. “I wouldn’t want you to be in danger. I can protect you better if we are in the same room.”

Sasuke scoffed into his pillow. Twice. He said nothing else for the rest of the night. Did nothing else but lay on the ground pretending to sleep for hours.

Chapter Text

Sasuke was dodging puppets, weaving in and out between their closely assembled bodies. They were spinning swords and launching poisoned shuriken in his direction and he was fighting them off desperately, trying to get to her.

“Sakura!” he screamed, running towards the red-headed puppet master who was holding her up on the end of his blade. Spewing blood, she stared at Sasori’s face with wide-eyes, and asked, “Why?”

“Stop!” he tried to scream but it wasn’t his voice that echoed across the cavern. Kakashi? Kakashi was the one who was running now, but towards Sasuke, screaming at him in order to prevent the Uchiha from what he was about to do. “Sasuke, stop!”

Sasuke turned back to locate Sakura again, but instead, he found her throat between his fingers. “Why?” she choked again, the crimson blood from her lips spilling out onto his wrist. He realized that it wasn’t Sasori who was killing her, but himself. A poisoned dagger–the one he had snatched from her– was thrust through her stomach. At the sight, a terrible laugh bellowed up from his very own chest.

Kill her, a voice said inside his head. Sever the bond.

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Sasuke was pulled from the nightmare like a dead man resuscitated back to life. Sakura was leaning over him on the floor, shaking him.

“What is it?” he sighed irritably. And then hushed immediately when he realized that she had a panicked look on her face. Her gaze focused on the wall across from them, and it took Sasuke a hazy second to register the muffled voices that were coming through the wall of Sasuke’s old hotel room.

The voices were faint, a whisper that only a ninja would have been able to detect. It was a harsh, frustrated hiss of an individual and the barely-audible squeaking hinge of the door next to theirs, that made Sasuke understand their current situation.

“Someone is–” she began. Alarm bolted through every nerve in Sasuke’s body, and he shot up and covered Sakura’s mouth with his right hand before she could say more. She gaped at him with fearful eyes as the door knob to their room began to twist slowly. Someone had just been in Sasuke’s rented room and now stood just outside.

Was it that bastard with the black glove that he had met earlier in the hall? So, if they had gone to his room first, then Sasuke had been the target. Not Sakura herself.

Within seconds, the door was compromised with a splintering CRACK and two masked men charged into the room. It was hard to see them in the pitch dark, but with his active Sharingan, Sasuke could faintly make out ninja headbands with an unrecognizable symbol. And then, Sasuke cursed himself for not having acted sooner, because the enemy acted first, and ninja weapons were sent swiftly towards their kneeling forms.

Shit!

Sakura immediately angled her body to dodge, but Sasuke released her mouth and held her close to prevent her from moving. The Uchiha closed his right eye and focused his chakra to his Rinnegan. Immediately, a spiraling, purple portal opened up behind Sakura and the Uchiha ducked his shoulder and dove forward, clutching the startled pink-haired ninja as the two of them tipped over into the vortex. As they plummeted, Sasuke twisted their bodies around so that he was able to watch the black tear in the space seal back shut just before the ninja could follow them through.

A couple of shuriken, however, did make it through, and Sasuke clasped his female companion close to him, barely able to angle them so that the weapons flew past them on either side. He had to act quickly! They were falling!

“Sasuke!” Sakura screamed into his shoulder, terrified as the red ground was rising up to meet them. The portal had appeared at the same height in this dimension that their room had been at the top level of the hotel building. Which meant that the two of them had several stories of air between them and the ground. A space that would be crossed within a matter of a few seconds.

As the thick air of the new climate rushed around their bodies, Sasuke spun again so that Sakura’s back was to the ground and he hovered a few inches above her.

“What are you-?!” she screamed, as Sasuke released her with his only arm and used his hand to reach into his weapons pouch. He launched a single kunai past her toward the burgundy dunes beneath them. The metal blade stuck in a soft spot of sand below and Sasuke once again narrowed his Rinnegan eye. Closing the space between them once more, he grabbed onto Sakura’s waist and the falling pair flickered in the green sky and disappeared.

Sasuke was suddenly on his feet, having used his teleportation ability to trade places with the kunai. However, now the kunai was racing in the sky towards them. Still holding Sakura, Sasuke dropped in order to dodge the falling blade, and together, they skidded down the hard sand of the dune’s side.

They came to a stop several feet away and below from the kunai’s intended target—inches from where they stood a second ago. It was a risky gamble, but the fact that the two of them were unharmed, and not splattered on the ground of this dimension, made Sasuke sigh in relief.

He rested on his back and let his head fall back against the ground with a thump. “This is all your fault.”

“My fault?!” Sakura asked incredulously, rolling out of his grasp, and sitting up to look down at him. "How is this my fault?“

Sasuke stood and swiped at the copper dust that clung to his cloak. Looking down at her, he accused, "Because if you hadn’t run off yesterday, and announced yourself to every citizen you met, then no one would have followed you to our hotel.”

“Excuse me?” Sakura growled up at him, which Sasuke returned with a hard, fixed glare. “I did no such thing!”

She rose to her feet and came to stand next to him. “If you weren’t so hard to wake, we could have evaded this entire situation!”

Sasuke grit his teeth at the statement and bitterly retorted, “I wanted to pass through the village. You insisted that we stayed the night.”

Sakura frowned, then just said, “We could have handled them.”

Sasuke feigned indifference and arrogantly mocked with “Hn.” She glowered but he didn’t give her a chance to respond; he walked off.

Of course, she followed.

Sasuke surveyed the land around them. It had been awhile since he had had enough chakra to reach the core dimension that served as the central connection between all the other dimensions. Why had he brought them here instead of handling the situation back in that hotel room? Now that he was thinking about it, it would have made much more sense to teleport with the man closest to the door and then surprised the other from behind with a killing blow. He felt like a coward, having ducked into this realm and avoided the entire confrontation altogether.

Sakura was right. Coming here was his fault. He had tried to blame her and reason with himself that it was just instinct that had caused him to do this. He had been scared, which resulted in his knee-jerk reaction to get them as far away as possible. But why? Sasuke blamed that horrible dream he had just had which kept him from reacting to the threat sooner. The whole thing had thrown him off his game–no, she was throwing him off. If she weren’t here with him, he wouldn’t be having these dreams where he was concerned for her safety. And just now, Sasuke had been so desperate to remove her from the life-threatening situation that he had spent the last of his expendable chakra reserves to get her to the farthest place he could think of. Why didn’t he just eliminate the ninja in that moment?

Sasuke ran a hand down his face. Damn.

Were these nightmares all because of the bond that was growing stronger between them? The bond he had tried to sever that day when Sasuke had meant to kill her. These unwanted scenes that were merging with tale and memory were tormenting him. Watching other people repeatedly attack her and then seeing himself take her life, was all because of his damn guilt. Was he trying to protect her now, because he owed it to her?

Ugh, see, why was he even thinking like this?! It’s not like he cared back when they were fighting Madara and she impaled herself on his black receiver rod. Instead, Sasuke had taken advantage of the diversion, rushing past her to deliver Madara a blow. Naruto was the one to catch and aid the kunoichi after Madara had sent all three of them flying backwards. Hell, he even let Kakashi save Sakura from falling into the lava in Kaguya’s volcano dimension.

Sakura was following him closely, asking him questions he wasn’t even listening or responding to. He marched ahead, looking at the green sky above him and the maroon mountainous terrain around them and beneath his stomping feet.

To add to his list of corrupt choices, Sasuke recalled his thoughts during the last time that he and Sakura were here together. Yes, she and Obito had opened the portal between this space and the hot, desert dimension where Sasuke had been trapped. In all honesty, when he first saw his rescuers, his first gut reaction was to replace himself with one of them. What had kept him from that resolution, was the fact that if he had separated the two, the portal might have collapsed before he could have even made the exchange.

Fortunately, Sakura’s vest had been laying there on the ground next to her and Sasuke didn’t haveto replace himself with one of the people who had saved him. But in his defense, Sasuke hadchosen to look for an alternative, which was proof that he was changing for the better even in that second. Okay, maybe he couldn’t have gone through with replacing himself with Sakura, but Obito had definitely been an option.

Sasukerecalled the way in which he supported Sakura in her chakra-depleted state right after that. At the time, Sasuke was telling himself that it was only gratitude. A very small sense of gratitude that he had had for her for bringing him back. Nothing else.

Recalling it now, Sasuke would be lying to himself if he said that it was only gratitude. There was always something between them, he supposed. Even during moments when he truly believed their bond was severed; when he treated her less than she deserved; when he was cruel, unresponsive to her feelings, and wanted to kill her.

“Hey!” Sakura, who had been trying to talk to him this whole time, placed herself in front of his marching form. “Are you even listening?”

“What?” he spat, his annoyance with her apparent on his face.

She looked up at him with worry on her face. “What’s going on with you? What’s wrong?”

You! He wanted to say. You are what’s wrong! You and your damn stubborn resolution to be involved with me.

“I just used all of my chakra reserves to bring us here,” The Uchiha grumbled instead. “I’m annoyed about it.” He pushed past her again, continuing his trek.

No, he admitted to himself. He, himself– or rather, who he was– was Sasuke’s problem.

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Sakura followed the stalking Uchiha as they made their way across the foreign landscape. Well, it wasn’t entirely foreign. She had been here before during their battle with Kaguya, back when Obito had brought them here along with Naruto’s clone, in order to bring Sasuke back to the battle in the ice dimension.

Sakura didn’t necessarily like this place. The air was neither hot nor cold, but it felt strange—like there was just enough air to inhale, but not enough to take more than short, limited breaths. The sun was currently dim through the green atmosphere, just enough light where they could see, but not enough that it could be considered bright. Everything about this place was completely on the edge. Sakura did not like it.

Not to mention, that it also reminded her of their battle with Kaguya and the many lives lost in the war. This place also reminded Sakura that the threat of the Otsusuki clan was still very real and not something that disappeared in the past along with Kaguya’s defeat. This threat was what kept Sasuke from a happy life in the village.

It did have one good memory though. When she thought of this place, Sakura couldn’t help but remember the sensation of Sasuke supporting her against him when she had felt like she had failed him. The Uchiha had borne her weight as she recuperated her strength after having spent all of her chakra in order to save him. It was something a friend would have done—something the Sasuke she knew would have done.

Despite the memory, Sakura still loathed this place.

So why? Why had Sasuke chosen to bring them here?

She wanted to ask him, but his mood was foul, and he was currently stalking forward, not caring if she followed him or not. Where he was taking them, she had no idea. Sasuke had been exploring these dimensions for years now, so Sakura knew that he must have a final destination in mind.

Sasuke had said he was annoyed about the amount of chakra it had taken him to teleport. Did this statement mean that they were trapped here?

Despite his mood, Sakura jogged to catch up with him, a difficult feat considering the up and down momentum she was having to regulate on this uneven ground.

“Sasuke?” she asked him, “Where are we going?”

He didn’t answer, just trudged ahead with that unwavering focus. So, she did something she knew would get his attention. She reached out, and gingerly took hold of the fingers of his right hand.

She expected him to stop or to freeze, but instead, he spun on her with a wrath she wasn’t quite anticipating. “Stop doing that!”

The kunoichi recoiled, embarrassed and frustrated. She immediately withdrew her hand back to her chest. “Why won’t you tell me what’s going on? You’re starting to act like the Sasuke I don’t know.”

His eyes got wide at that comment and he immediately looked away from her.

Sakura needed answers. She needed to know what their current situation was–some sort of affirmation that everything was going to be okay–that he wasn’t mad at her because he blamed her for this.

“Did you know those people, Sasuke?” she asked, quieting her voice and clutching her rejected hand to her chest. “Why were they after us?”

The silence continued and there was no response. He must be truly upset with her about this.

“Look, I’m sorry I told the guards at the entrance we were leaf shinobi and associated with Naruto. I’m sorry I went to the medic center. I promise that I didn’t tell anyone who you were—”

“It’s not your fault,” he interrupted, which surprised Sakura. It always astonished her when he said things like this. “They’re after me. Due to my reputation, I’m not the most difficult person to recognize. You just happen to be with me so you’re being targeted.”

Sakura stared at him in open shock. Did he really believe that way? She took a step towards him, afraid that he would retreat into his shell of silence again if she didn’t keep him talking. “But why? Why are they after you?” she asked.

“Because of who I am and what I’ve done,” he said, rotating his back to her and walking again. This time, he slowed so she could keep up. “I’ve pissed a lot of people off. Who knows why they’re after me.”

Sakura strode quickly by his side. His hair fell into his eyes as he ducked his head. There was a long silence before he spoke again. “This is why, Sakura. This is why I have to stay away from the village as much as possible right now. I have too many enemies.”

“I’m here, though.” she whispered to him, leaning in to elbow him. “I can help you.”

“I don’t want–” he began but held his tongue. He didn’t have to finish for Sakura to know what he meant to say. I don’t want you here. The words felt like a blow to her heart.

She stopped in her tracks.

Sakura didn’t understand. She didn’t understand why Sasuke didn’t want her here, next to him. Was she wrong about all of this? There were times when Sakura believed Sasuke might actually love her back. Times like just a few short hours ago when a stranger knocked on her door, and the Uchiha had stormed into her room announcing that it was “pointless to spend money on two rooms.” Or how yesterday morning, when Sasuke came looking for her in the woods because he woke up to her missing. Maybe Sakura was misinterpreting it all. Maybe it was just concern for a friend that had him acting this way.

Sometimes she wanted to just give up and let the stubborn Uchiha have his damn, lonely way. But it wasn’t in her to give up because she just couldn’tlet him go. Couldn’t remove him from her heart. And when he acted this way towards her, she couldn’t bring herself to smother out the hope that bloomed in her chest. This undying love for him often felt like an undying curse.

“It’s just that–” the Uchiha began, and Sakura glanced up to see him standing still just a few feet in front of her. He peeked back at her guiltily for a second through his black curtain of bangs. If Sakura would have blinked, she would have missed it. She waited anxiously for him to continue.

“It’s easier when I’m by myself,” he continued, “Just because I only have to worry about myself.”

There it was again. That hope in her chest; that undying curse. What was Sasuke feeling when he said things like that?

All anger evaporating from within her, Sakura closed the distance between them and poked him in the side–something she was finding quite enjoyable when he made that ’how dare you’ expression. “Are you sure it’s not because I’m annoying?”

He scoffed and brushed her hand off of him. Their fingers touched for a long, lingering second. To Sakura, it wasn’t long enough. Their eyes met too, but then Sasuke blinked and retracted his hand gradually as he purposefully avoided her gaze. Was that lasting touch supposed to be an apology for earlier, or was she reading too much into it?

“That’s the main reason,” he snorted loudly before walking off again.

She glowered. Yep, she was reading too much into it.

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him behind his back. She let out a quiet sigh and watched him walk away, content to hang back a few feet as they continued forward. Silently and to herself, Sakura cradled her burning fingertips.

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Sasuke trailed onward, an annoyed expression permanently glued to his face. If he let the mask slip even a little bit, his expression might give him away. After what had just passed between them, Sasuke didn’t look back at his companion even once. Silently, and concealed by his cloak, Sasuke was running his thumb over his middle and ring fingers. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t rub away the tingling sensation.

Chapter Text

Sasuke stopped his long trek in Kaguya’s core dimension.

Finally, they reached the spot he was searching for. It was a small tower, a lookout that Sasuke had stumbled upon during his investigation of this realm a year ago. Being the link to all the other dimensions, Sasuke wasn’t surprised that there was a base here. What he had been confused about, was that the tower was shorter and built parallel to a mountain that rose above it–not really an ideal spot for a lookout. It was also the same color as the red mountain that it was assembled against, as if it were constructed to be concealed rather than used to spot enemies. Realizing this, Sasuke had assumed it was one of Kaguya’s hideouts rather than a battle fort. This just strengthened his belief that Kaguya was fearful–afraid of something more powerful than herself.

“What is this place?” Sakura asked beside him as they peered up at it.

Sasuke made for the entrance, a discreet crack between the mountain wall and the tower’s side fortification. It could only be seen from behind one of the large boulders flanking the cylinder framework. No one who didn’t know it was there, would be able to find it.

“I think it was one of Kaguya’s holes she liked to crawl in when she wasn’t causing terror back in our world.”

“Oh,” she gulped. Sasuke smirked and motioned for her to follow.

“It’s safe,” he reassured her. She stumbled after him.

They had been walking for hours since their last conversation. Sasuke had felt just a little bit guilty for his comment earlier about not wanting her with him for this (even if it was true, he shouldn’t have told her) and not to mention the way he reacted when she had grabbed his hand. It was because of his guilt, that had had Sasuke trying to smooth things over by teasing her and then letting his fingers remain too long against hers. To be honest, he had been afraid she would never grab his hand again… And it was thoughts like this that made it essential for Sasuke to prevent any further touches like that between them.

“How did you find this tower?” Sakura asked when they slipped behind the large rock and discovered the crack that led to a narrow cavern.

“By accident,” he responded. There was nothing else to explain. Now, how he had found the entrance? That was a puzzle that took him a full day to put together.

Once they made it inside the connecting cave, the darkness engulfed all of their senses, consuming any light that made it through the fracture. On instinct, Sasuke activated his Sharingan which helped his vision in this blackness. Sakura, however, was walking slowly and cautiously behind him.

Sasuke turned and carefully grabbed under Sakura’s arm so she wouldn’t make a wrong step in the darkness. He told himself that this was okay, considering he was helping her. And it would be a pain if she got injured and slowed them down even further.

“You are certainly brave.” Sakura announced, her voice echoing off the cavern. She kept her hand on the wall as Sasuke helped her maneuver her way to the entrance.

“Ninja aren’t supposed to be scared of the dark,” he teased her.

The Uchiha could just picture her glare when she replied, “I’m not.”

Sasuke let go of her arm when they made it to the door at the end of the tunnel. He pushed firmly against it and the bottom of the door grated against the floor with a loud scuffing sound. It had been awhile since anyone had entered.

Even when the door opened, there was no light. Why?-Because there wasn’t a single window crafted into this tower. Sasuke had learned that the first time he came here. If he hadn’t been so accustomed to navigating Orochimaru’s hideouts, he would have never discovered the torch hidden on the back of the door–which he grabbed and lit with a spark of his fire style. It was a flame that burned up more of his fading chakra.

“The darkness is all a part of this place’s design,” he communicated to a curious Sakura. “Kaguya didn’t want anyone finding the entrance. And if they did, the darkness was meant to deter them from reaching the top.”

“I see,” she replied, shielding her eyes from the sudden brightness of the flame. Their faces were a lot closer than either of them had expected, and they both immediately took a step back away from each other.

“But why is this place even here?” Sakura quickly asked, peering into the darkness that circled their sphere of firelight.

“I believe,” Sasuke replied, leading the way by flame. A few embers left a trail as he walked, “it’s because Kaguya needed a place to rest when she ran out of chakra.”

She nodded and bit her knuckle in deep thought. “Obito did tell me that it was an immense time-space to connect and travel to, and that it would require a lot of chakra to do so. It would make sense if she had to hole up somewhere in-between.”

“My thoughts exactly,” he announced when they came upon a stairway. The only strange thing about it was that the first step was 7 feet off the ground. Someone feeling their way around in the dark wouldn’t have been able to locate it. When Sasuke had first found it, he had mused that the attempt to hide it had failed, considering how easily he had found it.

Sasuke jumped up and landed on the terrace with two feet. He turned to reach down to help Sakura, but she was already behind him. He jerked his hand back under his cloak before she noticed. Even though Sasuke considered her his equal, he found himself falling back into his old ways of attending to her like Sasuke, Naruto, and even Kakashi had when they were genin.

It seemed that Sakura was analyzing this funhouse, too, for she laughed to herself and said “It’s like she wanted to mess with someone’s head.”

“What do you mean?” Sasuke asked, wondering what secret Sakura thought she was on to.

“This stairway is a distraction,” she said suddenly. “If someone happened to find the stairwell, they would think that they had outsmarted Kaguya by doing so, despite it being 7 feet off the ground. They would come this way, thinking that it was the entrance they weren’t supposed to notice. I mean, that’s what it seems like–a trick.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked incredulously, squeezing through another discreet crevice to the right of the top step. On the other side was another stairwell, except it was above the exit you just came out of. So in order to find it, you would have to turn and look up as soon as you finished the firt stairwell.

“Think about it. What’s the point of it? The entrance and even the torch was hidden in a place where if someone looked hard enough, they would be able to find it.”

She jumped and grabbed the bottom step of the new stairwell and swung herself inside. “This is a joke!”

Sasuke’s eyebrows rose. This all made perfect sense. This place wasn’t a hideout, like he had thought. Could it be a maze? When he had first located the tower, Sasuke had analyzed every corner. There wasn’t a single thing in this place. If Sakura was right, then this probably wasn’t Kaguya’s hideout at all, but a fake. If Kaguya’s enemy found this, they were supposed to be distracted by this place, thinking they were one step closer to having her in their grasp, all while being led on a wild goose chase. This would be a perfect scenario if Kaguya were to make a quick get away.

The design wasn’t supposed to keep people from discovering it; it was just difficult enough so that when someone did, they thought that they weren’t meant to. So, he hadn’t found it by accident at all. It was subtly thrown in your face. Brilliant. Sasuke had completely fell for it.

Sakura, however, had realized it immediately. Sasuke had truly forgotten how perceptive she was. Her discernment was truly off the charts. And to think he had been stumbling blindly for years, believing everything for it’s face value. How much time had Sasuke wasted in this dimesion only, not including the others?

“The good news is,” Sakura voiced in the dark, a step behind him now. “that there are probably several places out here like this, so if anyone’s looking for us, they have a few to choose from.”

Sasuke scowled. It was one of his biggest frustrations, but he had never found anyone else out in any of these dimensions. Each one was deserted. It was also his greatest relief that he hadn’t come across anyone yet. It was that double-sided coin where he didn’t want to ever find someone with the hope that the threat wasn’t real, but yet, he searched for it because he wanted to eliminate it.

After the fifth set of stairs and several more obscure–but not that obscure–passageways, they came to a small chamber. It was a round, somewhat dusty space, not larger than 15 feet in diameter. Their light barely illuminated it, revealing the dun-colored stone walls and floor. Besides the carved swirls etched into the stone, there was nothing else in the room. It was the end of the road. Sasuke set the torch in a hook, then slumped down the wall and sighed, completely exhausted from using his Rinnegan.

“We’re stopping?” Sakura asked.

“I need to rest for a few minutes.” he admitted, embarrassed because his pride stung by having to do so. She responded by sitting down across from him, as far away as she could get without leaving the room. Which bothered the Uchiha. It had to be because he snapped at her earlier. It was probably for the best.

“I had chakra pills in my bag, but it’s back in the hotel room,” she replied across from the wide space between them. He could barely see her because she sat just outside the firelight’s circumference. “Sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?” he grumbled, feigning annoyance.

She dropped her voice as if she were trying to be less noisy to avoid bothering him. “If you need my chakra to get back, you can have it… All of it.”

Sasuke remembered her Strength of a Hundred Seal that she inherited from Tsunade, and how she had used it in combination with Obito’s Kamui to rescue Sasuke from Kaguya’s desert dimension. “No,” he replied immediately. That would only leave her vulnerable. “We’ll just spend some time here until I recover.”

“Is this how it always is?” she asked boldly and Sasuke frowned. “Do you have to rest after you use the Rinnegan each time?”

“It’s unwise,” he began, trying to play this answer where he still came out looking good, “to travel to more than one dimensions at a time. I have to reserve just enough chakra in case I come across an enemy. It’s not enough to go back in one go. After I rest for the night, I should have enough to send us back soon.”

“We could stay,” Sakura offered, fingering the ends of her hair shyly. Her statement had Sasuke jerking up his head to acknowledge her statement in surprise. Why would she possibly be offering to stay in this horrible place? “I could help you, you know. It’s why I am here. It’s not my intention to be a useless weight to you.”

“Sakura–” he began, then stopped. Could they stay? If Sakura were with him, maybe he’d be able to find out something important he had missed. Was that a selfish thought? Using her genius to help his goal? That’s something the old Sasuke would do, wasn’t it?

“No,” he continued. “Staying here for too long is a risk.”

“Even if it’s just a couple of days?”

“No.”

She leaned forward, her eager face finally coming into the light. “But–”

He snapped again, “I’m not risking it.” He glared at her, daring her to argue with him again. She had that stubborn set to her jaw that made Sasuke feel panicky.

His voice grew quiet as he explained. “It was foolish of me to bring you here. You’re in more danger here, than you were back in that hotel room. You were never supposed to come back here. I’m sorry.”

“See,” Sakura said, pulling her chin to her chest, resigned to let him have his way. “It’s when you say stuff like that, that I—”

She bit her tongue to stop her speech and looked up at him to gauge whether or not she should finish what she was about to say. Sasuke didn’t ask, and Sakura didn’t offer anything more than a redirected gaze. After a minute, she leaned back against the wall and her face was shrouded in darkness again. The only thing Sasuke could see was the outline of her shadow and her illuminated legs as they were crossed at the ankle.

“We’ll go back in the morning,” he finally spoke. The flame was dying and Sasuke didn’t have the energy to keep it lit. Fortunately this place was neither hot nor cold, so they wouldn’t freeze to death without a fire.

He expected her to argue; to say that they had unfinished business here, but she didn’t. All she said was, “To the Sand, it is.”

Sasuke nodded and leaned his head back against the wall.

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How could she convince Sasuke to let her help him? How could she make him realize that Kaguya had created an elaborate mouse trap when she made these dimensions? The more Sakura thought about all of the different realms and returned to her personal memories of them, the more firmly Sakura believed there was a secret to them.

All these thoughts Sakura had as she watched Sasuke drift off to sleep. The Uchiha had taken an arm-crossed, eyes-closed, casual posture against the far wall, and it took her a minute to realize he had actually fallen asleep since there was no change in his stance to indicate the shift. Sasuke often had the likeness of an unfeeling statue.

She sighed quietly to herself. Sakura had almost told him that when Sasuke sounded worried for her, she often believed him to have feelings for her. She almost confessed how confused he often made her and that he reminded her of this place: full of tricks. Sakura didn’t know if she should be trying to figure out if his feelings were more complex than what he displayed to her, or took them for their face value. Sasuke, too, was a mystery that Sakura just couldn’t figure out.

And if she couldn’t figure him out, how could she ever hope to help him reach his goal? Sakura had been excited when she realized the purpose of this tower. She had felt useful to him for just a minute, until he had told her that she was in danger here. If Sasuke constantly felt concerned for her, then she was never going to earn his respect.

A sudden fire bursting to life within her, Sakura quietly stood to her feet. The torch had almost completely faded, and like the ninja she was, Sakura used the darkness to her advantage. She glided silently through it until she reached the door. Let Sasuke get his rest; if they were going to be leaving for Suna tomorrow, then Sakura only had a few hours to make the most of her visit to this dimension.

The door conceded without so much as a squeak from its dusty hinges.

Chapter Text

Sasuke thought it was the sudden light of sunrise that was signaling the instincts within his body to wake. That is, until a growing warmth began to bloom over his face and a sweat beaded across his forehead.

The Uchiha sucked in a sharp breath and opened his eyes. An orb of orange flame hovered a couple of feet in front of his face and Sasuke had to blink several times before his eyes could adjust enough to recognize the stooped frame illuminated just behind it.

Sasuke jerked back away from the flame as he croaked hoarsely, “What the–” He coughed on his own words, his throat strangely dry.

“You’re finally awake,” Sakura’s voice floated softly across the short space between them. Finally, the torch was withdrawn and Sasuke let out a small sigh of relief. The torch was quickly replaced with a pale hand that touched the sweaty plane of his brow. “I’m starting to think that you might be sick.”

“I’m starting to think you’re annoying andcrazy,” he moaned, glancing around him. It took the Uchiha a second to recall where exactly he was. They were still in Kaguya’s tower, up the stairs and in this pitch-black room. He couldn’t tell how much time had passed since he’d fallen asleep.

“You’ve been asleep for almost 24 hours!” Sakura whispered loudly, almost as if she was afraid to overwhelm his senses. Sasuke was grateful because he suddenly felt a little disoriented–perhaps he had exhausted himself more than he had thought.

When Sasuke thought about it, more time usually stretched between his uses of the Rinnegan. Yes, he had spent almost a week and a half in the village and had roamed aimlessly outside of the realms for a week before he had even decided to turn towards Konoha. So essentially, he had had almost 2 and a half weeks to recover most of his chakra just to blow it on coming here. Thankfully, by only teleporting to the core dimension, Sasuke had only used ¼th of the reserves he normally spent. It was a complicated math problem: his dojustu needed enough chakra to get him to the core dimension and then enough to open any of the other connected realms (all of which used varying levels of chakra) and still more to do those same steps but in reverse–not to mention, that he needed chakra to save in case he encountered an enemy.

This was Sasuke’s biggest problem while searching for Kaguya. He felt like so much of his time was wasted just on letting his body recover enough to jump between realms, and the Uchiha already felt like time was slipping between his fingers. Just how much longer did he have? This was why they needed to leave—to go to the Sand village so that Sasuke might conduct an experiment and test a theory of his.

Lost in thought, Sasuke’s eyes had drifted closed again despite the glaring light of the flame in front of him. If he was this tired, he must have emptied himself more than he thought, probably not taking into account that he had to use extra by bringing Sakura with him here. Would he have enough to take them home?

Suddenly, a green glow replaced the flame’s brightness and Sasuke jumped when the palm on his forehead pressed harder. Without meaning to, Sasuke leaned into the cool, green brilliance of Sakura’s fingers. When Sasuke’s head began to clear, he let himself absorb the chakra, his body greedily accepting it. But then, an image of his former red-haired teammate pushing her scarred skin between his teeth had Sasuke reaching up and pulling Sakura’s hand down.

He wasn’t the person to do that sort of thing anymore. “That’s enough,” he croaked, throat still scratchy from little use.

“Don’t be silly,” she whispered again as her fingertips moved to his throat and began glowing again, healing this part of him too. “We need to get you out of this room.”

Sasuke stared up at her. Her face was dirty, and he was suddenly aware of just how long 24 hours must have seemed like to her–and in this perpetual darkness. “You could’ve woken me up sooner.”

She stuck her tongue out at him. “Says the grump who growled at me just seconds ago for waking him.”

In answer, Sasuke growled. Just for good measure—so the pink-haired kunoichi wouldn’t forget.

That bright sound of her giggle escaping her mouth had the thought of smirk coming to Sasuke’s mind, but when the kunoichi reached out, grabbed his tunic and practically lifted him to his feet, Sasuke snarled again, all joking aside. That damn strength surprised him every time—not to mention that by doing such a thing, she made Sasuke feel a little feeble.

He hissed when his weight settled to his stiff ankles. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck to disguise the sound. Sakura giggled again, obviously taking much delight in his current predicament.

“Come on,” she tugged on his elbow—purposefully avoiding his hand—and Sasuke began to walk forward, focused on the woman in front of him.

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.

Little steps, she almost said to him after pulling him forward. But with her hand on his arm and their bodies so close in this dimness, Sakura didn’t let the words escape her mouth in case he might misread her meaning.

In truth, she was starving. It was the reason she had finally woken him. Now the way in which she woke him could have been different, but the medical side of her couldn’t help but make an experiment out of it though: seeing how his body would respond to the light after being submerged in night for a 24-hour period. It took her a long time to re-ignite that infuriating torch so that she might mimic the sun.

Sasuke didn’t know—hadn’t realized that he had been by himself for hours at a time during his deep sleep. Sakura had left him soon after he had gone under. Sakura had left that room with a sense of thrilling determination, eager and hopeful to finally prove her usefulness to the Uchiha. However, after marching aimlessly around for hours, Sakura found—well, not much. Okay… she found nothing.

She had searched for 3 hours inside this confusing maze of a tower looking for everything and anything that might be useful to them: structures, forms of writing or symbols, patterns of similarities or differences. There just wasn’t anything.

At best, Sakura was able to figure out and easily navigate this entire damn maze within that time. Each tunnel and every turn brought her back to that single room in which Sasuke remained sleeping. Each time she reentered, Sasuke would stir, years of ninja instincts alerting him to her coming and going.

“Sleep,” she had whispered as she placed her glowing hand over his eyes and sent a soothing sensation down through her chakra, and he had fallen back into sleep. Sakura didfeel guilty for that—coaxing his body back into a sleep. She had only done it once, but Sasuke had stopped stirring after that. So Sakura had taken advantage of the situation and left the tower completely.

She was gone for four hours that time. Wherever the light was coming from, Sakura didn’t know, but it never darkened in this dimension—a sky always alight with a sun that never warmed or set. The medical ninja didn’t like it, but the tower’s darkness made a lot more sense taking that fact into consideration. But why? Who, other than Kaguya had ever made use of it?

Sakura had been determined to find something out. It was with this conviction, that had the kunoichi marching through the rising and falling dunes for two hours after that, looking back and forth for a sign of anything–anything at all. But this dimension was like a red, rocky desert that never changed. There wasn’t another tower within that two-hour radius like she was hoping. She had even kicked through the dirt in search of any living thing, but there was nothing, so she stomped her foot into the red rock and turned on her heel back towards the tower.

When Sakura had arrived, Sasuke still slept silently and soundly in the dark, so she had curled up against the opposite wall and let her frustration pull her own body under. When she woke, Sakura sat up and was surprised to see that Sasuke still slept. It was then that she suspected her influence earlier had placed the Uchiha in a deep sleep—a sleep his body desperately needed. But she also wondered if he were sick, which was why his body was so eager for the rest. So she watched his even breathing for another hour or two, but then her empty stomach began to growl.

Now, as she led Sasuke through the maze, she desperately wished she were leading him to some big discovery, or some secret she had found. This was what she had wanted, and now felt disappointed because she was missing out on the chance to do so. Sakura supposed it made sense that if Sasuke hadn’t found anything, she wouldn’t have had much of a chance either. Hehadbeen doing this for quite a while.

So she was going to pretend that none of it had happened. It was far less embarrassing to act as if she hadn’t searched at all than to admit she hadand didn’t find anything. She sighed.

“I’ve never slept that long at one time,” Sasuke admitted curiously to her, which was unlike himself. He never admitted to anything at all, let alone force it to sound somewhat sorry for it. Was he suspicious of her actions. There’s no way, she thought to herself.

Sakura forced out an innocent laugh. “It’s a good thing to catch up on some much-needed rest. Take it as advice from your doctor.”

The Uchiha scoffed but didn’t say anything else after that, even though Sakura could feel his scowling stare between her shoulder blades. She just kept marching.

When they finally made it to the cave, Sasuke turned back towards the tower’s hidden door, firmly snuffed out the torch, and replaced it back in its hidden position behind the door’s frame.

The sudden blackness around them afterwards was suffocating, but when she felt Sasuke’s fingertips brush her elbow—in the same way that her own had reached for his over and over—Sakura let her smile break the seam of her own lips. It was short-lived, because Sakura froze when her eyes adjusted enough to make out Sasuke’s Sharingan—which almost seemed to glow in the darkness—watching that smile. She knew the Uchiha had seen when he withdrew his fingers. She regretted the smile, then.

“Come on,” he said emotionlessly, walking ahead of her in the gloom. This time, he didn’t grab her arm or help her stumble her way out as he had helped her when they had first come upon the cave yesterday.

There was no wind that hit them when they finally walked into the light, but rather a brightness that was dead and airless. It didn’t fill Sakura with the warmth that she had instinctively expected it to.

Sasuke finally spoke, announcing, “We need to make it back to the same spot in which we teleported.”

Sakura snapped her head in his direction, “What for?” That would mean they would have to trek for several more hours.

“It is much easier to connect a vast time-space if you teleport through a door that was previously opened before,” Sasuke explained, running his palm through his hair. “It’s almost like once there is a rip in space, it leaves a wound that can be reopened.”

He was speaking in a language that Sakura could easily understand, being a medical ninja. If the skin has been recently penetrated, it is easy to reopen. But once the skin scars, it becomes stronger than before.

“But then,” Sakura assessed, “if too much time has passed…”

“Exactly,” Sasuke confirmed her thinking. “The seal becomes almost permanent. It would take a vast amount of chakra to break back through it again.”

“Makes sense,” she replied, shuffling her feet in the dirt. “It’s a lot more complicated than I had imagined.”

Sasuke nodded, took a breath, and took the first step of their lengthy hike across the dunes.

Sakura observed his fixed posture and confident step, but the dark-haired ninja wasn’t fooling her. She knew he was trying to figure out how to get them home without completely draining himself of chakra. But there was something she hadn’t yet considered.

Catching up with him, she leaned forward and asked, “If we go back to the hotel, won’t we be walking back into an uncertain situation? I mean, those ninja could be waiting for us.”

“Perhaps,” Sasuke admitted. “Hopefully enough time has passed for them to have moved on, and they might not be expecting us to return there. But you are right. We need a plan.”

Suddenly, an idea began to form within Sakura’s mind. She halted in her tracks, a bit of dust rising around her, and said, “I have one.”

Stopping too, Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her. He was waiting for her to explain, which was a nostalgic feeling for Sakura. He was listening to her again, like he had when they were genin—taking her opinions into consideration and contemplating her viewpoints.

“What if I helped you,” she announced hopefully, “like I offered before.” If she used The Hundred’s Healing Mark, then they might have enough chakra where they didn’t have to make the journey.

“Absolutely not,” Sasuke deadpanned, instantly turning off his reception of her by rotating away again.

Sakura set her teeth in fury and frustration, but she didn’t move her body an inch. Her plan made the most sense! Sasuke was low in chakra while shehad been slowly storing a mass amount of it in the seal on her forehead. If she let Sasuke rely on his power alone, then they were forced to use their previous door because it took the least amount of chakra to access. By doing so, their location would undoubtedly put them at a disadvantage if their foes were still occupying that space around the hotel. And it would leave Sasuke vulnerable if his power was back at zero.

She didn’t really understand why Sasuke was saying no to this. He had slept for 24 hours just so they wouldn’t have to rely on her Strength of a Hundred Seal. Whether it was because he was being noble or something else, Sakura didn’t care. If she let him use up his chakra, how was she any better?

Sakura Haruno glared at Sasuke’s back. She was quite tired of seeing it—seeing him leading the way before her. As a kunoichi, Sakura thought she had proven herself—was going to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with Naruto and Sasuke from now on. But there he was, marking the path ahead.

No more. No more.

.

.

.

There was a sudden wind that brushed the back of Sasuke’s neck and he felt a silent roar of chakra spread across the range of ground behind him. He turned, taken aback and clenched his teeth in surprised irritation at the teammate whose beaming grin glowed as brightly as the tangible chakra emanating from her body.

Those searing, bright green eyes were directed towards the sky as she flexed her hands—open, close—open, close. Sasuke followed her gaze when it fell to the black marks running from her palms, up her shoulders, and to the crisscross “x” on her brow. Then her eyes landed on him.

Sasuke had to admit that the kunoichi was honestly quite brilliant to look at like that: rejuvenated by and delighting in her own power—feeling it electrify and exhilarate her as it began coursing down the pathways. But his annoyance with her focused his mind and Sasuke glowered in response.

She was defying his wishes and purposely breaking the seal to force him into a decision. Sasuke didn’t quite appreciate that, but was he going to waste this opportunity? Yes, he was. He would prove to her once and for all that he was changing. That he was done using people.

She began to walk towards him, and Sasuke didn’t break their mutual stare, hers one of mighty determination and his an icy challenge. He’d be damned—damned if he used her power.

Coming to stand before him, in all her strength, Sasuke broke her gaze to focus on that glowing purple diamond in the center of that large temple of hers. Everything about it was so… so… “annoying.” It came out as a stuttering hiss.

She grinned wickedly at the word and reached out, taking his hand firmly in her own. Her grip was so firm that Sasuke couldn’t jerk away this time. He found himself glowering viciously, all amusement gone from his red and purple eyes.

“You are annoying,” she said softly, letting her chakra graze against his skin in silent offering. “Let me help you. Quit being so damn stubborn.”

Sasuke set his teeth again. He almost said no, without giving her any further explanation, but then Sakura spoke again, as if their linked hands were somehow transferring his thoughts to her. “Relying upon your friends is not the same as using them. Let us work together so that we can complement one another’s weaknesses with our strengths. Become each other’s balance.”

Sasuke stared at this woman who was offering him a partnership that depended on one another—like they had had in the past. It had existed between them before—that bond of friendship that seemed to connect the two of them not only in ability, but emotions as well. He had tried to sever that type of partnership with her before. If he did this, would he be letting her in? Would he be acknowledging that bond of comradery between them? What if he let her in and then she was taken away from him? What would that do to him, them, by working together now?

“Open the portal.”

Another minute of hesitation. His jaw loosened and Sasuke took a nervous breath as he replayed her words over and over.

Relying upon your friends is not the same as using them.

Let us work together.

Become each other’s balance.

“It’s okay,” she reassured him. “Open it.”

Sasuke’s tilted his head so that his hair fell away from the Rinnegan. His breathing turned shallow as he finally conceded and a black pinprick in the air around them began to expand. A sudden rush of energy flowed into his veins as black stripes began to spiral slowly up his arm. He looked at his teammate in amazement—at their joined hands now being wrapped together with bands of black chakra. It almost looked like they were being tied together.

When the markings reached his neck and crawled up his chin, Sasuke inhaled sharply, as if he were getting his first full gulp of fresh air since being in this damn place. His exhausted body welcomed the chakra, feasting on it as it had back in the tower. He flinched in self-repulsion, but Sakura breathed hard and directed more of her power into him. Where his body begged, her chakra was there to instantly feed it.

When the strips of charcoal reached his own forehead, Sasuke focused intently on the portal. It jumped in response to Sakura’s chakra, flaring and expanding large enough to finally walk through. He glanced back at her and noticed a sheen now coating her own forehead. That’s when Sasuke suddenly realized what she was doing.

The justu demanded chakra and she was acting as a direct current, bypassing Sasuke’s chakra entirely, not allowing any of his energy to be used, but hers only. She was sending it all—every bit of her own chakra to back the jutsu.

Now in a sudden panic, Sasuke breathed “Stop. That’s enough.”

Sakura’s green eyes became unfocussed and her heartbeat quickened rapidly. Her breathing came in sharp inhales and exhales.

Yelling now, he warned, “Sakura! I said stop!” She wouldn’t let go of his hand.

Sakura wasn’t listening to him. She was dedicating her entire focus to the jutsu. Sasuke did the only thing he could think to do. He wrapped his fingers up and around the wrist of her clasping hand and pulled them through the portal.

Chapter Text

They had returned to complete darkness. It was the first thing that Sasuke noticed as the two of them practically fell out of the purple portal. When Sasuke’s feet hit the ground on the other side, he pulled Sakura to him as the two quickly tipped, causing Sasuke to land somewhat ungracefully on his back. Catching the brunt of their fall, Sasuke hissed.

It took the Uchiha a second to process that they had made it back into their own dimension, before he ended the jutsu and the spiraling door of his time-space technique collapsed upon itself. It was hard to see it because of the dimness around them, and Sasuke realized it must be either late night or early morning. The absence of feeling completely drained had Sasuke’s attention immediately turning to the kunoichi, whom he still held tightly to his chest through their connected hands.

He could feel that she was breathing, which was a relief, and his alarm faded slightly when her chin brushed against his chest and he found himself staring into her conscious green eyes, somewhat visible in the dark. Sakura blinked hard and Sasuke could practically feel the black marks slipping from his body as they returned to her, untangling their joined hands and quickly receding up her chin, cheeks, and forehead.

Sasuke realized he was still clenching her hand even after the chakra stripes faded, and after a second, he came to his senses and released it immediately, moving his arm to support her back as he tried to sit up. In response, Sakura did some sort of scrambling motion to relieve him of her weight which had them both awkwardly fighting each other’s moves to detangle themselves.

“Ah, I’m—” Sakura began in flustered rasp.

Suddenly embarrassed, Sasuke jerked back his hand and let go of her completely at the exact same moment that she tried to lurch away. This only resulted in Sakura falling over the side of his leg and landing onto her hands and knees.

“—Sorry,” she breathed, not righting herself and remaining crouched as she caught her breath.

Sasuke berated himself for his actions next, but he was unable to conceal his concern. Grabbing her upper arm, he pulled her up and helped her settle against a tree. Because of the lack of light, Sasuke didn’t move too far away from her so that he might still see her face.

The Uchiha knelt in front of her for a long minute before he asked genuinely, “Are you okay?”

She nodded.

“Why did you do that?” Sasuke asked quietly, still only a foot’s distance away from her.

Still breathing hard, Sakura looked up to meet his eyes. She blinked at him innocently. “What?”

“Why did you dothat?” he bit out, which caused the kunoichi to furrow her eyebrows together in reproach, not understanding his irate tone. Sasuke didn’t even realize that there wasanger bobbing on the surface of his worry, until the words were out of his mouth.

“I just wanted to help—” she began, but Sasuke interrupted her.

With that same edged tone, he said, “You tricked me.”

“No—" she began, but in his anger, Sasuke kept talking.

He got closer to her face than he had originally intended to. “Is that what a partnership means to you? Surrendering yourself like that?” Sasuke knew it was a harsh accusation, and that Sakura had meant nothing negative by doing so. He was thoroughly impressed at her strength, but that didn’t matter to him anymore. He had stopped evaluating others’ worth by their power.

Before, he would have calculated how to use that power in the future. Sasuke would have thought something like “Better her than me” and told her not to let her fatigue keep them from moving forward. He couldn’t help feeling like the him before as his body was currently experiencing the result of what Sakura had done at her own expense.

Not only had she completely bypassed his own chakra network and directly supplied his dojutsu with the chakra it needed, but the medic had also pumped his body so full of her own energy that it left Sasuke with more chakra than when he had teleported them to that forsaken realm to begin with. She had emptied herself so that he might be restored in all his strength.

A partnership didn’t leave the other party at their worst. It left the Uchiha feeling like he had used her—like he had done with so many others. That was why he was hesitant to rely on her Strength of a Hundred seal to begin with.

“Sasuke,” she began between gasps. “I’m sorry.”

No, he thought. She needed to know exactlywhat he thought. “I have spent years taking from others and feeling absolutely nothing once they were reduced to the state that you are now in. Is that what you want to be to me?”

She continued to blink at him in the dark, and Sasuke realized something as he recalled what she had told him twice before: “I will help you get your revenge.”That’s who she thought he wantedher to be to him. The thought almost made him physically ill.

“That’s not a partnership!” he hissed in her face and stood up. “That’s not balance. You lied.”

“Yes,” she admitted. “If you put it like that, then I lied. But I did what I believed was best. I am fine, and I still have chakra. Transferring you that much chakra was because of what I did back at the tow—" but she stopped and her eyes widened as they focused on something past him.

Feeling the hairs suddenly stand on the back of his neck and arm, Sasuke turned, silent and aware that someone had just appeared at his back. When he spun, Sasuke effortlessly pulled his sword from its sheath and held it between himself and the enemy, all while wearing that signature glare of his.

Placing himself in front of his teammate, Sasuke pointed his blade at the multitude of shadowy figures that now stood scattered around them and between the trees. A million thoughts went through Sasuke’s mind when he realized that there were severalof them and he and Sakura were now completely surrounded.

One thought being that he felt like an amateur for not assessing their surroundings more closely. The second was that he needed to get Sakura out of here without ducking into a dimension this time. Sasuke didn’t know how the enemy knew where they would appear, but he needed to deal with these strange ninja who were after them, once and for all. There were no more thoughts after that as he allowed himself to slip into a calm, fierce determination to kill each and every single one of them that so much as came near them.

But when a voice called out to them through the darkness, a bell of recognition rang throughout Sasuke’s head that eased his alarm slightly. “Who are you?” the ninja called out with edged authority in his voice. “Tell us why you are here.”

Sasuke’s sharingan flashed in the ninja’s direction, but Sasuke didn’t lower his sword even when he approached, until he heard Sakura say his name: “Kankuro?”

Frowning, Sasuke lowered his blade. Because he and Sakura didn’t use the previous door, Sasuke realized then that the teleportation must have brought them two hours west. They had practically tumbled out onto the border between the Lands of Wind and Rivers. How convenient. But why did they have to run into these guys so soon?

It was then that Sasuke recognized the ninja by the faint purple markings on his face and the shinobi symbol of Sunagakure on his forehead. When the puppet master came within a few feet of them, he raised his hand in silent communication for his companions. Kankuro smiled largely at them in recognition. “Ah. Uchiha and Sakura. We have been expecting you.”

Still sitting on the ground, Sakura asked up at the approaching ninja, a smile spreading across her face. “You were expecting us?”

Kankuro nodded at them, confirming, “We got your message, Sasuke. As soon as we heard that the two of you were headed this way, we were sent to intercept you.”

“The two of us?” Sakura asked.

“Yes,” he explained with a knowing smile. “Along with Sasuke’s letter, we received word from the Hokage that Konoha’s most renowned medic might also be in company.”

Sasuke couldn’t help but narrow his eyes at the unexpected compliment, something fierce honing itself within.

“An escort for the Hokage’s pupils is the least we can do,” he finished despite Sasuke’s glare. “Not to mention that you both played a part in saving the world.”

“We thank you,” Sakura replied with a blush. When she spoke, Sasuke and Kankuro both noticed that she did so breathlessly as the result of her weariness. She made to stand, and the puppet master instinctively reached out towards her with concern when she stumbled slightly. “Are you okay there?”

Before Kankuro could so much as offer her his help, Sasuke intercepted her himself. He didn’t know why he did it, but the Uchiha quickly grabbed her elbow with his right hand and lifted it over his head as if it were the most casual thing for him to do. It took Sakura a blinking second to register that Sasuke was offering her assistance, but she quickly settled into his side.

“Long journey,” she explained simply to the sand ninja, making quick eye contact with Sasuke before letting her gaze fall back on the puppet master.

Sasuke cleared his throat after Kankuro watched them silently for longer than a few seconds.

“We’ll get you some refreshments as soon as we are back in Sunagakure,” Kankuro promised. He turned then, motioning for a few ninja to come forward. Accepting their new orders as scouts, the unfamiliar ninja nodded and disappeared in the trees.

After a few conversations between shinobi, they were ready to make the remaining voyage towards Sunagakure. Even in the dark, Sasuke could glimpse flashes of Sakura’s embarrassed flush as Sasuke supported her weight. He did his best to hide his own as his hand fisted into the clothing closest to her hip. He drew her nearer so that he supported most of her weight.

When her eyes grew wide, Sasuke offered her a one-word explanation that both reminded her of their unfinished dispute and assured her of its finish. “Balance.”

Sasuke also hoped the word reached her in another way. He wanted to prove to her that he could be a partner that didn’t solely take. He would carry the kunoichi the whole damn way if he had to.

……………………………………..

Sakura Haruno gazed out at the ripples of pink-glistened sand that rose into small dunes ahead of them. The sunrise at their caravan’s backs practically highlighted the desert hills in such a way that the sight shaped Sakura’s perceptions of beauty.

“Wow,” Sakura exclaimed upon seeing the rosy scenery. She had only ever walked this path during mid-day when the sun was at its highest—and hottest—which always had Sakura grateful for her fortunate—and much cooler—upbringing in the Leaf. It was dumbfounding how the time of day had her reconsidering her dislike for the desert.

A small laughter brought Sakura back from her meditative appreciation, and she blinked when a younger kunoichi from the group—someone Sakura had never talked to before—walked up beside Sakura and remarked, “It matches your hair!”

“Oh,” Sakura grinned at the ninja, reaching up to finger her hair with her free hand. “You think so?”

“Yes!” the girl exclaimed, “It reminded me of the sunrise as soon as I saw you! It’s very beautiful!”

Sakura grinned shyly at the girl. The female ninja looked then at Sasuke with that same enthusiasm. “Yours is the opposite, because it looks like nightfall!” Sakura swore that Sasuke’s uncaring attitude and blank expression is the reason she ran up to the front of the group soon after.

Kankuro, who was currently leading their company, called back, “If you like this, then you should see the desert during sunset.”

“I’ll have to make sure to see it while we are here!” she called out to him. Why she had never cared to see before, she didn’t know. Most likely because every time she had been here prior, she had been incredibly preoccupied.

Sasuke, who had remained quiet for their entire trek, shuffled her weight on his shoulders to regain her attention because he was preparing to move forward again. When their feet slid a little bit in the sand, Sakura offered him an embarrassed grin.

“I think I am alright now, Sasuke,” she admitted despite how much she was enjoying their tread. She thought back to all the times she offered Sasuke her support in the same way just to be next to him. That was such a long time ago. Sakura made to take back her arm, but Sasuke didn’t release his hold on her side.

He only continued to move forward and said, “Anyone can see that you are dead on your feet. You’ll only slow us down, so I guess I’m just going to have to drag you the whole way.”

Sakura scowled at him. He certainly had a way to spoil the pleasant moments between them. But even when he turned his head, Sakura could see the small upturn of Sasuke’s lips at her glower.

“Annoying?” she asked, testing the word on her lips. The word’s connotation seemed to be changing in her mind the more that the two of them used it—which was veryoften. Unfortunately.

“Hn,” he snorted in agreement. “Insufferable.”

Thoroughly enjoying their small banter, Sakura replied with a closed-eyed grin, “Get used to it.”

Sasuke didn’t say anything to that. They fell back into a silence, so Sakura’s eyes flashed back and forth for a second as she worked up the courage to take advantage of it. Everyone else in their escort was several paces ahead of them, so Sakura readdressed their tense conversation from earlier.

She sighed. “I have to admit something else to you.”

Sasuke’s expression completely changed as he eyed her apprehensively. “What?”

Sakura had tried to tell him this before Kankuro and the other Sand ninja approached them. Bringing it up now took twice the nerve. “While you were asleep back in Kaguya’s tower, I went exploring the dimension by myself.”

There was a silence. No answer. But before he could think of a response, she also blurted, “And what’s worse, is that I might have—” She took a breath, “—even coaxed your body into a longer sleep …”

The Uchiha’s black and purple eyes flashed at her then, and his feet faltered a step. “You did what?” he hissed.

Cringing guiltily, Sakura rubbed the back of her neck and dropped her eyes to the right. “I just wanted to prove to you that I could help. I didn’t know that helping you sleep would keep you from waking up. Your body must have really needed the rest. I’m sorry.”

Sakura knew that if his hand wasn’t currently fisted into her side, it would have gone up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

After an annoyed sigh, Sasuke just tugged her closer, which she thought impossible until it happened. “If you want this … partnership to work, I have to be able to trust you. That was a very stupid thing to do and all you accomplish by doing things like that is making me regret bringing you.”

Sakura blinked at that word “trust” and flinched inwardly at his words. The weight of them made her entire being feel heavy with disappointment. How could she explain her desire to prove to him that she could be useful? His earlier words came to mind: “Is that what you want to be to me?”

After along minute, Sasuke spoke again, his voice almost a whisper, “I know who you are. I know what you are capable of. I know your power. You can stop trying to prove to me that you aren’t weak.

Her eyes widened at the comment, which was so completely unexpected. It was like Sasuke was suddenly talking to her for the first time—outright acknowledging her. It was what she had always wanted—to hear him say those words. Little did she know that she had already proven herself to him. She tucked his words, and the feelings with them, away in her heart.

Face blank from any expression, Sasuke said again, “While we travel together, we can ‘rely on one another’as you call it. But there are guidelines.”

Still somewhat elated at this sudden progress between them, Sakura nodded enthusiastically. “Anything.”

“I have to trust you. So don’t be stupid.”

Sakura immediately frowned. What did she honestly expect?

“Also, no more stunts like earlier.” In other words, he wanted to be balanced. He wanted it to be a fifty-fifty partnership. Symbiotic and equal.

That one, Sakura could agree to even though she still didn’t regret what she did with her power earlier. When she thought about it, maybe that’s how Sasuke wanted it to be because he considered her his equal now? Sakura wouldn’t hold her breath on that one. She just smiled, looked ahead, and said, “Okay.”

.

.

.

Sasuke should have added more guidelines to their agreement. And as he walked towards Sunagakure through that beautiful garnet desert with its look-a-like at his hip, he knew precisely what he needed to add.

No more of this, either.

But Sasuke didn’t want to add that one

Chapter Text

When they arrived at the cleft between the cliffs leading into Sunagakure, Sakura recalled the dream she had had when her and Ino had visited the Village Hidden in the Sand to discuss the Children’s Clinic. The night before they had arrived, Sakura dreamt vividly about Sasuke waiting for her at the village gates. When she had approached him, he had patted her head and had said her name in a way that had suggested he was about to confess his feelings to her. Sakura remembered clinging desperately to the vision even after it faded, and how disappointed she had felt when she finally did make it to Suna and found that Sasuke was not waiting for her as she had dreamt.

Peering to her left, Sakura felt somewhat embarrassed at the memory, especially now as she caught Sasuke’s emotionless expression as the Uchiha stared up at the towering cliffs. He stood slightly behind her now, having let go of her much earlier due to the fact that she couldn’t keep up the excuse of exhaustion while simultaneously talking Kankuro’s ear off about how Temari was managing in the Leaf Village. She had instantly regretted speaking so much when Sasuke ducked from under her arm and rubbed the back of his sweaty neck where her arm had been. Sakura supposed the rising heat had made it unbearable to support someone who didn’t really need it.

Recalling the dream again, Sakura felt somewhat ridiculous to have hoped that her relationship with Sasuke could progress as quickly as seeing him, him realizing he loved her, and the two of them moving forward all in one day. In fact, it had been several weeks now since he had returned to the village and Sakura had felt like the only one who was even trying to move in that particular direction was her. Granted, Sasuke had agreed to a partnership between them, which was a step towards their former friendship. But friendship alone wasn’t enough for her when it came to Sasuke and he had drawn a very clear line.

Sakura suddenly felt like her silly, genin self again. She should be grateful for what progress they had made towards friendship. Like she had told Sasuke back home: if he couldn’t love her, then at least give her his friendship. He was trying, and she should not be wanting more.

“If it’s okay with you,” Kankuro shouted from up ahead, the party now moving into the shadows of the canyon entrance, “our first stop is to see the Kazekage. I do believe he expects an explanation for your visit.”

“Of course,” Sakura announced, moving along more quickly now as she realized the distracted pace of her walking. She glanced back at Sasuke who was coolly staring ahead. The Uchiha didn’t even acknowledge her directed gaze as he placed his hand in his pocket and let his eyes fall to the ground. This passive Sasuke was a sharp contrast to the one who had just supported her moments ago, but he was the more familiar one.

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Sasuke was trying to focus on the goal of his mission; he really was. However, when Kankuro announced that they were on their way to see Gaara, Sasuke couldn’t help but internally sigh. It wasn’t that he was nervous, annoyed, or anything else so simple as that. His aerial message had been intended to reach Gaara and express Sasuke’s desire to meet with him immediately. Sasuke just didn’t exactly know how this meeting would go and it was this unpredictability that he hated. When the idea of coming here first formed in his thoughts, Sasuke also imagined a couple different scenarios about how the Kazekage would take to him. Sasuke hadn’t exactly been in Gaara’s presence since the war, and before that, Sasuke had tried to kill him at the Five Kage Summit after the sand-wielder approached him for a chat. That chatdidn’t go so well.

Sasuke had complete respect for Gaara as a ninja and Kage, but they had never really been friends or even so much as acquaintances. The two of them had actually been enemies, and Sasuke had left the village before he saw the outcome of Naruto and Gaara’s battle. It was something of a shock really when Gaara approached him at the summit as a new person.

And, he thought, glancing up at the kunoichi in front of him, he had believed he would be coming alone to take the brunt of Gaara’s judgement. Instead, Sakura was accompanying him there and would be a witness to the consequences of his past actions. Sasuke supposed that this was the part he was dreading.

What made things even more irritating was the fact that Sakura walked with ease through the stucco houses along the path towards the core of the village. Even a few of the citizens and shinobi that lingered to watch them pass, raised their hand in greeting when the familiar pink-haired medic smiled in their direction. This made Sasuke even more hesitant. Unlike himself, she was so welcome and treated with respect and friendliness. In sharp contrast, Sasuke received various looks of confusion, fear, and distrust. Just like in the Leaf Village.

It was how it should be, Sasuke thought. Sakura was so in-place and the Uchiha was so out-of-place.

It was at this point that Sakura fell back to walk beside him. She smiled and quickly grazed his fingertips with her own. It was so fast that Sasuke wasn’t sure it had been on purpose. He gave her his best reprimanding scowl anyway. He wished she would stop doing that already. Sakura giggled. Sasuke noticed that some of looks he was receiving changed instantaneously when she neared him with such playfulness. Sasuke realized then what it was that she was doing; he was grateful.

“They know you.” He said it at the same time that he made the connection. Sakura had told him on the way here about her involvement in the Kazekage’s rescue. Not only this, but she had defeated one of the Sand’s most notorious criminals while working closely with the village’s highly revered puppet master, Lady Chiyo. Sasuke had something of an epiphany as he gazed at the woman. He was being reminded again of how Sakura, too, had made a mark on the world, all while Sasuke simultaneously built another sort of reputation for himself. How odd to think about how they did “balance” each other somewhat perfectly. Who else, other than a medical proficient that saved lives, to undo the damage of someone who had taken them. Only a hero could walk beside a criminal and make the world see them in a different light.

Sakura’s answer broke this train of thought. “A few of them do,” she responded, turning to those ninja and waving back at them.

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When they finally made it through the maze of buildings and reached the 風labeled heart of the village, it only took a few seconds more before they were brought before the round table of the Suna council. At the same time that she and Sasuke were being escorted in by Kankuro, Sakura released a sigh of relief as the council members stood to make their way out of the spherical room. Gaara remained seated at the table even though a few of his advisors halted when they saw the faces of the new arrivals. Gaara gestured for them to leave once more, and the murmuring men dismissed themselves hesitantly.

The Kazekage stood after they were gone and motioned for the two of them to sit. After bowing, they did so politely, claiming the two seats directly in front of Gaara. Kankuro moved to Gaara’s direct right, standing formally behind his leader. Sakura couldn’t help but notice how quickly Sasuke fell into his emotionless persona, avoiding the Kazekage’s direct gaze, and placing one arm casually on the table in front of him. In response, the Kazekage eyed him blankly for a second and then directed all conversation in herdirection.

“Welcome to Sunagakure,” he said formally.

“Thank you,” Sakura smiled in response, gratefully clasping the refreshment that was placed down in front of her by a servant she hadn’t noticed enter from an alcove behind her. “We are grateful for the escort you sent to retrieve us. You didn’t need to go to the trouble.”

The Kazekage shared a brief glance with Kankuro at the statement, and Sakura realized that there was a silent non-verbal exchange of thought between siblings. Kankuro decided to clarify then, the Kazekage leaving it to his brother to explain.

“We believed it necessary—not just for your safety from foreign ninja between lands like I told you before, but for the peace of our villagers as well.”

Sasuke glanced up sharply at the puppet master, narrowing his eyes in understanding. A wrenching twisted immediately in Sakura’s gut. So they were already getting straight to it, then. The kunoichi had predicted it to be highly possible that they might run into some hostility from Sungakure considering Sasuke’s past. She had hoped their relationship with Gaara might alleviate the trouble.

“What do you mean?” she asked the Kazekage as respectfully as she could under scrutiny.

“I have been blunt with you before Sakura, the last time you were here,” Gaara announced in that same formal tone, linking his fingers together upon the table. He met eyes with Sasuke again, directly addressing him this time. “I want you to know that as Kazekage, I must take every precaution during your visit. I understand you to be a changed man according to Naruto’s word, and for that I welcome you, but while you are here, I have to ensure that you are the man that Naruto says you are. This village comes before all else.”

The cerulean of Gaara’s eyes were without reaction, filled with neither anger or judgement, but a blankness Sakura recognized in many of her own sensei’s expressions when he gave orders or calculated ninja.

Sasuke presented his chin and met the Kazekage’s eyes directly and Sakura’s blood turned ice cold in her limbs. Her terror thawed as Sasuke responded after a minute with a clear: “I understand.” He ducked his head again, and a sudden fire replaced the fear that filled the back of Sakura’s throat.

“Has he not proven so already?” she asked reproachfully, “He is one of the heroes of the Shinobi War. Without him, there wouldn’t be any villages.”

All blinking eyes turned towards her as she spoke. She took a deep breath and nervously took a drink out of the cup she held in her hand, realizing the tone of disrespect lacing those words. She understood Gaara; she really did, but to see Sasuke accept those words as if he deserved them, made her speak out of turn.

“He has indeed,” Gaara reassured her, “We all believed so until the rumors that spread about you, Sasuke, pertaining to a bargain made with missing Sand ninja to perform a coup d'état in Suna in exchange for their assistance to destroy Konoha.”

Sakura instantly recalled the circumstances revolving around Kido, the man who had been trying to get Sasuke to return to the village by using an impersonator to stir up trouble in his name.

“That wasn’t me,” Sasuke responded civilly, also recognizing the situation Gaara was referring to.

Sakura had come here to speak to Gaara about her hopes of implementing a mental health and children’s hospital in Sunagakure, and Gaara had informed her about this situation to which she had tried to take Sasuke’s defense. She brought that up now: “I spoke on his behalf the last time I was here, and I was correct in my theory of a double. It was an attempt to ruin Sasuke’s reputation.”

Sasuke met eyes with her then. There was a brief look of surprise and then the emotion faded from his face as he turned back to the Kazekage and said, “I am responsible for my own ruined name which allowed those men to take advantage of it. Sorry to have caused your village trouble.”

Sakura looked sadly at the man that she loved, feeling a mixture of anger and pride towards such a statement. Kankuro and Gaara exchanged another nod towards one another; Sakura supposed they were accepting his rare apology. She was beginning to think they hadn’t been expecting to receive one.

“Do what you must,” Sasuke said with a dismissive hand and annoyed exhale towards the subject. “I am here on a personal mission to investigate a bigger threat towards all of our villages. It is something I must speak with you, the Kazekage, about in private.”

Both Kankuro’s and the Kazekage’s eyebrows jumped towards their hairlines. There was a very serious silence that spread throughout the room and Sakura’s heart quickened as two of the world’s most powerful ninja waited for the other to say something.

She jumped at the sound of her own name.

“Sakura,” Gaara turned his attention to her. “Kakashi has told me that you are on your own mission, is that correct?”

“Yes, sir,” she nodded, adding briefly, “I am hoping to check in on Sunagakure’s own mental health clinic, as well as share some of my own medical findings with your hospital’s doctors, if I may. I would also like to assist in any way medically during our time here. With your permission.”

Gaara offered her a gentle smile, the first during their entire meeting so far. She smiled back, grateful for the shift in atmosphere. “Of course,” he replied, “You are always welcome here and we are honored to have your medical expertise and guidance in our facilities.”

He signaled for Kankuro then, and Sakura realized all too quickly that this was her cue to depart. “Kankuro, please accompany the doctor to our hospital and make sure she has everything that she requires while she is with us.”

When Kankuro came to her side, Sakura rose slowly and bowed to Gaara, saying a quick thank you.

“We’ll set up lodgings for you in the meantime,” Gaara informed her. “Please do not hesitate to call on me should there be anything you need while you are here.”

Sakura made to turn and caught Sasuke’s eyes. He didn’t say anything, barely even looked her in the eye, but he dipped his head briefly in reassurance. Saying nothing else, she followed Kankuro out the door, leaving the two shinobi to their confidentiality.

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Sasuke had frowned when Gaara had dismissed her, even if he had practically asked him to. Sasuke’s shinobi ears had listened as his teammate’s footsteps faded down the hall and Sasuke suddenly felt a sensation similar to that of losing his arm. Not the pain. Sasuke would describe it as the feeling of having become used to something and realizing abruptly that it wasn’t there anymore.

After they had left, Gaara raised both of his hands in the air and Sasuke’s eyes widened as the buzzing sound of the Kazekage’s sand filled the air around them. Before Sasuke could react defensively, Gaara explained his actions.

“The walls,” he motioned outward, and large quantities of sand appeared from the air and began to crawl up the room’s fortifications and build out from it, thickening them an extra several inches. There was a cracking sound as the sand compacted into every groove, covering every opening, and sealing every door. Sasuke realized suddenly that he wasn’t being entombed, but that the Kazekage was honoring his request with the utmost precaution.

“If this is as serious as you are claiming it to be,” Gaara finished, resting his relaxed hands back on the table as if it had cost him nothing to perform the action, “then we cannot risk anyone listening in.”

“Agreed.” Sasuke confirmed, relaxing back into his seat.

“What is this threat that you are investigating, Uchiha, and why does it bring you to myvillage?”

And so Sasuke told him. Told him all that knew about Kaguya, the white zetsu army, and the threat that this knowledge revealed about what could potentially come. It was a theory, but an informed one, and Gaara listened with the highest interest. Sasuke also conveyed to the Kazekage that coming here did not mean any immediate danger for Suna, but that it would help Sasuke immensely if he was granted permission to test a hypothesis of his in the desert climate just outside of his village.

“I see,” the Kazekage nodded, crossing his arms in contemplation after all the intelligence had been given. “Do the other Kage know about this?”

“No,” Sasuke answered immediately and seriously. “Other than Team 7, you are the only one to know. I do this to personally earn your trust. I will make an official announcement when the Leaf decides to call a Five Kage meeting.”

“But why wait?” the sand-wielder countered. “If you are correct, time cannot be wasted in preparing the other Kage.”

Sasuke nodded in thought and said, “It’s a theory only. There’s no reason to unease everyone just yet. At least, until I can investigate it a little further myself. The Hokage has agreed to this.”

Gaara offered his understanding, “I trust Kakashi Hatake’s judgement. If he thinks the news should wait, then I will agree with his decision.”

“The future should stay bright for as long as possible,” Sasuke said habitually. It was the Uchiha’s personal vision, and he had said it often to Naruto and others close to him. Speaking it to Gaara was an accident.

Gaara’s surprised gape met his and Sasuke quickly covered with, “You understand why telling you first might result in feelings of unrest from the other Kage. I do not want them thinking it means a tipped preference in connection between our two villages. I ask that you keep this intel between us and pretend it will be the first time you are hearing it at the Kage meeting.”

Gaara once again agreed, considerate of the precautions on a military level.

When the sand began to slide and crumble from the walls, Sasuke assumed that meant their conversation was coming to a close. He was about to rise before Gaara spoke silently, “And Sakura? She knows about all of this?”

Sasuke’s black and purple eyes slid up to the Kage’s face in calculative scrutiny. After a minute, he answered honestly with a resolved “Yes.”

“Do you think that is wise? To share this with her?” Gaara asked the Uchiha, narrowing his eyes at him in judgement.

Sasuke bit back the defensive retort that sprang forth from his ever-ready Uchiha mouth. Sasuke didn’t know why he would be questioning his decision to do so unless the Kazekage believed it to be a mistake.

“Just as I trust Kakashi and Naruto, I trust the third member of my team,” Sasuke responded unemotionally. “As you have observed, Sakura has chosen to accompany me. I wanted her to be aware of the seriousness of the situation.”

Gaara seemed to relax a little at Sasuke’s answer. “It is for her safety that I ask. You put her in harm’s way with the information you have trusted her with. Just by knowing, she is a target.”

Sasuke internally flinched. He was all too aware of this. He had told it to himself over and over and over. If it had been up to him, Sasuke would have excluded her from the know—left her in Konoha, oblivious to all of it… that is if the stubborn woman would have stood for it. No, if she insisted on following him, she needed to know. It would be more dangerous for her not to.

Sasuke replied, “She is capable, and I have faith in her abilities should she find herself in such a situation where someone might—”

“I don’t question her skills,” Gaara interrupted him. “We aretalking about the kunoichi who helped save my life, my brother’s, and helped defeat Sasori when Kankuro could not. Not to mention that she played an essential part in the war against Kaguya. No, I don’t doubt her strength.”

Sasuke felt an odd emotion in his stomach. This was the ninja that Sasuke had fought all those years ago during the Chunin Exams. A hateful, evil person Gaara had been at that time. Back then, the sand shinobi was someone who had absolutely no regard for anyone but himself, killing all of those who stood in his path, his blood-reeking sand a weapon that did his bidding. To hear him now, admiring his teammates and caring for their well-being, made Sasuke realize that he himself was closer to how Gaara used to be than Gaara himself was now. It gave Sasuke hope of how far a person could change even after spending so long filled with hate.

Sasuke stood then, bowed, and said, “I intend to value those closest to me once more. Thank you for honoring my request.”

Those blue eyes met his with a calm stare. The Kazekage stood as well, coming from around the table to stand in front of him. “I am glad, Sasuke, that you have found something worth returning from the darkness. I have always had faith that Naruto, at least, might be able to show you the light again.”

Sasuke withheld the emotion that he was feeling from his face.

He turned toward the door and Sasuke made to follow. Gaara’s voice echoed back to him over his shoulder. “It will be difficult to overcome what others think of you, but only you can change the path ahead of you and make a future for yourself as the person you truly want to be.”

As the Kazekage opened the door for him, he turned towards Sasuke once more with his wisdom. “I hope you will always remember that we cannot suffer pain alone; like love and joy, it has to be shared with others. It is those bonds with others that makes us stronger.”

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Sasuke had wanted to retreat directly into the desert environment like he had planned. He had even stopped at a couple of small shops built into the side of an adobe building for some element-specific items: a set of weather-resistant clothes and accessories which included a turban and new boots. Tossing his remaining coin in his palm, Sasuke decided last minute to purchase a smaller pair of beige trousers and a modest white tunic which seemed to be her size. He had picked them up, scrutinized them carefully, set them back down and had almost walked away. Then, he almost asked for his money back as soon as he procured them.

Sasuke couldn’t wait to depart much longer; it just wasn’t in him to put his mission off any longer. He felt rejuvenated enough to leave at this very second, which of course, had him guiltily remembering the person who was responsible for this new energy. Sakura had been tired just before they had arrived and had been sent immediately to the hospital to continue working. For all he knew, she was probably still dead on her feet.

So he was going to make a briefstop before he headed out.

Swinging the small knapsack of fresh belongings over his shoulder, Sasuke easily located the building that announced “doctor” in bright red kanji and reached the building quickly. When he arrived, he was admitted by a medic ninja dressed in a white gown. There was another man behind a small desk in the foyer that wore red medic attire. When inquiring about his pink-haired teammate, the healers’ wary expressions lightened considerably at the mention of Sakura. Sasuke realized that they held her in the highest regard and welcomed anyone associated with her, even an ex-criminal.

“She is not on this floor,” they informed him, pointing to a stairwell at the end of a narrow green hallway. “She’s currently with an herbalist at the greenhouse. You can follow those steps down.”

As Sasuke passed the numbered patient rooms, he was relieved to see that they were unoccupied. This must have meant that they weren’t busy and didn’t require Sakura to exhaust herself too much after all. He caught his train of thinking and reasoned with himself that he owed it to her since he was running off of her reserves after all.

When he made it to the bottom of the stairs, Sasuke stepped out into a lush green garden surrounded by a sand wall that served as a small courtyard off the back of the hospital. In its center, towered a glass house that reflected the hot desert sun off its surface. The small space reminded him instantly of the Leaf.

Sasuke’s ears automatically picked up on the clear silvery tone of Sakura’s voice coming from inside the shining structure. There was a response of laughter after she spoke and Sasuke almost turned around when Kankuro stepped out of the door and caught him lurking.

Shutting the door behind him, Kankuro made his way towards the Uchiha with his hands in his pockets. If Sasuke wasn’t with one less arm and not gripping the bag in his only hand, the Uchiha would have crossed his arms to go along with the scowl he was currently displaying for him.

“Sasuke,” Kankuro greeted kindly enough, ignoring Sasuke’s aloof disposition. “Are you looking for Sakura? I can tell her you need her for a sec if—”

“No,” Sasuke immediately reacted, tightly gripping the sack and securing it on his shoulder. He had justlost his nerve completely. “I am heading out. Tell her I left.”

He made to turn, but Kankuro asked suddenly, “Will you be back late? I can show you your room first, so you know where to go when you come back.” If Kankuro had phrased the last part like a question, Sasuke would have simply said ‘no,’ or ‘get lost,’ or whatever… But he didn’t, and Sasuke followed the puppet master back up the stairs.

When another high-pitched, but happy, exclamation echoed up the stairwell from the greenhouse, Sasuke couldn’t help his next angled statement. “Sakura can be like a child and overdo it. Has she completely exhausted herself yet?”

Kankuro laughed in agreement. “She seems fine right now, but I’ll make sure she doesn’t drain herself too much. This way.”

Good enough for Sasuke. As long as someone was looking out for her, it didn’t have to be him, he supposed.

Walking to the next building over, Sasuke realized that their lodgings were conveniently close to the hospital. That was reassuring at least, knowing Gaara was going out of his way to accommodate his female counterpart.

The walk was awkwardly silent until Kankuro spoke finally, “I am grateful to her, you know,” he admitted. “Sakura saved my life when the Akatsuki came for Gaara.”

Surprised by this, Sasuke recalled what the Kazekage had said about Sakura:

“We are talking about the kunoichi who helped save my life, my brother’s, and helped defeat Sasori when Kankuro could not.”

That statement suddenly made a lot more sense after Kankuro continued to explain. “Sasori poisoned me when I pursued them after the attack on our village. It was an unrecognizable poison at the time, but Sakura showed up and was able to develop an antidote for me. After having pulled the poison directly from my organs, that is.” The ninja shuttered as he walked. “Damn painful that was, too.”

Sasuke didn’t answer with anything more than an acknowledging “hn.”

Of course she did, he thought to himself. Sasuke also remembered the details of the conversation he had had with her on the way here. She had told him about the battle with Sasori and had mentioned an antidote she had used on herself after having taken in the poison, herself. Sakura hadn’t mentioned how she had created the antidote or what situation other than the battle had required it. Kankuro was lucky she had been the ninja to come.

Kankuro left Sasuke with an elderly hostess who was in charge of the small hospital-side inn. She was older and very kind as she led Sasuke the top story of the building. Once there, she opened the door of the room at the end of the hallway. It seemed as if there was no one else staying here, and Sasuke had another revelation that it was the largest and most secluded apartment the inn had to offer. With a sigh, Sasuke finally understood that this was one of the Kazekage’s “precautions” to keep him away from other people. He bit back his annoyance. Let him clear the inn. Sasuke didn’t care. He hated people anyway.

Sasuke realized his mistake as soon as he entered the chamber and stumbled upon twobeds a few feet away from one another. It wasn’t a “secluded” room; it was a “private” room. Sasuke almost choked, turning promptly to the woman who ushered him in obliviously.

“Um,” he stuttered. “There are two—”

Seeing the expression on his face, the woman backtracked with a countenance of horror. “I am so sorry. The Kazekage did not specify that you wanted a separate space from your fellow ninja.”

Gaara must have not mentioned that this particular “ninja” was a female.He wanted to say so, but decided against it. He recalled their last incident back at the hotel they had stayed out beforehand. Sasuke’s excuse at the time had been that they should stay together in enemy territory. Even if Sunagakure wasn’t enemy territory, it was still not the Leaf.

“No,” he assured the woman who was bustling with nerves, afraid she had erred and insulted him. “It is fine, thank you.”

After she left, Sasuke looked down at the two green quilted beds, one flush against the wall directly under the large window and the other only a few feet away to the left, despite the room’s immense space. Making up his mind, he scooted the left-most bed towards the opposite side of the room and placed it against the wall closest to the door. He laid his new belongings on top of it, claiming it as his. If anyone was entering and exiting, it would be under his supervision.

He stripped of his travel-worn attire, washed quickly, and adorned himself with the freshly purchased clothes. He tossed a heavier, woven poncho over his shoulder for when the desert darkened and took on a different temperature all together. Taking the black turban, he wrapped it tightly around the black mane of his hair, almost identical to the style he had worn it only a year ago. Sasuke folded his dirty clothes and placed them on the floor at the foot of his bed along with the opened-toe ninja sandals that Sasuke had replaced with boots.

He fingered the other set of clothing that he had obtained and decided to folded them neatly as well, setting them carefully on the window-side bed. Yes, he had bought them for Sakura and hadn’t been able to give them to her directly once he had interacted with Kankuro. Coming back to civilization might be starting to clear his head of such personal notions. With any luck, she would assume it was being provided to her as a part of Gaara’s hospitality. As he placed them on her pillow, Sasuke noticed a bright silver tray filled with refreshments on a small shelf in the center of the flat. He retrieved it and sat it on her bed as well, straight below the clothes, hoping she would take the hint to eat something.

Feeling certain of her well-being, Sasuke did what he did best: he made his way out of the village and disappeared into the wilderness.

Chapter Text

When Sakura Haruno had been dismissed from the Kazekage’s council room, she had immediately followed Kankuro to the Sunagakure hospital on the east side of the village. They had not been busy, but when Sakura had been kindly announced, the staff smiled in recognition and escorted her straight to the Children’s hospital at her request.

Sakura saw several patients, but none of them had bodily injuries or illnesses to attend to; in their cases, it was their minds and mental well-being that Sakura was assessing. When meeting their first patient, a child named Isao, the head medics insisted on observing her interactions with the child despite the fact that she had modeled this process for them before. It was the first time the kunoichi had sat down with a child since the incident with her patient, Emiko, back in Konoha. It was still a fresh wound for Sakura, but because of that, she took her time examining the child in front of her.

“What’s your name?” she asked him, pulling up and reviewing his chart which listed the child’s background, symptoms of behavior, as well as his trauma record. There was only one pattern of concerning behavior: frequent night terror episodes. The trauma? The only thing listed was the death of the child’s mother.

The child mumbled his name shyly in response, ducking his head, to which Sakura tried to give him a reassuring smile.

Sakura quickly identified all that had been done to rule out any physical ailments or causes that might be the source of the night terrors. A sleep study had been conducted in which heartrate, blood pressure, and breathing had been monitored. After a few more dead ends, the referral information said that the determining factor might be stress.

His mother’s death was two years ago, during the Shinobi World War, in fact. Was the child still experiencing stress from her death or was it something more than that? Sakura would have to conduct a formal interview with him in order to figure out what exactly might be the stressor in this child’s life.

Sakura began to ask him questions about his life, how old he was, how he was doing at school, who did he live with, where did he live. What she learned from these types of questions was that Isao was an 11 year old boy who lived with his father and seemed to be a fairly happy child despite his mother’s passing. He was one of the top students in his class, had a close group of friends, and lived in a household with considerable means.

Sakura switched to the more specific questions in regard to his condition.

“Isao,” Sakura smiled again at the young boy, “do you have any dreams during your night terrors?”

Isao looked up towards his hairline in thought for a quick second, but then returned her questions with a confident and mature, “Not that I recall.”

Sakura recorded what she could and sent the child home with a promise to see him the following day.

After he departed, Sakura turned to the head medic—a man named Mako that Sakura had worked closely with before—who had remained standing close by and said, “I need to speak to the physician who referred him; there has to be more to this that I can use.”

“Right away miss,” Mako responded, leaving to retrieve the physician.

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After repeating the process with a few other children, Mako informed her that the most recent adolescent would be the last of their patients for a while. Sakura was then escorted to the greenhouse that she had once visited before so that she could find some helpful herbs for Isao to help him sleep. She also wanted to do a quick session for Mako and his team about what she was discovering with chakra-applied medicine.

When arriving, she quickly came up with a draught for Isao and recreated the burn solvent that she had invented in the leaf to treat the burn victims of Chino’s human bombs. Sakura had always been fascinated with how well the Sunagakure hospital was able to recreate an environment such as the greenhouse for most medicinal plants that weren’t native to the land.

As she wrote down the ingredients for both medicines, Kankuro walked in with a casual wave. “Came by to check on you. I just finished preparing your rooms. I’ll show you where they are as soon as you are finished up here.”

“Thank you Kankuro,” she smiled politely, “I think I’ll be here for quite some time still and I don’t want you to have to wait up.”

Offering him the same pen she used to write down the burn solvent’s ingredients, Kankuro drew her a quick little map on the back of her paper. “It’s just to the right of the hospital. Take a right here at the corner and it’s the little inn next to it. The manager’s name is Chie; she’ll take care of you.”

She bowed to him, holding the piece of paper gratefully. “Thanks again.”

“I’ll be off now, but I’ll come again before the night is over. Let us know if you need anything else.”

She assured him she’d see him later and suddenly felt bad that he felt like he needed to babysit her. She knew that he was just being a good host, much like Shikamaru did for Temari when she had stayed in the Leaf Village at one point, but Sakura still felt it was unnecessary.

After Kankuro’s departure, Mako had quickly returned everyone to the subject at hand by exchanging a brief joke in regard to chakra-applied medicine. Catching the very end of it, Sakura explained, “With this medicine, maybe sunburns won’t be so much of an issue here.” She laughed along with the others and her insecurities left as Kankuro walked out the door.

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Kankuro was true to his word and checked on her once more before the sun began to fall beneath the walls of Sunagakure. She waited until dark to make the small trek to her quarters and once again made sure that no one was following her before she entered the inn. Sakura could hear Sasuke’s disapproving cluck already if someone else happened to make an appearance in the middle of the night because of her carelessness.

“Welcome,” the elderly inn-keeper announced, quickly meeting her at the door, “I am so sorry dear, but all of our rooms are full.”

“Oh,” the pink-haired ninja exclaimed embarrassingly. There must have been some sort of mistake then. “You’re not Chie? I must have the wrong inn,” she told the woman, rubbing the back of her head as she looked down at the little hand-drawn map in her hands. “Can you help me find the correct one? Lord Gaara…”

“The Kazekage?!” the woman exclaimed, rushing forward and pulling the map from her hands. After a minute of observing it more closely, the inn-keeper cocked a head at her in second thought. “What is your name, miss?”

Feeling slightly awkward, Sakura smiled as politely as she could. Why was it that she was experiencing moments like this frequently at hotels?

“Haruno, Sakura,” she answered plainly, almost telling the woman to forget it all together, instead. But the name sparked recognition in the woman’s face, and her eyes grew wide as she began to apologize for her confusion.

“Yes, this way, ma'am,” she gestured for Sakura to follow. The situation was explained to her as they walked, all while the woman wrung her hands nervously. “I only have one room for you and your teammate. He insisted that it was fine, but I would be more than happy to arrange for you to have another room miss.”

Hadn’t the lady just said that all the rooms were full? Sakura paused as she processed slowly what this woman was saying. Chie was explaining that there was only one room for the both of them. Her and Sasuke were going to be sharing a room? And he had said that it was FINE? Sakura’s inner-self was both screaming and panicking.

Sure enough, the lady spoke true and Sakura arrived at the end of the very long hallway on the top floor, and surveyed the single, unoccupied, spacious room with two beds. “Again, I am so sorry for my mistake,” the woman bowed, and Sakura waved her hands in polite dismissal.

After Chie left, Sakura shut the door and placed her back against it with an exhale. She wasn’t so sure if she shouldn’t follow the woman and ask for a separate room after all. What was Kankuro thinking giving them the same room? And then Sasuke agreeing to it? Sure, they had stayed together back in Tanigakure, but that was because there were strange ninja after them. Maybe that’s why Sasuke agreed to this; maybe he thought this was still considered enemy territory.

Sakura laughed a little when she saw how far away Sasuke had separated the two beds from one another. She could still see the outline of where it had been hours before, just a few feet away from the companion bed. She only recognized it as Sasuke’s because his clothing was neatly folded and put to the side of it; the lack of his shirtless-self wandering the room’s corridors let Sakura know that he was currently out.

Walking to the opposite side of the dim room, Sakura glanced down at her own bed which was currently occupied by a tray of food and fresh clothes. In response, her stomach growled, and she quickly removed the tray, snagging a few Sunagakure’s famous biscuits from it. Sakura was even more excited about the new set of clean clothes. When she and Sasuke had fallen through the time-space dimension after they were attacked, Sakura had left behind her small bag of belongings. This meant the only thing she currently possessed were the dirty clothes on her back.

She quickly washed and changed into them. The beige trousers were exactly her size and fit her like a glove down to her ankles. She was amazed at how great of a guess the staff must have made in order to find them. The simple white tunic fit her a little looser, draped low with sleeves that fell just above her elbows. Sakura tucked the front of the shirt into her pants to give herself more shape and smiled at this version of herself dressed in Sunagakure fashion. Although she preferred her own style of red and white, Sakura thought this was a decent change. To finish the look, Sakura tested out braiding back her damp hair to keep the Sand Village winds from tearing at it. She quickly untangled it once she was sure she had the process of the plait in memory.

Sakura sat cross-legged on her bed, half-tempted but far too shy to pull Sasuke’s bed back over to its original spot and blame it on Chie. She’d give him the distance he so obviously wanted even if it went against her own heart’s desires. Even when Sasuke was with her, sometimes it seemed he was still very far away.

After several late-night hours of watching the starry sky out the window beside her bed, Sakura realized suddenly that she was waiting on Sasuke to return. And at this very same moment, Sakura made a heartbreaking connection. His clothes had been left behind because Sasuke had left to continue his mission in the desert; Sasuke hadn’t cared if they shared a room because he hadn’t planned on staying in it.

Sakura recalled her words to Sasuke when she had confronted him back in Konoha about accompanying him on his journey: “I’m a Jonin, now. I have my own mission to fulfill along the way.”

And then she also remembered what she had said to Gaara earlier that morning when he asked about her “separate” mission: “I am hoping to check in on Sunagakure’s own mental health clinic, as well as share some of my own medical findings with your hospital’s doctors, if I may. I would also like to assist in any way medically during our time here.”

Yes, she had made it clear to both Sasuke and Gaara about having separate missions but having separate missions didn’t mean that Sakura wanted to be… well, separated. Sakura reasoned with herself that this was impractical of her. How else was it supposed to work? But she still felt frustrated. Shouldn’t he have at least came and told her he was leaving? Couldn’t Sasuke have mentioned when he’d be back, so she wasn’t waiting on him? Maybe that had always been her problem.

She fell asleep to the memory of her apartment, the smell of tea, and his monotoned voice telling her, “I want you to stop waiting for me, Sakura.”

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Sasuke stood ankle-deep in sand and focused on his breathing. It was evening now, and the setting, burning sun was a halo of orange fire against his shadowy figure. He breathed in the heat. Inhaled. Exhaled. Once. Twice, and then again. In his mind’s eye, Sasuke pictured Kaguya’s desert dimension and pretended he was inhaling the heat of that domain instead. This would be Sasuke’s first attempt to teleport to any dimension directly without going through the core dimension where he had taken Sakura. It was connected to all of the other dimensions and was the bridge to all of them. But this had been Sasuke’s goal for some time: to bypass the core dimension all together and cut his chakra use in half and decrease the time he spent there recovering afterwards.

Summoning the chakra to his Rinnegan, Sasuke exhaled the heat in his lungs as he opened the black rift before him. Pain instantly began in his temples as he reached forward with his chakra to push beyond the core dimension. He searched for the familiar desert, feeding the dojutsu more chakra in hopes of reaching it. More. It needed more, and he grudgingly gave it. Come on, he growled internally, reaching deep into his reserves.

Just then, an image of white sand appeared on the other side of the spinning portal and Sasuke immediately lunged for it. The Uchiha dove and the hot air around him abruptly vanished as pain pulsed like lightning in the back of his skull and behind his Rinnegan. Sasuke dropped to his knees at the sudden loss of chakra that evaporated from him. He knelt in the red dirt of the core dimension and felt the sensation of a vacuum as he lost hold of the sand dimension.

“Damn it!” he cursed and slammed his fist into the ground as a memorable weakness came over him. He knelt his forehead into the soil and let go of the jutsu altogether. He focused on his breathing once more, this time just trying to get as much oxygen as this cursed, airless dimension would allow him to have.

Sasuke had been so close to reaching it, but just couldn’t supply enough chakra. He wasn’t sure if he would ever be able to amass the cost it would take in energy to do what Kaguya had been able to do so easily. Sasuke knew he shouldn’t be disappointed since this was his first try at it. And besides, he had helped defeat the mother of chakra. If anyone could copy Kaguya’s travel between dimensions, it would be him. Sasuke had to because the village depended on him to do so; he had to keep the future bright.

Sasuke frowned when he suddenly realized that he didn’t have enough chakra left to return to his own dimension; he had used up too much trying to stretch the jutsu. He had thought this would happen, had even anticipated it and accepted it. But as Sasuke rolled onto his back and breathed heavily, looking towards where the portal had been milliseconds before, he felt disheartened. He wouldn’t be going back to Suna to find Sakura tonight, then. Sasuke would have to recover here for a night or two before he could go back.

Despite having a talk with himself about Sakura’s well-being on his journey here, Sasuke contemplated it again now. She would be fine. His pink-haired teammate was more than capable of taking care of herself; she didn’t have to prove that to him anymore. Besides, Kankuro was looking out for her if not Gaara. She was busy with her own duties anyway. As long as she rested, she would be fine. Sasuke closed his eyes and let the sand-filled air brush against his face. She would be fine.

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Sakura was not fine for several reasons. The first was that she had been running off of only a few hours of sleep. How was she supposed to get any of the rest she needed if the kunoichi spent the night wondering about Sasuke? Sakura had tossed half the night in anger and the other half in worry. She knew that Sasuke lived in this exact same situation for two years without her worrying about him. Maybe it had been the encounter with the ninja back in Tanigakure, that still had Sakura’s nerves on edge. The two of them hadn’t met their pursuers since, but Sakura was still concerned about the confrontation and had never discovered the motive behind their attack. The identities of the ninja still remained a mystery as well. Her major concern was the fact that they had meant to do Sasuke harm first by breaching his room while the Uchiha had been asleep in hers. They came to hers next, Sakura rationalized, only because Sasuke had been absent. Were they really after Sasuke, or was the entire occurrence completely random because they were foreign leaf shinobi? If they were after Sasuke, how long would it take for them to track him down while he was alone in the desert, awayfrom the village and away from her? These were the thoughts that resurfaced in Sakura’s mind all night, and she only managed a little sleep because she ended up reminding herself that Sasuke was one of the strongest ninja in the world, and that if anyone was after him, he would easily handle the situation and deal with the enemy on his own.

The second reason why Sakura was not fine, was because they were unable to locate her patient, Isao. After his first appointment with her, Sakura had developed a medicine that would help Isao sleep more soundly throughout the night to help with his night terrors. When his appointment time came first thing in the morning, he didn’t show. One of the staff members had walked down to his father’s house and had not found anyone home. It was evening now, and Isao had still not made an appearance. Sakura finally settled with writing Isao’s father a note explaining her wish to see the boy and having the same staff member take it and leave it at their house.

Despite not seeing Isao, Sakura’s schedule was full. Everyone in the village expressed a desire to be seen by the pink-haired medic, either because they believed in her advanced abilities or because they wanted to be included in the rare event. Sakura used their curiosity against them and was able to quickly give them a full exam as well as create detailed medical records for the majority of Sunagakure’s citizens.

When Kankuro came to check on her, Sakura embarrassingly assured him that she was more than fine despite the workload. She was in the middle of organizing these records when Kankuro reminded her to make time to see the sunset while she was here. She had briefly mentioned it to him when they had first arrived, and it seemed he still remembered their conversation.

“Oh!” she exclaimed. “Yes, I was able to catch glimpses of it yesterday. I imagine I’ll have some time left to do so once I’ve finished up here.”

Kankuro nodded in response and said, “You are doing so much here. Take time for yourself, too.”

“Oh, I will!” she promised again as he exited the building, wondering why he was emphasizing this point to her. Sakura had too much on her plate tonight such as finish the records, go over what new information she learned from Isao’s referral, as well as check on the patients that stayed overnight at the children’s medic clinic. She even considered staying with them overnight since she assumed Sasuke wouldn’t be back any time soon; she honestly didn’t know how long her teammate would be away. A couple of days? Weeks? She prayed it wasn’t so. Sakura rose her chin and faced her work confidently. If she had any hope whatsoever of one day loving this man and having him love her in return, then she had better get used to this. Sasuke Uchiha would return eventually.

Chapter Text

When Sakura spotted Isao slouching tiredly in an olive chair across from the welcoming desk, she almost stumbled in her happiness. Across the room, she offered the boy a friendly expression as he met her direct gaze and he blushed shyly and looked away from her and down at his feet. When she announced his name to come back, the boy nervously rubbed his wrists as he stood and then placed his hands behind his back in a manner of such mature politeness that had Sakura smiling widely at him. As they walked to the exam room, Isao continued rubbing at his wrists and Sakura frowned at the behavior because it was the first time she was seeing him do so.

“Is everything okay, Isao?” Sakura asked, wondering why he was suddenly exhibiting nervousness in her presence. Just like today, Isao had been weary when she saw him last, but this time, his tiredness didn’t hide the anxiety.

“Yes ma’am,” he responded after a second’s hesitation. Sakura had the gut wrenching feeling that everything was notokay. When they entered the assigned room, Mako was waiting for them with the child’s chart; Sakura assumed this meant he wanted to be present for the child’s examination. After checking vitals, she wasted no time before diving into the assessment.

The child was half-asleep by the time she finished checking his blood pressure and Isao snapped awake when she spoke.

“We missed you yesterday, but I am glad that you could make it today.”

To Sakura’s disappointment, Isao only nodded and did not offer up any more information, so Sakura tried a different question. “How have you slept the past couple of nights?”

Isao yawned ironically before saying, “Not good. I’ve had an episode each night.” The boy looked away from Sakura then, embarrassed, as if admitting this truth to her was shameful in some way. Sakura looked more closely at his facial features, noting the dark circles under his eyes. It wasn’t just that he was waking up in the middle of the night; from the looks of those dark eyes and his exhausted state, it seemed he was staying awake throughout the night.

Sakura wanted to immediately send him home to get more rest, but she was afraid that if she did so, she might not get him back to the clinic again. The child was practically falling asleep in the chair across from her and when she asked questions, he’d rub his wrists nervously. She noted how they were starting to chafe now but had been untouched during his last visit. This was a new behavior, which told Sakura that there was a new variable to this sleepless situation.

“Isao,” Sakura asked, casually writing this observation down on a clipboard on the counter beside her, “It says on your record that you had a sleep study done with us. Who did this study?”

“I did,” he replied immediately, “Or, well, my dad did after we were shown how.”

Sakura couldn’t help but look over at Mako who narrowed his eyes too at the child’s words. Isao’s primary care physician hadn’t told them that the sleep study was self-performed. When Mako had finally found Isao’s doctor, the man said that “stress” had been the deciding factor because the sleep study had ruled out other medical factors. Sleep studies were sometimes done this way, but in this particular case, Sakura believed that it was necessary for herto complete another. Maybe removing him from his home for a night would help the child sleep anyway.

“Isao,” she began, already making up her mind about the situation. “Would you like to stay here for the night? We need to do another sleep study in this facility with our doctors.”

The child’s eyes widened, and he gawked at her as if she had just requested him to commit murder. He stumbled over his words as sweat began to bead on his forehead. “I don’t… uh… think so,” he stuttered, “I don’t think that would be… good. My dad,” he began, but then stopped himself instantly.

After a minute of not receiving anything else from him except shaking, Sakura made eye contact with Mako, silently communicating to him her wishes. Sakura wouldn’t force Isao to stay, but she wanted to emphasize the importance of the suggestion. But if Isao was displaying such nervous behavior around her, then perhaps this negative response to the idea was because of her too. She was a foreign ninja after all; maybe there was mistrust there. Isao did mention something about his father. Maybe if Sakura stepped out of the room for a moment, Mako could help him understand. As if reading her thoughts, Mako nodded and Sakura stood to leave.

“I’ll be right back,” she spoke softly. “I’ll give you a few minutes to decide while Mako-san finishes up your chart.”

Again, Isao bowed without a word. He only continued to rub his wrists and tap his foot. Sakura frowned to herself and exited.

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A message had been sent to Isao’s absent father after Mako was able to convince Isao that an overnight stay was in his best interest. Mako had informed her that the child had been anxious at first for unknown reasons, but Mako had explained to the adolescent that Isao would barely see them during the night; they just wanted to re-check his heartrate, blood pressure, and breathing while he slept. When insured with a good night’s sleep, the child finally conceded.

Sakura had Mako write down everything during the conversation, so she could look at it on her own later. The child was definitely stressed, but Sakura couldn’t yet pinpoint why. Maybe these notes would help her put some puzzle pieces together.

In the meantime, she prepared a room for Isao in the children’s clinic. Sakura had helped pick the design for these rooms. She had explained to Gaara and the other head medics that it would be best to have quarters that didn’t look like the exam rooms in the hospital. Children were often afraid of hospitals, so Sakura described that these apartments should be made to look like common Sunagakure living spaces that these children were used to seeing frequently. It was always best to help kids feel like they weren’t in a medical facility. When the decision was unanimously in favor of this idea, Gaara had ordered it to be so and had toys and book shelves brought in. They decorated these rooms as calmly as they were able: flowers in a large windowsill, white curtains and matching bedspread, a Sunagakure rope rug on the floor, and small pastel paintings of the village on the walls. Besides the newly invented machinery in the corner needed for medical purposes, the rooms were relaxing and varied slightly depending on age.

Isao’s room, one of the bedchambers for young adolescents, had books with legends and entertaining stories instead of small toys; even in the Leaf, Sakura wanted the spaces to be free from historical documents or anything else that might trigger an emotional disturbance due to the warring past. Sakura wanted children to feel like regular kids when they were here, because most of the time, it was the shinobi life that was affecting them in some way.

Sakura believed this might be true for Isao as well. The child of 11 was beginning to pursue being a ninja here in Sunagakure. Maybe it was this change that was causing Isao anxiety. If his mother had died in the war, maybe he associated her death with the ninja way of life; perhaps his father pushed him toward this goal. This was all speculation of course, but Sakura didn’t have much to go on here; she hoped she’d learn more during Isao’s stay.

Mako had escorted Isao to his room and told him to make himself at home. When Sakura had brought him dinner, the nervous behavior began again so she set the tray down and departed quickly with a kind smile.

“He’s cautious of me, I think,” she told Mako after making her way down the two stories of stairs and back into the reception lobby.

Mako looked up from his work at the tall, ivory counter with an expression of worry. “No miss, I’m sure it’s just nerves.”

Sakura leaned over the counter next to him and reached for a small jug of water that had been given to her at the beginning of the day. She took a long drink of refreshing water before replying dejectedly, “He only displays that jumpy behavior when I’m near.”

Mako started to shake his head, but Sakura waved a hand in dismissal. She knew Mako was just trying to reassure her. The entire staff treated her as if she were a miracle worker and Mako didn’t want her upset while she was working with them. Perhaps he was afraid that she might not return again after she departed Sunagakure, or maybe it was because she was a guest of the Kazekage’s. Or, she thought again, he just genuinely liked her and didn’t want her to feel out of place here.

“I have a suspicion that it might be because I’m not from this village,” she announced, tapping her fingers on the counter in thought. “Do we know anything about his family? Their sentiments towards other villages or outsiders? Anything about his mom?”

“I will look into it immediately, Miss,” Mako replied, and then with a comforting beam, announced, “I am certain that the boy will warm up to you soon.”

Sakura wanted to tell him he wasn’t being much help while trying to spare her feelings, but she only grinned back in return as he worked.

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This was day three in Sunagakure, and Sakura’s routine was still rather busy. After dinner, Isao sat up in bed trying to read a book despite how tired he was. Mako stopped by in the hours between sunset and nightfall, making sure the machinery was functioning properly in preparation for his sleep. From what Sakura was witnessing in the brief check-ins she was conducting on the youth, he appeared to be much like a toddler that was fighting sleep. Sakura sent Mako in before seven o’clock with some hot tea that Sakura hoped would soothe the boy. He wouldn’t drink it, but the pink-haired medic refused to try the sleeping concoction she had made for Isao. She didn’t want to try anything new until after the study was completed; using it now would hurt their efforts instead of helping because they needed to observe his typical sleep habits, however bad they may be.

While Sakura waited for Isao to fall asleep, she worked with the machine expert to monitor the data that was being sent to a very large box that took up an entire wall in the observation room. The device was printing out various numbers on ivory pieces of paper that the machine was spitting at her feet. All these numbers were telling Sakura what she needed to know about Isao’s sleep such as his sleep stages, body and eye movements, oxygen levels, and breathing rate. Mako was by her side throughout the entire process and collected and organized the papers for her while she evaluated some new information Mako had gathered for her.

Mako had investigated Isao’s family through sources in the village and Sakura went over his hand-written notes after he had explained them to her. Both Isao’s father and mother, Tokoro Souta and Tokoro Rina, were shinobi in the last war. Souta, Isao’s father, had been injured during the war but had made a recovery. Rina, on the other hand, had been one of the many that had lost their lives in the war. Sakura wracked her brain desperately for any recognition of the name. If the Sand kunoichi had been sent to Sakura in the war to be healed, wouldn’t Sakura have seen her? Or for that matter, if Souta had been healed, perhaps Sakura had treated him in the war. Both of the names were unfamiliar to her; Sakura had helped thousands of patients in the war.

The longer that Isao fought his sleep, the more concerned Sakura became. It was almost like he was afraid to sleep; didn’t want to sleep. Maybe he had lied to her about dreaming during the night terrors. Perhaps he did in fact have nightmares that he didn’t want to face. Nightmares of his mother? Something else?

Sakura decided that the child needed to be reassured considering that he might be fearful, and so she made the two-story climb and knocked lightly on his door. Mako had insisted on coming with her, but she asked him to stay behind to evaluate any data her interaction with him might reveal.

“Isao?” she called softly, “Do you mind if I come in?”

“No ma’am, please come in.” Sakura recognized the hitch in his voice and resolved herself to be patient and kind to this confused child who treated her with such uneasiness.

“Isao,” she began, pouring him a cup of tea from the kettle that he had yet to touch, “we cannot help you if you refuse to sleep. Why are you frightened?”

Without a second of hesitation, the child asked, “Is my dad here?”

“No,” she responded calmly despite being taken aback by this question. “He is not.”

“Does he know that I am here?” he asked immediately after her response.

Sakura couldn’t help but tilt her head at his concern and answer honestly, “We sent him a notice that said you were going to stay with us tonight. He hasn’t responded.”

Isao began rubbing his wrists again, and whispered, “He won’t like that I am here.”

“What do you mean?” Sakura inquired quickly, worried that he might shut down at any moment.

“He won’t like that I am in a hospital. It means that I am being ‘weak.’”

Sakura’s motherly instincts kicked in at this confession, and she couldn’t help but reach towards him. She felt foolish the moment she did so, because Isao pulled back from her in terror and flinched as if she might do him harm.

Raising her hands in front of her in apology, Sakura did something that she recurrently did in circumstances like this. Instead of leaning towards him in a chair, she adopted a spot on the floor, a tactic to make her appear less threatening and more humble. Frequently, when people are anxious, having someone stand over them or talk down to them—even if that person is being humane—causes more involuntary stress for the individual. It was a basic, inherent instinct that many people weren’t even aware was in play. Touching or any sort of physical contact would also not work for comfort. When Sakura witnessed children have negative reactions to certain behaviors, it was often safe to conclude that they were reacting negatively because they were recognizing the pattern of behavior that lead up to the treatment they were often used to receiving. Sakura realized that Isao must have often dealt with someone of authority standing over him and possibly engaging in bodily contact. This meant that in order to reach him, Sakura would have to do the exact opposite of that.

She crossed her legs, leaned her back against the side of his bed, and broke eye contact. She yawned and took a drink from the glass of tea that she had offered to him. She could feel the shock radiating off of Isao at her unusual behavior, and so she decided to address his confession and wait for him to make the first moves of opening up.

“You know Isao,” Sakura began, taking another calming sip of tea, “There are many sicknesses. Sicknesses of the body and many sicknesses of the psyche, or a person’s mind. And it certainly doesn’t mean that you are weak.”

“Really?” he murmured tiredly in question at the back of her head.

“Actually, it means the opposite,” she continued, “It means that life has dealt you something that others do not have to struggle with and that battle makes you stronger. You are having to fight every day against something that many people are free of.”

There was a small silence before Sakura recognized the clinking of the teapot behind her. Sakura smiled as she heard Isao finally reached for the kettle at his bedside and poured himself a cup of the steaming liquid. He reached over her shoulder for her cup too, refilling it to the brim before handing it back to her.

When he readjusted himself on the bed, Isao sat with his back against the headboard and admitted, “You remind me of my mom. Before she died, she was compassionate like you. And knew a lot about things.”

Sakura briefly made eye contact again, just long enough to show him her sympathy, and then looked back into her tea as she replied to that statement with: “I am sorry that your mother died in the war. She must have been a very brave woman.”

“She was,” he confirmed after taking a very long drink of tea and leaning his head back against the headboard.

Sakura took her chance to say something else before the effects of the tea took its course on his body; he was so very tired, and it wouldn’t take much of the hot beverage to lull him into a doze. “Just like sicknesses of the body,” she began, “sicknesses of the mind are sometimes caused by something. Our bodies fight against viruses, against things that it has been exposed to.”

In her peripheral vision to her right, Sakura could see him nod in understanding. She continued. “We want to help you, Isao. But to beat a sickness, we have to figure out what it was caused by.”

Sakura paused, but there was no answer. She kept her head down as she asked calmly, “Do you know what’s making you have these terrors? What is making you sick, Isao?”

She waited a long a minute, a very long minute. Sakura almost thought that the boy had fallen asleep. When the kunoichi rotated her back to look at him, she realized that she was mistaken. There were silent tears sinking down his cheeks and a few of them dribbled into his half-empty cup. Through his shaking sobs, the boy choked out the words: “My father.”

Sakura was able to get the rest of the information out of Isao before he slipped weepily into slumber. The child hadn’t rested in two days. His father had punished Isao for going to the hospital on his own for his night terrors by keeping him awake. Souta had articulated to Isao that if he reallywanted to be cured, then he just wouldn’t sleep at all and had forced the child to stand awake the previous two nights. It was why Isao hadn’t arrived at his appointment yesterday; he hadn’t wanted to make his father angrier. The child had changed his mind this morning, it seemed.

Isao had also confessed to her that his father hated Leaf Shinobi. This particular detail explained why the 11 year old had displayed concerning conduct when she was near. Before she parted from the room, Isao said, “My father believes that the last war was Konoha’s fault. If the Kazekage hadn’t been so close with the ninja called Naruto, then Sunagakure wouldn’t have gotten involved and Lord Gaara wouldn’t have played as big of a part as he did. He blames the Leaf for mother’s death.”

Everything was beginning to make sense to Sakura now. Everything except the night terrors themselves. If Isao believed that his father was making him sick, then in what way? Obviously, his father was the stressor in his life, but the unjust discipline that Isao received was after the night terrors began. Sakura supposed that it didn’t really matter in regard to finding the cause; however, in order to develop a treatment, she would need more information.

The last thing Isao confessed before slipping into sleep, was that, “When he finds out, my father will come to get me. He knows about you and that you are a Leaf medic. You must not let him see you Miss, or my punishment will be worse.”

Over my dead body, Sakura thought to herself. She wanted to offer this man a piece of her damn mind. She wanted to give him a thrashing that he deserved for treating his son in such a beastly way. But Sakura had to remind herself that it wouldn’t be uncommon for resentment to exist after the war, especially concerning lost loved ones. Oh, she’d be ready when he came. He would either have to talk to her—or fight her if he tried to penalize Isao for seeking medical attention. It was time for peace to begin for everyone: children and adults.

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Sakura had stayed up all night to conduct Isao’s sleep study. The terror had happened early on and witnessing the episode broke Sakura’s heart. There was no dreaming that occurred according to the data; the attack happened in NREM sleep where dreaming did not occur. Isao had not been lying about not recalling dreams. Mako had insisted that they let the night terror run its course, so they could have the most complete data, but after 10 minutes of non-stop screaming and thrashing, Sakura concluded that it had been long enough for their purposes.

When she finally woke him, Isao clung to her and sobbed afterwards, questioning her repeatedly “What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with me?” and Sakura had rocked him back and forth, whispering soothingly that nothing was wrong with him and she would figure this all out; she would make the terrors stop.

Sakura realized after she positioned him back down on the bed and secured the blanket around him, that perhaps he was always punished for these episodes after they happened and never got any real sleep. Sakura decided to sit next to him on the floor for the rest of the night, holding his hand as he fell back asleep. The night terror didn’t come back.

When she woke the next morning before sunrise, Kankuro was crouching down in front of her grinning. Mako peered down at her too, standing just behind Kankuro’s shoulder. Sakura realized that she must have fallen asleep here on the rug beside Isao’s bed. The child’s arm hung off the bed, his fingers brushing the rug where Sakura’s own hand had been. They had held hands with each other and had let go at some point in the night as Sakura, too, had fallen asleep.

Kankuro was whispering something to her, obviously not wanting to rouse Isao too. When he offered her his hand, Sakura took it appreciatively, allowing the puppet-master to raise her onto her feet. When the door was closed behind them, Mako passed a mug of Sunagakure coffee to Kankuro, who in turn, fit it snug in-between Sakura’s sleepy palms as if he had done so a thousand times.

“You really do over-do it don’t you?” Kankuro probed entertainingly, tossing her a laugh over his shoulder as they made their way down the stairs to the lobby. One of the female medics—a well-mannered young girl named Hisa that reminded Sakura of her own apprentice Kirai—fetched the kunoichi a chair.

After she planted herself onto the stool with another yawn, she groggily explained to Kankuro what she had been up to recently and even articulated to him everything she had learned about Isao. This included the treatment he was receiving at home and his father’s sentiments towards Konoha. Kankuro frowned, clearly forming a mental picture of the man described.

“The man you speak of was sent on a mission just yesterday,” Kankuro informed her, “I’ll let the Kazekage know what you have found out about this situation. He might not be able to change that man’s opinions about the Leaf, but he certainly won’t tolerate abuse. In the meantime, let’s keep the boy here until his father returns.”

“Yes, sir,” Sakura promised him, somewhat hopeful for the boy’s future. At least something would be done about this.

Kankuro crossed his arms as he turned to lean his back against the counter beside her. “I came to tell you that I am being dispatched on a mission of my own just outside of the village. I’ll be gone for a couple of days and wanted to make sure that you would be okay here without an escort.”

“Oh,” Sakura started, “I’ll be fine. I’m in my element here.”

“I can see that,” he replied in kind, standing and making for the exit. “We cannot tell you how thankful we are for the role you have played in our facilities.”

Sakura smiled in response but then scowled when Kankuro placed a hand on Mako’s shoulder and proclaimed, “I’m passing duty on to you. Make sure she rests please.”

Sakura wanted to say, “hold on just a minute” but the words couldn’t come out before Mako bowed with a “Sir!” and Kankuro left with a slight wave.

.

.

.

Sakura spent the day checking on Isao. It seemed that the child needed to catch up on a lot of sleep apparently, because at noon, he was still out of it. Sakura didn’t dare wake him. If he was in deep sleep, Sakura would not disturb that since the REM sleep cycle was free from terrors.

Isao had been right about his father, because at around four o’clock, Satou made his intense appearance. Mako had been updating Isao’s chart while Sakura demonstrated how to create gelatin capsules and pack them with herbs to create “prescriptions” that patients could take home. Sakura had packed twenty-four pods with powdered chamomile, valerian root, and magnesium, all of which would help Isao sleep and hopefully help the boy pass on to REM sleep more quickly; maybe they could try it while Isao was staying at the clinic, so she could observe the medicine’s direct effects for herself.

Just as she finished labeling the prescription bottle, Satou slammed open the doors of the children’s mental health clinic. Seeing Hisa first, Satou growled and made a beeline for her, shouting, “WHERE IS MY SON?”

Hisa, the youngest staff member of the clinic, gaped up at the man in astonishment as he bellowed down at her. Sakura had always been respectful and polite when talking to her elders and had wished that when she did finally encounter Satou, she would be able to receive the man with some civility. But witnessing him charge in with the same mannerisms she had been envisioning him using with Isao, made something in the kunoichi snap. Sakura was usually the calm and collected one in situations like this, but when it came to children, inner-Sakura sometimes took the stage. Sensing this shift in attitude, Mako instinctively placed himself in front of Sakura, but Sakura scooted him out of her way and yelled back, “If you’ve got a problem, you take it up with me!”

When Satou revolved his head in her direction, a glower permanently stitched to his face, and stomped his way over to her, Sakura bared her teeth in response. What a bully! How could such a mature, kind-hearted child come from such a terrible person? Sakura tried to get a grip by reminding herself that this man too had been affected by the war. Maybe things had been different before the death of his wife. Maybe he used to be a loving father to his son and a caring husband to Rina.

Or maybe not, Sakura thought as he came to stand over her, steam practically coming out of his nostrils and curling across the planes of her cheeks. Sakura squared her shoulders and glared back at him with equal venom, saying nothing with words but with body language alone. Sakura had faced giants; had defeated foe after foe in the Fourth Shinobi World War and had even stared into the eyes of Kaguya herself; she sure as hell wasn’t afraid of him. Sakura would be damned if she let this man past her and up the stairs to where Isao slept.

She noted suddenly how Mako and the other staff stood around them in a semi-circle, ubale to be anything but spectators as the two ninja narrowed their eyes at one another. Sakura wouldn’t be harassed by him here. How could she ever expect Isao to stand up to this jerk, if she didn’t model that now?

“Sir,” she bit out between teeth, “I suggest you have a seat, so we can talk.”

A big meaty finger jabbed her in the chest, hard enough to bruise, but Sakura didn’t flinch. The fury and hatred in Satou’s voice rang in her ears as he snarled, “I want my son back NOW, and I’m not going to talk to a Leaf Village bitch about it either.”

Sakura was tempted to break the man’s fingers that dug sharply into her chest. She could feel the chakra vibrating beneath her skin in response to her own emotions, but she tried to stay level-headed; she really did, but her inner-self was cursing in rage at this sort of disrespect. Thankfully, Sakura didn’t have to teach him a lesson because someone else broke his fingers for her.

Blinding sand abruptly encased the man’s fingers that were jabbing into Sakura’s collar bone. The crack was the sound that precluded Satou’s blood-curdling scream at the sudden unexpected pain of his joints being popped out of place. The brute of a ninja fell to his knees in pain.

Sakura spun to see Gaara, the Kazekage dressed in all his regalia, standing in the entrance of the clinic, his voice unusually calm despite the wrath that flashed in his eyes. “Touch her again,” he drawled in that raspy voice of his, “and you’ll have more than your fingers to worry about.”

“Lord Kazekage,” Satou hissed out through his pain. “This woman–she took my son–”

“From my report,” Gaara interrupted collectedly, “your son came here on his own looking for medical attention.”

Satou regained himself and stood up straight despite still holding his injured hand. He started to say something, but the Kazekage spoke again. “Sakura, Sunagakure’s honored guest, was generous enough to treat your son personally and has gone above and beyond for him. The only thing you should be doing is thanking her.”

But Satou did not thank Sakura. He glared at her instead, a look of more malice than he had shown her a second ago.

Sakura expected the refusal to enrage Gaara; it certainly would have made Naruto fuming mad. Naruto would have twisted his face up and pointed a finger Satou’s face with impractical threats. But like many kage, Gaara was wise and had quickly checked his emotions, reigning with calm again in this situation. Sakura knew the type of Kazekage that Gaara was. He certainly wouldn’t allow Satou to treat her with insult (that’s what the broken fingers were for), but he didn’t have to use fear to govern his people or keep them in order. Gaara had proven himself over and over again to the citizens of Sunagakure and they loved him for his sacrifices and devotion. They also knew of his unmatched power and skill, and as a whole, respected him as their leader.

Even though Isao had told her about Satou’s particular feelings toward the Kazekage, Satou did not hesitate to obey when the Kazekage ordered, “Have a seat like she asked, Satou. We need to talk.”

Chapter Text

Speaking with Satou was one of the most difficult things Sakura had ever done. Satou was angry at the world; angry at his Kazekage for involving their village in the war, angry at Konoha because of their relationship with Suna; angry at Sakura for not having been able to see his wife before she died and save her life. Everything Isao had told her about his father was true. Satou blamed everyone he could and detested his only child because of the constant memory he represented of Rina.

The man’s eyes had turned glassy once as he screamed and pointed a finger at the Kazekage who remained emotionless. But then Isao walked down the stairs, already ducking his head and cringing at his father’s voice. When Satou made eye contact with his son, the tears vanished, and he shot out of his seat and glared icily at the boy. “You—” he began, but then Gaara stood, reminding Satou of his presence.

The Kazekage decided that it would be best if Satou was removed from the children’s mental health clinic. He was sent across the street to the hospital where Sakura felt like it would be beneficial for the man to be attended to. Sakura was starting to realize that maybe children weren’t the only ones that benefited from a mental health clinic. How was there supposed to be hope for the next generation if the previous one passed on their grievance to their children?

She expressed this concern to Gaara as they walked together towards the Sunagakure entrance. The Kazekage had received the news about Isao from Kankuro before his brother left and when hearing that Satou had returned, Gaara knew he would most likely be seeking out the child. Gaara hadn’t been a moment too late when he, too, decided to make a trip to the children’s clinic. After reasoning with Satou, Gaara turned to Sakura and expressed his desire to take her to watch the sunset—something Kankuro had told him their guest had yet to do for herself. The Kazekage felt like the event would be a good respite for the both of them.

“To assume that peace would be enough for this generation has been our error in thinking,” Gaara responded thoughtfully, “However, peace has always been the ultimate goal to prevent more pain in the future. It will have to be enough for them.”

Sakura contemplated his response for a minute as they strode down the main street towards the western exit of the village. The ninja of the last war fought for this dream, but when a few took account of their losses and sacrifices, some believed that very dream to be a lie now that they suffered personally from unhappiness. Satou was not the first that Sakura had encountered to feel this way, but he was the only person that Sakura knew of to be taking it out on his own child, which in turn, without help might be damaged himself and angry later on. The steps that Sakura had already taken towards this epidemic were the right ones, but what more could she be doing now that she knew there was moreto do?

“It has been an inaccuracy,” she agreed as Gaara peered over at her change in facial expressions, “to think that only children could suffer. What if we included adults in our mental health program too?”

Gaara’s eyes tightened a fraction in thought as he considered her words, so she added, “It would be harder, but maybe somebody could help these people.”

Without even a second of hesitation, the sand-wielder commented, “Somebody like Naruto.”

Naruto. Somebody like Naruto who could reach down into someone’s soul and find the light there. Naruto, who had a permanent effect on everyone who he came in contact with. Naruto Uzumaki had been able to stir the hearts of Zabuza, Nagato, and Obito, inspiring them to fight for his dream. He was the ninja who never gave up on his friend and brought Sasuke back from the darkness. Even this very Kage, who walked casually beside her, had once been considered a demon before Naruto had gotten to him.

“Like you, Lord Kazekage.” Gaara’s expression of shock was what made Sakura giggle. Gaara had not been expecting anyone to ever compare him to the ninja he admired most.

He didn’t say anything, so Sakura decided to elaborate as they finally reached the canyon opening at the back of the village. “You remind me of him a lot, actually. Whenever you lead us to war after your speech, I had thought at the time that not even Naruto could have inspired so many people at one time. You have a gift.”

She could see that the words moved Gaara. His face lightened slightly as he nodded a thanks in her direction.

When the two of them finally made it through the rocky break in the walls, Sakura stopped dead on her feet at the long-awaited sight. The sunset was just how Kankuro had said it would be: absolutely beautiful. The sand dunes were high in the horizon, a dark, uneven backdrop for the sun to fall behind. The sun was currently balanced on the knife’s edge of the farthest peak, trailing a woven blanket of every color of orange behind it.

“Oh wow,” Sakura exclaimed as soon as she stepped out of the shadow and the auburn light illuminated her features. As she said it, Sakura began to hover suddenly as Gaara summoned up the sand at their feet, a compact disc suddenly materializing beneath them. Sakura had never been afraid of heights before, but when the floor shifted, her stomach almost came up her throat. Before she could even ask what was going on, Gaara was stepping off the sand cloud and onto the lowest of the two ridges of the jagged end of the north-west wall. The kunoichi tailed him quickly as the sand began to crumble, and Gaara walked ahead of her like he wasn’t quite aware of how unusual it was to fly people around on sand.

“You do this often?” Sakura called out as the sand platform blew away in the wind and she stood staring out at the vast expanse of desert that rolled in amber waves before her. She had never been this high up in her lifetime. Sakura felt like she was on top of the world as the evening breeze ruffled her hair and she turned to look over the tops of the stucco houses belonging to Suna.

“Sometimes when I need to get away and think, I come up here,” he announced, taking a seat a little down from where she stood, an arm propped on his knee as he too gazed out at the place that shared his name sake “Gaara of the Desert.” Even though Gaara was the Kazekage and had an official office, Sakura suddenly realized that she was beholding at a king who was sitting on his real throne. Sakura took that as her cue to do the same, so she plopped down too, choosing to dangle her legs over the edge of this giant seat.

“Thanks for bringing me up here,” she said after a second, realizing suddenly that he might not share this with many people.

Gaara offered her a small grin, “I never got to really thank you for what you did for my brother; what your team did for me.”

Ah. So that was it. When the Akatsuki came and abducted Gaara, Kankuro had been attacked and poisoned by Sasori. After developing an antidote that saved Kankuro’s life, Sakura had joined the rest of her team to help rescue the Kazekage. Even though Chiyo had been the one to technically revive Gaara by giving him her life, it seemed that the Kazekage still felt indebted to Team 7 and other leaf shinobi involved. That was why Gaara was being especially kind during this visit.

Sakura had seen Gaara several times before over the last couple of years and had met mostly with him during conferences or when he was around several advisors and council members. The last time she had convened with only him and his siblings, it was because Gaara had concerns about Sasuke (or rather unbeknownst to them at the time, it was actually a double of Sasuke.) Sakura supposed this was why she met with Gaara’s official and down-to-business persona more often than this normal, approachable version of him. It was so strange, Sakura thought as she observed the ninja a few feet away from her, how this leader with a heart had once been the monster Sakura had stared in the face as she stood guard over Sasuke. How different he was now in contrast to who he used to be. The Kazekage had a bigger love for this village now than he had ever possessed in hatred, and it was a vision that gave Sakura hope for her own goal to restore happiness to this generation and the one before. If Gaara and Sasuke could come back from such darkness, why couldn’t everyone else?

“You’re a friend,” Sakura told him, “and to be honest,” she confessed, “Naruto considers you one of his closest companions and your support of him and our village has been payback enough.”

And then Sakura told him about Naruto, how he was doing, what he had been up to recently, and what he was doing currently. Of course, Sakura couldn’t contain the news that had only been recently shared with Sakura, herself. Gaara was surprised and overjoyed to hear about the new member that Naruto and Hinata would soon welcome to their family.

And then the Kazekage admitted something to her that he had been thinking about doing in regards to family. “I wouldn’t be against adoption, myself. It’s something new I am considering.”

“Really?” Sakura beamed, delighted too for this man who would make any child an excellent father figure despite having a bad past with his own.

“The children’s clinic has had its own impact on me, you could say.”

Sakura smiled again at such a compliment and the Kazekage added rapidly, “I think I’ll wait a while yet to make an official decision. Something that big needs a lot of thought.”

Sakura couldn’t help but agree. Gaara was the Kazekage after all, and a very young one at that. His responsibilities grew by day and a child would definitely complicate things. Sakura also imagined that the council probably pressured him when it came to marriage and other long-term commitments. Everything would probably be filtered through his advisors, first.

Sakura sighed, thinking of her own future. She was on such unlevel ground with Sasuke, who knew if she would ever marry or have children with the love of her life. If not with him, would she ever find that sort of happiness with someone that lead to building a family? She had told Sasuke she wouldn’t move on, and maybe in her heart, she never would. If this was to be her outcome, then she could always adopt like Gaara. Maybe someone like Isao, who needed a mother desperately in their life, would be the child to make Sakura a mother.

It seemed Gaara’s main purpose of visiting was because he needed to talk to her about some intel, because he announced to her, “I’m afraid I’ll be rather occupied during the next few days; Kankuro too. We have had some trouble along the border between Sunagakure and the neighboring counties.”

Sakura’s ears pricked, and her eyes widened at the information. Her thoughts immediately jumped to Sasuke, who she imagined to be in the desert surrounding Suna this very minute. What if something had happened? Before her overanalytical brain could begin creating imaginary scenarios, Sakura asked, “What sort of trouble?”

He clarified by saying, “Rumors mostly about travelers. A few have been stirring up trouble as they pass through local towns. Kankuro has gone to investigate these reports.”

Sakura sincerely hoped this had nothing to do with the masked ninja that had attacked her and Sasuke during their passage through Tanigakure. She quickly relayed the story to Gaara, recalling all the details as if it had only occurred yesterday. The Kazekage listened patiently and even asked her to illustrate the strangers several times so he could commit the description to memory.

“I should have mentioned it earlier,” she apologized once she finished conveying the distressing event.

“I’m just glad you did,” the Kazekage solaced positively. “I’ll inform Kankuro immediately.”

… … … … … … … … … .

Sasuke Uchiha had been stuck in that damn core dimension for three nights straight. After his failed attempt to circumvent it completely by transporting directly to Kaguya’s connected sand dimension, Sasuke had spent the night laying on his back in the dirt. As he rested immobilized in the sand, Sasuke remembered how Kakashi used to get physically after overusing his sharingan; his former sensei, not being an Uchiha, would be bedridden for days as the result of depleted chakra levels. Sasuke knew that the same thing was happening to him. According to Hogoromo, Sasuke was the reincarnation of Indra, and an Uchiha at that, and was therefore a natural candidate for the Rinnegan once Hogoromo’s chakra had been introduced. In other words, it wasn’t an issue of heritage that was causing this fatigue, but he knew it was similar to Kakashi’s situation in the matter that Sasuke was overusing a power that had not once belonged to him. More simply, it was like overusing the Mangekyo once gained; that is until one achieved the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan through transplant of a relative’s eyes and then no longer experienced the negative side effects.

In any case, Sasuke hadn’t been able to hardly move the first night after the attempt and had contemplated just how he would be able to achieve the next step in this dimension traveling process. First, he desperately needed more chakra. Granted, he had never been able to do what he had done before, and Sasuke believed that his theory of being in the dimension’s double (the desert) was what had made summoning its portal even possible. He needed more chakra; had to have it despite his efforts around it. It was the only way to pull this off.

On the second and third nights, Sasuke had managed to walk over and find a small incline of rock and took shelter under the ledge while he rested. Sasuke had thought that if he recovered quickly enough, he might try teleporting to the sand dimension a second time at the same spot where the rift in time-space might be weaker now. Maybe thatwas his next step. But when the next morning came, and Sasuke could manage heavy walking, he found himself stumbling slowly across the vast red dune dimension in the opposite direction—back south towards Sunagakure. While his body worked up enough chakra to teleport back into his own realm, Sasuke had decided to hike the distance in this dimension, so that when he teleported, he wouldn’t have much travel time left towards the village.

Sasuke didn’t admit to himself at first that it was his reoccurring thoughts of Sakura that had him calling it quits early. The Uchiha had dreamt another delusion again where Sakura needed his protection from an unknown enemy and when Sasuke woke, he had reasoned with himself that it was all imaginary and there was no need to worry. Regardless, Sasuke found himself on his feet soon afterwards. He knew without a doubt that his female companion was more than capable of taking care of herself and was probably focused on her own work without a second thought about him, but his worry still persisted. Sasuke felt that he at least needed to check on her just to make sure that she was being careful, cautious, and of course, not overworking herself. Naruto and Kakashi would want him to while she was in his care, right?

What Sasuke also told himself as he neared the end of his journey, was that he needed time to contemplate his current issue with chakra reserves and recover completely anyway. Maybe Sakura could advise him in this entire situation, being one of the world’s leading experts in medical science.

When the tomoes finally reappeared on his Rinnegan, Sasuke breathed in and ripped a hole in space, a black vortex spiraling in the air before him. When Sasuke stepped through the portal, he reappeared on the dunes bordering the northern wall of the Sand Village. Sasuke breathed in the sudden surge of oxygen blown to him from the western wind and noticed that the sun had almost completely set. It was dusk now and a purple sky greeted his return. A few minutes more and darkness would completely settle on the Sand Village. Sasuke thought it would be best if he headed straight to his lodgings since that was where Sakura would soon be heading if she was leaving the hospital. Or at least, he hoped so.

When Sasuke made his way along the wall towards the western opening—the same path he had taken on his way out of the village—he soon realized his assumption about Sakura’s current location had been wrong. Her voice rang like a familiar hailing bell somewhere in the air above him, and when he located it as he rounded the corner, his relief was a palpable weight off his shoulders. His pink-haired teammate was sitting up on top of a bluff near the exit, unhurt and completely unaware of his presence as she watched the sun sink below the mountains of sand at his right. The very next second Sasuke realized that she was talking to a person sitting next to her and Sasuke’s relief turned acid as he narrowed his eyes at Gaara, the Kazekage who was apparently partaking in the sunset view with her.

So, he thought to himself, Sakura had been fine all along. The entire trek here he had been thinking of her, and it made Sasuke a little bitter to see her free from the same type of thinking. From the looks of it, she was morethan fine.

Sasuke checked his unmasked glare then, because he was suddenly peering up into the scrutinizing assessment of the silent Kazekage, who had been observing every emotion that Sasuke had let slip onto his face. In the second that Sasuke’s eyes had fallen on Sakura, Gaara must have sensed the Uchiha’s presence and had focused on him before Sasuke had even registered the sand-wielder. Sasuke wiped his expression immediately with embarrassment of being caught, inclining a respectful nod towards the ninja who was currently their host. Sasuke should be grateful to the man for looking after her, not showing him disrespect.

Gaara turned to Sakura then, mumbling something quietly that not even Sasuke could register. He assumed it was a farewell because the Kazekage stood as Sakura gazed up at him, still oblivious to the eyes that watched her from below. Gaara picked a kunai out of his pocket and stuck it into the ground beside her before stepping out onto a platform of sand that materialized before him. With a gesture towards Sakura, Gaara lowered himself on the other side of the wall and disappeared over the tops of the village buildings.

Just as Gaara had anticipated, Sasuke summoned the small amount of chakra it possessed to switch places with the kunai that Gaara had put in place for him; the simple act made Sasuke feel even more guilty for the look he gave him seconds earlier. The Uchiha’s guilt changed to shame when he appeared on his feet beside his travelling companion and Sakura jumped up with joy at seeing him suddenly beside her.

“Sasuke?” she exclaimed, walking up to him and beaming up at him. “I didn’t know you were back!”

“Just arrived,” he grunted tiredly, instantly relaxing by taking Gaara’s seat on the ledge. “Why are you up here?”

“To watch the sunset,” she innocently gestured outward towards the sky. “I hadn’t done so yet, so Gaara brought me. Isn’t it beautiful?”

Sasuke tried not to be annoyed at that statement. In what circumstances had the Kazekage or Sakura thought it a good idea to bring up sunset viewing? Sasuke supposed he still wasa little bothered because before he could stop them, the words came out. “And what did the Kazekage say?”

Sakura crouched down on her knees beside him and began explaining their entire conversation. Sasuke’s irritation was replaced with intrigue as Sakura educated Sasuke about the reports of criminal-like activity on the outskirts of the village. Gaara had made the effort to talk to her about this because it would help explain his and Kankuro’s upcoming absence over the next few days as they investigated the rumors. Sakura had also informed the Kazekage about their most recent encounter with strange ninja. At the mention of it, Sasuke was just relieved to hear that ninja hadn’t made an appearance here while he was away. Sasuke also felt relieved that the entire situation was now in the Kazekage’s hands. Perhaps the encounter with their attackers had been a random occurrence after all and Sasuke wouldn’t have to hear anything more about it.

As she continued to catch him up, Sasuke leaned wearily against the wall of rock behind him and watched her talk from the corner of his eye. Sasuke noticed abruptly that she was wearing the clothes that he had bought for her before he left. Despite the plainness of the style, she made them work wonderfully and Sasuke was thankful that he had guessed the fit right. The looser, more modest top had been intentionally picked and swayed around her agreeably. The light was fading now as stars began to prickle the dark purple horizon and a large rosy moon, too, made an appearance on the skyline. Sakura’s braided hair was a shade darker in the dimness and Sasuke recognized that it was longer now, just below her shoulders.

Soft fingers suddenly brushing his had Sasuke refocusing on Sakura’s words. Her expression was one of concern as she assessed him for any signs of injury, a lifelong habit. As Sakura leaned forward with fretful assessment, Sasuke pressed the fingertips reassuringly that dangled over his palm. “Just a little tired is all,” he admitted.

Sakura didn’t take her hand away as she scooted back against the wall beside him. Sasuke didn’t move his either, even though he tried desperately to convince himself to. He really shouldn’t have grasped her fingers, Sasuke told himself. But this wasn’t bad, was it? Their hands were just grazing one another; that didn’t mean they were holding hands. He wasn’t violating a boundary by resting his knuckles against hers.

“Tell me,” she spoke evenly, seemingly unaffected by their sudden nearness, “what you’ve been doing for the past three days.”

And so he did. All of it. Her face changed to one of uneasiness again as he explained why his absence was so long. He had run out of chakra and spent two days waiting for enough of it to return before he could make the voyage back. He enlightened her about his plan for the next attempt, trying it twice in succession, the first to open the door, and the second effort a day later while using the same door to see if that would get him further.

When Sakura pulled away her hand abruptly and placed it on her leg, Sasuke frowned and fisted his own in response. He backtracked, trying desperately to remember what he might have said that would make her upset. Sasuke instantly knew something was wrong and wanted to ask her about it, but Sasuke had a sinking feeling that it was related to him.

He was saved the trouble of asking as Sakura beheld the sky again and said quietly, “You didn’t say goodbye. I didn’t know that you had left.”

Sasuke looked down into his lap, fisted hand now resting on his knee. The Sasuke a few years ago would have instantly responded with “I don’t have to tell you anything” but he wasn’t that Sasuke anymore. He wanted to tell her that he had tried to go to her but had lost his nerve when Kankuro came out of the greenhouse and caught him looking for her. The reality was that he didn’t have enough steel to stray from the comfort zone of his reserved behavior in front of others. Maybe privately, just between them, Sasuke could have found her and told her he was leaving. But how could he explain that to her without looking like a total coward?

When he hesitated to reply, Sakura whispered in the darkness. “I thought we had a ‘partnership.’”

He returned his gaze to her then, recalling their conversation on the way here about a trust that involved the both of them working together. That’s what he had wanted. A partnership where he wasn’t the sole receiver. But how could a partnership work while they were away on separate missions? He had his own mission and she had hers. Sasuke couldn’t help but feel annoyed about this entire circumstance. Hadn’t he just come back to check on her? Wasn’t he getting distracted from the one goal that the entire world depended on him for?

“I’m sorry,” he admitted quietly. Then he added, “This is how it is for me. I have to leave when I can—”

“You can at least tell me you’re leaving,” Sakura interrupted, still not making eye contact with him. It unnerved him for her to do so. She alwaysmade eye contact with him. “I understand that you have to leave; I don’t expect any different. But a part of a partnership is communication.”

Communication? Between two people who couldn’t ever really be together? He cared about Sakura; he really did. If all she wanted was communication, couldn’t Sasuke give her that? Isn’t that what she had asked of him back in the Leaf too? “Stop dodging me,” she had tried to bargain. More of her words rang in his memory: “We don’t have to be together to love each other, Sasuke.” So, maybe they didn’t, but communication alone wasn’t a relationship that Sakura deserved.

She added again at his silence, “Remember when I had run off to bathe in the woods and you came to find me?” Sasuke instantly wanted to say ‘no’ just out of mortification but Sakura finished by saying, “You had asked me to tell you where I was going before I ran off. How you felt in that moment is how I felt when I realized that you weren’t coming back to our room. I need you to do at least that—to tell me you’re leaving.”

Sasuke’s heart softened and his resolved wavered. It was the imagining of her in that equal amount of distress that had the Uchiha fessing up. “I meant to say goodbye. I went to the greenhouse, but…you were talking to people—so.”

Sakura turned to meet his eyes then and Sasuke felt both shyness and instant relief at the action. To the Uchiha, it was a sign that Sakura’s resentment was passing. Sasuke thought that he might personally prefer the animated angry Sakura that gave him a black eye to this silent one.

“You did?” she asked, her voice lightening considerably. She searched his face for more information that Sasuke didn’t want to give her. The whole point was that he didn’t right?

Sasuke’s smirk was a reaction that his body didn’t make often. “I’ll leave a note next time.” He would do at least that for her—say goodbye in some way.

“I’ll take it,” she smiled in response, elbowing him in the chest and leaning her side fully against his own despite his surprised expression. She ignored him and watched the moon’s progression as it turned into a snowy white, all color gone from the atmosphere now. Her warmth was a comfort that Sasuke hadn’t realized he’d missed while he was away. When they had parted, Sasuke had felt like he had lost his arm again, and now, it felt like a limb had been given back to him. No, he realized, not a limb. An organ. She was one of several pieces of his heart, a valve that Sasuke knew he couldn’t live without—didn’t want to live without. But he had to. Like Itachi had for the world, Sasuke would have to cut out his heart and learn to live without it.

… … … … … … … … … … .

Sakura found herself incredibly nervous as they made their way through the dim alleyways of Sunagakure towards their housing. Unlike Konoha, whose evening streets were alive with activity and lights, only the occasional lantern lit a window in the Sand Village. Sakura theorized that perhaps it was a fire risk to brighten the streets with firelight being that heavy winds traveled between buildings and rushed houses. The wind was especially strong at this very moment as she and Sasuke strode up the path towards the little inn adjacent to the hospital. It didn’t seem to be bothering Sasuke much; the only thing that flapped around him was his poncho. Sakura, on the other hand, clung desperately to her unravelling hair that was a perfect metaphorical illustration for her unraveling nerves.

“Welcome back sir!” Chie exclaimed as the two of them entered, her eyes quickly assessing Sasuke’s unexpected return. Sakura couldn’t help but notice how recurrently dead the place seemed despite the inn-keeper’s claim of full capacity four days ago.

Sakura expressed her thoughts to Sasuke as they made the climb together up the two flights of stairs. She only spoke because there wasn’t anything else she could think to say. “Don’t you feel something off about this place? All the doors are shut like they’re full, but I haven’t met a single soul while here.”

Sasuke answered emotionlessly with, “That’s because no one else is here; at least not on our floor. I think it’s intentional.”

Sakura blinked at that statement. “Our host seemed certain that we had one of the last remaining rooms. What do you mean by intentional?”

“Gaara vacated the place. I thought at first he did it because of safety measures, but I’m not sure.”

Safety from what? Sakura frowned when she quickly realized Sasuke was talking about himself. Did the Kazekage really think that lowly of the ex-convict Uchiha that he would actually evacuate an inn? Sakura chose to give Gaara, the man who had taken her to see the sunset, the benefit of the doubt. It seemed Sasuke was doing the same. She blushed as she considered the other possibility. The only other conclusion she could make was that Kankuro and Gaara had taken the time to ensure their safety… or privacy. That thought did not help her tangled anxiety.

When Sasuke opened the door to their room and walked in, Sakura couldn’t help but hesitate. He glanced back at her, reading her as easily as a book, and in response, Sakura giggled awkwardly/apprehensively before crossing the threshold and closing the door behind her.

After a few minutes of mutual silence, Sakura suggested hurriedly, “How about you take a seat and I’ll check on you really quick before you go to sleep. Just to make sure you’re okay.”

He nodded, possibly too tired to argue with her. The Uchiha was practically dead on his feet and it was hard to tell if he was experiencing even a fraction of the turmoil that was currently taking place inside of Sakura’s stomach. It hadbeen more obvious when they first stayed together; she was the collected one and Sasuke had tossed on the floor all night. Now, it seemed it was reversed.

Her bed, she noticed was messily ruffled from two nights ago; she hadn’t been able to tidy it that morning because she was late and then had stayed at the hospital last night with Isao. Sasuke turned to his own bed instead, seating himself and beginning to remove his shoes. He reached behind him and pulled the poncho over his head, leaving behind the black high-necked long sleeve. Slipping a thumb up under his hair wrap, he removed the firm binding and sand showered from his hair. He shook it all loose and then dusted the loose sand off his pants and quilt.

Taking a panicky breath, Sakura made her way over to him and Sasuke stared indifferently off into space as she touched his forehead with her glowing fingers. He sighed unexpectedly and closed his eyes at her attempt to soothe the pulsing behind his forehead.

“Does that feel better?” she asked him, taking the palm of her hand and closing his eyelids with it. The green light of her jutsu flared again, and Sakura focused her energy to the back of Sasuke’s Rinnegan, soothing the optic nerve and the pathways connected to the brain.

She got an exhausted mumble in response to her question, which made Sakura grin. “I think I have a solution for your chakra depletion, too,” the kunoichi announced as she pulled forward Sasuke’s left shoulder. “It’s been a while. Let’s have a quick look at this arm.”

“You do?” he responded to her first statement, a small spike of energy returning as Sasuke shrugged off his undershirt, giving her easy access to the firm bandaging around what remained of his bicep.

“They’re not the best tasting, but I can make you my own version of the Military Ration Pills, or food pills, if you’d rather,” she offered, simultaneously stripping the dressings and placing a hand under his arm and raising it so she could easily observe the scar tissue. Sakura was pleased with the overall healing of this injury, but she still hoped that she might be able to rid Sasuke of the brutal scarring one day if he ever let her.

“The purpose of the food pills is to supply you with chakra for several days in succession. You’ll experience the same exhaustion afterwards, but these will help you get the chakra you need for a short period of time. You’ll have to eat many, but they should do the trick.” She explained all this while rewrapping the dismembered limb. “I first made them for Naruto back when he was trying to master chakra shape transformation while using shadowclones.”

Sasuke “tsk”ed at their headstrong friend and Sakura smiled again. “You can come with me tomorrow to the greenhouse, and I’ll cook you up a batch.”

… … …

Sasuke nodded sleepily at her offer. He had been correct in his theory that if anyone could help him figure out a solution to his current circumstances, it would be Sakura. Sasuke was knowledgeable about the use of food pills, but they weren’t the easiest things to come by; in fact, Konoha’s medics only made so many a year and Sasuke honestly hadn’t even took them into consideration. He supposed situations changed when you had a medic as a friend and she just happened to make a special recipe of food pills.

“There,” she nodded while tying off the end of his new bandage. Sasuke lulled at the feeling of her fingers dancing over his skin with such professional practice. He did a poor job of the wrappings with one arm, so it was nice to have someone else do it for once.

Sasuke’s fatigue rapidly faded as the pink-haired medic leaned forward to release his arm and her shirt slid slightly to the left across her collarbone. Spotting the dark discoloration of a bruise just beneath the bone, Sasuke’s eyes widened and his right hand shot out and grabbed Sakura’s elbow before she could turn completely around.

“What is that?” Sasuke scowled, standing as he rotated Sakura’s body to fully face him again.

“What?” she asked unknowingly, disquiet jumping to the planes of her face at his sudden forcefulness.

“This,” he growled, releasing her elbow and using the end of his fingers to move the fabric away from her skin. As Sasuke placed his fingertips next to the mark, he couldn’t help but compare the size of them to the spot, and he made the connection almost instantly.

“Oh,” Sakura frowned down at the purple blotch, suddenly realizing the bruise was there herself. “That’s— I didn’t realize—” she began, moving away from his touch, then stopped her words when she saw the murderous stare he was giving the miniscule injury.

“Who did that to you?” he breathed, red beginning to stain his vision. There was an electricity forming beneath his skin and Sasuke couldn’t breathe. Somebody had shovedtheir fingers into her chest. Bruised her. In that moment, Sasuke knew instantly that he’d find and mutilate that person, whoever it was, accident or not, for even daring to lay their hands on her.

“Sasuke,” Sakura was saying, trying to reach him despite the ringing in his ears. “I’ll tell you, but you have to promise me you’re not going to overrea—”

Making eye contact with her again, Sasuke stepped up to her and requested a second time for the name he was wanting, “Who was it?”

There was a moment of frigid silence between them as they stood searching each other’s eyes. And then Sakura’s hands found his waist and she slid them across his sides and buried her head in his chest. She clutched his bare back and spoke into his skin. “Stop. Let me explain.”

She clung to him like a stubborn leach as Sasuke tried remove her from his body. He tried reaching his arm down between them to pry her off, but her forearms remained secure around him. Damn her inhuman strength. His anger began to ebb as she awkwardly mumbled the story into his ribcage. During their skirmish, they had somehow ended up on the ground, and Sakura pinned his good arm to his side, pissing the Uchiha off because he knew that she was taking advantage of his one-arm-ness. The entire time Sakura described her experience with an unnamed patient’sunnamed father, Sasuke was crossly forced to listen to the episode via wrestling. Their tussle-talk ended when the Uchiha finally was made to agree with: “I promise I won’t do anything, just get off me.”

When her weight suddenly removed from his back and Sasuke flipped over with a huge breath of air, he shot her a glare. “Don’t ever do that again,” he hissed in the kunoichi’s direction as she grinned embarrassingly down at him.

She reached down for his hand and he reluctantly gave it to her. She was just fortunate that Sasuke was too tired to knock her hand away. As she helped him to his feet, she said, “I’m flattered at your concern, but I can’t have you going chunin-exam psycho right now—”

“What?!” he growled, and she dropped his hand. Stalking over to his bed, Sasuke sat firmly down and propped his pouty chin into his palm, feeling suddenly even more tired than before. “I don’t go psycho,” he grumbled despite the fact that they both knew thatwas an obvious lie. He’d gone crazyplenty of times. “And I’m not concerned,” he spit out angrily, tossing a pillow down on his bed and flipping onto his stomach. “Naruto and Kakashi would be—”

“Yeah, yeah,” she waved off his excuse and Sasuke stopped speaking; he still grumpily narrowed his eyes at her over the rim of his pillow before turning on his side completely, cutting off all conversation.

She didn’t take the hint, because seconds later she announced that she was showering and then going to bed.

“Hn,” he responded with more force and exasperation than he really needed to.

Okay, so, maybe he had gone just a little pre-psycho to this whole bruise situation. Sakura referenced the chunin exams and Sasuke recalled the incident she specified. When Sasuke had woken from his slumber, it was the effects of the cursemark that had the Uchiha turning his wrath on their enemies with fierce brutality. It was the rush of dark power that had turned Sasuke into a murderous “psycho.” So what was his problem now? A year ago, he wouldn’t have displayed something even close to the same reaction. He would have blamed Sakura for getting herself into the situation to begin with, and at the most, may have even told her to be more careful who she pissed off. But just a few minutes ago, Sasuke had felt like he did back in the Forest of Death, and yet he no longer had the cursemark. So why?

Sasuke had once always felt the desire to protect Sakura and maybe his reaction was just that feeling returning again now that they were friends again. It’s not just that, his own voice enlightened him.

Sasuke had in fact gone after Sakura when he heard about Kido kidnapping her, but the worst he had done in retaliation was surround ninja with fire and use genjutsu on one of them. But a few minutes ago… he was contemplating just how he’d stab more than fingers into the person’s chest who’d touched her.

Sasuke breathed out his anger again, hoping it would help him stop being so intense about it.

Sasuke couldn’t fall asleep as he tried to contemplate any other reason that would explain his actions besides the obvious answer. It had been obvious for some time now honestly, but Sasuke had denied it up until this point. Sasuke was in love with Sakura, and an Uchiha didn’t need to have a cursemark to be irrational when someone threatened his loved one. It had been a slow progression, but Sasuke had been slowly allowing himself to believe and accept the truth he’d always known. But what could he do about it now?

When Sakura finished showering, Sasuke pretended to doze heavily, so she put out the lights and padded lightly across the moonlit floor to her own bed. Despite how exhausted Sasuke was, he would never forget the night where he listened to the sound of Sakura’s even breathing as his heart ached, knowing that what he wanted, Sasuke could never have.

Chapter Text

There was a sharp mix of pungent smells permeating the air around them as Sasuke looked over Sakura’s shoulder at a particular herbalist book. His friend was sitting at a table in the center of the greenhouse, flipping through the Sunagakure plant log, scratching down a list of all the ingredients she would need to create the military ration pills.

When Sasuke commented on the smell, Sakura replied with “You get used to it.” And then she went into a detailed explanation of why plants even created all sorts of different smells–why many flowers had sweet aromas, but other plants had fouler scents. Sakura elaborated that it all had something to do with procreation. Something about bugs being attracted to them in order to spread pollination. She even went into the genetic purposes of tastes in plants. Sasuke listened with genuine interest at the wide variety of facts that she possessed.

Sasuke turned and leaned against the table as she spoke, tucking in his chin to his chest and closing his eyes. When he was sure she was distracted, Sasuke peeked at her between the lashes of his right eye. He noticed that her brow was furrowed as she searched for the plant she had written down. After a few minutes of this, she began to tap the end of the pen against her bottom lip, a subconscious behavior many people did while thinking. Sasuke couldn’t help but realize that he hadn’t paid much attention to anyone’s small habitual behaviors in the past few years except for in battle scenarios. To watch the cogs spinning in Sakura’s mind, had Sasuke feeling like he had missed out on much in the last several years.

After another few seconds, Sakura explained her concern: “I’m going to have to find a substitute plant for the medicinal aspects of the pills. Sunagakure doesn’t grow Tikasia in abundance here. The amount that I would need would deplete their entire reserve.”

Sasuke considered her word for a few seconds before his eyes narrowed a fraction when the door of the greenhouse opened. A white-coated man with sandy colored hair beamed hugely and raised his hand in greeting as he entered. “There you are, Sakura-san. I’ve been looking for you!”

Sakura broke from her deep concentration and turned from the table as she picked up on the calling. Sasuke raised his eyebrows slightly at the familiar tone the young man used. This must be a staff member from the hospital, a colleague that was working closely with Sakura while she was here. His presumption was confirmed when Sakura returned both the smile and call.

“Sorry Mako! Hope you haven’t been looking for too long.”

Mako?What– are they on a first name basis or something? Sasuke pondered with a frown of disapproval.Sakura barely knew him, or at least, that’s what Sasuke thought. At least Makohad the decency to add the proper honorific to her name. Not that Sasuke could be the one to lecture on the topic.

The young physician made his way over to them and immediately offered a respectful bow to the both of them. Sasuke was never very good at returning these customs of respect, but after a minute of awkward staring, the Uchiha nodded his acknowledgement in a very uncaring sort of way. After bowing, the medic immediately turned to Sakura and glanced at her work on the table.

“Are you creating another medicine?” Mako asked, crossing his hands behind him in consideration, boldly reading the list she had compiled next to the herbal catalog.

Seeing her co-medic’s interest, Sakura picked it up and handed it to him while simultaneously pushing the book in his direction, an invitation for his opinion.

“You’re just the person I need right now actually.” She explained to Mako how she was creating a batch of military ration pills, a notion at which the male medic’s facial expression turned to one of surprise. Sasuke understood his disbelief; not many people knew how to make such a desired sustenance that tipped the scale in favor of those who consumed it in battle. When bringing up the topic of the ingredients she needed, he raised his thumb and forefinger to his chin, pinching it in contemplation.

Sasuke stiffened slightly when the young man pulled up a seat to sit beside her, pulling the book closer so they could both look at it together. “What about Ashuwa?” he offered, flipping to a plant towards the front of the book. Sasuke peeked over towards the illustration and noticed a shrubby little plant with bright yellow flowers.

“Ashuwa?” Sakura questioned, frowning down at the picture. “That belongs to the nightshade family, doesn’t it?”

“Yes,” he informed, “but it’s not fatal like many of its other relatives. It’s actually quite safe to consume unless the patient has some sort of allergic reaction to it.”

“That’s interesting. I’m not very familiar with it. What are its properties?”

“It’s a little stronger than Tikasia but more acclimated to our desert climate, so we have plenty of it here. Its primary effect is a boost in brain function. However, we have observed an increase in energy and muscle mass along with it. Some ninja even claim that after consuming it, it relieves them of stress.”

“All that?” Sakura pondered, dropping her jaw.

Sasuke raised an inquisitive brow as well. With benefits like that, it was a wonder they didn’t add it to every meal here. There had to be missing information obviously…

Sakura must have been thinking the same thing Sasuke had, because she immediately responded with. “What are the negative effects?”

Mako smiled at her insight. “Just like Tikasia, you crash and suffer chakra depletion as a result. You have to take far less of it than Tikasia. Like I said earlier, many people have severe allergic reactions to the plant which is why we don’t use it often.”

Sasuke couldn’t help but frown at the pair of doctors who discussed plants so casually with one another. Mako had a sort of charisma about him, and Sasuke could tell why Sakura would rely on him while she was here. The young man’s temperament sort of reminded Sasuke of their old schoolteacher, Iruka-sensei. However, Mako’s knowledge was so thorough that he almost reminded Sasuke of Kabuto; Sasuke had witnessed many in-depth medical conversations between Orochimaru and he.

Still leaning against the table, Sasuke closed his eyes, adopting an uninterested guise to go with the frown. Seeing them together, discussing their common interests, reminded Sasuke of something despite his epiphany last night. Watching her familiarity with this person reminded Sasuke that just because he had finally admitted to himself that loved her, didn’t mean that he should do anything about it. Sakura had told him firmly that she would only ever choose him and to not assume that if he left her alone, she would fall in love with someone else. Sasuke truly believed his female teammate about this. But seeing her cheerfully interact with Mako made Sasuke want to believe otherwise. Even though it stung him to think about Sakura loving someone else and another man being a part of her daily life, waking up beside her and hearing a confession from her lips, Sasuke knew it was what she deserved. He could never be that sort of man for her, especially not in the near future.

But now that Sasuke was certain of his feelings, would he be able to only ever be a close friend to her? Would he be able to watch someone else come into her life and become the person Sakura swooned over and built a family with? He would, Sasuke told himself. He hadto. Sasuke had already chosen in his heart to be the Itachi of this time and make the sacrifice for the greater good so that his loved ones like Sakura even had a future. He had to keep reminding himself of this.

Without meaning to, he let a low exhale of self-defeat escape his mouth. Realizing he had done so, Sasuke quickly glanced to his right to make sure no one noticed. Sakura, who Sasuke now noticed had stopped what she was doing, was now watching him despite the fact that Mako was still flipping through the book and explaining something to her.

His kunoichi teammate locked gazes with him, furrowed her eyebrows, and tilted her head in silent question. Sasuke broke their eye-contact immediately and Sakura returned her attention to Mako. It’s for the best, he thought to her.

… … … … … … … … .

Mako lead Sakura across the greenhouse to the white-labeled bushel of Ashu that he had spoken to her about. She measured out the amount she would need and began cutting it carefully with his assistance. Sakura had been surprised at this substitute that Mako had offered with certainty at its effectiveness. She pinched a sizable piece of it and placed it on her tongue and began to chew. With it being a nightshade after all, she wanted to be certain that it wasn’t toxic. Nightshades were highly cultivated by humans and most were safe to consume like Mako said, but since she had never heard of this plant and it was unfamiliar to her, she wanted to double-check Mako’s claim. Besides, he said it could cause allergic reactions.

Just so Mako’s feelings wouldn’t be hurt by her taste-testing, Sakura simply announced, “This actually tastes quite yummy. Much better than the bitter Tikasia.” Then she called out loud enough for Sasuke—who had been casually leaning against the table since their arrival—to hear, “You’re in luck, Sasuke. Maybe these pills won’t taste like ‘mudballs’ this time like Sai famously calls them.”

Sasuke peeked open his right eye at her, clearly not grasping a word of what she was referencing. Mako, on the other hand, laughed at her statement.

“Tikasia israther bitter. Is Sai a friend back home? Your friend really called them ‘mudballs’ to your face?” Mako laughed.

Sakura chuckled to herself a bit, returning her full attention to Mako. “Sai is a sort of special friend. He’s brutally honest; always has been.”

“Sometimes we need friends like that,” Mako said reassuringly, helping her pluck the stems and flowers of the plant and wrapping it up in paper.

Sakura nodded in agreement and instantly recalled many of her friends back home and a sort of homesickness radiated in her chest at the thought of them. She wondered how all of them were doing. She also thought of the hospital and Lady Tsunade in that moment too, and made a mental note to write a letter to check in on them.

She glanced up at Sasuke for the twentieth time that day, and her homesickness disappeared. When he was absent, she was always sick with longing for him. It suddenly surprised Sakura that she had never felt more at home than when she was with this man. She had confessed this to him before, but when he was gone, it felt as if she was alone. Sakura would fall asleep with thoughts of him and miss him just as much the following morning. That feeling had disappeared on her journey and this was the first time the kunoichi had missed someone else since she had picked up her bag and followed Sasuke down the cobbled street that night a few weeks ago.

Mako’s statement returned her to the present moment from her thoughts. “Isao slept well last night. After you left with Gaara, he was distraught and restless after what happened. We ended up giving him your dosage of the sleeping medicine and he didn’t experience any sleep terrors.”

“That’s terrific!” she exclaimed, almost jumping for joy in her excitement. This was exciting news. If they could eliminate the terrors, then Isao would be okay. Maybe he could stop taking the medicine once his body adjusted.

“Satou, his father, however,” Mako began as they made their way back towards the center table towards Sasuke. “Well—he’s a bit hysterical in the hospital. The man definitely needs to be there, but we are not quite sure what to do for him. He’s actually the reason I came looking for you. I figure you might be the only one able to talk to him.”

Sakura nodded as they came to a stop and she set her items down. “I see.”

… … … … … .

Sasuke had been thoroughly pissed when Sakura had announced to him her plans and handed him the bundle of paper-wrapped yellow flowers. “Will you grind these up for me while I quickly check-in on a patient? They should be dry enough on their own. We need to mix this in with the rest of our batch as soon as possible.”

The Uchiha nodded with a “hm” but had half a mind to shove the flowers and grinder toward Mako since he was inclined to be so damn helpful.

Apparently, she was duty-bound to go see some hospital patient with an attitude problem and Sasuke had guessed easily who it was. After seeing the bruises on her chest last night, it was hard not to think about this patient of hers. It settled like a knife between Sasuke’s shoulder blades as he began to pulverize the flowers in the mortar with the stone pestle. He glowered after the two medics as the door to the greenhouse swung to a shut behind them.

Sasuke knew that Sakura was aware of his eagerness to get the pills so he could return to his mission. And because she predicted this, Sasuke knew without a doubt that Sakura had played him. She had given him this little job to keep him occupied for a few minutes because he couldn’t put the task off. But what shedidn’t know was that it certainly wouldn’t take him as long as she hoped. Sasuke removed another heap of flowers from the paper and began to smash them forcefully.

… … … … .

Sakura had managed to come up with a small plan in the few seconds after Mako had informed her about Satou, Isao’s hysterical father, whom Sakura and Gaara had placed under the care of the hospital yesterday. The first and most necessary part of her plan was to keep Sasuke busy and away from her patient. After seeing her teammate’s reaction to the small bruises on her chest last night, she didn’t want the two ninja to have the least bit of interaction.

The second part was to ensure that Isao was kept far, faraway from his father. If the child was showing any progress at all after having distance from him, then Sakura would be damned if Satou meant to screw that up. Trailing closely behind her, Mako confirmed her hope that Isao remained at the mental health children’s clinic and was being strictly supervised.

Finally, the last rocky bit of her plan was to try her best to remain calm and civil with Satou despite what she predicted his treatment of her would be. Sakura anticipated every bit of an angry temper and possibly aggression.

Having Mako with her made Sakura feel more reassured. In the back of Sakura’s mind, she knew she didn’t have anything to worry about because she could rely on her abilities as a ninja, not his, but it was still a comfort to have him with her as a steady, supportive presence.

When they finally reached Satou’s hospital room and they entered, Sakura gasped. Apparently, Satou had considered this place a prison cell rather than a patient room. The bed was tipped, and the curtain torn from the rod above the windows. The massive punched out crevices in the walls around them were threatening portraits of warning. Sakura heard Mako echo her surprise. Sensing their presence, Satou turned from the window and glowered at them.

“Glad to see my warden has finally come to see me,” the man spat viciously.

While Mako’s expression was one of disbelief, Sakura erased the emotion from her own, slipping on a blank pretense. Forget step three of her plan, then. It was obvious what kind of man Satou was. He had no respect or care in the world for anyone and her kindness would be seen as a weakness to bully her for. Pretending to be civil would be an entire waste of her time because Sakura recognized the hate in Satou’s eyes, glassy pools that reflected the darkness in his heart. How bitter it made Sakura—to see Sasuke’s formal self in one of her patients; how hopeless this conversation would be even though he was the one person who needed it the most.

Sakura believed this man deserved her gentlest persona, but Sakura had tried playing this game before and failed miserably with Sasuke. If Sakura—a former teammate and close friend—couldn’t have reached into the depth of Sasuke’s darkness and rip him from it, then how could she expect to be successful with an absolute stranger? She thought of Naruto and Gaara and how they might approach this. Adopting Naruto’s methods before, Sakurahad fought Sasuke to knock some sense into him, but Sakura couldn’t just go starting fights with her patients.

Confidence then. Sakura crossed her arms behind her back and raised her chin. “I’m not your warden; just someone who is trying to help you and your son.”

He began to laugh—that psychotic pitch that set Sakura’s heart racing. It frightened her to see that this man was more lost than she had thought. This wasn’t just a man who had taken his anger out on his son. “That’s what pisses me off the most about you leaf village filth. You think you have the right to march in and do as you please.”

Mako responded before Sakura could silence him, “Be careful what you say. Haruno-san is an honored guest of the Lord Kazekage and he asked for her assistance at the hospital.”

Well half true. I did invite myself here I suppose. Sakura didn’t correct Mako; Satou was completely prejudiced toward Konoha and its citizens. She reminded herself to steer clear of the political past between their two villages. Satou’s next comment brought an immediate halt to Sakura’a analytical approach to reasoning with him.

“You’d think the Kazekage wouldn’t give his whores a false sense of entitlement in village they don’t belong in.”

It was hard to contain her inner voice at that moment, who happened to be screaming loudly. WHO THE HELL DOES THIS BASTARD THINK HE IS?

Sakura let out a calming breath and put hand on Mako’s arm who was surprisingly doing a good enough job for the both of them at giving this terrifying ninja a piece of his mind despite the aptitude gap.

Before she could respond, the door opened and someone stepped in. Seeing Sasuke momentarily took her aback because that powder job should have taken him at least 45 minutes to complete, yet here he was a mere 10 minutes after being assigned the task. He must have a question.

And then Sakura saw his face. A red and purple combination flashed towards Satou and Sakura’s stomach dropped to her feet. Had he just heard what Satou called her?

When Sakura reached him and placed a hand on his arm, his gaze snapped from Satou and landed on her. “Did you need something?” she asked kindly, assessing the situation and deciding to act casually. Maybe if she came off as unaffected by Satou’s comment, then Sasuke wouldn’t feel the need to react.

“Here,” he responded gruffly after recovering some composure, shoving the mortar she had given him earlier towards the space between them. “You said you needed this quickly didn’t you? Go on ahead and make the batch. I’ll talk to this guy.”

Sakura briefly savored the startled look on Satou’s face before turning her body towards Sasuke so she could whisper in private with her teammate. “Sasuke, I don’t think that’s—”

“It’s fine,” he softened his murmur to match her whisper. As he said this, his sharingan faded and his emotionless mask slipped back on. “Just a talk between ninja.”

“I think it’s a great idea,” came Mako’s eager voice behind her, “I’ll stay too. You go on ahead and make that batch before time runs out.”

Sakura snapped her head towards him, shaking her head with large eyes in silent begging, but Sasuke was the one who spoke. “I didn’t ask you to stay. You can leave too.”

“He stays,” Sakura volunteered, to which Sasuke glowered at her for. “A doctor must be present during an exam, after all.” This was most definitely not professional, but Sakura had used a “time” excuse to keep Sasuke busy earlier. Mako knew as well as she did that it didn’t matter what time the Ashuwa was added to the mixture, and he was using her lie against her. She didn’t know her friend of a medic could be manipulative like that. Mako knew she didn’t want to tell Sasuke that she had fibbed about it.

Grabbing the mortar, Sakura peered up into the Uchiha’s eyes, reconsidering her fear of the two ninja meeting. If Naruto or Gaara weren’t here, maybe Sasuke was the next best person to talk to him. Now that he had come back to the light, perhaps Sasuke could reach Satou in a way that Sakura wouldn’t be able to. Sometimes people who had experienced trauma would only listen to someone who had shared a similar pain. And it had been proven to her throughout the years that sometimes only monsters could understand monsters.

… … … … … .

Sasuke waited until Sakura’s footsteps receded far enough down the hall before his eyes locked onto Satou for the second time.

“Uchiha. Uchiha Sasuke isn’t it?” Satou inquired, daring to speak first. “I never would have guessed I’d ever see your face again after the war.”

“Good. You know me.” Sasuke announced, fully entering the space and leaning against the right-most wall, just fifteen feet away from Satou in this small room. “Then you’re aware of the terrible things that I have done to better men than you.” To be honest, Sasuke hated to play the reputation card—in fact, he wanted to get as far from his past as possible, but he needed this bastard to know just exactly what he could still do to someone that pushed him far enough.

He noticed Mako shift excitedly at the left of the entrance. Apparently Mako was hoping for a show. Good, Sasuke thought, he needed to hear this too if the male physician had future plans to stay next to his friend.

Sasuke got straight to it. “The truth is that you’re not going to listen to anyone, so this is going to be a waste of time and breath.” Sasuke knew because he had been in this exact same frame of mind before.

“So why bother staying?” the man spat, rage leaking from his mouth like saliva from a rabid beast. Sasuke was correct in his analogy. Like Sasuke himself had once been, Satou was nothing more than a creature that there was no hope left for, and it needed to be taken out of this world. That’s what Gaara had practically told Naruto to do—take Sasuke out and do the right thing as his friend. It’s what Sakura had tried to do and failed.

But Naruto had done the impossible. With memories of his friend in his heart, Sasuke sighed and willed himself to put at least a little bit of effort into this for his friends’ benefit.

“For the sake of the woman you just called a whore. I care more about her and her goal than the few minutes I could be doing something more beneficial than talking to you.” Of course, he would never tell her that.

Sasuke felt like there was no point in beating around the bush. His voice would give out if he continued talking at this rate. He reminded himself that he didn’t owe any explanation, any psychological nonsense, just the cold truth that Satou needed to hear. Despite how hard he might try, Sasuke wouldn’t be able to pull this off like Naruto. Naruto would have marched up to him like a bull, grabbed his collar, proceed to threaten him for saying such a thing to Sakura, and then somehow miraculously convince this man to change.

Sasuke on the other hand, was less predictable. Depending on which part of his life you looked at, Sasuke could have had several reactions to Satou’s comment. The Sasuke before Orochimaru would have been angry but level-headed, at most offering the man an analytical glare. Sasuke immediately post-cursemark would have gutted him in the same mania he had broken that sound ninja’s arms in the Forest of Death. Vengeance-bent Sasuke would have completely not cared at all. But the Sasuke he was now? Even though he was on his path of redemption now, something in him had become honed again, sharpened along with the internal acknowledgement that he had feelings for Sakura. Despite his accepting of the truth, Sasuke hadn’t anticipated feeling this defensive and this is what scared Sasuke the most about himself—his unpredictability.

When Sasuke had tried to sever his bonds, it was to eliminate the feelings that came with them. He had seen it as a weakness. If his attachments were few, then Sasuke could remain loyal to a way of life he hoped for, one of peace. But having Sakura near again and feeling responsible for her had Sasuke fearing for the worst about his character. He had relayed this concern to Naruto before he left the village several weeks ago. “What will keep me from the darkness? From choosing the path of revenge?” “I will,” Naruto had responded. “I’ll stop you.” If men like this were regular in Sakura’s life, how could Naruto guarantee that Sasuke wouldn’t snap one day and kill every single person who threatened to do her harm? What if one of them succeeded? Could Naruto prevent everything? Stop, Sasuke told himself. Stop thinking like that.

Satou didn’t laugh again for the entire conversation. He remained standing by the window, narrowing his eyes at Sasuke in wary consideration since the Uchiha had arrived—not scared necessarily, but an enemy weighing his odds and deciding to avoid major triggers. Smart, Sasuke thought. Not completely brain dead then.

As Sasuke was consumed in silent thought, Mako stepped in for him. It was the first time all day Sasuke liked the medic. “We know that your wife died. Is that the reason you are abusing your son?”

Unlike with Sasuke, Satou revealed his temper, like a bomb going off without warning. “WHAT I DO WITH MY SON IS NOBODY’S DAMN BUSINESS BUT MY OWN.”

Unaffected by the sudden rise in volume, Sasuke surveyed the damaged room around them. Satou sure made it look like he was being held against his will, but the truth was, Sasuke realized, that if Satou had truly wanted to leave, he would have. There was nobody physically stopping him from leaving. The only thing really holding him here was Gaara’s command. Ah, so that was it. Badmouth the Kazekage all he wanted, Satou still respected one thing and that was power.

Sasuke tested the theory with, “The Kazekage believes it is his business.”

“Everything is apparently his damn business,” Satou growled in his direction.

Sasuke immediately noted that this was not a shouted response like he did when Mako spoke. Sasuke deduced that Satou held enough respect for the people he feared. That included himself. Damn. How annoying; Sasuke was going to have to do all the talking after all. To be honest, Sasuke had just wanted to remove Sakura from the situation and came up with the “talking” part to get Sakura to leave. Now, he supposed he would have to deliver.

Mako tried reasoning with him again: “Does the child remind you of your wife? Is that the reason you mistreat him?”

Satou’s eyes grew wide at Mako’s question. “HOW DARE YOU-“

Forget it. Talking like this was getting them nowhere. Sasuke’s visual prowess was nowhere near restored, but what Sasuke planned to do wouldn’t take up much chakra anyway. This wasn’t his typical style, but trying to talk with this man sure as hell wasn’t his style either. Sasuke revealed the black tomoes of his right Sharingan, instantly immobilizing the man where he stood.

“What are you doing?” Mako asked with concern, walking up beside him. “You’re not going to use a genjutsu?!”

“Just shut up and stay out of it,” Sasuke announced in annoyance. “I am getting the answers.”

Satou’s mind was a black, fiery wasteland that Sasuke stepped out on. The ninja’s memories appeared before him like colorless corpses rising from the grave. Sasuke walked forward toward the past surveying memories in order from most recent to oldest. The first memory that shaped in the air before him had Sasuke considering deactivating the jutsu. Whether he had subconsciously looking for this memory or not, Sasuke didn’t know, but he watched it play out before him. His pink-haired teammate was standing her ground, glaring up into the face of the man whose memories Sasuke violated. Sasuke frowned in hatred at the image of his fingers jabbing into her chest. Satou was looking down at her with a ferocity that he had yet to display towards anyone else. Why?

On cue, another memory emerged, connected to this one and providing Sasuke with the answer he wanted. It was during the war and Satou was immobilized on a cot, bandaged and regaining consciousness. Pink hair came into the ninja’s vision as he tried to roll to the side. “Miss,” he called toward the female ninja. “Where am I?”

“Stay still,” Sakura ordered him, pushing him back down on the cot. “Your leg is severely injured and needs to remain immobile.” She began giving orders to her assistants when a boom suddenly sounded somewhere nearby. Satou watched as she got to her feet and headed in that direction as someone began screaming her name.

“My wife,” he croaked, trying again to rise. This time, no one stopped him as he began to fumble towards the line of patients, some unconscious, others screaming. “Rina,” he sobbed, searching the faces of the incapacitated. “Where are you?”

He finally found her in the back row and he began limping faster toward her. “Rina!” he screamed, falling to his knees beside the woman who was bloody almost beyond recognition. Sasuke looked away from the memory as Satou began searching with hands for the wound on her body. Somehow the woman had reopened her injury and was now bleeding through the bandaging. When Satou found it, he began to moan. Satou clutched onto his broken wife and lifted her despite his leg. He was barely able to support her as he began limping back toward the medical professionals. “Haruno!” he tried to shout after the woman who had disappeared in the rising clouds of debris and dust. “Haruno!”

When a medic finally arrived to assist him, it wasn’t the one Satou had hoped for. “Please,” he begged them. “She’s dying—bleeding out!”

Sasuke saw the man’s world shatter on his face when the medic began to shake his head after checking the woman’s pulse. “I am sorry sir. She’s already gone.”

“No!” he began to scream, picking up his wife again and limping after the woman he believed could still save her. The memory ended after Satou disappeared into the rubble screaming after someone he clearly never found.

So that was it, Sasuke realized, stepping toward a new memory that materialized in the swirling darkness. He blamed Sakura for his wife’s death.

The next memory Sasuke played was Satou returning from the war and staring into the face of the child he and his wife had left behind. Sasuke was shocked at the resemblance the child held of Rina; Sasuke witnessed Satou experience the blow of pain that came at seeing the same likeness. When the child reached for him with tears in his eyes, Satou turned away from him, covering his anguished face and stepping past the threshold. Isao’s current caretaker reached for him to relieve his father’s neglect.

Sasuke felt like he had ashes in his mouth. He was more familiar with grief than anyone, but grief affected people in different ways. Sasuke both understood and didn’t understand. He didn’t dare go further; Sasuke knew what happened next concerning the child and didn’t want to see it for himself.

Deactivating his Sharingan, Sasuke withdrew from the black backdrop of Satou’s mind.

“What did you just do?” Satou asked, sinking to the floor on his knees and holding his head, an aftereffect that had Mako looking between the two ninja in fearful concern.

Sasuke saw no point in explaining to either of them. Satou was more than aware of what just happened. “I could erase a couple of those memories,” Sasuke explained to the whimpering man on the floor who gazed up at him in anger. “Is that what you want?”

Satou hesitated before saying, “You could really do that?”

“Is that what you really want?” Sasuke asked bitterly, “for someone to reach into your mind and take away all memory of your wife or child? To dishonor the both of them?”

“No,” Satou declared at that. “Not if it will remove them from my memory. The pain— just take that away.”

“Pain is a part of life and not something I can tamper with,” Sasuke deadpanned. “If you let it, your pain will turn into darkness, consume you, and taint every aspect of your life. Your son is the only thing you have left of your wife. You should value that and cling to that as your light.”

Sasuke understood what Sakura meant earlier when she told Sasuke her conversation with Gaara about the past generation affecting the next with their toxicity. Satou didn’t repond and Sasuke didn’t say anything else. He had said what he needed to although it left the Uchiha feeling like a hypocrite.

Turning to Mako, Sasuke declared, “Send the son to the Leaf’s mental health clinic; get him as far away as you can. The child needs to be in a different environment, or he will turn out like father. It’ll give Satou some time to reconsider what’s important to him.”

Opening the door, Sasuke thought twice before exiting. “Also,” he remarked to the man who began to sob on the ground. “The next time you lay your hands on my friend, you’ll have me to deal with, not the Kazekage.”

Satou began to scream in anger, throwing things against the walls again. The door swung shut behind Sasuke and Mako, closing the prisoner in his self-made cell.

Chapter Text

Sakura had fully intended on eavesdropping on Sasuke’s conversation with Satou; in fact, it was the only reason that Sakura had allowed the interaction to transpire between her patient and her teammate. After Sasuke had closed the door firmly behind her, Sakura had walked heavily down the hallway so her footsteps could be heard. Her next step was to take the stairs, walk silently up two floors, and listen in by opening the window directly above Satou’s. Sakura had noted that Satou’s patient room window had been cracked open. Surely her ninja skills would be well-adapted to a simple eavesdropping.

But that’s not what happened. Instead, as Sakura walked down the hall, she noted that her breathing was becoming short. Her chest was tightening considerably, a feeling that she dismissed at first to anxiety at the current situation. When she paused to consider it, Sakura tried to swallow past her itchy throat. A terrifying realization came over Sakura has she glanced down at her hands that held the freshly pulverized Ashuwa.

Shit.

Sakura covered the mortar, sprinted down the remainder of the hallway, and took a right. She held tightly to the Ashuwa despite the situation; she couldn’t afford to sacrifice what they had acquired in her state of panic. Sakura tried her best to remember the hospital’s layout; there was a drug storage room on every level, so thankfully Sakura wouldn’t have to take stairs in her compromised situation. Turning another corner, Sakura was relieved to finally stumble up to the door marked “薬” for medication. Placing the mortar of Ashuwa on the ground, Sakura managed to focus through her shortness of breath and perform the sign of the ram to channel her chakra to her palm. Placing it on the center of the door, Sakura nearly stumbled as the door received her chakra signature and swung open to grant her access to the room.

Sakura’s vision began to blur as she shuffled through the drawers and cabinets. She could barely read the itemized labels of the stored items. Don’t panic. Don’t panic. She felt lethargic and her throat was swelling quickly. She should have taken Mako’s warning more seriously. He had told her of the drug’s disuse in the medical environment due to many allergic reactions to it. This was what she had been testing earlier when she picked a generous pinch of Ashu from the ground and placing it in her mouth; however, her and Mako both had gotten distracted by the issue of Satou.

Sakura cursed at herself for being careless but felt confident in her approach. If only she could find the medicine. She narrowed her focus to the vials on the top shelf and coughed violently as she reached for one. Stumbling into the shelf resulted in several of them busting onto the ground. After locating the blue tagged bottle labeled “adrenaline,” Sakura threw open cabinet after cabinet until she found the drawer of packaged syringes. She was choking now, a fish out of water and she aimed the needle into the top of the bottle; her hands shook as she waisted even more time trying to draw the medicine into the plunger.

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Sasuke was trying to outwalk Mako, who was smiling kindly and attempting to make small talk as they quickly made their way down the hall from Satou’s room. Sasuke thought if he could just stride quickly enough, Mako might take the hint and part ways with him.

Sasuke frowned at Mako’s prattling of, “I have to admit. I was concerned with the whole genjutsu approach, but I think that it might be pretty effective. That was brilliant!”

Sasuke stopped his break-neck pace and narrowed his eyes at the medic, scrutinizing him carefully. “What do you want?”

“What do you mean?” asked Mako innocently, crossing his arms behind him.

Sasuke debated Mako for a second. Here was a skilled shinobi of medicine, an assistant to his friend, and Sakura addressed him casually. This trip was the first occasion that Sasuke had ever met him, yet Mako recognized Sasuke’s attempt at genjutsu before he had even performed it. Perhaps he was knowledgeable of the sharingan; many people were. It was Sasuke’s past of constantly being targeted that had the Uchiha wary. Was this the reason Sasuke was inclined to distrust him, or was it the fact that Sakura was involved?

Sasuke clarified. “I want to know who you are and what you want.”

Mako laughed and smiled nicely. “Well, I am a medic ninja here at the Suna hospital. I have been appointed to assist Sakura-san during her stay with us. Kankuro was pretty adamant about it.”

“Hn.” Sasuke responded before walking forward again. Mako sped to catch up.

“Honestly,” he continued, “Sunagakure owes a lot to Sakura-san. You have probably heard this before, but we have advanced due to her and the Leaf’s medical supervision and instruction. We are something in her debt.”

Sasuke didn’t respond. Perhaps that was all there was to it. Sasuke supposed it made sense that Gaara and Kankuro would assign the most ambitious learner and fellow medicinal expert as Sakura’s assistant. Sunagakure wanted to take advantage of every lesson and tip available. Sakura’s discipline and dedication to the medical practice made her share a common interest with the professionals here. Not everyone always had some double meaning to their actions like most ninja in the shinobi world.

As Sasuke and Mako rounded the corner to the left, they paused as several people ran past them in the opposite direction, back toward the center of the third floor. One man who bumped into Mako’s shoulder turned to look at him in recognition, jogging backwards. “Code 10. Haruno-san.”

“Shit!” Mako cursed, chasing after the man who spoke. Sasuke didn’t know what “Code 10” meant, but to see a panicked response in connection to the name “Haruno” had Sasuke quickly following.

“What is it?” he demanded, matching Mako’s stride this time.

“Anaphylaxis” Mako said breathlessly as they rounded the final corner and nearly collided with several attendants outside a small room in the hallway. Someone was kneeling just outside the door and Sasuke couldn’t make out the questions they were asking before until he began to make his way through with Mako right on his heels.

When he came in line with the entrance, Sasuke froze. Sakura was on her back, broken glass surrounding her on a messy floor. A medic was kneeling down beside her and removing a syringe from her hand. “We need to get her into one of the rooms. Now.” Sasuke’s heart was racing as someone wheeled a gurney past him. Mako began pulling him away from the entrance to which Sasuke almost shrugged off.

Sakura’s pink head was closest to the door so Sasuke couldn’t get a good look at her face until they began lifting her onto the gurney and wheeled her past him. To Sasuke’s great relief, his medic friend was fully alert despite the hives across her face and swelling lips. When making eye contact with him, she raised her hand and waved awkwardly.

“Hey.” She said past swollen lips.

“Hey?!” Sasuke responded, irritation quickly replacing his concern. Was she serious?! Mako let out a surprised laugh at her casual greeting. Sasuke ignored him completely and began tailing the gurney as it rolled away with her.

“What the hell happened?” he asked her with pointed annoyance. After failing to mumble past her tomato mouth, Sasuke shook his head. “Nevermind.”

“I’ll explain,” Mako said from the other side of the swiveling table. Sasuke spent the next several minutes listening to Mako explain a basic understanding of anaphylaxis and staring disbelievingly at Sakura as they unloaded her onto a bed. They began to hook her up to an IV and other machinery that would monitor her pulse and blood pressure.

Mako continued his explanation, “Antihistamines are what comes next. Luckily, she responded to the epinephrine and doesn’t need intubation. We’ll have to monitor her for a few hours just to make sure she doesn’t have another episode.”

Sakura was nodding her blistered head in agreement at everything he said. Sasuke just glared at her.

“Why did you eat a plant you knew was toxic?” he asked crossly. She shrugged her shoulders, the only response she could really make at the moment.

“I should have stopped you, Haruno-san.” Mako bowed. “It is all my fault.”

Sakura began shaking her head to dismiss Mako’s apology. Then she began to gesture for Sasuke to come over to her bedside. When he was close enough, Sakura pointed toward his hand.

“What?” he asked, looking down at it. My hand? What about it? He sure wasn’t going to hold her hand if that was what she was implying. Especially not in front of anyone.

A word made it past her lips but Sasuke didn’t understand it. “Hn?”

“Rath,” she repeated, still pointing. “Da ya hath a rath?”

“Oh,” Mako exclaimed. “You were handling the Ashuwa earlier, Sasuke. Do you have a rash on your hand?”

Ah. Sasuke’s hand was partially gloved except for his fingertips, which were unmarred. It had been approximately 30-45 minutes since Sasuke had even touched the plant. Sakura had sampled the herb 10 minutes before that, so it was too early to tell if Sasuke would have a similar reaction. He didn’t have a rash on his fingertips though.

Another physician handed Mako a familiar mortar and removed his disposable gloves after touching it. Mako immediately pinched a piece out of it and offered it to the Uchiha.

Sasuke responded with a glare as Mako continued to hold it out. “You’re not suggesting I eat that?”

“We need to make sure that you don’t develop a similar reaction, especially if you plan on using the chakra pills that Sakura is making.”

Sakura was mutely nodding in agreement and Sasuke annoyingly spat out toward her, “Why? You want me to end up looking like you?” Her nodding turned to shaking.

She followed with, “He’th ight. Eat wow you ah here.” Sasuke scoffed and blinked in disbelief at her communication efforts. How was she even talking?!

This was an absolute lunatic idea. She wanted the BOTH of them in hospital beds in this village while Gaara was away handling potential psychos that were after them? It was already a concern that she was incapacitated; Sasuke sure as hell wasn’t going into anaphylaxis too by choice.

“I’ll wait until you’re better,” he answered, shooing Mako’s hand away from his face. As he did so, Sasuke pointed at the door, ordering Mako to just go and check on Satou’s kid. Mako blinked at him in confusion before taking the hint and exiting with that same excuse.

When the silence grew thick between them, Sasuke took a casual stance against the wall next to Sakura’s bedside.

“Ya are wathing time,” Sakura began, looking guilty despite her swollen mouth as she tucked her hands beneath the covers and looked around at nonexistent people in the room; anywhere but at him. She was right. He was wasting time, and Sasuke mentally shook himself as he realized his indifference to that. He was trying to remind himself of his goal but in that moment, Sasuke’s feelings were outweighing that purpose.

He turned his back and peered out the small window at the darkening sky. He glanced back at her briefly before turning back to the window. “Are you okay?”

There wasn’t a reply which had the Uchiha worried and he turned to see her wide-eyed expression at his question. The face Sakura was making looked as if Sasuke had grown two heads. “I mean,” he added quickly, “with a mouth like that, it looks difficult to breath.”

She immediately covered her mouth and frowned at him, obviously embarrassed at his words. “I ah fine!” she shouted in embarrassment into her fingers and turned her head. Sasuke resisted the urge to smirk.

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After the administration of the antihistamine, Sakura didn’t wait long before she began removing her own IV. She felt bad for the time that had been wasted today when she was supposed to be making the food pills. Sakura was just relieved that the Ashu had been tested before she gave Sasuke a drug that could potentially kill him.

“What are you doing?” Sasuke asked as she removed the monitor and turned off the flatlining machine before anyone came in at the sound. “They said it would be best to stay the night.”

“I’m ah do-ter” she told him. Yes, Sakura would have advised the same thing to her patients, but she was out of danger now and she felt anxious despite her drowsiness. She was troubling Sasuke enough by accompanying him on his mission. She didn’t want to get in his way; she was supposed to be making things easier.

Sasuke scoffed at her dismissive, mumbled declaration as she stood from the bed. She blinked heavily and managed to stand upright. It would still take a little bit of time for her to completely pass out from the side effects, so Sakura figured the time she had left awake could be spent productively.

The medic immediately went over to the cabinets and pulled out disposable gloves and a mask from the drawer. The mask would serve two purposes: 1) protect her from inhaling the Ashuwa as she worked and 2) hide her ridiculous “tomato” mouth as Sasuke referred to it. Ugh. Sakura could die from embarrassment.

“What are you doing now?” Sasuke grumbled irritably, following her as she moved. She immediately headed over to the mortar on the cabinet and pinched some of the yellow herb, skin protected from the substance thanks to the gloves.

“Eat.” She stated plainly. They couldn’t proceed further if Sasuke was likely to have a similar allergic reaction. Sakura would have to scrap their entire progress by disposing of the food pill batch. She would be back to square one and they would have to start all over by finding a new foundational herb with the correct properties to achieve the correct results.

“Forget it,” the Uchiha deadpanned before making to head for the door. Sakura caught hold of his hand, stumbling in the process and taking a hard fall on her knee. She winced visibly. That would bruise later. Sasuke immediately turned and helped her up and Sakura thanked her mask for hiding her blushing cheeks as well.

With the same hand Sasuke had offered, Sakura turned his palm up and placed the Ashuwa in his cupped fingers. “No time.”

Sasuke glared at her for what seemed like several minutes before reluctantly dumping it down his throat. They both knew he had to for his own sake.

Sakura nodded before trashing her gloves and retrieving a new pair. She couldn’t risk leaving traces around the hospital and anyone else coming into contact with the pollen if it was responsible for anaphylaxis. Mako had said that it was such a common reaction that they had stopped using it altogether.

Sakura halted in her steps, considered her plan, and decided to grab the entire box of disposable gloves. She handed Sasuke the mortar.

Sasuke gave her an expression that radiated annoyance but somehow was miraculously completely blank. If she could speak clearly in this moment, Sakura would have asked him how he managed that.

“Fowwo” she murmured through her mask-covered lips, pairing the word with a beckoning wave. “We’ll tesh your weaction why we wait.” She was shuffling out the door before Sasuke had the chance to say anything more.

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Sasuke trailed his teammate from the room, carrying the mortar of Ashuwa he had ground up earlier that day. This was one of the few times in his life that Sasuke somewhat regretted his decision to refuse the artificial limb that Tsunade had made for he and Naruto. Sakura was walking with one arm against the wall for support and Sasuke’s one and only hand was currently occupied.

It was well after dark now and many of the staff members were busy attending overnight patients, so they weren’t stopped by anyone as Sakura found her way back to the medicine room, which was now cleaned of broken glass and everything back in its space. She reached up and grabbed several bottles of adrenaline and then dug through the drawer for syringes.

“Sakura,” Sasuke began as she dropped some of the things she was holding onto the floor. “You need rest. We can finish this later.”

“We hafe to wait for weaction anyway. Might as well make the pills.”

“I feel fine.” Sasuke reassured her. It was true. Time had passed enough for his fingertips to develop a rash if there was going to be a topical reaction. He had yet to show signs from consumption.

Sakura strode past him again, this time walking backwards to face him. He could make out a smile beneath her mask which somewhat irked the Uchiha. She seemed awfully cheery despite nearly dying from anaphylaxis. Sasuke concluded that it had to be the medicine making her drowsy.

“Turn around before you fall,” he grumbled. She laughed as she began to walk slowly up the stairs. He hurried up behind her and offered her his elbow which she took thankfully despite his huffed “So annoying.” Her laugh was her only response.

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Sakura was practically nodding off as she watched Sasuke mix and prepare the batch of ingredients for the food pills. She felt relieved at finally seeing headway as Sasuke rolled the batter into 1-inch circular doses according to her instructions and placed them in the hospital’s oven. Sakura had tried to do so herself, but Sasuke had insisted she sit down to avoid screwing them up and risking their progress. Sakura allowed him to take the reins, praying desperately that the food pills would turn out and serve their purpose after such a hassle.

“Sasuke,” she whispered, immediately touching her lips behind the mask as she noticed the decrease in swelling. The ice Sakura had retrieved from icebox was doing its job.

“Hm?” he answered, trashing the latex glove he used to protect his skin and replacing his own. He turned to her then in the dim light, but Sakura couldn’t make out his expression because the only light in the room was a lamp over the counter workspace behind him. There was a shadow concealing his features and Sakura was too tired to try to make them out.

A lot easier now that her lips were shrinking, Sakura asked, “How are you? Any shortness of breath?”

“I’m fine,” he stated simply.

“Good,” she replied, thanking that ridiculous Uchiha blood of his for not reacting to the Ashuwa like her’s had. How ironic, Sakura thought, that even Sasuke’s genetics seemed to be working for him even in this circumstance. How superior he must feel.

Reclined across the small seating bench in the corner, Sakura placed her chin on her chest and inhaled the gentle night breeze that was coming from the opened window. It seemed to be the first night that the sand wasn’t trying to shatter the glass; to be honest, Sakura was surprised that the hospital windows even opened. Perhaps they were high enough on the fourth story to avoid the sand barrage.

Sasuke came to stand before her and Sakura blinked sleepily up at him in an antihistamine induced haze.

“Sleep,” the Uchiha before her ordered. “I’ll wake you when they’re done.”

Sakura wanted to argue that she could manage to stay awake for another 20 minutes while the chakra pills roasted, but she wasn’t that confident in her ability to do so. At most, she could manage maybe 5 more minutes if she concentrated hard enough. She wanted to ask Sasuke about the conversation he had with Satou.

“Sit with me,” she said, but it sounded more like a question. There was a minute of silence as Sasuke observed her. The bench wasn’t roomy, but Sakura was too drowsy to be apprehensive about their proximity. Sasuke must have not been either, because he sat and exhaled when he did so. Perhaps he was tired too.

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Sasuke tried not to lean away from her as she settled into his side. He cursed her medicated self for such confidence in a small, darkened space. He counted down the time in his head; he would only have to stay seated here for 17 more minutes. For some reason, that time seemed both entirely too long and entirely too short.

“Satou,” Sakura began, reaching up to take off the medical mask on her face. Sasuke tried not to smirk at the lips that were still puckered despite having minimized in size. He blinked past the image to focus on her words.

“Hn,” he responded sourly, thinking of the man whose name had just been dropped between them like a heavy, unwanted stone. Sasuke didn’t particularly feel like talking about that man. He had, had enough of Satou for one day.

“How did it go?” his teammate probed politely despite being nosey.

“Fine,” he replied shortly, not wanting Sakura to find out about too many details. How would she react if she knew he had used his Sharingan on him? Probably not well. Sakura would continue to dig for more specifics if Sasuke didn’t bring an end to the topic promptly. “His son needs to be sent to Konoha.”

Sakura nodded, not seeming too surprised at Sasuke assessment. Perhaps she had been thinking similarly. “Thank you for talking to him.”

It wasn’t much of a talk, but Sasuke wasn’t going to tell her that, so he just responded again with a finalizing “Hn.”

Sasuke couldn’t help but jump when Sakura’s fingers touched his right hand. “Sasuke,” she began, almost in sleepy inquiry as she brushed his palm with her thumb and index. There was hopefulness in her voice and Sasuke cursed her medication again for her damn self-assurance.

“I..” she began, but Sasuke cut her off before she continued. Sasuke was almost absolutely certain that he knew which words would come next.

“Shh,” he replied, leaning comfortably into her side as his answer to her unspoken confession. “Just sleep.”

After a few breaths, and when Sakura’s head nodded onto his shoulder, Sasuke scooped up her hand into his, finding the courage to splay her fingers with his own and fasten them into place. Even when he would let her go in 15 minutes, Sasuke would lock the moment into his heart to last him the rest of his life.

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When he counted down to the last second in his mind, Sasuke counted a few extra seconds. And then a few more. He thought about letting the doses of chakra pills burn to a crisp in the oven, but he decided against it, reluctantly releasing Sakura’s hand and pulling away from her heavy head.

Making sure that Sakura wouldn’t wake, Sasuke silently rose, turned off the oven and retrieved the pills from inside. He placed them on the counter quietly and turned to lean against the counter. He watched Sakura’s sleeping form for a few minutes, considering if he should wake her as he promised or let her sleep longer. What was the possibility of sitting beside her and stealing a few moments more?

Sasuke knew he was playing a dangerous game. Tomorrow, the Uchiha would test the chakra pill nearby and he and Sakura both were aware of what would happen after that. With the issue of his chakra reserves addressed, he would return to the desert to attempt cross-connecting dimensions again. They both realized Sasuke couldn’t waste any more time.

And with that thought, Sasuke’s stern resolve slipped. He would distance himself later, he thought. He would put the space back between them tomorrow. Tonight, Sasuke wanted to be next to Sakura.

He sat back down beside her and softly took up her hand again. Just for a little while longer.

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Sakura woke in the middle of the night from the pain in her arched neck. She blinked past sleep and realized that she was folded into Sasuke’s side with her knees tucked and Sasuke’s head leaning against hers. Not only that, but Sakura froze as she realized her hand was entwined with Sasuke’s between them. The moment was fragile, and Sakura almost cried of joy and then heartbreak as it shattered when Sasuke responded to her shifting.

The weight of his head on hers lifted and Sakura tried not to grab desperately at him to keep him from moving. Instead, Sakura pivoted her eyes to his as his sleep faded and realization appeared on his face.

Sasuke released her hand and stood hurriedly, saying nothing despite how Sakura’s heart wanted answers. She wanted to know if this moment was genuine or if she had been the one to hold onto him in her sleep. Sakura wanted to believe desperately that Sasuke had allowed himself to be transparent for just a moment and had secretly revealed his true feelings for her by holding her as she slept. Had that been the case? Was she being too optimistic? This wouldn’t be the first time their hands had touched. Had he been supporting her as a friend, or did he feel something more? She had to know.

“Sasuke,” she began, but he cut her off for the second time that night.

“Good. You’re awake. Let’s go.” He declared, hastily placing the finished chakra pills in an open travel container on the counter.

Sakura stood then, heart racing and adrenaline pumping as she worked up the courage to come up behind him as he worked. She wasn’t going to confess this time. She was going to ask Sasuke if he had been confessing to her while she slept?

“Do you… love me?”

Sakura was almost certain that he stopped breathing altogether as he paused his task. The Uchiha took a minute to compose himself before exhaling. “When are you going to stop that?”

The statement was meant to be cold, but the fact that it came out so desperately low gave Sakura a rare feeling of hope despite the words. “When are you?” she responded calmly in a whisper.

“What?” he asked incredulously, finally turning to her.

She gradually took the last few steps between them and stood carefully in front of him. “When are you going to stop pretending that you have no feelings for me?”

Sakura expected a scoff, a ridicule, but what she got in return was painful fear in Sasuke’s usually expression-less eyes.

It was true, she realized. Sasuke did have feelings for her. There had been so many signs, but Sakura had been unsure about all of them until this very moment. But what had just passed between them was confirmation. Sakura almost lost her breath at the realization.

“You’re mistaken,” finally came the blunt retort, but it was too late.

Sakura was already closing the inches between them. Her fingers were already brushing his cheeks as she brought his face to hers. She hesitated. Just for a second. Just long enough for him to pull away from her. But Sasuke barely took a breath before Sakura touched her lips to his.

Chapter Text

Sakura was already closing the inches between them. Her fingers were already brushing his cheeks as she brought his face to hers. She hesitated. Just for a second. Just long enough for him to pull away from her. But Sasuke barely took a breath before Sakura touched her lips to his.

Sakura placed her lips on Sasuke’s carefully. Although she held his face, she did not pull him to her in desperation, but simply guided his mouth to hers gently. Their lips touched for a very long second, brushing each other as Sakura leaned into it. Sasuke wavered for just a moment and then Sakura felt his body bend toward hers. His fingers brushed her left hip hesitantly and Sakura responded by deepening the kiss. The very moment their kissing became more substantial, Sasuke’s hand rose from her hip and took hold of her left hand. He pulled it from his cheek.

Sakura’s soaring heart suddenly dropped to her stomach.

“Stop,” he whispered, and turned his head away from her. He held onto her wrist for just a little longer before dropping it. He took a step back and Sakura wanted nothing more than to grab hold of him and pull him back to that moment, but Sakura knew that if she spoke, the tears would come and her voice would break.

“What are you doing?” he asked her coldly and the question felt like a knife in her gut.

“Sasuke, I…” she began, stumbling for what to say. Had she misunderstood? No, Sakura had been sure of what she saw in his face just moments before she kissed him; she had been sure that Sasuke had entwined their hands together. There was no mistaking it, but maybe she had moved too fast which startled him. Sakura cursed her eagerness. She had wanted to kiss him ever since they were genin together; had been imagining this very moment for so long.

“Do you think I brought you with me for this?” Sasuke finally asked, eyes downcast and blank.

Despite the cracking in her chest at his harsh words, Sakura tried to think clearly about what she could say to fix this. Her thoughts returned to when Sakura had fought Sasuke back in Konoha as an attempt to get through to his stubbornness. When she had been suspended in the air by Sasuke’s Susanoo arm and he had demanded why she expected him to play at love with her, Sakura’s answer then was her answer now.

“No,” she responded in the gloom. “I don’t expect anything from you. I told you that.”

Sasuke made brief eye contact with her through his shaggy hair. The fear that Sakura had seen just seconds earlier was now shaded by anger and confusion.

“Sakura,” he began, rubbing his forehead with his hand. “We can’t do this.”

Sakura wanted to shake him for saying that. She didn’t understand his logic. What was going on in that head of his? She had told him before that they didn’t have to be together; that she didn’t expect him to stay in Konoha; that she had absolutely ZERO expectations if they could just love one another. So what was it for him? What had him so hung up and determined to keep his distance? Frustrated, Sakura could only think of one reason. It always came back to one thought for Sakura. “Why can’t we?” she finally demanded. “Am I wrong? Do you really not feel love towards me?”

“It doesn’t matter!” he dismissed her heatedly. He was glaring at her now, no longer avoiding her eyes.

That statement was only more confirmation for Sakura. Sasuke would be lying to her face if he said he didn’t love her. It was true that he had feelings for her and they both knew it. Then what? Before Sakura could ask any more questions, Sasuke’s sharp voice pierced the space between them.

“I’m getting tired of repeating myself. I told you I can never be that person for you.”

Sasuke had said that to her before. When he had chosen to walk away again after her confession since he had returned to Konoha. The way he said it now was a little different, Sakura realized. His exact words to her before had been “That person is never going to be me.” This time he said, “I can never be that person.” Maybe she was reading too much into it, but there was a subtle implication there like it wasn’t Sasuke’s choice. Like there was something else preventing him from being so.

Sakura concentrated on her breathing to calm her thoughts which were speeding up while she watched Sasuke turn away from her toward the counter. He was beginning to gather the food pills from the container and placing them in his travel pouch.

“Where are you going?” she asked, comprehending what was happening.

“I need space to think,” he spoke distantly. Sakura began to take a step towards him. She wanted to demand that he stay put. To tell him that they could work through this together; think together and be on the same page.

But it was too late to change that stubborn Uchiha mind. A crackle in the air split open the space between them and Sasuke stepped through it without even so much as looking at her. Before Sakura could even think of racing in the portal after him, it sealed itself, leaving no option for her to follow him. The sensation was deeper than rejection; it felt like she had been slapped in the face.

Sakura immediately sat on the ground in shock. Sasuke had left again. Again. When Sakura grasped this, she felt suddenly so tired that she slumped completely to the floor and stared up at the ceiling. There were no tears this time; she was not angry. She was not sad. She felt confused and everything else was empty.

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When Sasuke landed firmly on his knees in the airless dimension, he immediately slammed his fist in the sand out of frustration. He cursed into the air as if it was personally at fault. It was at fault, he decided as he gave the ground another swipe. These dimensions, his mission, Kaguya, himself and his past—it was all at fault.

God, what had just happened!? He threw himself back against the sand and stared up into the green sky which was suddenly so similar a shade to Sakura’s irises. He moaned and turned himself over on to his side.

He replayed what had went wrong in his mind. Sasuke had been caught. Sakura had caught him loving her and when she confronted him with his own feelings, Sasuke couldn’t convince her otherwise any longer. If only he hadn’t given in to his impulses; he had been chastising himself for so long now about it—what had he been thinking and why did he suddenly give in?

And that kiss. When the secret had been revealed, Sakura had crossed that line Sasuke was so desperate to keep undisturbed. And he had kissed her back! When her lips touched his, Sasuke hadn’t pulled away; in fact, his instincts took control as he began to reach for her. He had wanted to pull her closer, cup the back her neck, part her lips with his own and never stop. And it was that intense desire for her that surprised Sasuke and had him pulling away.

Damn.

Damn.

Damn.

All he knew in that moment was that he desperately needed space from her. He needed time to clear his head and come back to his senses, because if he didn’t, Sasuke knew that line would be crossed indefinitely. If he had stayed any longer, Sakura would have successfully been able to persuade him. And if Sakura was able to persuade him to pursue a future with her, then what?

Sasuke listed the reasons again to himself, to remind himself just what.

First, if he and Sakura kept hurtling towards this direction, then Sasuke could no longer consider her just a friend which would have various consequences. For instance, Sasuke knew that if he gave Sakura that kind of hope, she would never stop waiting for him. Despite her claims of never looking for someone else, if Sasuke did give in, she really would never look for another guy to make her happy, and while that was a satisfying thought for Sasuke, he admitted that it was also very selfish. And he could not in good conscious leave her waiting for him for the rest of her life.

Which leads him to his next reason. Sasuke was duty-bound and secure in his promise to the Leaf, like Itachi, to take on the hard tasks and ultimately protect the leaf. This life was a symbol of selflessness and his ultimate punishment for his sins. This path was how he would atone for everything he did in the past.

Thirdly, being associated with Sasuke had already been detrimental to Sakura. Her run-in with Kido was a prime example. He had told himself this a thousand times. Sakura already had a target on her back because she was his friend; imagine the penalty for being his wife.

Finally, the scariest one of all. If Sasuke decided to allow himself the happiness of a relationship with his teammate, what would happen to him if that happiness was taken away? If his relationship with her was the reason she was ultimately taken from him, Sasuke was afraid of who he would become again.

Sasuke kept getting hung up on these reasons. He sat up in the red dirt of the sand and thought about the past few weeks with Sakura, their conversations, and advice from Naruto. With this in mind, he reassessed his reasons.

For the first reason, Sakura had already reassured him that his absence would not guarantee her future happiness with someone else. Sasuke allowed himself to believe that one. Sakura had made sure he would by giving him a throbbing black eye to remind him. But was it right for him to make that final choice?

The second reason, concerning his journey of atonement, Sakura had said multiple times: “All I would need to know is that you love me back. We don’t have to be together to love each other.” To which Sasuke’s train of thought always brought him back to this: what a miserable life. Which is why he had vowed not to tell her his feelings. Doing so would give her hope, but now she had figured it out without it coming directly from his mouth. So perhaps this reason was invalid now. He had screwed up and revealed it all, and now she knew. Would he be creating a miserable life for her by continuing to reject her after letting his true feelings become apparent?

Sasuke shook his head, moving on to his third and fourth reasons. Naruto had assured Sasuke that he would protect Sakura, but if anything ever did happen, then Naruto would get through to Sasuke like he had in the past. Sasuke believed in Naruto more than anything, but just as equally didn’t believe in himself.

Sasuke slumped forward against his knees, a headache forming quickly with is pent up energy. All of his reasons seemed to be becoming invalid which is why the Uchiha was slipping dangerously. If all of those sound objectives were becoming gray, Sasuke still believed it all boiled down to this: did he deserve any of it? He knew that Sakura did. He decided to just stop thinking for a minute—he was confused and didn’t know about anything anymore.

Frustration soon coursed through Sasuke’s body in the form of chakra. The way it always had in the past when he was angry and felt like taking his anger out on the world. Soon his body was crackling with electric chakra as it sizzled down his arm and exploded from his palm into the sand.

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When Sakura woke the next morning, she forgot where she was for a second. She was curled on the small sofa in the medicine preparation room where she was with Sasuke in the middle of the night… before he left. She groaned as her memories came back to her and jumped when she heard a familiar voice say, “So this is where you’ve been all night, Miss.”

Sakura rolled over quickly and found herself looking up at a grinning Mako. He must have woken her up, and in embarrassment, Sakura immediately sat up and patted down her staticky hair, a result of tossing and turning against the microfiber fabric in her sleep. “Mako,” she acknowledged as he sat beside her on the snug couch as if they were lifelong friends. And like a lifelong friend, Mako was pressing a cup of warm tea into her palms, a habit of his that Sakura was recognizing.

“Did you pass out up here because of your medicine?” he inquired learnedly, a doctor assessing a patient. Sakura had been heavily dosed with antihistamines before she and Sasuke had come up here.

“Sort of,” Sakura mumbled dejectedly into her tea as she took a sip.

“Sasuke, then?” he asked knowingly, and Sakura spat the tea.

Mako laughed and explained, “The pills are gone. I’m assuming he ditched you.”

Sakura cringed at his bluntness because it was technically and brutally true. “I kissed him.”

“Whaaat?” Mako dropped his mouth and spun toward Sakura with the expression of surprise. His reaction reminded her of a combination of Ino and Naruto, someone who was both dramatic but expected all the details. Maybe it was because of Mako’s kindness, familiarity, and constant presence, that Sakura felt like she could confide in him.

“Yeah. I was reckless and acted too quickly. And then he just left.” Sakura placed her palm on her forehead. “I can’t believe myself right now.”

“Huh,” Mako stated, turning back around and pinching his chin in contemplation. “I didn’t get the impression that he would leave like that.”

Sakura laughed. “Are you kidding? It’s a special talent of his.”

Mako patted his co-worker’s shoulder in comfort. “Don’t worry. He’ll be back.”

Sakura looked over at him after he said that and then she took another thoughtful sip of tea before asking, “What makes you say that?”

“Well, it’s obvious that he likes you. To be honest, I thought you were already a couple.”

Sakura coughed on her tea again which made Mako chuckle in amusement. “Give me that before you choke,” he said, taking her tea into his own hands.

“What…gave you…that idea?” Sakura questioned between coughs and punctuated each part of the broken sentence with a pat on her chest.

“Actually, I guess it was his conversation with Satou yesterday that made me think that.”

“Really? What happened?” Sakura sat up, both nervous and excited about the content of what Mako would say next.

“Well,” Mako began, considering the ceiling tiles as he recalled the scene, “the first thing that stood out to me was when he told Satou something along the lines of ‘I care more about her and her goal than the few minutes I could be doing something more beneficial than talking to you.’”

Sakura’s mouth fell open in disbelief. “He said that?!” The Sasuke that Sakura knew would never say something like that. Well, maybe the second, rude half of that statement, but not the first part.

“Yeah,” Mako responded with a smile, continuing with “then the genjutsu was awfully showy, followed by the threatening.”

Sakura jumped out of her seat. “He did WHAT?” She raised her hands to frame her wide-eyed expression. Just last night, Sasuke had told her the talk with Satou had gone fine! He called that fine? She dragged her palms down her face in anxiety. She knew she had been right to eavesdrop on them; what did she honestly expect to happen?

Mako explained that it turned out to their benefit despite the possible violations to several codes of conduct. Sakura couldn’t agree that the genjutsu approach was beneficial, but Mako explained that they both had tried to talk to Satou, but he was the type of person to only respect a show of force. Sakura let out an unsure sigh. She felt like she would have to bring it up with Sasuke later. No wonder he tried to change the subject last night.

“Oh!” Mako exclaimed, jumping back to their previous topic of conversation. “And his reaction to you going into anaphylactic shock was extreme, even for a friend.”

Sakura started to disagree with Mako, relaying that Sasuke’s reaction was far, far less dramatic than Naruto’s would have been. She stopped herself though, wanting to believe in the fantasy of Mako’s perception of their relationship. It was somewhat a relief for Sakura, to see Mako’s opinions as missing puzzle pieces to the question of whether or not Sasuke loved her.

“Thanks, Mako,” Sakura smiled sadly, leaning against the wall to the right of the couch, “but we aren’t a couple.”

Mako stood up then, and started shepherding Sakura towards the door, stating “You know what they say! Work is the best remedy for worry. Let’s go do what you’re good at!”

Sakura laughed and let Mako escort her downstairs, grateful for a friend.

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Isao was awake in his room, staring out the window when Sakura opened the door, revealing the delicious lunch she had brought for him. When Isao saw that it was Sakura coming into the room, he gave her a surprised smile.

Hisa, the female medic whom Sakura had taken a liking to, had informed her of Satou’s current episodes of anger at the hospital. Apparently, Gaara—wherever he was—had issued a warrant for Satou’s arrest since he had taken to destroying the hospital machinery in his room. Ninja had come for him this morning, escorting him out publicly. Isao had seen his father’s apprehension from one of the top story windows. Hisa explained that Isao had not cried or seemed distraught, but instead just watched silently as his father was escorted down the road.

Sakura had decided she had better check up on him anyway. Placing the food on his bed, Sakura crouched on the floor like she had done only a few days ago when the child was having episode of night terrors. The good news was that Sakura’s prescription seemed to be doing its job by helping the child pass on to REM sleep more quickly, bypassing the night terrors. According to the staff, Isao had yet to have another episode. Sakura was still mindful of the child’s trauma despite this, so she took the humble position of sitting.

“Isao,” she whispered as the child ate ravenously. “Do you want to spend some time in the Leaf Village?”

Isao’s head jerked, and he swallowed his food before answering, “What?”

“Your father won’t be in prison forever. Gaara will make sure he is punished for what has happened to you, but he will get out eventually.”

Sakura hated to be so blunt with an eleven-year-old, but she had to make sure that Isao knew the ins and outs of the entire situation. She was certain that Gaara would allow Isao to spend some time in Konoha, but she wanted to make sure it was what Isao wanted.

Isao took another bite of his rice and nodded in thought as she continued, “If you spent some time in the Hidden Leaf, you could train as a Genin there without fear of your father. We all know he hates Konoha. You would be safe there and could continue treatment at our facilities.”

Suddenly Isao spoke with a hopeful voice, “Will you be there?”

Sakura gazed at the boy as he shyly dropped his head and looked away from her. Sakura considered his question before replying honestly, “Yes, but not immediately.”

When he met her eyes again, Sakura explained further. “I am traveling with my partner right now. I don’t know when I’ll return to Konoha.” It was true that Sakura would not immediately return, whether it was a few days or a few months. The way things were with Sasuke right now, she wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t return for a while, leaving her to find her way back to Konoha on her own. She was determined to find him herself, crossing dimensions and whatever else, if this was the case.

“Then yes,” Isao announced, startling her out of her thoughts of Sasuke. “I want to be wherever you are ma’am.” Sakura’s heart melted instantly for the little boy who was looking at her as a long-lost family member. Maybe Sakura had been the first person to care about him since the loss of his mother. He had clung to her so desperately the first night she had spent comforting him through his terror. This was a sad realization that almost made Sakura cry.

“Then it’s settled,” she smiled sadly. “I’ll begin confirming everything with the Kazekage and Hokage.”

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Later that evening, after seeing all her patients, Sakura sat down at a desk upstairs at the hospital and began to write letters.

Her first letter was to the Kazekage, requesting official permission for Isao’s relocation to the Hidden Leaf Village for continued treatment. She informed him that she wasn’t aware of how much time he would be spending, but that she predicted for as long Satou remained a threat to the boy’s person and health. She relayed her wishes for the village’s fostering of the child to strengthen the bond between villages.

Next, she wrote to the Hokage and her sensei, Kakashi Hatake. Despite her close bond with her mentor, Sakura remained formal in her letter. She requested permission for the child’s temporary stay and care, along with his continued education. She informed Kakashi of the entire situation, including Satou’s resentment towards the leaf (although she had yet to figure out exactly why). Sakura explained the basics of Isao’s situation but included another letter for Lady Tsunade that covered the details of his illness, along with his treatment history and medical notes. Sakura requested that once permission was granted, that Kakashi pass this note immediately to Tsunade after an envoy had been sent to retrieve the child from Sunagakure; Sakura informed Kakashi that her hope was to remain with Sasuke for a little while longer.

As she sealed both letters, Sakura imagined Naruto’s disappointed face when he comprehended that she included nothing for him. He would say, “That old granny gets a letter, but I, a fellow member of Team 7, does not?” Then he would push in over Kakashi’s desk, cramming his face next to his and insisting to see what all Sakura had wrote, ‘just to be sure.’ She laughed aloud to herself at that particular scenario. She suddenly missed that idiot so much that her eyes pricked with tears and she quickly wiped them away afraid that once her tears started, they wouldn’t stop. There seemed to be a lot to cry about recently.

Unexpectedly, tea was being placed down before her. She jumped at Mako’s sudden appearance, catching her once again in a state of vulnerability. “Sorry,” he smiled, leaning his hip against the desk. “You seemed a little down.”

Sakura returned his kindness with a smile, taking up the tea and taking a drink of the warm sweet liquid. “Just a little homesick,” she explained. She didn’t want him assuming it was about Sasuke, although the Uchiha had in reality been occupying her thoughts for most of the day. How different and similar lovesickness and homesickness were. To Sakura, Sasuke would always be her home away from home. When he was gone, lovesickness consumed her. Yet, away from Konoha, Sakura felt a similar grief.

“Is that why you are writing?” Mako questioned, pointing towards the letters on her desk.

“Oh, this is for the Kazekage and Hokage about Isao’s transfer,” Sakura clarified. “Writing home does remind me of my friends, which is why I might have seemed down.” Sakura took another drink of the tea.

“I see,” Mako answered emotionlessly, peering up at the ceiling. As she watched him, Sakura wondered suddenly how he knew she had been up here. She hadn’t seen him for most of the day, the two deciding to split the work. Not knowing what else to say, Sakura took another full drink from the steaming porcelain cup in front of her. And another. After the fourth gulp, Sakura began to taste something beneath the sweetness. Anyone else might not have been able to sense it, but Sakura’s palate was trained to detect oddities. She coughed a little, clearing her throat of the bitter aftertaste.

Mako turned to fully face her suddenly and Sakura frowned as she realized that his outline was a little fuzzy and she couldn’t blink hard enough to read his facial expression.

When Mako reached out before her and took hold of the two letters, Sakura’s body wasn’t responding to stop him. When he stuffed the letters into his whitecoat, all Sakura could do was drop the cup in shock, watching it as it rolled across the table.

“It’s nothing personal,” came Mako’s detached, unfamiliar tone of voice as Sakura’s consciousness began to slip. “I just can’t let you go on any further.”

“You,” she managed to spit out as she forced her body from her chair, knees hitting hard on the ground. She didn’t understand what was happening, why Mako would be doing something like this to her; she cursed herself for blindly accepting his tea as often as she did. Even her thinking began to fade as she tried to army crawl toward the door. Her voice was suddenly gone, the possibility for screaming for help suddenly damned.

The last thing she remembered was hearing Mako’s footfalls get closer and the door being shut in front of her closing eyes.

Chapter Text

Sasuke blasted through a few too many red-dirt mountains in Kaguya’s core dimension. With every blast, he felt more like himself. Something chemical happened in his brain when he tunneled raw chakra through his veins; it helped him adopt the right mindset. Sasuke found that the quickest way to erase his thoughts was to surrender them to his shinobi persona who had to be focused. That chakra felt like a jolt to his nervous system, reminding him of himself and his shinobi goal.

Of course, now that he was less distracted, he found himself too depleted of chakra to do anything more than take a breather. Now that he was in the core dimension, Sasuke would have to adjust his plans. Previously, the Uchiha had been trying to cross into the desert dimension without going through the middle dimension. Now that he had jumped ship and escaped here by instinct, he was going to have to do this whole thing in reverse. Logically, his next step would have to be crossing into the desert dimension and then overpassing this core dimension directly to Kunagakure. All this would require a lot of chakra.

Just to speed up the process, Sasuke momentarily considered swallowing one of the chakra pills that he had swiped before his cold exit hours before into this dimension. It might be a good idea for experimentation purposes, but Sasuke knew enough about shortcuts to comprehend that chakra pills would do more harm than good, which is why they were typically reserved. It was best, the Uchiha decided strategically, to take the pill when he was at his chakra max, so he could ultimately top it off and have just the right amount to make the jump.

And besides, Sasuke just didn’t have enough time or chakra to experiment recklessly. He would get one shot to try it before he had to wait a significant amount of time for his chakra to replenish enough to try it again if he failed. Not to mention in what ways he would have to recover from whatever side effects he would suffer through from abusing the chakra pills.

Sasuke pinched his nose in concentration and tried his best to expel Sakura from his mind while he waited. And it worked just enough, for the most part…consciously—until he fell asleep that night and dreamt of her, his suppressed thoughts confronting him in his subconscious. He had developed a habit of dreaming about Sakura lately, so this wasn’t something new to him. His dreams of her usually involved her imminent death; an enemy threatening her life in a way that Sasuke was too late to prevent. This was the case. Usually. But something about that kiss earlier had unnerved Sasuke, transforming his instinctual focus on her from one of concern to one of…how would he describe it? Desire? Hope? Longing? None of those words seemed acceptable to the Uchiha; he hated to have to admit to any of those feelings even when dreaming.

In this dream, he was back in that damn medicine preparation room, glaring into Sakura’s green eyes after that unexpected kiss. But this time, instead of sensibly leaving, the Uchiha gave in to her desperate pleadings, taking her chin between his fingertips and bringing her mouth back to his. In this dream, Sasuke kissed her. Was kissing her frenziedly, hand suddenly twisting in the pink fuzz at the nape of her hot, flushed neck. Was, until a hand clamped firmly on his shoulder, jerking him abruptly back away from her. When he turned, Sasuke was face-to-face with himself. His conscious self vs. the subconscious.

When Sasuke woke, he laughed derisively as he realized he would always be the one to get in his own way in both reality and fiction.

“Good,” he said aloud to the airless dimension, suddenly frustrated for fantasizing about the opposite scenario of the one he had chosen. He hoped Kaguya, or others like her, somehow were able to hear him through this connection of dimensions. They would see just how determined he was to rid the world of them; how dedicated he was to protect those he loved. So much so, that he would sacrifice and surrender every aspect of his life to this goal.

Sasuke stood then, forming the hand sign to split the dimension in the space before him until raging sand materialized before his eyes. He decided he would just not sleep; not unless he was so tired that he wouldn’t even have enough left in him to dream.

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Sakura was a quick learner. The medical ninja gave herself that credit at least as she imitated the slow intake and exhale of breath that professed sleep. This certainly wasn’t her first kidnapping. Half a year ago, Kido had done just exactly that and as soon as his posse realized she was awake, the show had begun. Sakura’s poison-trained system had finally started to break down whatever sleep-induced toxin Mako had spiked her drink with. With no conception of how long she had been unconscious, Sakura had become cognizant and immediately began to mimic an undisturbed state. This time, she was set on listening. This time, she would assess and strategically plan.

She had been waiting to hear the answer as to “why” she found herself in this particular situation as she was dragged, then hoisted over someone’s shoulder. For a blurry second, Sakura was taken back to her drunken episode several weeks ago when Sasuke carried her home after the medic had decided to deplete Tsunade’s alcohol stash. The only similarity between this state of stupor and that one was the pounding headache that made Sakura want to vomit. That was when memory caught up with her and she began to “act.”

She was exchanged from one shoulder to the next and Sakura realized suddenly that she had been carried by Mako up until this point–that bastard–and was being surrendered to someone else. She didn’t know the voice.

“Great job,” a guttural accent commended Mako for his successful abduction. Sakura planned on commending him herself once she regained the upper hand.

“Just shut up and walk,” came Mako’s voice, in a tone that sent shivers down Sakura’s spine. She had never heard him speak like that. How could she have been played by him this whole time?

Sakura began to second-guess her decision to pretend the longer that they walked. In cases of abduction, it was well known that a person’s chances of survival drastically dropped if the kidnapper succeeded in moving them to a second location. But Sakura thought of Isao, her patients, her coworkers, and even Sasuke and resolved herself. It was better for them if she could allow these maniacs to believe that they had got her. What they didn’t know, was that their mistake would be getting Sakura just far enough away from civilians where she could cause some real damage. She had handled Kido; she could take care of these two as well. Neither of them could have anticipated her other skillset; Mako didn’t know her well enough.

When they had dropped her not so gracefully onto her back an hour later, Sakura bit the inside of her cheek to keep from making a pained groan or facial expression to give away her performance. Other voices chimed in then, and Sakura realized her adversaries had just doubled.

“About damn time,” someone drawled as she was dropped. “You couldn’t have taken care of this sooner?”

There was some shuffling as her capturers arranged themselves in what sounded like a cramped space.

Mako announced: “She’s surprisingly resistant. Not to mention Uchiha’s been around just until recently.”

That particular statement wounded Sakura a little more than the fall she just sustained. Of course, this was all about Sasuke. She should have known. Kido had kidnapped her for this same reason: to lure in Sasuke, kill her in front of him so his eyes would change. Sakura was starting to get pretty annoyed with people trying to use her to get to Sasuke—as if she would ever let that happen. When would they learn that things weren’t so black and white? Mako’s previous statement the morning of her capture began to make more sense to her now: “Well, it’s obvious that he likes you. To be honest, I thought you were already a couple.” And Sakura cursed her mouth for confiding in him because now she identified his interest as a predatory investigation.

“Or maybe you just weren’t trying hard enough because you liked her,” came a response from a voice Sakura seemed to recognize for some reason. It was different from the rest—distinctively female. Sakura mentally raised an eyebrow at that fact.

“Believe me, that’s not the case” came Mako’s defense. “Ashuwa just didn’t do the trick on a medical specialist as we had hoped.”

And then Sakura was cursing. Cursing a stream of silent words that wouldn’t do her any good to express verbally now that she was getting information. The bastard had even convinced her that Sasuke should take it. She thanked the universe for Sasuke’s non-allergic reaction to it.

“What ended up working?” came the female voice again, expressing honest curiosity.

“Tea and kindness,” Mako stated unemotionally, eager to move past the topic. “Now let’s get on with this.”

“Of course,” said the female again, tossing what sounded like clanging metal onto the floor at his feet. “You have been given a position among us as promised for your service. Welcome.”

Sakura couldn’t resist. She snuck a peek through the corner of her eyelashes at them then and did not like what she saw. She was in a small gathering room with a domed ceiling, one of the many adobe homes on the outskirts of the Sand Village. She had also miscounted by 1. There were four of them, an extra silent companion seated & leaning against the wall farthest from her, seemingly uninterested. In the same second, Sakura also noted that Mako had bent down to retrieve something she recognized, a headband with a foreign symbol etched onto it—the same symbol she had seen on the headbands of their assailants back at the Tanigakure lodge. She made the connection: these were the same ninja who had followed Sakura and ambushed her and Sasuke in the night. The ninja she had recounted to Gaara, who was supposedly on their trail. How did they manage to get past him?

Just as Sakura thought this, an unexpected thud came from the ceiling accompanied by the crumbling sound of sand. Quiet consumed them as no one moved. Sakura observed quietly as all ninja revealed their weapons in silence as if they were snakes quietly coiling back to strike.

The man in the corner nodded toward the door, and the ninja closest to Sakura’s head disbanded from the group and disappeared within a second. Once outside, the same ninja began swearing loudly at some surprise. Everyone in the room relaxed as a child’s vocal squirming reached their years. The shuffling continued as this child was being brought inside.

“Damn kid must have followed us!” the returning ninja said in annoyance. “Got some bite to him.”

If Sakura hadn’t been laying down already, she would have collapsed in shock and fear at the memorable voice of the child they had just apprehended and threw down next to her. “Get away from me!” Isao shouted, the boy swinging a kunai out in front of him. They laughed wickedly at the boy’s ferocity.

Okay, show’s over.

Protective instincts kicked in swiftly as Sakura successfully reached forward and stole the kunai away from the child in less than a blinking second. There were unanimous intakes of breath throughout the room as Sakura managed to get Isao behind her and compress the blade threateningly against the esophagus of the man who had touched the both of them—it all happened within a microsecond. Sakura’s sudden revival activated the group’s defense and they were upon her, but she let out a snarl, drawing blood against the man’s throat.

They immediately stopped their advance when the man she had ensnared began to laugh, throat nicking against the knife as he did so. “Do it already,” he breathed through his laugh. “My death will be a part of this effort. It will only help us in our cause.”

Sakura was certainly tempted by that. The way he had roughly handled Isao seconds before with his colossal insensitive hands was like a fresh and bloody burn on her skin, painful and needing the immediate relief of this man’s execution. But something in his words froze her hand. A cause?

“Glad you are finally awake,” came Mako’s distinct tone, a vicious friendliness warming the words again.

“Shut up you liar,” Sakura spat viciously.

“If you let him go, we’ll tell you why we are going to kill you,” came the female’s voice, and Sakura flashed her angry green eyes over in the woman’s direction. Her face and hair were covered, and Sakura acknowledged the same black shemagh that had concealed her attackers in Tanigakure.

Fat chance, she thought. Sakura immediately assessed her chakra levels and was aggravated by how slow chakra was reacting to her body’s summoning of it. Mako was a fellow medic, and Sakura deduced that whatever he had given her had strategically messed with her system and chakra connection. Sakura mutely criticized herself for trusting Mako. How many times would she be tricked in her lifetime? Probably many more, but she would learn from them all. Oh well, she thought. She had had worse odds before. Her only additional complication was Isao because now she was responsible for herself and the 11-year-old boy who had pursued after her. Had he somehow witnessed Mako’s abduction of her?

It was at this moment that the woman at the front of the room began to take off her mask, and Sakura almost dropped the knife altogether. As the black wrap was loosened and it slumped around the woman’s neck, Sakura immediately recognized the face of Hisa, the female medic ninja who had been her assistant throughout Sakura’s entire stay in Kunagakure. Even Isao behind her, gasped when he saw the woman who had helped take care of him.

Sakura’s moment of surprise was all it took for the ninja she stood behind to reach his hand lightning-quick between his own throat and the kunai. He grabbed on to Sakura’s wielded wrist with his left hand and flung her forward over his shoulder. She mentally cursed as she went flying toward the forefront of the room, landing painfully into the opposite wall. She practically went through it, and the side of the adobe house collapsed around her. As she fell, Sakura realized that the brute force used against her revealed their intention to truly kill her. They weren’t planning on preserving her, let alone sparing her life.

Sakura had been launched farther than she initially realized because when she managed to rise from the dust and sand, she winced at the other consequences of her distraction that was now beyond reach. One by one, the villains stepped through the new door that Sakura had made, carrying Isao with them. In the next second, Isao was tossed to the sand, screaming threats and clutching at the thug man’s foot that suddenly pinned down his chest. When the beast applied pressure to the child’s sternum, Isao began to moan in pain.

The sight enraged her, and she broke her silence. “You’re wrong if you think this plan of yours will work!” she screamed at them. “I am nothing to Sasuke. Nothing to anyone, do you hear me?!”

All but the quiet man snickered in response to her declarations, but she continued, seething through her teeth.

“He will not come to save me! You will not get what you want by using me! Let the child go!”

“This isn’t about Sasuke,” replied the wraith-like man who came last through the shattered side of the building’s exterior wall. For the first time since her awakening, the still man walked to the head of the party and addressed her. “Neither is it about the Hokage, or even the Jinchurki. This is about you.”

The night suddenly seemed starless, dark, and void of all sound save the squealing wind. As the stranger spoke this truth, three of the other members flanked his sides before fanning out beside him like Tamari’s fan, creating a close-knit semi-circle. The phantom-like man stood casually in the middle, his face cloaked in the combined darkness of night and the face wrapping he wore. As Sakura looked closer, even this man’s eyes, the only thing that could be seen between the black fabric, seemed like depthless holes of nothing. This man reminded Sakura of a walking desert mirage, some sort of shadow demon hiding in human clothing.

Sakura gritted her teeth as her body instinctively begged her to flee. Isao’s need for her overpowered that. She would die before abandoning him.

“Me?” Sakura asked instead, revealing her honest surprise. “What do you want with me?” It was a trick, the kunoichi told herself. What could they possibly have to gain from killing her when much more powerful figures literally walked side by side with Sakura? There was nothing to gain besides Sasuke’s, Naruto’s, or Kakashi’s ultimate death, defeat, or capture.

“Your efforts to fix the ‘mentally ill’ goes against the philosophy of our newly founded group,” came Hisa’s poison-dripped answer. Sakura noted that they all took a step toward her in synchrony, tightening in on her a little closer. This practiced pack was testing her and Sakura took a step back to match their own. She was smart enough not to let them surround her like the meal they believed her to be. Sakura felt suddenly empathetic for those mother animals who felt torn between their captured young and their own safety. Let them believe that she was this helpless observer who reeked with fear.

“And what philosophy is that?” She asked, imitating the breaks of a trembling in her throat. She practically seeped the question with distress. It must have had the effect Sakura wanted, for her enemies smiled in response and took another step toward her.

With an insanity that Sakura had not heard in his statements before, Mako declared emphatically, “Progression!”

Sakura couldn’t wait to punch his teeth so far down his throat that Mako’s vocal cords and epiglottis would permanently suffer damage.

Sakura stammered again, portraying the weakness they wished to see. “Pro–progression?” Another step back. Just a little more.

“Whether or not it is your intention, you will create a shinobi generation of weaklings,” stated the leader again. He essentially breathed more darkness, because the night around her suddenly grew thicker. Was she imagining it, or could this be some sort of jutsu?

“How do you figure that?” she questioned, adding a nervous laugh to her annoyed tinged inquiry. Sakura’s exasperation with their reasoning was starting to make her focus waver.

As she asked, Sakura concentrated on her chakra. She was calling it, calling it, calling it, but it did not spring forth. She would have compared the sensation to drawing blood from a syringe, except her chakra was like liquified cement and the syringe was the size of a pen. If she chose to use it, the Strength of a Hundred Seals just might flood her chakra paths and burst through whatever plug the medicine had caused, or it could potentially well up like water in a dam and she wouldn’t have any access to it. Medically, that might be a concern. And it had only been a few weeks since she had last used her reserves to assist Sasuke crossing dimensions, so would the risk be worth the additional amount behind her forehead?

In an eerie declaration, the masked leader stepped toward her again and said, “If you go around curing the next generation of their anger and pain, brainwashing them with this vision of peace, there will be no more progression.”

“What the hell does that mean?” she asked, all pretense gone now. The confidence in her tone made them stop their encroachment. For a second, Sakura didn’t look so weak to them. They glanced at the leader, the shadow-man, and then again at Mako because Mako knew her best out of the group; he had also drugged her.

“The medicine should still be working. We must hurry though. It won’t last all night.” Listening to this, Sakura inhaled and exhaled, willing the small drip of chakra to pool more heavily in her palm. She would only have one shot before she could collect enough chakra for another one. Sakura took another step back. And another, drawing them away from Isao and his captor. Just a little more. Keep them talking.

“There is peace in the world now,” Sakura baited. “There’s no need for children to suffer through trauma alone anymore.”

The leader did not hesitate a second before responding with the practiced mission justification of their group: “Without anger, hatred, and pain, there is no incentive for war between villages. And without war, there is no need for young shinobi. You will create a generation of weaklings who cannot defend our borders. The world of Shinobi as we know it will disappear.”

Sick freaks, Sakura thought. She was their target because she worked with children? They were afraid that children would be weaker without pain? “The world would be a better place,” she commented, “if there weren’t people like you in it.” Sakura didn’t care to listen to this nonsense anymore. She hated to kill them, but they weren’t giving her much of a choice.

At exactly this moment, Isao had somehow reached into his pocket for another kunai, stabbing it into the foot that held him down. Apparently, the ninja had been distracted by the rest of the pack’s slow pursuit of Sakura and the conversation. Isao left his mark, slicing it clean across the top. The ninja screamed which turned the heads of all those before her. Isao bolted up before anyone had the chance to stop him.

On his feet now, he charged the group and Sakura watched in panic as the ninja he had left behind now followed, brandishing a sword of his own.

“Kill that brat!” came Hisa’s order.

And then Sakura was in the air, her fury propelling her forward and then down on top of them.

Mako let out a cry of alarm, the first to notice her above them. The kunoichi had just enough for one hit, and Sakura prayed the sand wouldn’t buffer too much of it. She fisted the meager amount of chakra between both of her palms, fingers interlocked to make a combined fist. She brought them down as hard as she could at their feet, making it through several feet of sand before she connected it with the ground. Sakura was not able to see the damage done, because not only did sand fill the air, but all light blinked out and a shroud of complete blackness consumed her.

Chapter Text

Sasuke hated Kaguya’s sand dimension even more than he disliked the desert that covered the vast majority of the Land of Wind. This dimension was forever hot despite that the dimension’s otherworldly moon hung low in the dark horizon, a massive orb of blinding white that mirrored the Earth’s moon in exact replica. Sasuke had always felt like the illusion was a reminder of the Otsusuki people, and that Kaguya had designed this dimension to display something that reminded her of home. To Sasuke, the dimension moons eerily reminded him of Kaguya’s pupil-less irises, always watching the spaces that existed between nothing.

Glaring at it in paranoid response, Sasuke, deprived of chakra now, walked toward it slowly and determinedly as a challenge. He would show her exactly how her dimensions were now his domains. The Uchiha decided he would walk freely here because he couldn’t do as he pleased his own world. He wanted to scream curses at that eye-like globe, demanding the Otsusuki show up and take him on now in his weakened state.

“Come on!” he screamed. “All of you! What are you waiting for? Let’s get this over with! I will find you all eventually!” He wanted it done. He wanted this over. He wanted to have a life despite his promise to be the worlds’ sacrifice for peace.

As if to taunt him, Sasuke’s shuffling feet snagged over something in the sand, and he glanced down at his feet in surprise. A ninja’s vest, half-burnt away from acid, displayed itself like a green bearing flag left behind by those who had explored a barren planet. Even though Sasuke had been the only human to ever walk here, Sakura’s old vest that Sasuke had used as a teleport connection between dimensions back when he had been trapped here, always served as a call to his more current jumps. In other words, every time Sasuke had come here over the past couple of years, no matter where he opened the portal, he would always land within a few feet of it.

In the past, he had thought of removing it because it was a painful reminder in many ways. But as he returned consistently to the same spot, Sasuke began to theorize that it had something to do with his ability to travel here. At first, Sasuke believed it was because during teleportation, his path crisscrossed into a connection that had already been created and used before—this was the most likely explanation; his chakra simply wasn’t strong enough to rip a new tear in the fabric of space and time. But as he looked at it now, Sasuke wondered if there was more to it than that. Did emotions tie him to this piece of fabric? And because Sasuke’s friends always existed somewhere in the back of his mind, did his chakra seek it out as something familiar to secure itself to before flinging him through the vacuum of nothingness?

Sasuke glared back at the moon in hatred, wondering too, if it could be just a sick part of Kaguya’s illusions, knowing that the vest had in the past and always, always would continue to stop the Uchiha in his tracks. A temptation reminding him of a different life, one that would cause him to ignore the Otsusuki. Kaguya would want that.

He sat down beside it despite how much he wanted to turn and walk away from it as he always had. This time, he let it be his beacon out of the void, drawing some sort of strength from it in his chakra-deprived state. The whole point of being this exhausted was to avoid thinking of her, but the tattered shinobi vest always pricked him with guilt, especially now when he had left her alone in Sunagakure despite his promises of partnership. It was as if the green material had a voice of its own, saying “See how far she would go for you?” And Sasuke, keeping his thoughts private from the ever-watching rock above, would think to himself “I am doing this for her, too. She will understand eventually. She will accept just how far I am willing to go for this peace we both envision. We have the same goal.”

As Sasuke thought these thoughts again, Sasuke accepted that if they couldn’t be united in love, then at the very least, they would be united in the same goal, the same vision of happiness. It comforted him ever so slightly.

He sighed as he fingered the chakra pills at his waist, guilt invading his chest and suffocating him. How could he tell her his true feelings and make her accept what he was willing to accept? How could he satisfy the both of them and do the least damage?

Sasuke exhaled and leaned back in the sand once more to sleep, sweat beading across his brow in the high temperature. He turned on his side and faced the vest in exhaustion, pretending it was her—pretending to be satisfied with this small piece of the woman he loved and would ever allow himself to dream this close to.

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The blackness pervaded all of Sakura’s senses as soon as her feet hit the ground opposite the giant hole she had just created in the sand. She blinked hard, hearing the cursing and alarmed proclamations of those she had attacked. The darkness was like a leaden mist before her eyes and Sakura instinctively created the sign of “release” for genjutsu. And whether it was from her lack of chakra, or because this was a ninjutsu, Sakura’s attempts yielded zero results. The blackness remained and blinded her past several inches in front of her face. When she heard Isao’s shout for her, she had no choice but to dart forward blindly, determined to reach him before someone else did.

“Let go of me!” the child screamed, his pursuer unfortunately catching up with him. Sakura navigated through the pillars of sand-dripping earth that now projected themselves in the air around her. With hands outstretched, she cursed herself. The blow had meant to disorient her opponents and it had, but this damn thickening darkness made it difficult to move forward through the landscape of her own destruction. Thankfully, the waterfalling crumble of sand masked her rushed footfalls.

The kunoichi drew upon her chakra once more, but it came as slowly as before, the medicine still lingering in her system with its toxic chakra clotting effects. Sakura moved hurriedly ahead, hoping that she wasn’t the only one choked with darkness.

Isao’s curses came and Sakura finally rounded a huge boulder to find herself facing the back of the thug’s head. He had his massive hands around the child’s throat, weapon tossed aside in favor of a crueler death to the victim that had caused him so much trouble. Despite his struggle for his life, Isao made eye contact with her the moment they were close enough to see each other. His attacker saw recognition register in the boy’s eyes and spun to face her. But it was too late. Sakura’s kunai was slicing the gray flesh of his throat before he even had time to see her, a final blow that had been delayed from earlier, but determined by fate to be his cause of death. The brutish ninja dropped to the ground instantly and Sakura justified the blood that pooled freely at her feet by remembering his cruel actions to the child that struggled to catch his breath before her.

Sakura picked up the abandoned weapon, the weight unfamiliar in her hands. The sound of the man’s death had betrayed her position, and the footsteps of his companions crunched closer to her location. Terrified, Sakura clutched the child, pushing him behind the jagged column of rock behind her.

“Isao,” she pleaded in a whisper. “You have to make a run for it.”

“I won’t leave you,” he declared, determined to fight to his death for her.

“The only thing you can do for me now is to go get help,” she said honestly. It was a half-truth. There were only a few realities before them, and Isao making it back to the village and bringing help was not likely due to how much time it would take. But Sakura was desperate to remove the brave child from the scenario. She cared too much to let him sacrifice himself for her.

“Miss—” he protested, but Sakura propelled him forward in the blinding darkness, an enemy’s footsteps rounding the earth that cloaked him. It was too late to argue, and Sakura turned to face the phantom-man who stepped toward her in visibility, shadows curling around him as he cleared a path through the inky mist.

Sakura faced him squarely, taking a defensive stance and raising the wicked katana with her sharper green eyes, sending a stare to him along the metal’s surface. The shadow-wielding ninja smirked and the rest of his crew appeared beside him.

“Go!” she screamed in final command at the child whose feet took off into the black at her back.

Sakura brandished the sword in confident threat at her attackers, herself serving as the shield between herself and Isao; they wouldn’t move an inch in pursuit of his direction if she had anything to do with it. Sakura had never wielded a sword before, but in the absence of chakra, she would become a master at it in this moment. Sakura was a kunoichi, a medic, a chakra control master, the pupil of a legendary Sanin, a rising legend herself, and today, she would add something else to her list. Scratch that. She would two things tonight: she would eradicate this new movement of anti-peace revolutionaries, and she would do it at disadvantage with the weapon of her enemy.

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As Isao ran, he clutched his side in pain, a sharp stab in his waist. The man who Sakura had killed moments before must have broken one of his ribs as he crushed Isao to the ground. At first, the young ninja pitched forward in blackness, half-debating to turn back to help the pink-haired ninja. But Isao knew the truth. He had been foolish to pursue her and her kidnappers alone and he cursed himself for his rash decisions in his fear of losing sight of them; he should have told someone else even if he lost their trail. Any of them, anyone at allwould have been better help to Miss Haruno than he had been.

Isao’s bravery amounted to nothing and it was evident in every piercing word from the medic kunoichi: The only thing you can do for me now is to go get help … Isao let the command fuel him forward despite the pain, until the night faded into morning hours later and the mighty walls of the Sand Village came into view.

He didn’t know how much time had passed and he didn’t wait to scream for help. The Kazekage was not in the village—he had overheard that much. Neither was the teammate that traveled with Miss Haruno. He yelled the only name he could think of, the name his heart still cried out to despite how much he hated him. The roaring sand shrouded his cries, and the prison walls would buffer it completely, but Isao begged to the air, shouting over and over, “FATHER! HELP ME!”

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The taste of the chakra pill was bitter, smoky and acrid. The Uchiha almost gagged trying to swallow it down, and he silently confirmed that Sai had been right—although Sasuke hated to agree with anything his entitled replacement said. What had he called them? Mudballs? Despite the accurate term, Sasuke feared his kunoichi companion more than he hated the taste, so he would keep the complaint to himself.

The pill pooled in his stomach and Sasuke took a breath, focusing on the ignition starting in his core. The rush of power was exhilarating as it topped off his chakra supply, overflowing visibly in a blue-purple halo around him. It sizzled along his skin and Sasuke grinned wickedly as a spiraling vortex appeared before him, much larger than any he had been able to create on his own before.

This was it! It was working! He pushed beyond the core dimension easily, his ready supply of chakra speedily fueling the tunnel between the void, but it ate and ate away at his energy and the color disappeared from his skin. Running off his own meager supply now, Sasuke exhaled and grinded his teeth in concentration. Finally, the connection was made and Sasuke threw himself through it.

He landed roughly, skidding to a halt, and he was ironically thankful for once for the Land of Wind’s high volume of sand. Sasuke found himself smirking up at the lightening sky as he recovered, because this was his first victory in a long struggle of jumping dimensions. To the Uchiha, it was proof that he was doing exactly what he was meant to do: beat Kaguya and the Otsusuki clan at their own game in their own territory. Giddy in his success, Sasuke used the last of his dwindling energy to rise to his feet, his thoughts immediately turning to the woman who had helped make this all possible—he hadn’t achieved this on his own; Sakura deserved the credit. And it was the first time that Sasuke could admit that he needed someone else’s help in his goal.

The dark walls of Sunagakure cut the bright morning horizon in half and Sasuke’s gut twisted in a combination of emptiness and guilt at the thought of returning to Sunagakure to face his friend after their… kiss. Sasuke was torn between finding her immediately to tell her that their plan had worked, pretending the kiss never happened in typical Uchiha fashion. But the time he had stolen away from her “to think” brought him to only one conclusion: he needed to apologize—again—and at least explain why. He had made her a promise to be a partner that depended on each other, and here Sakura was continuing to keep that promise, while Sasuke stole moments of happiness and bailed when he had to face the consequences. Suddenly remembering their sunset conversation the last time he had returned after leaving, Sasuke felt a fresh stab to his consciousness as he recalled her statement: “a part of partnership is communication.”

Sasuke slowly made his way toward the village gates. When he passed through the canyon-like entrance, people greeted him with “good mornings” while others stared openly at him. Their gazes were a little different, warmer, and Sasuke wondered if his teammate’s influence in the hospital had something to do with his newreception in Sunagakure now.

Feeling even more ashamed, Sasuke resolved himself for his female companion’s wrath and made a straight line for the hospital.

When he entered the hospital’s double doors, Sasuke came upon a scene that made his stomach drop into his feet. Kankuro, who was haggard from exhaustion, and had apparently returned sometime in the night, was fisting the collar of a hospital staff member.

“What do you mean they’re not here?” he bristled. “If she’s not in her rooms, then she should be here. Where’s Mako? Where’s the kid?”

“I don’t know sir,” came the panicked response from the employee, terrified to be facing the Kazekage’s right-hand man. “I’m sure they’re in the village somewhere.”

Hearing those words had Sasuke acting before thinking and the Uchiha rushed forward to fist the shirt of the same medic. “Are you talking about Sakura?” His eyes darted between the both of them and Kankuro’s grip released from the startled staff’s shirt in the same moment he shoved Sasuke’s own hand away.

“Where the hell have you been?” Kankuro accused icily, and a fire Sasuke didn’t even know he had left in him, surged from his throat in anger.

“What the hell is happening?” he demanded, taking another step toward the puppet wielder.

Kankuro pinched his nose in frustration, then beheld him in shock. “You mean Sakura isn’t with you?”

Sasuke eyes widened in immediate response, an answer refusing to form on his lips. Instead, he shouted, “You don’t know where she is?!”

Kankuro frowned deeper at his sudden animosity. “She hasn’t been seen since yesterday morning,” he explained quickly. “The innkeeper said she never came back to the inn. Mako, another medic, and Sakura’s young patient are missing too.”

Sasuke didn’t wait for any further explanation before he began sprinting up the stairs to the second floor of the hospital, the filter for his behavior now completely removed. Let everyone think what they want! That bastard! When Sasuke got ahold of Mako, he wasn’t sure what he would do. Sasuke’s feet were unusually heavy and his breath labored as he continued climbing to the third floor toward the medicine preparation room they had occupied together only recently.

“Sakura?!” He kicked open the door and furiously searched the vacant room with his eyes. After seeing no one, Sasuke stared at the empty couch where they had sat so close to one another the night before last. As if his memory of her there could recall her, Sasuke gazed openly at it, breathing hard.

Having followed the Uchiha, Kankuro appeared in the door behind him. “We’ve already checked the hospital. She isn’t here. We need to check the rest of the village, quickly!”

She couldn’t be missing. Was she really with that assistant of hers or that child? Were they off somewhere else doing something medical, or were they truly missing? Shit. Shit. Shit.

He turned on Kankuro in his unnerved rage. Sasuke wanted to demand where they had been, he and the Kazekage, but Sasuke remembered that Sakura had told him that they were investigating trouble near the border. He cursed himself again for being selfish and leaving her here alone.

As if reading his thoughts, Kankuro explained, “I was sent back by the Kazekage in the night. He is handling a situation regarding the ninja Sakura said ambushed you both in Tanigakure. The incidents were apparently related.”

“What do you mean?” Sasuke suddenly asked, a deep and cutting sensation coming over Sasuke that he hadn’t felt in a very, very long time: fear.

Kankuro looked down and away from him, debating on how much to reveal. “With some unmentionable methods, we were finally able to find out who their target was,” he finally informed with a sigh. His eyes rose to meet Sasuke’s and the Uchiha saw the same raw fear mirrored in Kankuro’s eyes. “It’s Sakura.”

At the very moment that Sasuke’s knees felt like collapsing beneath his weight, the same staff member that the two ninja had threatened seconds before, came running into the room, panting heavily from having hiked the floors.

“Come quickly,” he urged between breaths, turning immediately to run back down the steps. “Isao has returned.”

Kankuro made eye contact with the Uchiha before they both bolted back down the stairs, taking two and three steps at time. Sasuke cursed his lack of chakra that kept him from just teleporting downstairs.

Sitting in a chair, the child clutched his side. Sasuke noticed that he kept trying to rise, but the staff held him down as they tried to bandage a wound on his arm. Deep purple finger marks circled around the child’s neck like a collar.

“Not me! Her! Go find her, please!” he shouted as he struggled against them.

“Calm down boy,” a woman medic urged. “We have to staunch the flow of blood from your arm.” The child looked at his wound as if he didn’t even know it had been there.

When Isao caught sight of Sasuke and Kankuro, he started to cry. “HELP! Please help!” he shouted, and they quickly moved to hover over the child. Kankuro suddenly kneeled before him, taking the gauze from the medic and wrapped the child’s arm himself as he questioned.

“Speak kid,” Kankuro urged, “What is going on?”

“Miss Haruno,” he choked between tears. “She’s still out there! Please, we have to go!”

Before Kankuro could ask the child why, Sasuke did something appalling, an act that Sakura would be disappointed in him for. His sharingan flashed bright, soaking up the last of his chakra like a sponge, and he caught the panicked child’s stare in his own crimson and purple one.

Just as he had to Isao’s father, Sasuke stepped into the child’s memories. Isao’s recollections were almost too overwhelming for Sasuke to handle at the moment, each image dripping with the fear in which young ones saw the ninja world. There was also bravery in them and familial concern for the pink-haired kunoichi. Sasuke skipped through the memories like speeding up a film, an act that made his head throb in pain. He didn’t care about his own state at the moment though, seeking the green-eyed face of the woman he had come to love.

There. Isao’s most recent memory Sakura was of her telling him “to go get help.” Sasuke didn’t have time to go back further and he let the memories play out from that point, mapping the child’s nighttime desert sprint, hours long, from the empty desert back to the gates of the village.

Not needing to explore the child’s mind further, he released Isao and they both gasped. Sasuke clutched his eye, ignoring the angry glare on Kankuro’s face. He didn’t care about Kankuro’s morals or even the child’s shocked state at that moment. There was only one thing he cared about. He would let the child explain the details to Kankuro; Sasuke didn’t have the time to explain things to Kankuro. Instead, the Uchiha did the unthinkable, playing the very dangerous game of popping another chakra pill into his mouth as he sprinted out the hospital doors.

Chapter Text

Sakura spun the sword, adjusting it on her left forearm as she pivoted on her heel to bring it around her in another protective arc. The blackness that hovered before her again instantly shielded her enemies from view which could be considered both advantageous and disadvantageous for her.

For the first, Mako and Hisa immediately rushed forward, using the ninjutsu as a cloak. They crisscrossed her, one taking a swipe at her from the front right and the other coming from the left. When Hisa’s blade came from the right, Sakura’s first instinct was to dodge and strike her foe in the side with her fists as she passed. But with her chakra currently restricted, Sakura ducked, pushed up on the handle of her assault weapon with her forearm, and brought her own blade naturally to Hisa’s right flank as she redirected the attack. Sakura hissed in disappointment because the cut was interrupted when she retreated and the result was shallow, not slicing deep enough to incapacitate her. When Hisa took a step back, clutching her flank, Mako suddenly appeared like a breaching shark from the deep only inches before Sakura’s face. He kicked her, quite hard, and Sakura fell into the sand, her weapon tossed aside from the blow. She scrambled for it as Mako grabbed hold of her ankle. She kicked free of his hold, but he was upon he, knees straddling her, and Sakura had no choice but to turn and face him.

He cuffed her hands above her head, saying quietly, “Don’t make this difficult! You will lose your life if you continue to resist. They’ll kill you. Stop struggling!”

Sakura cursed herself for drinking that damn tea, because if she had chakra, she would headbutt his face so far back into his skull that the impact would instantly kill him. Hisa’s face suddenly appeared above Mako’s rights shoulder.

“Killing her is the only option. We don’t have time to hold her hostage,” she chastised Mako with venom in her voice. “We have to get back to base quickly with the news of her death.”

“We could use her. She’s too important to kill immediately.” Came Mako’s response as he sat down hard against her bucking legs.

“We don’t have time for this! The drug effects won’t last on her all the way back to Tanigakure!”

Perfect, Sakura thought. The confirmation she had been looking for. They were in fact the same party of ninja who had attacked her and Sasuke on their journey to Suna. Sakura still wasn’t entirely sure just how many belonged to their group.

“Reach in my pocket for the second dose. We will knock her back out if we have to!” came Mako’s reply, but it was too late. Sakura had been calling, calling, calling her chakra to her wrists this entire time and used that small amount of sudden strength to overpower Mako’s hold, swinging her arms quickly back down to her sides which caused Mako’s own arms to follow. His head hit the ground to the left of her neck and Sakura immediately rolled him, bestriding him the same way he had just held her.

Hisa didn’t hesitate a second as her weapon came swiping horizontally across Sakura’s back. Sakura predicted this and used Mako’s struggling momentum to once again roll him back on top of her. The blade bit into the flesh of his back and he screamed. In the same moment, Sakura used the last of her strength to wedge her knees between herself and Mako’s chest, shoving him out and back toward a surprised Hisa. They both fell tangled back into the shadowy mist, hitting sand somewhere out of sight.

Within seconds, Sakura scrambled toward the lost weapon and the sword she had dropped was within Sakura’s reach. But when she fisted the pommel, a foot stepped down on the blade. The black mist cleared to reveal the eyeless depths of the shadow demon above her.

“Enough of this,” he hissed. Shadows leaked from his eyes, down his face, and crawled down his chest, legs, and over the length of the weapon, icing Sakura’s fingers when they touched the handle. Sakura immediately recoiled in pain as her fingers turned a sickening black. She screamed, backing away from his advancing figure, hand tucked protectively in the crook between her arm and side.

Rage more than fear boiled beneath Sakura’s skin. What sick ninjutsu was this? It reminded her of a combination between Zabuza’s Hidden Mist technique and Shikamaru’s Shadow Control. But the damage was entirely unexpectedt, as if the shadows inside his body were made of a poisonous substance that bleached out the life of whatever it touched. This phantom before her controlled darkness directly, thickening what already existed in the air around them, and then leaking black chakra directly from his body which destroyed whatever came in contact with it. Like the shadows of death itself, Sakura was certain it had stollen all life from her immovable hand.

Sakura cursed and bolted to the left, seeking out the jagged rocks that she had created earlier. She had to test a theory. Sakura slowed as she clutched her hand, listening, keeping an eye on her feet at all times in fear of creeping black, knowing the phantom would pursue.

When his steps came closer, Sakura turned and faced him. A chakra-manipulated path cleared the darkness between them, allowing the two ninja to see each other in the surrounding haze. This confirmed one thing for Sakura: no one, including the ninja user himself, could see through the darkness he created. That was good to know.

Just one more thing then. She waited and the shade sneered as he approached. When he came withing a few feet away, shadows reached for her like grasping fingers. Just as she had seen Temari do all those years ago during the Chunin exams, Sakura backed away until the shadows stopped and retreated back into the skull of the demon who had projected them. She drew a line in the sand, confirming the distance of ten feet between them.

Ha. She thought to herself. Just like Shikamaru’s justsu then. Similarly, it had a limited reach, although it was much shorter than Shikamaru’s range and didn’t seem to be able to use the shadows in the air around it to lengthen or widen. It explained the purpose of the shadows in the air though; the phantom ninja needed to be in close range where individuals couldn’t see the approaching black tentacles of death.

Sakura scoffed. Apparently, this ninja couldn’t measure up to Shikamaru’s intelligence either, considering the fact that she had just figured out how his ninjutsu worked.

There was only one problem, though. Sakura was a close-combat shinobi as well, and her number one battle technique was her chakra enhanced strength. She needed a plan that would allow her to take a different approach.

She ran and her attacker pursued her, thickening the air before her but leaving the trail behind her completely clear.

Suddenly, Mako’s words from earlier came back to her, which gave Sakura an idea. It was the only thing Sakura could think of. She doubled back to where Mako and Hisa had been disposed. She followed the blood in the sand to the precipice of a jagged chunk of earth. When she came upon Mako, Sakura noted that Hisa was already gone, having abandoned him immediately. Hisa was probably blindly searching for Sakura among the shadow-cloaked mountains of ground and sand.

Sakura didn’t have much time. She placed her hand over Mako’s mouth so he wouldn’t scream and give away their location; not that it would do much good. If the phantom had room for a brain somewhere next to that pit of darkness in his skull, he would follow the blood as she had, or trace her tracks in the sand.

Mako, laying on his bloody back in the sand, shot his eyes open when Sakura’s hand pressed down hard on his mouth with her black hand. It was barely more than a useless appendage at this point, but with the help of her good hand, Sakura shoved her fingers in his mouth to silence him. He tried biting them, tearing into her blackened flesh. But Sakura couldn’t feel them at all, the deadening so complete that Sakura was afraid she would never regain use of it again.

With her free hand, Sakura searched Mako’s person. Her hand fisted triumphantly in his back pocket around something long and cylindrical. She pulled it free, praying frantically that it was what she theorized it to be. Bless you for being thorough and for telling me you had it, she thought to Mako as she surveyed the capped yellow injection tube. Whether it was Ashuwa or a second dose of whatever he had put in her tea, Sakura didn’t know. But whatever it was, Mako had revealed its purpose to Hisa which was to incapacitate her again once the current drug in her system stopped working.

Mako squirmed beneath her and Sakura contemplated killing him right then and there. But she just didn’t have time. Lucky bastard. She sprinted from him, the phantom stepping over the boulder in the same moment she darted from the concealed spot.

Did he see what she grabbed? Sakura wasn’t confident but couldn’t stop to try to interpret the eye-less facial expression the ninja wore. Remaining hopeful, she kept running.

Spotting a smaller set of tracks in the sand leaving the location, Sakura followed them, tracing them all the way to their source. When Sakura came upon Hisa, she almost collided with her directly, the blackened air only revealing her in the last second. Hisa didn’t even have a chance to react before Sakura uncapped the needle and dispensed a third of the dose into her neck, enough for her weight. The woman dropped to the ground and Sakura thanked Mako again for designing the perfect drug. Sakura didn’t estimate that she would remain unconscious for long, though, not having the full dose.

Sakura moved quickly. There was only a matter of minutes before the phantom caught up to her once again. Sakura quickly removed the cloak from Hisa’s shoulders and wrapped Hisa’s face covering around her own. She picked up Hisa’s small rapier from the ground.

She turned and walked toward the approaching footsteps, using the black at her back to her advantage this time, thankful for once that it would conceal Hisa’s body completely.

When she came into his view, the ninja balked, taken aback at her familiar presence. “Hisa?” came the hissing whisper. Sakura kept her head down long enough. Long enough to come parallel with him and turn the blade to relieve him of his head.

He ducked as Sakura knew he would. Dropping the shortsword, she came back toward his face with the hidden syringe in the same hand. Like with Hisa, she caught him in the neck with the needle neck, and his black sockets widened as she fully pressed in the plunger.

Deathly black shot out of his eye sockets, gripping her remaining hand with blackness as it traveled up her arm. She cried out in both pain and fury as the medicine injected into the demon’s skin. He screamed and she pulled away as he dropped to his knees.

His consciousness remained momentarily, and Sakura turned, arms limp and useless from damage like Orochimaru’s had been. Turning, Sakura found the sword she had dropped. Bending down, she gripped it between her teeth, the taste of metal and sand coating her tongue. It tasted so, so sweet in that second.

Like another mist demon she remembered, Zabuza Momochi, Sakura wielded the blade between her teeth and pivoted to face this monster who was solely responsible for torturing Isao, spreading hatred and pain, and most of all, underestimating her.

Sakura would never be weak enough that anyone without substance, anyone who couldn’t consider themselves subpar to a legendary Sanin, could dispose of her easily. She didn’t need abilities. She didn’t even need chakra to make it out triumphant in these futile attempts on her life.

“You will regret your choices,” the phantom hissed disorientated. “The next generation won’t be able to handle what is coming.”

Sakura began to advance toward him, ready to mimic Zabuza’s killing blows with a fang-wielded blade. When she reached him, she glared down at him, bloodlust in her veins.

“War is a good thing. Anger is a tool to be used. Vengeance is necessary to strengthen.”

Sakura gripped onto her own blood-bent mind, talking to herself as she looked at this man…beast…whatever he was. And as she had done with Satou, Sakura now too, thought of Sasuke. A person so wrapped in darkness that the darkness presented itself in his very nature.

“You, like everyone else, deserve mercy,” Sakura announced after she dropped the sword from her mouth. Sakura had once blamed herself for being too weak to kill Sasuke, but in this moment, Sakura had an enlightening clarification. When someone so vile deserves death and you can find it in yourself to drop your too-ready hand of justice and offer them a second chance—that is real strength. It’s what Naruto would have done. It’s what Sakura chose to do now.

The man slumped forward, eyes level with the blade that stuck up from the sand. “You will see one day that I am right,” he hissed in finality.

“You have us confused with one another,” she announced to the fading darkness that began to disintegrate into light, the final sign signaling his unconsciousness. Sakura could just make out the sunrise in the east and it was beautiful, pale, and rosy. Sakura pretended it was her victory banner. She also believed it was a sign of hope.

.

.

.

The second chakra pill worked another miracle. Sasuke felt replenished as he practically flew across the sand path in Isao’s memory. He had only run this fast a few times in his life and most recently, it was because of this same scenario. Kido, too, had kidnapped Sakura, and when Sasuke had found out, he had run.

Sasuke cursed himself now for his stupidity. His pride. His mission. He had left in anger and confusion after their kiss, left her alone in Suna despite his promise to never let this sort of thing happen again. Each step he took into the sand was echoed in his mind with an apology. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. He lost count of how many times he said it.

Chakra coursed through his limbs and Sasuke mentally prepared himself for war. Bones enveloped his body, ribs caging around him as he activated an incomplete Susanoo. Purple chakra radiated from him, a threatening beacon to the kidnappers he knew would be nearby.

Sasuke instantly recognized the projections of broken ground that penetrated up from the sand like a golden crown. Unlike in Isao’s shadowy memories, the morning light illuminated each pillar, revealing the sheer length and size of every new peak that Sakura had brought forth with her inhuman strength. Sasuke didn’t even think of concealing his presence; he didn’t need to. He charged into the center of the fray, looking about him everywhere.

He looked behind a few of the crags, eyes finally landing on an individual. Bloody, but not unconscious, Mako lay with his face projected to the sky. His eyes shot open when Sasuke placed a heavy foot on his chest. He wanted to light him up with his Amaterasu and let the flames devour him alive until the ninja was nothing more than the sand beneath him.

Mako groaned and Sasuke unsheathed his katana, stabbing into this ninja’s shoulder. Although he didn’t need to pin him to the ground, it felt good to watch Mako clutch at the blade near his collar bone. The medic ninja was still alive despite his blood loss, but Sasuke relished in the thought that he wouldn’t be for long. Gaara might be mad at him for this later, but Sasuke didn’t care.

“Where is she?” The Uchiha hissed as he sent electricity down the length of his blade into Mako’s chest muscles. He began to spasm.

“Stop!” Mako screamed in pain.

“It will stop when you answer!” he yelled back, losing control of his own emotions. He twisted the metal for emphasis.

“Sasuke, stop!” came a familiar voice and Sasuke’s dropped the blade in shock as Sakura threw her shoulder into him.

“I don’t have enough chakra to spare to heal any more wounds,” she reprimanded him as if she were talking to a patient.

Sasuke blinked in chastisement at the pink-haired woman standing whole before him. He instantly pulled her into his Susanoo, crushing her to his side as he extended the ribcage of the Susanoo to include her. He looked around warily as if he couldn’t quite believe there was no current threat to Sakura’s person. He finally spoke, both relief and annoyance edging his words. “You’re okay?! Where are the others?!”

“I’m fine!” she announced, face suddenly red in embarrassment at their close proximity. Sasuke didn’t notice it at first as he held her back at arm’s length to check her current state. His stomach dropped when he saw her dangling arms, blackened, charred, and bruised. One of them currently had a small halo of green around it and its color paled in comparison to the other.

“Who did this to you?” he rumbled lowly, flashing a red and purple glare back down at Mako, who whimpered pathetically from his wounds. Sakura pulled from his hand and moved in front of the Uchiha, cutting off his direction of blame.

“Not him,” she excused, and her defense thoroughly pissed Sasuke off. Whatever Mako’s role was in this, Sasuke was certain that he was to blame for all of it.

Sasuke did his best to swallow his murdering thirst, eyes landing back on her like a lifeline to his sanity. “Tell me what happened,” he ordered. It was the only words that he could force past his teeth.

“I will explain everything to you, but I need your help first.” She made to step away from him, but Sasuke prevented it. Careful not to aggravate her injuries by touching her arm, Sasuke grabbed her shirt on reflex instead, pulling her back into the safety of the Susanoo.

“It’s okay. We are safe.” she breathed, smiling at him for the first time since he had left her, which brought Sasuke back some soothing clarity of mind. “They are all incapacitated.”

Sasuke’s eyebrow shot up into his bangs. “All of them?”

“It’s insulting that you are surprised,” she nudged him with her shoulder, turning her shoulders to face Mako. She bent to medically assess his new stab wound.

“I wasn’t expecting,” he admitted, but then fell into silence at her targeted look. “I mean, I thought that you were drugged!”

“I am,” she announced, narrowing her eyes further. “But I don’t know how you know that.”

Sasuke cursed at his slip. He couldn’t tell her just yet about how he practically forced Isao to spill all the information earlier. Instead, he said half-truthfully, “I ran into the kid.”

“Isao?” Sakura’s face lit up. “He’s okay? He made it back?” She slumped into the sand at Mako’s side. She practically deflated as her concern for the boy evaporated. “Bless that child.”

Sasuke had to agree. If it weren’t for him, Sasuke wouldn’t have been able to find his teammate this quickly. Even though Sakura hadn’t really needed his help after all. How strange that felt for Sasuke, to not be needed in the ways that he had once been. It was an unexpected jolt to his mindset toward Sakura. She had proved her strength repeatedly to him and he continued to see her as someone to protect.

Before he could even offer an apology, Sakura motioned toward Mako’s body. “My arms are a little preoccupied at the moment. Do you mind flipping him?”

Sasuke’s thoughts instantly darkened at the mention of both her arms and Mako. “What for?”

“I need to look at his back. See how deep the wound is.”

“He doesn’t deserve your help,” he replied instantly, wishing for the ninja to suffer in the same ways he had made his friend.

“I remember a time when you didn’t either,” Sakura replied with a smiling voice, “but I helped you back then, too. Now flip him.”

Sasuke scoffed at her statement, stooped, and flipped the ninja on his stomach. Mako let out a pained groan and Sakura “tsked” at his blatant carelessness. He kneeled beside her, ready to be her hands--well, hand--despite how much he hated the thought of her trying to help him.

“It’s not as deep as I thought. Hold his flesh together,” she ordered and Sasuke did so as she summoned a small stream of chakra to the gray fingertips of her semi-healed hand. The small amount did not last long, but it was enough. Just enough to stop the bleeding.

“Why are you helping me?” Mako asked faintly into the sand, and Sasuke immediately responded for her.

“You don’t need to know, so just shut your mouth so I don’t have to hear your voice.”

Sakura nudged him for his harsh words. “You sure have a lot to say today.” And Sasuke blinked at her again in surprise. She was right; he was talking a lot…for him. He responded with another scoff.

Sakura answered Mako’s question despite Sasuke’s threat. “You believe in war. I believe in peace. We are stronger united than when we are divided. This is how I create peace.”

Sasuke wasn’t following entirely, but he knew that Sakura was referencing words that had been exchanged between them, and Sasuke recognized them as the poison from a mindset consumed in darkness.

Standing again, Sakura said, “The hard part is going to be getting them all back to Sunagakure.”

“What do you mean?” Sasuke asked.

“They’re drugged. Not all of them are dead. They’ll wake soon,” she clarified for him.

Sasuke didn’t even think before saying, “I can remedy that.”

She ignored him, continuing, “We might have to make a couple trips. How many can you carry?”

Sasuke didn’t even respond to that ridiculous notion. Instead, he activated his Rinnegan once more, feeding it with the chakra from the chakra pill. A spiral appeared before them, revealing the central red-dune dimension. Sakura didn’t even have time to protest before Sasuke was throwing Mako’s limp body inside the hole.

“What are you doing?” Sakura asked, confused and stunned by his actions.

“They can remain in this dimension until we make it back to Suna. They can’t flee inside. They have nowhere to go.”

Sakura nodded in understanding. “Good idea!” she praised him, obviously relieved she wasn’t going to have to try to carry anyone with her arms practically useless.

“I’ll take you to the others.”

A female kunoichi Sakura called Hisa was the second to be transported to Kaguya’s center dimension. Then a different sort of being Sasuke considered warily. He didn’t look to be human. Sakura explained that he had been the most dangerous of them all. Sakura believed him to be the ringleader, though she wasn’t sure how many group members he truly led. It was still a confusing web of connections.

Sakura left out the fact that this ninja must be the one to have damaged her arms, but no good would come from Sasuke demanding that she confirm that for him. The Uchiha made a mental note of it as he tossed the unconscious ninja inside, already contemplating on ways to make him talk.

“Is that all?” he asked.

“One more,” she replied, and she led Sasuke toward a small adobe house that he hadn’t noticed before. It was alone in the desert, one wall completely destroyed, revealing the building’s stark clay interior.

Just before they reached the ruins, Sakura stopped when they approached the body of a large man. Sasuke was surprised to find this man not just unconscious; he was dead.

“He hurt Isao,” she defended automatically, ashamed that death had been necessary.

But Sasuke didn’t need an explanation from her. If she wouldn’t have, Saskue was pretty sure that he would have killed him. “Let the sand have him,” he declared, but Sakura shook her head.

“He belongs with them. They must be able to bury and grieve to find peace. We don’t want to give them cause for any further resentment.”

Sasuke wanted to say “you can’t be serious,” but he didn’t feel like arguing, because no matter what Sasuke could come up with to say next, Sakura would still be right in the end. She had a bigger vision in mind that Sasuke couldn’t quite connect sometimes. He just knew that he would always trust her to do the right thing, even if it wasn’t sensible, or in most cases, not what Sasuke would have done.

“Fine,” he declared, opening the portal once more. His breathing became labored as he pushed the effects of the chakra pill. Like with the others, Sasuke dragged the man’s body into the portal.

Sasuke also stepped through, leaving the gateway open between realms. He directed his attention to Mako, ice already coating his next words.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t wander too far from this spot. The dimension is endless and not of our world. You will only lose yourself and die in this place.”

Mako swallowed deeply in fear as he watched Sasuke’s form from his stomach.

“On second thought,” Sasuke sneered under his breath. “Feel free.” The portal closed behind the Uchiha as he exited. He would deal with all of them later, he thought. He needed to get Sakura back to Sunagakure first.

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Sakura couldn’t help but whimper when her left arm wasn’t responding as quickly to her healing chakra. Her right hand—the very same one she had shoved into Mako’s mouth to keep him from screaming—had almost fully recovered as the medicine suppressing her chakra began to wear off and her healing abilities returned to her. Her left hand, however, was at first very numb, which Sakura knew was a very bad sign. But the longer she worked at healing, the more the pain began to intensify. It was almost unbearable, but Sakura was ultimately relieved at the burning sensation that indicated life. Sakura considered the differences between the two hands and all she could conclude was that distance must have had something to do with it since her right hand had a grabbed the blackened sword at his feet and her left had been near his face when she plunged the needle in his neck.

Sasuke supported her as they walked back to the Sand Village, though he suddenly seemed to her like he was the one that needed supporting. He stumbled in the sand and Sakura removed her good arm from his shoulders.

“I’m good. But are you okay?” she asked, noticing his strenuous breathing for the first time.

“Yes,” he fibbed, and Sakura knew it was a lie the minute he clutched his head to support it.

Redirecting her chakra back to her healed hand, Sakura immediately sought out Sasuke’s brow with her fingertips. He moaned with relief as green chakra lighted over it, but he instantly pushed her hand away. “Heal yourself.”

“What happened?” she responded, ignoring his demand. She found his forehead again. “There’s nothing I can do if you don’t tell me what’s going on.”

“I took two chakra pills. I’ll be fine though. I just need rest.” He removed her hand again.

Sakura inhaled sharply at the confession. “Why did you do that?”

“I had already depleted my chakra reserves when I found out you weren’t in the village. I panicked.”

“Overdosing on chakra pills is one thing,” she scolded, “but using them recklessly to overexert your Rinnegan is another. No matter how much chakra you have, you have limits with the Rinnegan.”

“It was my only choice,” he defended sharply, obviously masking his embarrassment with annoyance.

Sakura placed her glowing palm over his eyes, now certain of the source of his discomfort. Sasuke made to move her hand away once more, but she fussed like a mother when he tried. “Let me have my way, or we’ll be here longer.”

Sasuke released a small laugh that sounded like another scoff. Only Team 7 could tell the difference between Sasuke’s derisiveness and his sense of humor. Sakura couldn’t believe he had the energy to laugh. But then something changed in the air around them and Sasuke grew very serious as he inhaled—the type of inhale someone made before having something important to say.

Sasuke finally managed to grab her fingers and he tugged them away after Sakura was satisfied with his treatment. But he didn’t let go. Instead, he held them for a moment that suggested tenderness. It was different from how their hands had brushed so many times before, like how they rested them against each other as they watched Suna’s desert sunset. This time, it was more like how Sasuke had held her hand between them in the medicine preparation room.

Finally working up the courage, Sasuke looked down at her feet and said, “I’m sorry.”

Sakura stared at the firm hold his fingers had on hers in wonder. And the truly amazing part was that he stillwasn’t letting go. “For what?” she whispered, not knowing what else to say for fear of him moving away.

“For leaving you behind in Suna. For leaving in anger. For not being there and letting this happen.”

Sakura didn’t let him continue. “Sasuke,” she began, catching his guilty eyes with her own. “You don’t have to worry about me anymore. I hope I have proved that to you, today. Please don’t burden yourself with worry for me. I can carry my own burdens and some. You already have the weight of the world on your shoulders.”

Sasuke searched her eyes with his. Sakura knew this was a rare occasion. Not many people would see the Uchiha open, unguarded, with care etched in every feature of his expression.

“I’ve been thinking,” he said suddenly, still holding her fingers tightly, and Sakura felt the whole world suddenly still around them. Even the desert wind seemed to stop. Was this the Sasuke she had always known was inside, no matter how roughly he displayed himself to the world?

“I’m sorry for what happened,” Sakura interrupted, afraid for another impending denial of her feelings. She knew what was coming and she didn’t want this small moment to end. “I won’t do that again.”

He paused and Sakura wondered if he was unsettled by the open acknowledgement of her stollen kiss.

He sighed and Sakura’s stomach dropped. She felt him hesitate, saw it in his face. But he resolved himself, declaring, “I came to a conclusion while I was away, and I have to say this while I have the nerve.”

Sakura nodded, ready for disappointment. She was more afraid of what he would say next than she had ever felt going toe-to-toe with her enemies just moments ago.

“Can it be enough for us to care for one another?” he asked, desperation cloaked with mock annoyance on his breath. “Can it just be enough for us to be friends as long as we are in each other’s lives sometimes? Can it be enough for us to be united in the same goal?”

Sakura’s heart sank and unhappiness hit her like the wave she was expecting. Tears threatened to brim her eyelids, but Sakura swallowed them down. Would he ever not be this thickheaded and stubborn? Would he ever let them be what they could be? Whether or not Sakura was simply high on victory or if she was genuinely losing her meekness in Sasuke’s presence, Sakura wasn’t sure.

She removed her hand from his. “Is it enough for you?” she finally asked, taking a step away from him. But he caught her fingers again, pulling her back gently to face him.

“Is that a no?” he asked emotionlessly, but Sakura saw the struggle in his eyes.

“When the answer becomes ‘yes’ for you, I will accept it as mine as well.” She pulled away, firmly this time. He couldn’t respond. Sakura knew why: he wanted to put this on her; he was always putting it back on her, afraid “because of her,” hesitant “because of her.” These were his excuses, but Sakura wouldn’t give him an out this time. It was his turn to choose.

They both knew that it was far too late for Sasuke to pretend he didn’t love her in the same way that Sakura loved him. But Sakura had learned that people love in many ways and not all people wanted to express that love romantically. Kissing Sasuke had been a mistake. She hated to call it that, but it was the truth of it. She didn’t want to steal from him what he wasn’t ready to give—what he wasn’t at peace with. It was his turn; he now knew where she stood.

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When they finally made it back to the Hidden Sand Village, Kankuro was there to intercept them just as Sasuke had expected he would. The puppet-wielding ninja was beside himself with worry at seeing Sakura’s injuries, insisting that Sakura promptly return to the hospital. Sakura had insisted she tend to her own wounds back in their lodgings so she could rest. She immediately requested to see Isao, but Kankuro insisted she get some rest first.

It wasn’t until Sasuke insisted that he have an audience with him and Gaara, that he left Sakura to her own desires. As they parted, Sasuke tried to say something or grab her eyes with his, but she didn’t look at him. Not even once. And Sasuke ran his hand exhaustedly through his hair. He couldn’t think about them right now. A conference with the Kazekage would be the perfect distraction.

Gaara, miraculously, had returned before he and Sakura had, and Sasuke wondered just how fast news could travel. Sasuke privately joked with himself that the desert shared its secrets with the Kazekage. The wind and sand must speak to him if he found out things so quickly. It was a hypothesis that could explain a lot at least.

Sasuke shook his head as he followed Kankuro into the Kazekage’s office. He must be getting delirious from the effects of the chakra pills.

“Sasuke,” came Gaara’s raspy acknowledgement when the Uchiha stepped into the room. Gaara was surprisingly alone, which relieved Sasuke. He thought he would have to face Gaara with the “support” of his council. It would be easier to speak of recent events if only Gaara and Kankuro were present.

Sasuke nodded respectfully despite his feelings of resentment toward the two men at the moment for having let Sakura be kidnapped under their watch. As a ninja that was a part of this unpredictable shinobi world, Sasuke knew his anger was unjustified, but he wanted to be mad at anyone and everyone right now. 99% of his own anger was directed at himself, because Sasuke knew that he was more responsible for what happened than the Kazekage and his brother were. The Kazekage had been trying to be proactive and prevent something like this from happening. It just didn’t turn out that way.

The Kazekage seemed to share Sasuke concern for discreetness, because he cloaked the room in sand as he had done the first day of Sasuke arrival. It filled every crevice, thickening to soundproof the room.

Sasuke opened the portal into Kaguya’s central dimension without further delay. He walked into the vortex, not surprised the group remained exactly where he had left them. The only difference was that they were conscious, a fact that slightly irked the Uchiha.

One by one, he grabbed each ninja, tossing them forward into the Kazekage’s domain. Hisa clutched at her dead counterpart, holding onto the deceased brute. Sasuke found grim satisfaction in Mako’s subdued, yielding persona. Being present before the Kazekage was far more terrifying than being stuck in a desolate dimension.

But the individual that held both Sasuke and the Kazekage’s attention was the wraith-like individual that bled darkness from a small spot on his neck. It was his only injury.

Gaara carefully considered him, crossing his arms and surveying him emotionlessly as he did most enemies that he regarded.

Darkness suddenly began to ooze from the man’s eye sockets and Sasuke’s temper suddenly flared. He looked to Gaara, and the ninja nodded his permission.

“Only demons don’t seem to know when they’re in the presence of other demons. Shall I show you hell?”

Sasuke’s eye suddenly began to bleed as he formed the tiger seal for fire release. “Amaterasu!”

The black flames clung to the phantom, incinerating what Sasuke realized was dark masses of sinewing, vaporized flesh. The phantom hissed. Then screamed, then began to plead for mercy. Hisa began to cry and Mako turned his face away from their leader.

Gaara came up beside Sasuke to speak to the wraith as he writhed. Sasuke released the Amaterasu and the flames receded.

The Kazekage crouched, an arm on his knee. “From one demon to another, I urge you to leave your shadows behind in hell and step out into the light. Only demons desire war. And war breeds more demons.”

Sasuke clutched his eye in silent suffering, and Gaara dismissed him. “I’ll handle the rest. I’ll let you know what we find out.”

Sasuke nodded, not waiting for any further excuses to depart. He had delivered them into the Kazekage’s care. But what those ninja didn’t know was that Sakura’s mercy held Sasuke more confined than it did the Kazekage, a demon just as he had said, whose territory had been breached.

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Sakura was finishing binding her tender left hand in medical bandaging, using up the last of her burn solvent that she had created at Suna’s hospital, when Sasuke walked in.

He opened the door, caught her eyes with his, and tried to hide the bloody track down his face from her with his hand. She was on her feet instantly, pulling him to the bed that he had staked his claim on.

She felt his forehead and it was hot, too hot. He had done it this time. She sighed, summoning the small reserve of chakra behind the diamond mark on her forehead.

She expected Sasuke to scold her for using what little she had left on him, but he didn’t seem to notice in his extreme exhaustion. “Thank you,” he whispered, and Sakura retreated to fetch water for him.

He gulped it greedily and Sakura helped him shrug out of his outer layer of clothing. Sand fell from his hair and clothes in the same way hers had earlier. “I’m better now,” he whispered, the first words spoken between them since their disagreement in the desert.

Sakura nodded, making to move away, but he grabbed her hand for the third time that day.

“Don’t be angry,” he begged, his exhaustion making him suddenly careless to conceal his true intentions with fake displeasure and irritation.

“Why do you think I am angry?” she asked emotionlessly.

“I just want what’s best for you. I don’t want to hurt you,” he whispered in defeat. This side of Sasuke startled Sakura. He was becoming more undefended, open with emotions in a way she had never seen him before. Was it because he didn’t have anything to hide anymore? Was he past his denials and his pretending?

“I know,” she squeezed his hand back. “But your concerns are groundless.”

“Tell me how,” he pleaded.

She sat beside him on his bed, and he tilted his ear to her, never removing his hand from hers. She took a breath and told him the truth. Told him everything he needed to know. “I do not love you sacrificially, Sasuke. I do not choose you knowing that my life or happiness could be forfeit by doing so. I choose you because I can keep up with you. Because something like your absence wouldn’t be enough to determine my permanent happiness. I will choose to go on, content with only the thought that I know you are out there somewhere loving me if that is all that I have in the moment.”

She took a breath and continued before he could respond. “I am strong enough to handle whatever comes my way as a result of loving you. And I have absolutely no doubts in my feelings, my happiness, and what I am willing to compromise to be with the person I love most.”

Sakura reached tenderly to turn his face to hers and their eyes met. She touched his forehead in the same way he had done to her many times before. “That person is you,” she reassured him, offering him a sincere smile as she removed her hand from his forehead.

Then Sasuke leaned forward. Very close to her, and Sakura bit her lip to keep from reaching for his with her own. “Is all of that true?” he requested again, suddenly breathless. And Sakura knew later that it was just to be sure before what came next.

“Yes,” she breathed. And she didn’t have to reach for him, because he was suddenly reaching for her. His hand found her chin and Sakura waited for his choice. She waited for him to move. And he did.

“Then my answer is no; it’s not enough for me either.” When his lips carefully parted her own, Sakura knew without a doubt that he had decided to find some way possible for them, a path where he could choose her, too.

Chapter Text

In the moment that Sakura had asked him directly in the desert: “Is it enough for you?” Sasuke had known his answer in his heart. And when she turned away from him in the presence of Kankuro after their return hours earlier, the sight of her angry back made Sasuke realize it was the first time that he had ever seen it. Sasuke had practically begged for that confession, pleading for her to tell him how they could be together so he could justify the choice he had already made some time ago, justify choosing this despite all his many worries. Those words sung to his heart and caressed his concerns lovingly. He still gave her an out, asking “Is all of that true?” and when she said “yes,” it was Sasuke’s final unraveling. Th be at “yes” was the final reassurance that his stubbornness needed before he took hold of her chin.

Unlike the kiss of his dream in the desert, Sasuke was careful—so careful when placing his mouth on hers. His fingers held her chin firmly while he took time to unite their mouths. As he did so, he braced himself despite his nerves and deepened the kiss. Sakura responded carefully as well, and Sasuke lifted his hand to touch her cheek in reassurance. To say, I want this. I’ve wanted this. But his fingers brushed wetness and Sasuke instantly broke away, startled at the tears he found running down Sakura’s face.

He searched her eyes with worry, immediately apologizing. “Sorry—”

“No,” she smiled, grabbing hold of his receding face with her fingertips, and whispering, “—just happy.” Sasuke wanted to sigh in relief because those tears had always been a sign that he had hurt her, but this time she was happy. She brought his mouth back to hers, not wanting it to be over, and Sasuke let her lead for just a moment. He forced himself to pull back despite the fire rising in his stomach.

“Maybe we should discuss—” he began, anxiety creeping into his heart about what she was thinking, but Sakura’s brightly lit face, that growing smile that spread to her eyes, stopped him.

The laugh that came from Sakura sounded so sweet that Sasuke couldn’t help but blushing. “You want to talk?” And she was right, Sasuke was a terrible talker. But when it came to this choice, he wanted to make sure they were on the same page—would be on the same page always. Sasuke and Sakura both knew Sakura would be making a lot of sacrifices by accepting this relationship between them. The least he could do was attempt to communicate his concerns, clarify their steps, ask questions and more. He couldn’t afford to be reckless, not with her.

“Sasuke,” Sakura whispered, leaning forward into him. He stiffened instinctually at her nearness but softened when her arms wound softly around his neck in a tearful hug. He accepted the embrace. “Thank you,” she whispered again, “for giving us a chance. I promise I’ll do everything to make you happy.”

He buried his face into her shoulder, his heart simultaneously full and broken by those familiar words. And for a moment, Sasuke forgot all his previous reasons and wondered why he had waited all of this time. If he had only held her sooner. “Thank you,” he repeated, as she pulled back to look at him “for everything.”

Sasuke decided not to waste any more time or words. They would find time to talk about this later. And for a second time, they came together hesitantly, each finding one another’s lips with their own in the growing darkness of a moonless night. Sasuke didn’t retreat again when she whispered his name against his own mouth. Just as much as he wanted to convince Sakura that he meant this, he also wanted to convince himself that this wasn’t a reckless mistake he was making. Brazenly, even foolishly, he wanted to commit to it.

And then a knock came at the door. And they both practically flew away from each other to opposite sides of the room.

A smooth and uncomfortably familiar voice had both ninja blushing. “Just letting the two of you know that me…and Naruto… will arrive first thing in the morning. The Kazekage requested a meeting a couple days ago and we were supposed to be there tonight, but as always, I will most likely be late. Thought it would be proper to give you two a heads up.”

There was an audible poof as the clone of their former sensei evaporated just beyond the door.

Sakura raised her hand to cover her mouth, touch her lips, and gasp. Sasuke blushed and turned his back to her, contorting all emotions back into his controlled mask, embarrassed not only to be caught in such an act, but to have allowed them to be snuck up on by that old pervert of a ninja. And another thing, Kakashi hadn’t even made the slightest effort in disguising his intentional warning. Even Sakura knew it. How did Kakashi guess that such a thing might be occurring between them if Sasuke, himself, hadn’t planned for it to happen until just moments ago?

“How is he late,” Sakura started to grin sheepishly, “if his clone made it here at the designated time?”

Sasuke quickly glanced around at their location, noting the clothes on the floor, the shared room, themselvesacting appropriately guilty. Sasuke didn’t state the obvious: The Sixth Hokage was stalling for them so they could do some rearranging. To keep Naruto in the dark for now.

Sasuke walked quickly to the door, opened it, and scanned down the deserted hallway. There was nobody there. The Uchiha contemplated his next move. Should he leave? Go into Kaguya’s dimensions and wait until tomorrow? Perhaps he should meet the Hokage and Naruto halfway, that way he and Sakura weren’t seen together. Or should he toss all concern to the wind and just tell Naruto the truth? His former teammate had as much said they should be together, right? He had wished Sasuke that happiness verbally several weeks ago. Then why was this such a big deal?

Two soft hands rested on the top of Sasuke’s shoulders. “You’re overthinking this, aren’t you?” Sakura asked, leading Sasuke back away from the door and towards his bed. “We are what we have always been, Sasuke. Friends on a mission together.”

Sasuke scoffed at her lack of worry about Naruto—and through Naruto—the whole Leaf Village finding out about this.

He sat as she pressed down the front of his shoulders, gesturing for him to relax. “You’re not going anywhere tonight, so there’s no use in worrying. Focus on resting and regaining your strength.”

“Sakura—”

“Rest,” she shook her head. “Doctor’s orders.”

She retreated to her own sleeping spot without another word, settling down to rest. But Sasuke was certain she spent the rest of her night thinking about them, about the kissing and confessions, just as he did.

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Sakura had indeed spent the majority of the night in typical giddy fashion, replaying every second that she had only ever held in her desperate dreams. It had finally happened: them. Sasuke had chosen them. Sakura wasn’t foolish enough to allow her fantasies to run away with the images of a home that they shared, a family that they raised, the friends that surrounded them as they grew old together. Sakura knew exactly what would come as a result of their choice: a lonely and longing road. And Sakura was okay with that road because it was Sasuke and the world needed him. With her back to the Uchiha across the room, she touched her lips once more and felt the smile beneath her fingers. Eventually, she focused her chakra on her heart rate and induced her own slumber.

A few hours before sunrise, Sakura’s internal clock awakened her. She was far too conditioned by the relentless routine of the hospital back in Konoha to trick her body into sleeping longer, even after it still bore the extra lethargy of yesterday’s events. Her left hand was still stiff and sore from the damage to her tissue, and she instinctively channeled her chakra to it, keeping a consistent stream traveling to the limb until it healed completely. Sakura was relieved that she had this healing ability because the type of destruction done to her skin would be irreversible for others. As she readied herself, wrapping the hand delicately in thick bandage, she snuck a shy glimpse over in the sleeping Uchiha’s direction.

Sasuke slept soundly, a possibility that she thought would not likely happen due to his constant tossing and turning of wakefulness. At least one of them was now getting some decent sleep. It was still too early to wake him, but Sakura had been reprimanded more than once now for taking advantage of his sleep to pursue other matters. Retrieving a small blank scroll from one of the many shelves in the room, Sakura wrote the sign for “hospital” on the inner flap. She placed it visibly on her bed before quietly slipping from the room. He needed rest, and she wasn’t going to wake him.

When she arrived at the hospital, all of her overnight patients were still fast asleep. A blurry eyed medic greeted her warmly, expressing thankfulness for Sakura’s safety as well as her shock about Hisa and Mako. Sakura exchanged pleasantries, not too keen to talk about the topic of either of those two traitors. Her mind wandered to someone else, a child she desperately wanted to see.

When Sakura reached Isao’s mental health ward, she gently peeked through the crack. To her surprise, Isao was wide awake, sitting cross-legged in the dark of his room. “Miss Haruno?!” he whispered loudly, immediately recognizing her.

“Isao,” Sakura questioned as she stepped through the door, “Did your night terrors keep you from sleeping again? Did you not take your medicine?”

But the child didn’t answer her. Instead, he bolted off the bed and grabbed her around the waist. He cried into her stomach, sobs shaking his injured body. “I thought you might be dead!” he whimpered, “I thought you were gone…like her, like my mom.”

Sakura fell to her knees and embraced the child carefully, cursing herself for not checking in on him sooner despite Kankuro’s assurances. With her trained medical eye, Sakura immediately noticed the thick bandages that encompassed his ribs. She didn’t realize that Sasuke was the only one she needed to reassure about her position in the world. “You don’t have to worry about me, Isao. Nothing can take me away from this life. I’m not going anywhere.”

“You promise?” he wailed, his voice muffled in the space between Sakura’s shoulder and neck.

“Yes,” she assured, holding him out at arm’s length to assess him more carefully. Besides a wound to his arm and a broken rib or two, it seemed he was going to be all right. “You should be proud of yourself,” Sakura lifted his chin. “You fought by my side. You made it back. You did it with injuries, too. I think you have what it takes to be a great ninja.”

“Really?” he asked, wiping the streams of liquid from his eyes.

“Yes,” she assured him. “And I have great news.”

He smiled up at her in excited anticipation. “What news?”

“My friends are on their way. They’ll escort you back to the Leaf Village.”

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After Sakura rewrote the two letters addressed to the Kazekage and Hokage that Mako had confiscated after drugging her, Sakura made her way towards the Kazekage’s central tower. The sun began to rise in the east, mixing with the night to create that beautiful ombre sunrise of orange-blue-pink that belonged to this desert. In her current state of high spirits, Sakura thought that maybe the sun had gotten closer, warming the day and her skin like the sunrays after a long and laborious winter. But she knew it wasn’t really the sun approaching closer and closer every day, but instead, it was a person who had finally reached the season of spring in his life and opened his heart to a summer. Sakura beamed and took a moment to appreciate this monumental sunrise.

“SAKURA-CHAN!”

It was also special because it was the sunrise that would accompany the rest of Team 7’s arrival.

Sakura turned to see the orange and black-clad figure of that heartwarming voice barreling towards her, a grin that occupied half of his face, and a hand that waved back and forth. He ran and ran until he was just before her, leaning forward over his knees. Sakura had developed a habit of hugging her blond friend recently, and she didn’t hesitate to do so again this time, squeezing him so tightly that her blond shinobi’s face turned blue from her super-human strength of a hug.

“I’m—so glad—to see that—you’re safe! Can’t—breathe, Sakura…” Naruto choked out.

Sakura couldn’t help herself. Pinpricks of tears accompanied her smile. She had loved her time traveling with Sasuke, but apart from Sasuke, Naruto was one of the only people in this world that made her feel like home away from home, and she had missed him. And then Kakashi was there, raising his own familiar “yo” hand sign, dragging along an equally disinterested Shikamaru, whose attitude was the complete opposite than it was when Tamari usually led him through the adobe buildings of Suna.

After releasing Naruto, Kakashi was there placing a compassionate hand on her shoulder, a gesture that he used to do regularly when she was a Genin. “I’m proud of you.”

And those words meant the entire world.

“Gaara!” Naruto yelled to the person who had come up behind her. “Long time no see!”

And the warm expression that the Kazekage returned to his friend from another village, revealed to Sakura that Naruto was that person for others, too.

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Kakashi had had a rather amusing night, devising a plan to keep both Shikamaru and Naruto delayed in their journey. All it took was a stall in the form of a competition, which was really simple to do actually. Kakashi had jokingly remarked that out of the three of them, he could outsleep both lazy ninja because he, of course, was the Hokage and the laziest among the three. The rules were simple: During their hour break of rest, Kakashi would summon a clone to supervise them while they rested, monitoring who would naturally wake up first. Naruto yelled “you’re on!” and ran 10 miles at his highest speed to tire himself out enough that he would sleep soundly through the hour. Whether or not Shikamaru was smart enough to see through Kakashi’s plan, he didn’t argue, lounging backward in the sand on the border of the Country of Wind, and crossing an arm lazily over his eyes. If Kakashi had a large sum of money, he would make a bet here and now that Shikamaru would win this.

After his two counterparts were open mouthed, and drool bubbling, Kakashi sent away his clone with a head nod. It disappeared into the setting sun toward the Sand Village. Then Kakashi waited, enjoying a night of stars while reading his beloved Icha Icha Paradise by firelight. This was more like it, he thought to himself, glad to be unburdened by the demanding lifestyle of the Hokage.

When Gaara had requested a meeting via carrier bird, Kakashi’s brow had furrowed at first to learn about Sakura’s situation, along with the enemy she and Sasuke had encountered on their journey. The Kazekage requested that he or someone close to him report to Sunagakure. And then Kakashi had pinched his chin in careful thought as he admired the surmounting pile of paperwork on his desk.

“Want to go on a trip?” he had asked Shikamaru, who nodded off at his position.

“Not really,” Shikamaru responded disinterestedly.

Kakashi baited, “I guess I could take Naruto with me to meet with the Kazekage, instead.”

“The Kazekage?” he probed, “A trip to Sunagakure?”

“Yes,” he stretched, unfurling the scroll he received from Gaara, so that Shikamaru could take a better look from afar. “It seems there are some foreign shinobi causing problems for Sakura.”

“Hmmm…” Shikamaru pondered, coming to read the offered scroll over Kakashi’s shoulder. “It’ll be a drag, but I guess I can go. Don’t want anything to happen to Sakura.”

Mhm, Kakashi thought to himself. Because of Sakura. That wasn’t the kunoichi on Shikamaru’s mind. Kakashi realized suddenly that he was too involved in all the lives of this young generation. How did he always find himself knowing too much?

“Then it’s settled,” Kakashi nodded, snapping the scroll back into it’s rolled-up position.

And then the door of his office was practically kicked through. “I’m still going,” Naruto announced, startling both Kakashi and Shikamaru as he announced his obvious eavesdropping.

“If Sakura is in danger, then I’d better be there.”

And that’s how Kakashi ended up with two knuckleheads on a week vacation to the Sand Village. And then Kakashi’s logical next thought had been of the other two members of Team 7. He had been ecstatic when he learned that Sakura had temporarily accompanied the Uchiha on his life-long mission and that Sasuke had let her. Years of reading Makeout Tactics informed Kakashi of what was to become between the pair, a natural progression of suppressed feelings over the course of many years. Most of the time, there was only one outcome if a male and female shinobi embarked on a long journey together. Sending the clone was a precaution, just in case his suspicions were correct, and their unexpected drop-in might cause a stir.

But Kakashi had never expected to walk in on that…When the clone disappeared and the events that his clone just witnessed dropped into his memory, Kakashi laughed quietly to himself under the stars. He grinned up at those same luminaries for a moment, grateful that both of his ninja pupils had finally navigated their way to one another through the murk of life and had decided to take on that life together. Sasuke had finally, finally let her in, and the knowledge felt like the Uchiha had come home again.

Well done, Sakura. Naruto may have brought him home, but what you have done, is shown him a path to his own special happiness.

The Sixth Hokage had lounged back into the grass, placing his open book over his eyes. He didn’t wake Shikamaru and Naruto, when the hour expired, after all. And to his surprise, when the other two ninja woke him the next morning, Kakashi had won the competition.

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Sasuke stepped out of his portal just in front of the Kazekage’s building, anticipating the cringey reception he would receive from Kakashi and Naruto once he reached Gaara’s office. He took his time climbing the steps. When he entered the room, the Uchiha quietly leaned back against the far wall to avoid interrupting the conversation that was already occurring.

“Essentially, we are asking for the Leaf’s cooperation with us as we search Tanigakure for the enemy’s whereabouts,” The Kazekage announced from behind his desk. “It is a territory between our villages, and it would be best if both village personnel were present during searches, so it seems more diplomatic to the citizens of Tanigakure.”

The white-haired ninja nodded, Naruto voicing his sensei’s unspoken response. “Of course, The Leaf will work with you Gaara. Isn’t that right Kakashi-sensei?!”

Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. “Can’t you at least call me ‘Lord Hokage’ when we are on official business?”

Naruto ignored him and announced. “If they’re going after Sakura, then of course we will help. I’ll go find them myself!”

Sasuke shook his head in withdrawn amusement at his teammate’s old habits of needing to be the center of attention in literally every setting. Sasuke’s eyes also found Sakura, who stood at the front of the party, tapping her foot impatiently. She clutched two letters to her chest and Sasuke sensed that she was waiting for an opportunity to interject, little to no concern about this topic. Sasuke smirked. She couldn’t care less about some target on her back by shinobi that belonged to the same group she had already gone head-to-head with.

“If they can’t be found,” a spikey ponytailed ninja remarked, and Sasuke quickly identified his childhood classmate, Shikamaru. “Then wouldn’t it be better to draw them out? They are after Sakura after all. We could just wait for them to strike again.”

Sasuke frowned. He didn’t like that idea. Shikamaru had never been one of Sasuke’s favorites, and the Uchiha liked him considerably less whenever he made suggestions about using his friends as bait. Genius he may be, but Sasuke didn’t have to like him or his ideas.

“I’m sure we can think of something…” Kakashi thought out loud, drawing the eyes of the room in his direction.

“While you’re thinking about it,” Sakura finally spoke, handing both Kakashi and Gaara each one of the letters she held. “I would like to request both of your considerations regarding a matter concerning a young boy here in Sunagakure. He’s been through a lot, and he expresses interest toward starting anew in the Leaf Village.”

Kakashi and Gaara both surveyed the letters in their hands, and Sasuke could see even from where he stood that the reports were extensively detailed. Once again, Sasuke found himself admiring his teammate’s professional persona who seemed like a different person altogether.

“He has expressed the desire to train as a shinobi, but I also want him to continue treatment at the Children’s health clinic in Konoha. I am requesting that he be released by Sunagakure into Konoha’s care until the child decides he’s ready to return.”

“I’ll talk with my council, but I approve as long as the Leaf is willing,” Gaara agreed, glancing over at Kakashi to assess his reaction.

“Of course, that’s okay,” said Kakashi, beaming over at Sakura. “However, some people in the Leaf might harbor negative sentiments toward the youth for various, equally ridiculous reasons. He might be accused of things like being a spy, might be shunned, and more. Can he handle situations like this?”

Sasuke watched Sakura carefully weigh Kakashi’s words. There was a shadow of worry that crossed her face for just a second and then Naruto was elbowing her. “I’ll keep an eye on him!”

“How can you be in Tanigakure looking for Sakura’s aggressors and be in Konoha to…” Shikamaru began but then trailed off as he held everyone’s dumbfounded gazes, “…never mind. I’m not on my game today. I’m obviously overworked.” They all let out a laugh because everyone knew exactly how Naruto would do it with his infamous shadow clone jutsu.

“I’m certain Isao will be okay, but any time you can spare him, would be great, Naruto. Being around you would do him some good,” Sakura said and everyone around the room nodded in agreement. Even Sasuke agreed silently to himself in the back. Being around Naruto had changed each and every person in this room, including himself.

“He can travel back with us when we leave,” Kakashi announced, and Sakura grinned in success.

Gaara quickly changed the topic back to the most pressing matter at hand. “We have Sakura’s assailants in custody. I’d like all your personal evaluations of them as shinobi.”

Everyone in the room nodded, and the Kazekage turned to Kankuro. “Take them to the prison. Sakura, if you don’t mind, I’d like to discuss something with you in more detail.” Sasuke’s ears pricked at the mention of her staying behind. But his rational self reasoned that it was likely just to talk about the events of yesterday.

“Uchiha can further explain who they are while Sakura and I finish up, right Sasuke?” Gaara asked toward Sasuke’s direction without even looking up from the paperwork on his desk, both revealing Sasuke’s presence to his fellow Leaf-shinobi and volunteering him to work. Annoying sand guy.

Of course, they all spun at the mention of his name, locating him against the far wall. He didn’t wave or smile, but just crossed his arms in typical Uchiha fashion.

While Naruto was practically leaping toward him, shouting “There you are Sasuke!” Sasuke couldn’t help but catch Sakura’s eye and the Uchiha stiffened at the obvious embarrassment that flashed across her face for the briefest of seconds before she shyly looked away. And even when his loser of a best friend was wrapping his arm around Sasuke’s neck in an annoying way of showing affection, Sasuke didn’t miss the fact that Kakashi also noticed Sakura’s display, and Sasuke caught his sensei’s knowing expression as the Hokage looked back and forth between the two with one smiling eye. Sasuke sighed. They were screwed.

Chapter Text

Watching her friends exit through the doorway of the Kazekage’s office, Sakura couldn’t help but feel relieved as the rest of Team 7 and Shikamaru trailed behind Sasuke and Kankuro to the Sand Village Prison. Sakura’s cheeks were still a little red, taken by surprise at Sasuke’s unexpected appearance just now. Sakura mentally berated herself for the flushed reaction, especially after rehearsing in her head all morning how she would come off much more composed during their reunion after the whole kissing thing last night. She had matured a lot from her Genin days, and was usually very collected around her peers now (except Naruto, maybe, who sometimes brough out her temper), but seeing Sasuke assessing her own reaction with a certain white-haired sensei’s watchful, knowing eye had Sakura acting like her schoolgirl self again. She cringed at her own embarrassed behavior.

Suddenly, the Kazekage’s voice brought her back to the matter at hand. “Even though it is not ideal, there’s some logic behind Shikamaru’s suggestion.”

Sakura nodded, remembering her friend’s proposition regarding the anti-peace group targeting Sakura for her mental health-centered endeavors. Shikamaru had offered a solution to their dilemma on finding the rest of the group’s members, but it involved using Sakura as a lure for her enemies. It’s not that Sakura was opposed to the idea; she wasn’t worried in the slightest, actually. She was just annoyed with the problem at hand. She was making progress here in the Sand with the mental health clinic and she was reluctant to put that on hold while she dealt with these war-focused sociopaths. At least, she told herself that if she were to draw them out, she wouldn’t have to go looking for them in Tanigakure, but she had another concern regarding that.

She voiced this concern to Gaara, saying, “Drawing such a crowd into your village might pose a risk to the citizens here.” He shook his head thoughtfully at that, and Sakura wondered why Gaara might be willing to take such a risk all in the name of her safety. If anything, it would be more appropriate for Konoha to take such an action since she was a Leaf Shinobi, after all. Or was it really her safety that inspired Gaara to do so?

“They were able to infiltrate here through the clinic which I take personal responsibility for. It’s not in my nature to overlook such an offense so easily and I believe I owe this to you as an apology for failing to keep you safe.” Gaara’s rasping voice faded away as he assessed her reaction and Sakura saw a faint ember of emotion in his typical stoic eyes that accompanied the apology. She found herself blushing for the second time as she reassured him that everything was fine and that it was her fault for leading them here from Tanigakure in the first place.

When she brought up Tanigakure, Gaara interjected, “If we settle the matter within my country, we would be sparing Tanikagure from getting involved more than they already have. They have not taken too kindly to our investigative presence the last twenty-four hours. I thought that involving Konoha would make it seem more diplomatic, but Shikamaru’s suggestion might be best. We don’t want another situation on our hands where a small country is caught between two nations.”

Sakura nodded again at the Kazekage’s rationale, acknowledging the truth and importance of his words. “I’m willing to do anything I can to help,” she finally declared, already wondering how she would manage to entice them here.

“Let’s think it over more carefully and discuss it more tomorrow,” he said, relaxing into the chair behind his desk. “We have discovered a couple of leads that we need to explore and thinking of a plan will take some time. Meanwhile, I’d like to ask your opinion on something.”

“Okay,” Sakura responded, making to sit in the chair Gaara indicated with his hand across from the desk. A part of her wanted to grill the Kazekage for more details about the group in Tanigakure, so she could know the ins and outs about those who wanted to target her, but Sakura also believed that the shadow-being she had gone up against was most likely the scariest of them all to face, so she wasn’t too worried about the details. And if Gaara didn’t offer her more information than that, then he was probably holding back for official related reasons. So, she let it go.

“We also talked about a mental health treatment for adults as well as children. Should we begin with those you’ve captured and brought to me?”

Sakura blinked at such a statement as she recalled her conversation with the Kazekage as they strolled together along the sun-lit avenues of sand toward the village’s entrance a few days ago. “It has been an inaccuracy to think that only children could suffer,” Sakura had said to Gaara, “What if we included adults in our mental health program, too?” Gaara must have taken the proposition very seriously at the time, considering how quickly he was choosing to take action toward such a goal.

Sakura couldn’t help but hesitate in response to Gaara’s sudden proposition. Could someone like her really get through to those people, the people she had gone toe to toe with in the desert—the very people who had set out to kill her for the sole reason of her mental health efforts? She wasn’t sure.

“I’ll be there,” came the hoarse reassurance of the sand wielding Kage before her. Seeds of hope suddenly embedded themselves within her heart of doubt. “I’ll help you start.”

Sakura nodded, offering the Kazekage a smile of gratitude. Just before they had viewed the sunset together, Sakura had meant the words she had told Gaara in response to the question of who would be best to help people in need: “Like you, Lord Kazekage.” Even though Sakura silently pondered how Gaara had the availability to help her begin this process, Gaara had the same noble way as Naruto of making others believe in him.

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Sasuke sneered beyond Naruto’s shoulder as his friend knelt before the sand encased jail cell containing one of Sakura’s attackers. They had separated him from the other two, all of whom Sasuke had transported via Kaguya’s dimensions back into the Sand Village. Sasuke knew Naruto’s hands itched in the same way his did as they both witnessed Mako’s silent interrogation. The medic revealed very little as Suna’s renowned questioner sat before him just on the other side of the bars, ticking off questions one by one.

“How did you manage to subdue the medical kunoichi known as Sakura Haruno?” the investigator asked without skipping a beat.

“I drugged her. Isn’t that already obvious?” came Mako’s tort and honest reply. It was as good enough as any confession as far as Sasuke was concerned, so what was the point of continuing this charade of a civil investigation? Sasuke knew it was morally wrong to skip necessary processes and jump straight to the physical force required to extract the information he wanted, but it was hard to kick old habits of thinking.

The questioning continued. “You expect us to believe that you were able to drug an elite medical ninja without assistance? Who helped you sedate her and what was the method used?”

Mako let out a small derisive laugh that had the Uchiha narrowing his eyes lethally in the traitor’s direction. “You’re overestimating her. All I did was pretend to be her colleague and slip something into her drink. Someone who desperately wants a friend isn’t difficult to deceive.”

Mako’s declaration did two things for Sasuke. First, it was like a heavy stone dropped in Sasuke’s heart, for he felt so terribly guilty about his and Sakura’s falling-out immediately post-kiss in the medicine preparation room two nights ago. Had Sasuke left her feeling so eager for kindness that she had dropped her guard? These same words also ignited a rage so savage within the Uchiha that he felt like stepping through a portal, just to stand on the other side of these bars, inches away from the man who had the audacity to say that about Sakura.

Sasuke smirked when Naruto’s angry voice echoed throughout the jail from his place beside the Uchiha: “Drugging Sakura was that last thing you’ll ever do, you BASTARD!” Sasuke was somewhat relieved that his friend was getting worked up, too, and had actually spoken Sasuke’s mind for him.

“Calm down, Naruto,” Kakashi stated predictably, and Sasuke wanted to roll his eyes at his sensei’s typical levelheaded lecturing. “You too, Sasuke,” Kakashi ordered next, placing hands on both of their shoulders. “The last thing we need is for either of you to get involved in this personally.” Sasuke wanted to flash his sensei an affronted look for even comparing him to his loser best friend or suggesting that he was getting angry on Sakura’s behalf, but Sasuke dropped the pretense. What was the point of pretending he wasn’t just as pissed as Naruto? The Uchiha’s annoyance was visibly displayed on his face in colors of red and purple. He so desperately wished Mako would turn in his direction, catch his sharingan and spiral into the memory-searching genjutsu Sasuke had prepared for him. He would find the answers without all this unnecessary time wasting. But Sasuke knew that Mako knew better than to search him out; he had witnessed what Sasuke had done with Satou in the hospital room to learn just what he needed to know about Isao, the child Sakura cared for.

Again, Naruto voiced both their thoughts by arguing, “We are already personally involved. He drugged our teammate. She’s one of us! The least we should do is teach this guy a lesson.”

“Hn,” Sasuke breathed in agreement, surprising himself for allowing the sound to reveal his own private thinking. When Kakashi, Shikamaru, and Naruto looked over at him in surprise, Sasuke decided to further add: “we need to find out where the other ninja of this group are.”

“It appears to me that Sakura accomplished that herself, Naruto,” Shikamaru chimed in, pointing out the wounds still not fully healed on the young traitorous medic. “We’ll get the information soon enough.”

After the interrogator jotted down a few private notes on the table between him and Mako, the green-haired man pushed the round frames of his glasses back up the bridge of his nose as he made eye contact with Mako again. “Where is the rest of your group?”

“There isn’t any more. You’ve apprehended all who were a part of it,” Mako replied immediately.

Then the green-haired investigator sighed, pulling his glasses off in irritability. “I despise liars. I have methods of making you talk. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have this job. But the Kazekage—he is the only thing between you and my preferred methods of interrogation.”

Why would the Kazekage hold back against this scum, Sasuke thought silently to himself. This fake had infiltrated Gaara’s village who knows how long ago, targeted the mental health clinic Sakura had helped establish here, posed as a caring and concerned medic, earned everyone’s trust, and betrayed Sakura at just the right time.

“I’m not lying,” Mako seethed.

The green-haired man, who Sasuke grew to like more and more as he questioned Mako, narrowed his eyes and leaned across the table and said, “I’ll let you in on a secret. Do you really think that the Kazekage does not have all the answers to these questions? Why then, do you think I’m wasting my time questioning you? Think really hard, I’m sure you’re capable of figuring it out.”

And with that whispered revelation, Sasuke couldn’t help but review Kankuro’s words from yesterday in his mind: “With unmentionable methods, we were able to find out who their target was.” Did this mean that Gaara already knew how many were in the group from an interrogation that Gaara had conducted back in Tanigakure?

Naruto snickered loudly at the divulgement of the Kazekage’s secret, interrupting Sasuke’s thoughts, and Sasuke noticed that Mako couldn’t help but locate the blonde-haired jinchuriki who observed him. Mako’s face turned slightly white as he realized for the first time who exactly had been making so much noise outside his cell. Sasuke noted his fear of Naruto as a good thing and smirked when Mako made a point of dropping his gaze and locating Sasuke’s figure next, eyes trained solely on his legs. Mako’s fear of him was even better.

“Have you figured it out yet?” the interrogator asked, laughter in the question.

Mako’s eyes widened suddenly, not because he had solved anything, but because the Kazekage was suddenly there in the flesh, standing beside the green-haired ninja with a palm on his shoulder. “Enough, Kizumo. Let’s stop here.”

Glancing back at the Kazekage, the green-haired ninja sighed and let the pen he was holding drop and roll across the notepad on the table in frustration at having his job cut short.

“We will take care of this one,” the Kazekage rasped, gesturing to newly formed entrance at the back of the sand-bodied cell. “Go and see what you can learn from the shade. Don’t touch him but do what you need to do.”

A wicked smile replaced the disappointed frown on Kizumo’s face. “I won’t have to touch him, Lord Kazekage.” And with that, he exited hurriedly through the hole in the wall that Gaara had formed.

But Sasuke was hung up on the word Gaara had used at the beginning of his command to Kizumo: We? We will take care of this one?

Just as Sasuke had that thought, his stomach dropped when his pink-haired teammate entered the cell through the hole as well, Gaara gesturing for her to take the seat across from Mako that Kizumo had just vacated.

Sasuke was certain that the same frown he now wore, not only occupied his own face at seeing Sakura face the man who had betrayed her, but Naruto’s and Kakashi’s as well.

“Punch his face in, Sakura!” Naruto called to her from the other side of the cell, and Sakura turned to find him. She smiled at Naruto, reassuring him that all was okay. She found Sasuke’s multicolored eyes next, lingered on them for half a second, before turning back to Mako.

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Sakura shuffled the papers in a yellow file that Gaara had given her to look through before they came to Suna’s prison. The papers contained many details about Mako, his activity within the village, and his alleged backstory. “Every non-Suna born citizen has a special documentation file,” Gaara had relayed casually as they descended the steps into the underground sand-constructed prison, “with information regarding their activity and how they came to be here. It might not be much use since its mostly filled with his lies, but I figured if anyone could discern anything valuable, you might.”

“I’ll try,” Sakura had assured him, flipping through the record carefully as they walked. In truth, the file didn’t contain much out of the ordinary—or what she would expect for Mako. He had come to the village a year ago, claiming to be from a small island asking to join the medic team, claiming to be a part of the elite medic unit in Tanigakure and would like to learn from the medical advancements here. Unsuspicious of an individual hailing from a non-ninja nation, Gaara saw Mako’s knowledge of medicine as an asset and granted his request, offering Mako a place and lodging. His activity was also unremarkable as he spent the last year learning from medical staff Sakura had helped train.

Hisa, unexpectedly, did not have a file. In fact, she had managed to somehow infiltrate the village secretly, and Sakura suspected that Mako had succeeded in smuggling her in. Sakura wasn’t surprised that Gaara addressed this topic with Mako first.

“You smuggled your counterpart inside the village via the medical trade route, am I correct? When receiving medical supplies from Tanigakure, an advanced medical country, she came with and was disguised as someone with a position in the building. Is any of that wrong?” The examination was calm, unthreatening, just as if Gaara had been talking to Kankuro or Temari. The way he phrased the questions revealed that Gaara had already figured this particular scenario out.

Mako kept his eyes down, focusing on the file in Sakura’s hands. She guessed that he was evaluating its thickness carefully, determining just how much information about him and his co-conspirators was already contained within. Would he bothering lying in the Kazekage’s face, Sakura wondered.

“If you’re going to end up killing me, just get on with it,” Mako replied behind clenched teeth, his silence about Hisa revealing Gaara had been correct in his guesswork.

And to Sakura’s surprise, sand began to spiral at Mako’s feet and in just a few seconds, it reached up to form manacles around the imposter’s wrists, jerking them back behind the chair so that he was properly restrained. “If that is your wish,” Gaara responded calmly to Mako’s now wide-eyed expression of fear. “The path of life you have currently chosen will lead to your death anyway.”

Large heaps of sand began to fall from the ceiling around Mako, filling the room rapidly with sand like a tipped upside-down hourglass. Creating an invisible barrier across the cement table between them, Gaara allowed the sand to crash down around the conspirator so that only Mako’s side of the sand-bodied interrogation room began to rise around his feet like water in a cave during high tide. Sakura’s heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest.

The room buzzed loudly, and sand whipped through Sakura’s hair as the grains were summoned in Mako’s direction. Gaara’s voice was still intense enough to be heard despite his overall composure and the humming of the sand as if this very room was designed to emphasize it. “My sand delights at the blood of others and I’ve killed many before you. Since you have volunteered your life, it eagerly accepts.”

Mako began to shift anxiously as the sand reached his shoulders and he bit his bottom lip in steely resolve to quiet his quickened breathing and accept his fate. Gaara’s slow voice continued, “When someone chooses a life of darkness, a life of hatred and evil, and puts their life on the line for a cause accomplished through darkness, they are only marching towards an inevitable death.”

Sakura glanced over at Gaara in concern as the sand billowed like a wave around Mako’s chin and Mako leaned his head back and strained his neck above it, gasping for the last few breaths of oxygen belonging to him in this world.

“Why so?” Gaara asked, composed and relaxed despite the struggling man before him. “Because you have pit yourself against those who share a stronger vision—one of peace and hope and love. Naturally, the odds will be against you.”

“Stop,” came Mako’s desperate voice at last, sand knocking against the sides of his head. “Please. Stop!”

“Do you choose life?” Gaara asked Mako, and the long-subdued tears began to spill over the rims of his eyelids.

“Yes!” he cried, but the sand did not stop ascending around him. “I said yes! Don’t kill me! MAKE IT STOP!”

“Not good enough. Which life do you choose?” Gaara probed, crossing his arms over his chest in resolve to wait for the answer he wanted.

“A peaceful—" Mako whimpered, sand choking off the words as it filled his throat.

Gaara watched him thrash for just a moment and Sakura tried desperately to hold herself back despite the Kazekage’s hesitation. She had chosen to trust the Kazekage as someone to align herself with for the sake of the lives almost lost to an all-consuming darkness. He wanted to help them just as much as her. These corrupt ninja were not children as Sakura was used to. She would trust Gaara’s judgement.

Finally. Finally, the sand relented, ascending once more into the air to reconstruct the ceiling above the jail cell. And as Mako coughed violently, rubbing sand from his eyes and ears, Gaara made a final statement that made Sakura realize that only Gaara would be the savior of these ninja: “Rather than a life a loneliness, we surround ourselves with evil people. Such a life is worse because you will lose your soul to the hatred within you, no longer caring for the feeling of comradery, and you might as well be dead anyway.”

Mako sat in his chair gasping like beached ocean creature that waited for death on a bed of sand.

“I too, was like you,” Gaara announced, voice softening as he recalled the sand from Mako’s lungs and hair. “Until someone extended a hand in friendship.” Gaara gestured over his shoulder to Naruto who grinned heartily and rubbed the back of his neck shyly at Gaara’s recognition of him.

“Can you take over from here Sakura?” Gaara asked her, and she nodded, watching the Kazekage’s back as he turned in Naruto and Kakashi’s direction. When the sand bars of the cell disintegrated as he passed through them, Sakura once again found herself grateful to be considered a friend of Gaara’s and not an enemy. She had faced him head on once before, and was thankful every day afterward that Naruto had extended that hand of friendship to his fellow jinchuriki.

“Come with me,” Gaara said to the waiting Leaf ninja, “there’s another ninja you need to see. He possesses an ability like yours, Shikamaru.” Kakashi and Shikamaru immediately followed the Kazekage, and Naruto lingered for a moment, offering a hesitant look back at Sakura as he was conflicted at being summoned away from her. The blonde ninja glanced back over to Sasuke who seemed to be content just where he was as he perched himself against the wall just across from Mako’s cell, eyes closed as if he were settling to doze. Naruto rushed to Gaara’s side once he was certain Sasuke planned to stay behind.

When Sakura turned back to Mako, he was rubbing his wrists where Gaara’s sand had bound him. He chose not to look at the pink-haired medic he had betrayed, instead shamefully focusing back on the table between them. He shifted painfully, and Sakura noted for the first time that blood ran in tendrils down to his feet from his previously sustained injuries, injuries Sakura had yet to heal.

Standing, she made her way around to Mako’s back, lifting the material around the stab wound to assess it. Mako hissed in pain as the material lifted from the wound. “What are you doing?” he murmured.

“Healing you fully,” she explained, rolling up the back of his shirt against Mako’s stiffening protest.

“Don’t,” he said weakly as Sakura tugged the shirt the rest of the way up and over his head. “Save your strength. You’ll need it.” She frowned at the wound that now festered from incomplete treatment. At some point in his capture and detainment, Mako had reopened the wound. Sakura had only staunched the bleeding with her chakra immediately after rendering the other two of her enemies unconscious on the desert battlefield, and now the skin puckered with redness and swelling.

“Why is that?” Sakura asked calmly, already predicting his next answer.

“There’s more of them waiting,” he whispered quietly, so that not even Sasuke who indignantly peeked at them under thick eyelashes, could overhear. “They’ll come for you.”

Summoning the green chakra to her fingertips despite his warning, Sakura pressed her fingers to the open rip in Mako’s flesh and he gasped. “Why do you tell me this?” she asked him. “Have you really chosen to seek a new life of peace like you promised the Kazekage? Or was that a lie just to save your own neck?”

“Once they find me, and realize I have betrayed the cause, they’ll kill me anyway,” Mako whispered again. “The Kazekage has shown me mercy, but they will not. I cannot choose a life of peace even if I wish it.”

Sakura frowned, glancing over the top of his dark head of hair to admire Sasuke from a distance. Sasuke had been able to choose peace because he had the support of others. As did Gaara. This meant that they both had friends who were willing to go against the world in order to protect their choices to start over. Mako didn’t have that.

“Why did you join them? Do you really believe that there needs to be hatred and war circulating throughout the ninja world?” Sakura asked him honestly, chakra sputtering and dying as she suddenly ran empty. Her breathing quickened as a headache began to form at her temples. She cursed internally at her low supply of chakra. She needed more rest. She still hadn’t fully recovered from the battle, had used what chakra she had possessed healing Isao this morning, and was also consistently feeding a stream of chakra to her injured hand. The freshly healed wound on Mako’s back was enough to reassure her despite the strain. At least he was restored.

“I needed a place in this world. Their vision made sense to me.”

Sakura nodded, returning to the chair exhaustedly. She closed Mako’s file and said, “You had a place. You have a place.”

His eyebrows raised, as he mentally processed what she was suggesting.

“We need you,” she said to him, emotion thickening her already tired voice. “I need you—by my side in the mental health clinics when I’m here, and running things in my place when I’m not. I’ve never had such a competent partner before.”

Mako stared back at her and Sakura saw the confliction in his eyes. “How can you say that to someone who betrayed you? I drugged you. I had every intention of handing you over to them to do as they wished.”

This was true, and the reality of it twisted in her heart. However, Mako had also refused to let Hisa kill her, insisting that she was too valuable to kill right away.

“Everyone deserves a second chance,” she smiled, making to stand behind the table. “Forgiveness is how we will manage to create a peaceful world.”

Mako looked down at his feet again as Sakura turned back toward the hole in the wall that Gaara had morphed into existence. Her head was throbbing terribly now, and Sakura massaged her eyes.

“Ok,” Mako said to Sakura’s retreating form, and Sakura turned back just before reaching the exit. “If I somehow make it out of this alive, I’ll do it. I’ll help you with the mental health clinics. I’ll help you achieve peace. In return for your forgiveness, I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

Sakura blinked at Mako, feeling somewhat comforted by the fact that even though he had betrayed her and did some terrible things, he still had goodness in him. Sakura hadn’t entirely been fooled by Mako because he was still someone worthy of forgiveness. “Deal,” Sakura nodded, taking the last step from his cell and entering a small sand tunnel that would eventually connect her back to the main stairway. As if on cue of her exiting, the tunnel closed itself off behind her, leaving Mako to take the first mental steps toward a new life.

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.

As soon as the wall had sealed her away from Mako, Sasuke was there, reaching for her as she leaned against the wall to hold her head. Sakura jumped when his hand found her upper arm, surprised at his sudden appearance.

“Sasuke,” she breathed, trying to smile despite the pain. “You shouldn’t be wasting your chakra teleporting carelessly.”

Sasuke scoffed as he forced her to sit against one of the tunnel walls, “You’re one to talk,” he chastised, summoning a little chakra to the palm of his only hand. “Draining the last of your chakra healing lying snakes like that one. How annoying.”

She laughed nonchalantly and Sasuke wrapped his glowing hand around the back of her neck, focusing what healing powers he possessed to the center of her nape, pushing the chakra up into her skull. As Sasuke had watched her with Mako, the Uchiha had detected a drop in her chakra signal and saw her hand reach up to touch her eyes. He had known in that very moment that she had wasted what little chakra she had left on that bastard.

After a second, she pushed against Sasuke’s elbow weekly, signaling him to stop. “That’s plenty.”

Sasuke ignored her, pressing his fingers gently into her skin so she couldn’t remove them by fighting him. “Let me have my way, or we’ll be here longer,” he mimicked, repeating to Sakura her very own words when Sasuke had pushed her hand away from his forehead last night after he had overdosed on chakra pills.

She laughed in response, her voice already beginning to strengthen from the newfound energy. Her damn inhuman strength also returned slightly, because she was suddenly pulling his palm away from her neck and no amount of his strength would be comparable enough to hers to keep it there, no matter how much he might want to.

Sakura didn’t let go of it though as Sasuke expected, but instead grasped it with her own as she, too, used her other hand to gently cup her fingers around the back of Sasuke’s neck. There was no healing or sharing of chakra as he had done for her, and Sasuke realized that Sakura simply just wanted to experience the same sensation Sasuke had felt by touching her there.

Sasuke was thankful for the darkness because the sudden intimacy made him blush and react instinctively. He smoothly pulled at her fingers, pulling her hand down so that the inside of her elbow hung over his neck instead, and he used her arm to help lift her from the ground. Sasuke led her down the dim tunnel that Gaara had apparently fashioned. What a mole Gaara was, Sasuke thought for a second, cutting corners and creating paths through the sand so he could make it from point A to point B in the shortest distance possible.

“Sorry,” Sakura whispered beside him, she too, relishing this apparent excuse of supporting her to be so near to one another. “I know physical contact isn’t really one of your strengths. If I do something that makes you uncomfortable, please tell me.”

Sasuke nodded, not quite sure what he wanted to say to that. Yes, displays of affection would always be…difficult, especially if anyone else was around. But there was a growing part of Sasuke that craved Sakura in ways he didn’t know were within him. Just moments ago, he had watched her lift the back of Mako’s shirt and run her hands along the traitor’s back and Sasuke had never frowned so deeply in his life at seeing her do so. She had performed such an action on countless ninja, including everyone in Team 7 at one point or another, and Sasuke couldn’t understand why such an act now suggested something more sensual. She had healed him on his back before and Sasuke had never been bothered by her touch, but he suddenly couldn’t stop imagining her fingers there. He had never had thoughts like this before, but then again, Sasuke had also never reached for a woman in the dark of a shared room, finding her lips with his mouth. Sasuke had crossed a line that he knew would require self-control from here on out.

“Let’s get you back to the room,” Sasuke stated as he shuffled her more securely against him. “You need rest so that you can recover.”

When they made it back to the inn which was conveniently not too far away from the underground prison, Sasuke opened the door for Sakura and stood within the frame after she entered. Observing her climb into bed and settling within the blankets, Sasuke asked something that had been bothering him ever since it occurred, “What did Mako tell you?”

“About what,” she requested in return for clarification.

“When he told you to save your chakra,” Sasuke prompted, probing his female friend’s mind for information despite her exhaustion. He had to know the details if he were going to keep her safe.

“Oh,” Sakura announced, sitting up on an elbow as she recalled the words. “He said there were more of them out there, the group that was after us in Tanigakure.”

Sasuke nodded, his suspicions confirmed. He had already guessed this, considering he had yet to find someone with the correct size and voice as the ninja he had confronted in the hallway of Tanigakure’s inn after the ninja had made an attempt to get Sakura to answer her door.

“I’m going back to the prison,” Sasuke said suddenly, waiting a moment more in the doorframe for a response.

Knowing him well, Sakura answered the question the Uchiha held on his tongue before he could even speak it. “I’ll be fine. Go.”

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When Sakura finally woke, it was dark in the room, except for the small ray of light shining in through the window from the crescent moon. Sakura rubbed the back of her stiff neck, not realizing until now that she had slept on it crookedly, her exhaustion apparently dragging her so deep into a sleep that she slept the entire day away.

When she sat up, she started in surprise to see that Sasuke was still awake, sitting on his bed across the room, staring out the window. Sakura instantly recognized the fierce set of his jaw as one of annoyance.

“Sasuke?” Sakura called out to him, “What’s wrong?”

When his eyes landed on hers, he narrowed them, silently contemplating his next words to her. The anger in them made Sakura rise to her feet and go over to him. She sat slowly beside him as he stared at her with an unhappiness that had Sakura’s stomach dropping. “What happened?” Sakura asked again, reaching for his fingers splayed tensely across the bed. He didn’t move them.

“Why did you agree to let Gaara use you as bait to draw out the enemy?” he asked, forcing the words past his tightly set jaw. Sakura had never seen Sasuke upset with her like this and she didn’t know how she was supposed to react. She just returned his angry stare with an even expression, sighing smally as she released his hand.

“It’s the best option we have,” she explained. “I know it’s dangerous, but Gaara thinks—”

“I know what he thinks,” Sasuke interrupted as he stood, pacing over to the window and away from her. “I just spent hours listening to potential plans designed around this mutual decision of yours.”

Sakura swallowed thickly as more of the pieces concerning his frustration came together. “What other alternative is there?” she began, trying to lead him back to the only solution that made the most sense.

“I could go to Tanigakure, myself,” Sasuke suggested. “And intercept them before they made it here. A covert operation with one person wouldn’t involve Konoha and Suna. It would be discreet.”

“You have other business here, Sasuke. Focus on your mission and I’ll worry about this. I don’t want this to distract you—”

“Before,” Sasuke whispered in the dark. “The me before could have done so. But I can’t now. What is the point of my mission to find the Otsutsuki race and eliminate them as a threat when I can’t eradicate a group of ninja set on killing you?”

Sakura’s heart stilled at such words, knowing how difficult it was for Sasuke to admit such a thing to her. Rising, she made her way over to him, tenderly tucking her arms around his sides as she had done many times before, resting her forehead against his back. “I can take care of this, Sasuke. You don’t have to worry.”

There was no scoff or sneer at her words for saying such a ridiculous thing, and instead, Sasuke gripped her fingers at his waist like a lifeline. “I know,” he admitted, turning in her arms to face her.

Sakura’s stomach dropped to her feet when he leaned his forehead against hers in the reflection of the moon. “I don’t doubt your strength,” he whispered. “But if something happened to you, I don’t know who I’d become again.”

“Sasuke,” she breathed, “You don’t have to worry about such things because I’m not going anywhere—not now—not when I can finally do this.”

Carefully, Sakura stood on her tiptoes, closed the distance between their noses, and pecked the scowling Uchiha right on the lips.

A beautiful thing happened next and Sakura locked the image into her heart to last her a lifetime. Sasuke smiled. Actually smiled—just for a moment as he sighed in relief, and then his eyes lingered on her lips in return. His face grew serious again as he did so.

Daringly, Sakura pulled on his hand, and Sasuke followed her to his bed against the wall. He hesitated as she rose onto the bed with her knees, turning so that she faced his still-standing form, and cupped both of his cheeks with her palms. Sakura gazed into his dark eyes that reflected the moon as if they were their very own black and moonlit skies. She could see the struggle within them, so she didn’t take another step, didn’t make another move until Sasuke decided to do what Sakura knew he wanted to.

As she started to loosen her tender hold on him, Sasuke found the nape of her neck with his hand, just as he had in Gaara’s tunnel of sand, and she gasped at the warmth of his fingers. He crashed his mouth against hers, a kiss that was sweltering with need and desire, one so unlike the tender first kisses between them last night. At first, she was genuinely shocked at the emotions Sasuke was communicating through the kiss, and Sakura couldn’t believe her luck. He was kissing her, kissing her as a lover would and she couldn’t believe it. Sakura responded greedily, fastening her own fingers around the back of Sasuke’s neck. She deepened the kiss, responding to his need with a need of her own. Sakura pulled him down to her as their mouths moved against one another until he had no choice but to straddle her knee.

When Sakura’s fingers found their way under the hem of his shirt, Sasuke sucked in a sharp breath and broke away from her mouth long enough to tear the shirt from his skin. He guided her hand slowly back to his spine, holding her eyes with his. “Touch me,” he instructed.

She did as he asked, running her fingers up along his back slowly. She wasn’t so sure if she had just imagined him bite back a moan as he arched his back in response to her fingernails. Was this really happening? How far was he prepared to go with her? At this pace, they would—

“Touch me, too,” Sakura whispered against Sasuke’s teeth when his mouth found hers again. He, too, found the hem of her shirt and pushed it away from the skin above her right hip. Angling them so that they were on their side facing one another, Sasuke slid his fingers around to her back and sighed her name when he felt the dip in her spine.

“I have—” Sakura began to bring up an important factor to the natural progression of events like this, but Sasuke withdrew his hand from her skin and kissed her slowly one last time before pulling away and sitting up on the bed.

“It’s not going to happen,” he declared to the dark.

Sakura couldn’t help but feel the disappointment that suddenly doused the fire in her veins. “Why not?” she asked dejectedly, sitting back up to face him. She reached out longingly and traced the now-exposed clavicle of his chest.

“Think about it more before you decide,” he said, tenderly pulling her fingers away from his skin.

“I’ve given this plenty of thought,” she admitted too hurriedly, and instantly wished she could recant the words at Sasuke’s sudden smirk as he retrieved his shirt from the floor and slipped it over his head. “I mean,” she tried again, retracting back the meaning behind that sentence. “I want this.”

“Let’s keep you alive over the next few days. I don’t want us distracted by this.”

Distracted? Did he really not know that this almost that had happened between them would distract her every waking thought for the next several days? Her mind would recall every second and the longing for more would intensify the distraction. Sakura pouted silently to herself as she treaded back over to her bed across the room. Sasuke didn’t breathe another word and neither did she, because if they spoke or broke the silence, they might find their way back toward one another in the dark and Sakura had already promised to respect his wishes when he felt uncomfortable. Damn her mouth.

Chapter Text

After performing her rounds at the hospital the next morning, Sakura found herself staring into Mako’s cell again as the man who betrayed her looked at her dejectedly through the bars. His head was rested back against the wall and his chin jutted forward as he watched her. Ironically, Sakura came carrying a cup of tea in her palms, debating on whether to drink it herself or offer it to Mako.

When she placed the steaming cup through the bars and onto the ground, sliding it forward carefully to refrain from sloshing it over the porcelain rim, Mako raised an eyebrow and snorted a dubious laugh. “You can’t be serious, right?”

Sakura shrugged her shoulders innocently in response. “I thought we agreed to be close colleagues again.”

He sat up straight as he responded. “I don’t remember agreeing to that. Second, we were never really close to begin with; I only ever gave you the tea to lull you into a sense of trust.”

Sakura dismissed the confession because it was already common knowledge between them anyway, and said, “Yes, yes. I’m aware.”

“Then you have a distressing sense of humor,” Mako breathed, gesturing to the tea between them as he stood from his lonely, reclined spot against the sand-constructed wall at the back of his cell. Stooping, Mako reached for the tea and cradled it in his hands all the way down as he replaced its spot on the floor with his cross-legged figure.

Sakura mirrored Mako’s sitting position on the other side of the bars strategically, a tactic she often used when talking with someone she wanted to make feel at ease.

Seeing straight through the method, Mako sipped the tea before asking sarcastically, “Am I due for another therapy session now, Doc?”

Sakura shrugged off his sardonic comment and decided to move straight to the point. “Where is the heart of your organization? Are they based in Tanigakure?”

Mako shot his eyebrows up, swallowing the tea thickly at the abrupt question. He replied with another patronizing question. “Doesn’t your Kazekage know that? Why don’t you go and ask him?”

Sakura said bluntly, “He more than likely does. But I don’t. I want you to tell me yourself.”

Mako set his tea down, suspicion darkening his gaze. “There’s a reason you don’t want to ask him, then. Tell me and I’ll consider sharing what I know with you.”

Sakura was either extremely transparent today, or Mako had truly spent their time together as physicians studying her so thoroughly that he was able to see straight through to some of her thoughts, and it gave Sakura a slithering sensation of uncertainty in her gut.

Sakura frowned back at Mako for his intuitive guess, because in all honesty, Sakura had spent the morning tending to a countless number of patients, recalling familiar faces and learning new names, and had recoiled once again at Gaara’s plans of an inevitable confrontation within Sunagakure.

Even though none of this was Sakura’s fault, she couldn’t help but feel like her presence in the Sand Village endangered the citizens here. She had wanted to believe that Gaara had everything under control, especially since Kakashi, Shikamaru, and the rest of Team 7 were here and ready to go through with plans of Gaara’s design. Sakura, too, had convinced Sasuke last night to trust in Gaara’s approach, saying: “It’s the best option we have.” To which, Sasuke had interjected with the idea of going to Tanigakure to intercept the enemy himself, saying, “A covert operation with one person wouldn’t involve Konoha and Suna. It would be discreet.”

And at first, Sakura had rejected this idea because it didn’t make sense. Sasuke had his mission. To tangle himself up in this now when he had just had a breakthrough would delay his progress and distract him from a far superior threat to Konoha. And Gaara was more than capable of handling this, but then again, Sakura believed that so was she. And so, Sakura had contemplated Sasuke’s “covert operation with one person” idea throughout the night, wondering if it wasn’t an entirely preposterous plan if only it didn’t involve the Uchiha, but her instead.

As Mako blinked at her, expecting her response, Sakura covered for herself by saying, “I just want to confirm his suspicions.”

“Liar,” he accused, and Sakura frowned again at Mako’s own forthrightness. He had stopped hiding himself, Sakura realized. He was allowing her to see who he truly was, and Sakura felt somewhat sad knowing that the kind and exceedingly thoughtful version who had fooled her truly had just been a ruse. This Mako was abrasive and it kind of reminded Sakura of the sensation of having just a little too much salt, not enough to deter you from the food, but more than enough to make you blanch and investigate the dish more carefully.

“What can I possibly do in here?” he asked as he motioned around him at Gaara’s impenetrable sand, no longer humming in the air, but solid and unyielding in its shape of the tunnels and countless cells. Sand that Sakura was sometimes wary around simply because of its desire to do its master’s bidding. As if specks of it could whisp away to speak into the Kazekage’s ear whenever it wished. Sakura knew she was being too paranoid simply because she was harboring a secret plan of her own, one that Mako was beginning to discern. Could she tell him? Should she tell him?

As if he could sense her hesitation, he added, “I did promise to spend the rest of my life—however short it may be—atoning for my actions, you know. And it’s not like I can run off and tell your secrets now, can I?”

Not entirely ready to believe him or trust in him again, Sakura sighed and told him a half-truth instead. “I want to know that, because I want to talk to the organization myself.”

Mako’s eyebrows raised and he laughed sharply. “You want to talk to them?”

Sakura nodded.

All of his false humor instantly died away at her confirmation. “Listen, if Leaf shinobi just show up there, on their turf, things are not going to go your way. They certainly aren’t going to talk to you about anything.”

“And why is that?” Sakura questioned.

“Because you are not their only target.”

Sakura’s stomach dropped at his sudden revelation. “What do you mean? I thought—”

“You are a target,” Mako interrupted, “A very big target—their most important one—but not their only one. You are at the top of the list. But after you, there will be others.”

“Like whom?” she probed.

“Anyone with power and influence whose ideals align with yours. People responsible with healing the next generation directly. Doctors, missionaries, leaders, teachers. The list goes on.”

“How many members,” Sakura asked, leaning toward the bars. “And is the Shade not the leader?”

“Not many, actually, but growing by the day.” Mako confessed easily and quickly, and Sakura could see that it was the truth. “Kasek, the man of shadow you refer to as a Shade, is one of the leaders. But there are others. He is not the mastermind.”

“Then who is?”

“I was new and never made it that far into the organization to find out. Hisa didn’t even know, and she has been involved much longer. They operate on a need-to-know basis, and she only ever consulted Kasek.”

“I see,” Sakura sighed, hoping for more intel than that.

“They are based in Tani as the Kazekage expects, but they are spread out. Or were. As they looked for you and the others. They might be dispersed and not all at the central location. From what I could gather from my conversations with the others, finding them all will be like searching for one cockroach at a time in a growing infestation.”

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek as she listened to this last bit, not entirely sure what she was expecting in the sense of her enemies’ locations. Sakura hadn’t been so naïve to hope that she could locate a singular location with all the bees inside their hive, but she had hoped for something more positive than the dismal reality that they might not be located at their base at all. This group and their teams and separation reminded Sakura, eerily of the Akatsuki. And if all of this was true (it was wise to only take Mako’s advice with a grain of salt), this brought Sakura full-circle to Gaara’s plan which was to lure them into Sunagakure. She hated to throw a wrench in any plans, but Sasuke was right. She needed to do something else, something less dangerous for everyone.

She had learned what she needed, so Sakura stood, dusting the sand off her pants.

Mako jumped up at her sudden indication of departure and blurted, “What’s your plan? I only told you this so you would think twice about whatever schemes you have. Even with your friends’ help, it’s dangerous. They will kill you.”

Sakura wanted to laugh at the preposterous idea of Naruto, Kakashi, and Sasuke being taken down by any enemy at this point. The three of them would die from old age, she was sure of it. She even had confidence in her own abilities despite how aware she was of the fact that this newly formed organization had no hesitancy to take her life. She vividly recalled how Mako had tried to convince Hisa to spare her life, arguing that she was too useful to kill. But she had bested them, hadn’t she? Even the shade who had corpsified her arms.

“Would I have really learned my lesson if I told you my plan?” Sakura asked him as she placed a hand on her hip and smiled pointedly at him. But Mako grabbed the bars between them, eyes narrowing once again.

“Listen, I know you have no reason to trust me, but take me with you.”

Sakura laughed out loud this time, unable to help herself as she covered her mouth with the soft side of her curved hand. Mako only glared. “Take you? Why on earth would I do that?”

“Because,” he hissed, “I could help you. You could use my affiliation with the group in whatever way you thought was best. They will more than likely kill me, but I could come up with something to get us in.”

Sakura’s smile disappeared. “The only help I need from you is for you to stay in this cell where you can’t stab me in the back again. I may have extended a hand of collaboration to you, but that doesn’t mean I’m dumb enough to trust you completely.”

Mako instantly responded with a frown, “You’re making a mistake.”

Sakura turned her back to him, ordering, “Start planning for your future here while I am away. The clinic needs you.”

As she began walking down the dark corridor of the underground tunnel toward the exit, she heard Mako yell after. “I? You’re going by yourself?!”

But she didn’t respond. The sand door that had fallen away before, floated back into form behind her, solidifying into a solid, soundproof barrier once more.

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Despite his words last night, Sasuke was the one who was distracted. Distracted from his mission by so many different things, all of them pertaining to a certain pink-haired kunoichi whose cherry-blossom color bled into every crevice of his mind. Pale fingers tracing his back in the dark privacy of a shared room, Mako’s declaration of incoming enemies with the purpose of killing her, and Gaara’s various plans for their arrival were at the top of his thought list—right up there along with how much he wanted to throttle his blonde best friend for his incessant slurping.

Sasuke was trying to explain to Kakashi the development of his mission regarding the foodpill’s ability to lengthen his span of jump between Kaguya’s dimensions. At the mention of foodpills, however, Naruto had insisted he was going to resort to eating some of Sakura’s disgusting ‘mudballs’ himself very soon if they didn’t make a food stop and continue this discussion over a meal.

And so, this is where Sasuke currently found himself: sitting annoyingly squished in a small corner of a crowded food market stall located in the busiest section of the market square, closing his eyes tightly as Naruto shoved another bite of seasoned rice and meat stew loudly down his oversized gullet.

And now Kakashi had just brought up the very topic Sasuke had been brooding over since Gaara had announced to the group his plans on dealing with Sakura’s newfound enemies. The very topic that had Sasuke so distracted. Sasuke had been fantasizing ways to take out that lazy, spiky-haired strategist for even suggesting that Sakura be used as a lure in the first place. Shikamaru did not sit amongst them at the moment because he had “better things to do” in Suna at the moment, which thankfully kept him out of Sasuke’s sight.

“Let’s convene again with Sakura and the Kazekage this evening,” Kakashi suggested, somehow managing to eat without revealing the face behind the mask. “We need to consider the next steps carefully.”

“Gaara can handle it,” Naruto said, almost unintelligibly through a humongous bite of rice. “Whatever he says, we can trust him with it.”

“Or we could handle it,” Sasuke put out there, seeing an opportunity to change the situation and going for it instantly. “Quietly and effectively. Just us. No Sand Village.”

Naruto choked in his excitement at such a notion, agreeing with Sasuke immediately. “I like that idea better!”

“Hn,” Sasuke voiced in agreement with Naruto, whom technically had just agreed with him, but Sasuke didn’t care, because he wasn’t past emphasizing his own statement at this point.

Kakashi tapped his chopsticks thoughtfully against the table. “The situation is delicate because Tanigakure is a mostly neutral country between two shinobi villages. We can’t just go in there and start fighting a multitude of ninja who don’t represent the country as a whole. Even discreetly, the battle ensued would potentially cause too much damage. Gaara’s presence alone in Tanigakure for a few days caused some strain. Needing this fight to happen elsewhere is imperative.”

Naruto’s face had scrunched up the longer that Kakashi spoke, and the blonde knucklehead let out a thoughtful “hmmm” as he nodded his head like he had actually understood any of that. Sasuke wanted to roll his eyes and sigh.

“The Shade refuses to speak,” Kakashi continued his remarks. “We need intel, or we will be going into this blind. The Kazekage has that intel and is in the works of acquiring more information. Trusting Gaara is our best option.”

Sasuke wanted to say more, to argue, to persuade if only it weren’t so unlike him to do so. The Sasuke everyone was expecting was the uncaring one. The one who couldn’t be too bothered with any of this at all because it didn’t directly involve The Uchiha or his mission to investigate the Otsusuki. And part of Sasuke told himself to get a grip and to reign in the worry and trust the others. Sasuke knew he was being unreasonable, knew that he needed to focus on his own mission and goals. That’s what Sakura wanted, too. But Sasuke didn’t know how to wash his hands clean of this anymore, to eradicate the presence of Sakura in his mind, the feel of her skin, the embraces, smiles, and promises between them. Sasuke didn’t want to and therein lied his problem.

Kakashi was giving him that knowing sidelong look that had Sasuke glaring back at him.

“First things first, then,” The Sixth Hokage stated as he made to stand. “Let’s go find Sakura and then we can meet up with Gaara this evening.” And as Kakashi stood, the sensei suddenly realized that his former students no longer occupied the table but were making a break for the entrance, leaving Kakashi with a table full of Naruto’s dishes and an expectant storeowner smiling at him with the bill.

Sasuke heard their sensei sigh, murmur something about how he was supposed to be saving for retirement, but then handing over a wad of change to the giddy and grateful older woman.

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.

When they located Sakura soon after in one of the medicine preparation rooms, she was bending over a mortar and pestle again, gloved hands moving deftly, and her hair pulled tightly behind her and Sasuke realized for the first time how long it had grown since they had left Konoha. The time had seemed to have passed them so quickly, and yet more than a couple months had transpired since he had returned home that day at dawn back in the Leaf. Her attire had changed overnight, and Sasuke instantly noticed that she no longer wore any of the clothes he had bought for her but had taken the liberty of finding something more fitting her previous style: red, short sleeved, and tantalizing short around the midriff. The very stomach he had ran his fingers across in the darkness of their shared room last night.

Sasuke pointedly looked away from her exposed skin as they advanced upon her position, and he decided to hang back against the entrance as Naruto and Kakashi greeted her enthusiastically. He settled into a comfortably uninterested position in typical Uchiha fashion against the wall and peeked over when Sakura elbowed Naruto’s arm when the blonde idiot shouted, “You’re making more puke pills?”

Sasuke felt a weight settle in his stomach as he made the connection that she was handling the ingredients required to make him more food pills for his mission. And from the trays set out before her, Sakura was making a lot of them. Even Kakashi glanced back Sasuke’s way as his former sensei realized Sakura’s purpose, as well.

Although somewhat touched by her effort, Sasuke feigned disinterest in the lot of them.

“Let’s have a taste!” Naruto exclaimed. “Surely, they aren’t as bad as they used to be!”

But before Naruto could touch one, Sakura pushed him away with her body. “Naruto! You need to stop that greedy habit of yours! They are made with Ashuwa, a plant that many people have severe allergic reactions to!”

Sasuke smirked silently to himself as Sakura chastised their gluttonous friend and Sasuke wanted to say something like, “Should have just let him eat it. That would teach him a lesson,” but Sasuke remained silent as Naruto shrieked at Sakura’s revelation.

The idiot jerked his entire body away from the food pills, eyes turning into round circles as he pointed at them, “Now you’re cooking can KILL people?!”

“Na-ru-tooo,” Sakura seethed in that drawn-out warning of his name she often used while considering to pommel their friend, and they all knew if she weren’t holding her gloved, Ashuwa-tainted hands up and away from everyone, Sakura would have hit him.

“They won’t kill you unless you are allergic,” Kakashi explained, motioning Naruto to take a few steps away. “How did you learn it was a common allergen?” he asked Sakura.

Her anger instantly forgotten, Sakura turned red from embarrassment and her eyes darted to the Uchiha. “After Mako told me about the plant, I tested it myself to assess the taste. I might have had a little reaction—”

Sasuke scoffed at the half-truth and spit out what she didn’t want to say. “It wasn’t little. Mako didn’t stop her from trying it, knowing how toxic it was. He was trying to kill her.” Feeling merciful, Sasuke left out the part about Sakura’s anaphylactic reaction, her face and mouth swelling up like a balloon that had left her bumbling through an explanation to a half-annoyed, half-concerned Sasuke.

Naruto instantly reddened after learning of Mako’s involvement, “THAT GUY!”

Kakashi didn’t give Naruto’s exclamation any attention, skipping over his statement immediately as he leaned curiously over the large array of food pills. “But Sasuke isn’t allergic, so these are the food pills you made for his mission? Are all of these for him, then?”

“Yes,” Sakura stated and she proceeded to relay the properties of the foodpills, their various side-effects and so on. Apparently, she had made modifications to these. They had less of a physical toll on the body and a greater number could be taken in a single dosage. They all raised their brows and glanced at one another in silent admiration; Sasuke didn’t bother to hide the small smirk of pride spreading across his face at his female companion’s astounding ability to make advancement upon advancement on something she had only just created days ago. Where had she even found the time?

“It’s not foolproof yet,” Sakura disclaimed as she hoisted a large container of compacted food pills from the counter and took slow and careful steps to Sasuke.

They both froze when her fingers bumped against his during the transfer; they also both instantly looked away from one another as the small physical contact brought memories of the more intimate touches of last night. The first physical anything other than kissing that had transpired between them had progressed so quickly and now Sasuke was back-peddling, silently berating himself for the first time about his weak willpower. They had only ever exchanged a couple kisses, something that Sasuke thought would be manageable, safe, and just enough to take that edge off, satiate that desire that suddenly choked all his stoic sense out of him. And yet, things had heated so much last night that Sakura had felt compelled to mention it. Sasuke just hadn’t expected the cravings something like running his fingers along her bare back would evoke in him. Her touching him was wonderful, but when he had touched her in return, his hand starting with her shirt and finding her skin underneath… it was erotic. And typical for Sasuke, he had balked, realizing the trajectory of their course. Because the truth was, they needed clear heads. Just as he had told her. And Sasuke’s head had been anything but clear since Sakura had joined him on his mission.

“I still need you to test them,” Sakura stated quietly, and Sasuke’s attention snapped back to his pink-haired teammate, who was still avoiding his eyes shyly. “I can make adjustments from there.”

Sasuke didn’t know what to say or do other than nod silently as he withdrew a summoning scroll and performed the justsu that would seal the foodpills within it. “Naruto could go with you, now. Go train and test one out and come back before nightfall so I can modify the recipe if I need to.”

“Great idea!” Naruto exclaimed and he ran over to Sakura’s workstation and plucked a loose pill off the counter, gulping it greedily before saying, “They still taste like mudballs, Sakura.”

“You IDIOT!” Sakura gasped, storming over to him and checking his face. “You don’t even know if you’re allergic!!!”

“I can’t let Sasuke have an unfair advantage!” Naruto announced with that stupid face-breaking grin. “I’m fine! See? If Sasuke can handle the Ass-ingredient than so can I!”

All three of them rolled their eyes at Naruto’s sense of competitiveness against his lifelong rival—Sasuke would never admit that neither of them still couldn’t stand to be outdone by the other in any way—as he stomped out the door, yelling, “Come on, Sasuke! Time to kick your ass!”

Sakura sighed, turning once again to Sasuke. “If he has a reaction, teleport him back immediately.”

Sasuke nodded, then hesitated, glancing back between Sakura and Kakashi, whom had been leaning against the counter with an amused sort of expression. “What about the Kazekage—”

“Oh,” Sakura smiled innocently as Kakashi briefly explained their intentions of visiting with her and the Kazekage about the situation at hand. “He won’t be finished until later this evening. That’s when we are supposed to all meet up.”

Sasuke nodded, already being aware of this fact. When neither of his remaining members of Team 7 said anything more to detain him, Sasuke followed his blonde rival out the door, not being able to shake the suspicious feeling that he was purposefully being sent away.

.

.

.

Sakura admired Kakashi for his perceptiveness because as her sensei leaned out the window to watch his two chakra pill-dosed disciples navigate through an intricate web of sand-constructed and adobe houses, he asked, “What are you planning?”

Sakura’s eyes widened when he found hers and she suddenly knew that she had been caught. Sakura sighed. “How did you guess?”

Kakashi moved away from the window to lean against the counter beside her as she finished working, whipping out his favorite scandalous Icha Icha book. “Your behavior is off. At first, I thought it was because of the evolution of your relationship with Sasuke, but…”

Sakura’s eyes grew even wider as his words registered in her mind, and she blushed furiously as she defended, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Kakashi raised his hands, saying, “I won’t mention anything again. It’s between the both of you.”

Sakura turned her back to him to hide her face, not believing him for a second. He would stick his nose where it didn’t belong for the rest of their lives.

Kakashi continued, “However, I’ve known the both of you for a long time and I just want to say that I am happy for you. It looks good on you both…being in love.”

Sakura stilled her panicked faux-work movements at Kakashi’s words and turned back to face him. Even with half his face concealed by the black mask, Sakura saw the upturn of his lips and the crease of a smile beneath his exposed right-eye. She had never wanted to hug someone so tightly in her life because his words, his approval, meant so much to her. “Thank you,” she whispered, her eyes threatening to water and Kakashi nodded.

But the feeling of happiness eroded when Kakashi finished the rest of what he was trying to say before getting side-tracked. “Seeing all these food pills you’ve made in advance suggests to me that you’re not planning on being here to make more of them. Am I wrong to assume this?”

And Sakura sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she dropped her shoulders in silent defeat. “No,” she admitted. “You’re not wrong. I wanted to talk to you. As a leaf shinobi talks to their Hokage.”

Kakashi raised his eyebrow but waited for her to continue.

And she confessed to him her feelings about Gaara’s plans, Sasuke’s valid suggestion for a single-person mission to infiltrate the organization, her own plans to deal with the situation, along with the details of Mako’s information, and her carefully constructed counterplans. She told Kakashi everything she planned to do and exactly how she would do it.

Kakashi listened with a grim face, simultaneously intrigued, and sighing at each step of Sakura’s points of reasoning. When she finally finished, Kakashi stared down at his feet for a moment before lifting his eyes to her. “As your Sensei, I want to say no. To put the responsibility on Gaara as he suggested. It’s too dangerous to do this alone.”

Sakura nodded. She was aware of this, had prepared herself for this.

“The boys won’t hear of it,” Kakashi pointed out, “they’ll insist on joining you.”

“I don’t plan on telling them,” Sakura confessed. “I’ll leave immediately. When they learn of it, I’ll need you to convince them to stay behind. And persuade Gaara, too. Strategically, it is the safest route for everyone.”

Kakashi sighed. “I don’t foresee this part of your plan going well. Even the Kazekage won’t be pleased that you’ve gone against the plan. He feels responsible.”

“Do what you must. Play the Hokage card if you have to. Isn’t that your favorite?” she smiled teasingly.

Kakashi looked affronted at her statement and Sakura laughed good-naturedly despite the stressful topic.

“Do I have your official permission, then?” she asked.

“As your Hokage, I say go. Bring them to the light or bring them down, whichever of the two options prevents them from threatening your life again. Are you sure that you’re ready?”

“I was ready the very moment they laid their hands on Isao. It’s my turn to protect the ones I love, now.”

.

.

.

Sasuke scowled deeply at Naruto who had just taken his third chakra pill before funneling Kurama’s chakra into his limbs and body once again. “Let’s go again!” he yelled across the sandfield at Sasuke, shaking sweat from his hair like Kiba’s white-furred mutt.

Sasuke sighed, feeling thoroughly exhausted, not having entirely recovered from overexerting himself on chakra pills just days ago. As he watched Naruto take his third dose, Sasuke found himself wishing his blonde companion had been just slightly allergic to the Ashu—just enough where they had an excuse to go back—but of course, Naruto had no reaction; certainly would have saved him from having to walk into the desert and rile himself up with Naruto’s challenges.

There was a part of Sasuke that loved to challenge Naruto, to spar until his limbs were heavy, mottled with bruising, and he could lay on his back that night and feel released from his thoughts—just feel the soreness of his body and the satisfying memories of getting a few ones in on his bijuu friend. But today, Sasuke felt half-in the fight and often found himself tossing distracted glances back toward to the Sand Village.

“Enough Naruto. I think we’ve tested them enough. Let’s head back.”

Powering down, Naruto shouted, “You tired, Sasuke? You’re off your game today.”

And even though Sasuke told himself not to react to Naruto’s goading statement, he still found himself scoffing. “Unlike you loser, I haven’t just been sitting around doing nothing.”

Naruto pointed an annoyed finger in his direction. “Flirting with Sakura doesn’t count!”

Sasuke whipped his head in his friend’s direction and narrowed his deadly purple and red glare at the knucklehead, who was grinning and laughing at Sasuke’s reaction. “You should see your face!”

Sasuke scowled, half-tempted to shoot another fireball in the obnoxious jinchuriki’s direction, but he would need another chakra pill to do so, and Sasuke didn’t want to risk consuming three in a row, despite Sakura’s claim of reduced side-effects. He was completely spent. Anymore and Sasuke might really overdo it and he couldn’t risk being completely bedridden. Not with Sakura’s attackers out there somewhere still organizing a retaliation.

Sasuke struck with his words. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. And I’m NOT tired. Don’t you see the sun setting? We need to head back to meet with the Kazekage.”

Naruto turned to appraise the sun for the first time, and the vibrant red of the sunset cast a crimson glow on their skin and clothes, projecting lengthy shadows of their stooped, heavily-breathing figures on the ruby sand beneath them.

“Alright fine. Just to save your Uchiha pride.” Naruto exclaimed, rolling his purpling jaw and stiff shoulders. “I’ll definitely be stealing some of those pills for future use.”

Sasuke scoffed again and joined his friend as they trudged back through the red-tinted sand at a slower pace, the both of them trying to disguise limping. Naruto even stumbled once in the deep sand and instead of catching himself, he purposefully sprawled out onto his back and Sasuke came to stand over him.

“Don’t make me drag you back,” he hissed threateningly. But Naruto just raised his hand and said, “Five-minute break.”

Sasuke didn’t even argue, grateful for the rest, but he was also simultaneously anxious to be back. Unlike Naruto, he didn’t allow himself to sit. He was afraid he might not be able to get back up.

“You know,” Naruto wheezed between heavy breaths. “I may be oblivious the majority of the time, but not when it comes to you two. Things are different between you, aren’t they?”

Sasuke released a sigh into his hand, not because he was annoyed—although he was very much tempted to disguise it as annoyance—but because the weight of no one knowing and keeping it a secret from Naruto was no longer a burden; he had already guessed it. And so, Sasuke nodded with a confirmatory “hn.”

And then Naruto was grinning, larger than Sasuke had ever seen the knucklehead grin. There was even a tear that slid down the right side of his friend’s sand-dusted cheek as he gazed up into the darkening sky. Naruto covered his eyes to disguise the tears with the crook of his arm as he grinned and whispered, “Finally.”

Sasuke’s first reaction was to insult him for the crying, but he was honestly genuinely affected by this ninja’s emotion, and Sasuke for once in his life wanted to confide in someone who knew Sasuke’s entire history, his past, his everything.

“I’m afraid.” Sasuke confessed. “How do you love someone without spending every waking second worrying about them?”

Naruto sat up at that, leaning on one elbow as his body rotated in Sasuke’s direction. “You’re still concerned that something will happen to her?”

Sasuke just nodded again, giving voice to one of his inner-most thoughts. “Yes. Because of me. Because of who I am.”

“Haven’t you already realized that Sakura is going to be a target because of who she is? Look at the current situation. She’s a medic ninja out there changing the world and one of the most capable shinobi we know. If you’re going to be with anyone, Sasuke, Sakura is the only one who can handle all that come with it.”

Sasuke found himself nodding because he had realized this recently. Everything Naruto just said, Sasuke had thought himself. He could now fully appreciate the fact that Sakura’s life would be threatened regardless of her association with him. But he needed to hear someone say it, the confirmation he was looking for from the universe that set his heart at ease.

“If anything,” Naruto began, standing and dusting the sand from his clothes. “Her association with all of us keeps her protected.”

Sasuke raised a brow in confusion, but Naruto continued. “She may be hunted for her connection to us: the Kazekage’s student, the jinchuriki’s friend, and the last surviving Uchiha’s…” he trailed off, and Sasuke narrowed his eyes dangerously, daring him to say the word. But Naruto chose to finish that sentence with,”partner” and Sasuke found that he and Sakura had even referred to one other as such, so the word felt appropriate.

“But,” Naruto continued, “her particular connections to us protect her, too. Who’s going to risk the wrath of us in order to get to her?”

“This damn anti-peace organization,” Sasuke answered, immediately finding a hole in Naruto’s explanation. He wanted to mention Kido, that madman who had tried to use Sakura to get his sharingan, but Sasuke decided against that one.

Naruto waved away that answer, stating, “Tanigakure was neutral in the war. If this organization truly originates there, they didn’t witness our abilities. There will always be instances that Sakura is targeted, but we will remind them every time who she is and who she belongs to.”

“If she doesn’t remind them herself, first.” Sasuke added.

“Exactly,” Naruto agreed, clapping Sasuke on the shoulder.

.

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.

Kakashi and Shikamaru were the only two waiting in the Kazekage’s office when Gaara and his two accompanying siblings entered. Kakashi and Shikamaru glanced between one another tensely, aware of the news they would soon share with the Kazekage.

Immediately after Sakura’s conversation and departure, Kakashi had found the lazy ninja strolling the streets carefree with Temari. Wrestling him away with the “official business” excuse, Shikamaru had sighed, “This early? I thought I had until this evening. What a drag.” Once Kakashi had confidentially reported Sakura’s plans for an independent mission, Shikamaru had initially argued with him about her decision, stating it was unnecessary for her to take the risk. That was, until Kakashi had told him everything. The plan. The details. Everything Sakura had confessed to Kakashi as a ninja would to their Kazekage.

“I don’t like it,” Shikamaru sighed with his head in his hand, “but it might just work. We need to meet with her and discuss strategy—”

“She’s already left,” Kakashi interrupted and Shikamaru dropped his hands from his face in shock.

“Already?!”

“Leaving immediately was imperative,” Kakashi explained and by the look on Shikamaru’s face, he had already made the connection that it had to do with the other two members of Team 7. Kakashi continued with: “We can send her your advice by hawk.”

Shikamaru groaned, “Telling Naruto and Sasuke is going to be such a drag.”

That was definitely going to be a mountain that Kakashi was not looking forward to. But before facing that mountain, he had a bridge to cross, and that bridge was none other than telling the Kazekage he had made a decision as the Hokage despite the Kazekage’s careful planning.

As the Kazekage sat cordially behind his desk, ready to scheme and discuss tactics, Kakashi sat across from him, grateful that Gaara was usually a level-headed and understanding leader and was typically easy to work with. But just before Kakashi could blurt out Sakura’s plan, a blue-haired sand shinobi entered the room, pushing a rather drab-looking ninja medic whom Kakashi instantly recognized as the man responsible for betraying Sakura to a group of vigilantes. Kakashi raised a curious eyebrow at Mako’s sudden presence, and Kakashi assumed it had something to do with information garnished from his interrogation.

“The prisoner who keeps asking for you, Lord Kazekage,” the ninja stated respectfully as he pushed Mako to his knees on the floor before Gaara who seemed slightly annoyed with his unexpected appearance.

“Yes, thank you.” The Kazekage gestured for the shinobi to leave.

Mako strained his arms against a pair of sand shackles and Kakashi noticed for the first time that the former Sunagakure medic was trying to speak past a gag of sand as it rained from his mouth. Not only was he struggling to speak, but Mako was glancing around the room into each of their faces and Kakashi witnessed the medic’s eyes widen in alarm, a panicked look Kakashi had become very familiar with from his time as a shinobi: fear.

“Excuse the interruption,” Gaara pardoned and Shikamaru and Kakashi were both a little too eager in shaking their hands in dismissal, both of them more than happy for a delay in delivering their news.

“Make it quick,” Gaara said emotionlessly, snapping his fingers to disintegrate the manacles and gag from his mouth. “What is it you want?”

Mako choked on some of the remnants of grit on his tongue and he wiped furiously from his mouth. Finally, Mako began to breath evenly, blurting, “She—” he choked again. “You have to stop her.”

“Stop who?” The Kazekage interrogated, a furrowed brow of confusion passing across Gaara’s usual emotionless expressions.

Kakashi’s stomach dropped when Mako cried out, “Sakura! She left the prison this morning, asking for information. I got the impression that she was going to go looking for the enemy on her own! You can’t let her—”

Gaara silenced the noisy vomit of words spilling out of Mako’s mouth with a raised hand. He turned to Kakashi and raised an eyebrow. “Where is Sakura?” the sand-wielder questioned. “Why exactly is she not here right now?”

Kakashi rubbed his neck half-humoredly. “Well, about that,” he began and he heard Shikamaru sigh at his right. And so Kakashi found himself explaining the current situation, at which Gaara’s eye grew wide in surprise. Just as Sakura had explained to him, and Kakashi had relayed to Shikamaru, the Hokage now recounted a censored version of Sakura’s goals (he wasn’t naïve enough to reveal anything essential in Mako’s presence).

Even Temari and Kankuro exchanged worried glances between one another as Kakashi reported, and Gaara placed his fisted hand on his mouth to think.

“I had thought we were on the same page, her and I.” Gaara voiced. “If she goes into Tanigakure, discretion is a must. Are you sure she can handle this without our help?”

Kakashi nodded. “If anyone can do this, she can.” Kakashi was relieved to see him nod curtly before whispering an instruction silently to Kankuro, who dashed quickly from the room, sending a small hateful glare in Mako’s direction as he exited.

Mako took turns exasperatedly gaping between all of them. “You are all too confident.” Mako seethed. “I should have just kept my mouth shut. She hasn’t been on the battlefield since the war. She’s too inexperienced for the numbers, especially going alone.”

“Why are you working so hard to prevent her from going? Are you disappointed that her plan might not work?” Shikamaru drawled, the annoyed tone very much like his character. “She handled your team well enough.”

Mako laughed derisively. “Of course, her plan won’t work! She said she just wants to talk to them! You’re sending their target, a martyr in the name of mental health, into a nest designed for her death!”

“Then tell us what you know.” Gaara’s rasping voice sounded and Kakashi witnessed Mako tense at the legendary jinchuriki’s question. “You’ve chosen a second life here, correct? In exchange for your information, I’ll offer you protection as long as you reside here.”

Mako’s eyes widened at the offer and then he sighed; Kakashi saw the internal struggle still within his eyes as if the young man truly was trying to recall everything he could remember. “I’ll tell you what I told her,” the prisoner exhaled as he rubbed his sore blistered wrists. “I don’t know much. I didn’t get that far in, but I will tell you everything I do know.”

“Better make that quick,” Kakashi announced, walking to one of the windows across the room. The descending sunlight illuminated the sand ground in orange, striped by the shadows of all the buildings within the village, and two smaller shadows shuffled their way slowly towards the Kazekage’s tower.

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.

.

“You’re late,” Shikamaru drawled when Sasuke practically hauled Naruto’s limp body through the door of the Kazekage’s office. Stupid idiot had walked the entire way back, but the stairs, the stairs, had been too much for him. Sasuke practically dropped him on his back to the floor.

“Coming from you, Shikamaru?” Naruto laughed, pointing an accusing finger and upside-down jeer at the lazy Hokage’s assistant. “You and Kakashi Sensei are always late to everything.”

“It’s Lord Hokage, Naruto…” Kakashi corrected, covering his eyes with his hand, and Sasuke thought he looked like a parent who was embarrassed of his two humiliating children.

“You can blame Naruto,” Sasuke stated bluntly as he side-stepped Naruto, already feigning disinterest in the present company. That was until his narrowed eyes met an unlikely visitor that Sasuke would have rather never seen again. Mako sat with his hands bound and mouth gagged with what appeared to be whirring sand. His silent figure observed Sasuke, blatantly staring at him in forced silence, and Sasuke could have kicked in his teeth. Sasuke didn’t question Mako’s presence too much; Gaara probably had him brought from the cells to testify for insider information.

Moving along with a threatening glare in Mako’s direction, the Uchiha positioned himself casually against the wall the farthest away from everyone and instantly became aware that Sakura had not made it to the Kazekage’s office, yet. Sasuke mentally scolded his pink-haired teammate for her overachieving work ethic, and that kernel of uneasiness from earlier that came from Sakura’s absence was back again. Maybe he should go and retrieve her.

“Were the chakra pills effective?” Kakashi suddenly inquired, and Naruto enthusiastically answered as he sat upright once more, crossing his legs and arms simultaneously; the very same squat he often took as a genin.

“Yes! I took four in a row!” he praised. “Wish she could improve that terrible taste though,” he mumbled lowly to himself, taking a dramatic swipe at his tongue with the pad of his right thumb and then inspecting it for a residue. Sasuke wanted to roll his eyes.

As Naruto rambled on about the effects that he personally experienced from the new food pills, explaining that the results and consequences were as expected, but less serious, and how it took much longer to get there, Shikamaru laughed to himself and shook his head in disbelief. This laugh pricked Sasuke’s ears and his attention switched to Kakashi, and Sasuke witnessed the Hokage and Kazekage exchange a quiet look, the type of glance that was charged with a silent conversation. Sasuke then turned to find Mako’s heavy gaze on him, staring directly into his eyes as if he no longer feared them. The Uchiha narrowed his eyes at the man, trying his best to not let the behavior provoke him in this uncomfortable atmosphere. God, Sasuke was tired of this meeting already.

“Where is Sakura, by the way?” Naruto glanced around, the first to address her absence since they had arrived. It may have been the only time today Sasuke wasn’t annoyed at the blonde idiot.

Naruto’s question was interrupted and ignored when the puppet-wielding ninja appeared through the entrance, signaled Gaara with a nod, and the Kazekage announced, “All right then, let’s get started.”

Sasuke had rarely felt so skeptical in his life as he did now when the sand-wielder engulfed the room with sand, creating a soundproof barrier that Sasuke had witnessed him do several times. It hardened within seconds, encasing them all in one un-impenetrable room. Sasuke glanced at Naruto as his question was skipped over, and Sasuke noticed that the knucklehead, too, had a confused frown on his face. And Sasuke suddenly had a gut-wrenching feeling, because it was obvious that if Gaara was sealing the room already, it was because everyone who was expected to be there, already was. Which meant that Sakura wasn’t coming.

And Sasuke’s gaze suddenly locked on the sand-muffled Mako, whose eyes still bore into the Uchiha’s as if he had been trying to communicate with him all along—eyes that had been so cautious to meet the Sharingan and Rinnegan before, but now volunteered themselves for Sasuke’s inspection. And as it finally clicked in Sasuke’s brain, he called on his reduced supply of chakra and his eyes instantly morphed into the deadly purple and red.

Mako slumped forward as Sasuke plowed into the ninja’s memories, frantically searching for Sakura’s face, reversing time so quickly that he struck through Mako’s memories like electricity, faster than the streaks of lightning of his chidori. Finally, his charged consciousness of his lightning style chakra illuminated the memories containing her. Finally, Sasuke witnessed her sitting before Mako’s cell, eye-to-eye on the other side of the bars crafted from sand. Sasuke paused and played out her questions to Mako:

Where is the heart of your organization?

Are they based in Tanigakure?

How many members?

When Sasuke stumbled through the rest of their conversation, hearing Mako ask Sakura to take him with her to help her with her plan, and then experiencing Mako’s panic at realizing that Sakura planned to go alone, Sasuke felt the same fear again. That same fear he had felt many times in the past, and now found himself feeling again. Everything suddenly made dreadful sense: Gaara surrounding the room with sand—an action that Sasuke had misunderstood to be sound-proofing, the exchanged glances, and even Sakura asking he and Naruto to test the food pills so they would both be too physically drained to pursue her. Damn it. Sasuke felt like a fool; he felt betrayed, afraid, and so cross with everyone for their part in Salura’s self-sacrificing mission.

Too late, a veil of sand came before Mako’s eyes, the sand creating an impassable window to stop Sasuke’s genjutsu. But Sasuke had already learned what he needed to know and he withdrew from Mako’s head like a snake that had bitten him. Mako gasped from the shock of it and the entire room turned to watch the medic slump forward onto the ground, not having witnessed the silent exchange, but realizing something had just happened.

Gaara’s efforts to stop the genjutstu said a lot to Sasuke about how the Kazekage wanted to handle this confrontation: slowly, easily, and as emotionless as possible. But as Sasuke met the Kazekage’s eyes and Sasuke didn’t retract his emotional prowess, everyone in the room suddenly realized that Sasuke had discovered their closely guarded secret, and the Uchiha didn’t plan on calmly playing along with their plans.

“Naruto,” Sasuke drawled, his voice as low and heavy as the rumble that resounded when the ground shook on a war-torn battlefield. His next words had sharpened to accusatory ice. “Sakura’s not coming. She left Sunagakure on her own.”

Naruto shot up from the ground as if he hadn’t just crawled his way up the steps moments ago. “What?” he questioned the others, his gaze coming to rest on Kakashi who was putting a hand up already in an attempt to calm the Uzumaki.

“Why don’t you both sit down, so I can explain the situation to you—” their Sensei began, but his words only registered in Naruto’s head as a confirmation of Sasuke’s sudden declaration.

“WHAT?!” Naruto screeched, pointing a finger at all of them. “You let her go by herself? To do what? Fight? ALONE!?”

Sasuke’s immediate desire was to jump through space and time, directly through the portal of his choosing, bypassing everything altogether: the explanations, the defensive behavior, the justification of Sakura’s choices. But he was drained, just as Sakura had planned, damn her, and that only left Sasuke able to move to the door, instead. When he found the sand thickening around it, he turned and flashed his red and purple glare at Gaara.

“Even your sand will burn in the fires of Amaterasu,” Sasuke threatened dangerously. “You can’t hold me here.”

In the next moment, Kakashi had his hand on Sasuke’s shoulder and the Uchiha turned his glare back on him. “This is her plan, Sasuke. A covert operation with one person is discreet. She can handle this. Hear us out.”

Sasuke sucked in a sharp breath at the words that just came out of Kakashi’s mouth, the very words Sasuke had used to try and persuade Sakura to let him handle the situation himself. Sakura had listened, told Sasuke it was irrational, but had really gone and decided to take his idea and do it herself. His hand found his painful eyes. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. And they had agreed. Kakashi had agreed. Sasuke was so furious at himself for giving her the idea, but not as enraged at the Hokage for sending her.

“You think she can kill them?” he suddenly hissed in Kakashi’s face. “I watched her spare the life of that bastard who betrayed her,” Sasuke spat in Mako’s unconscious direction. “I’ve watched her spare the life of the monster who almost took the use of her arm away. There are countless others.”

“She killed one of them,” Shikamaru defended, “because it became necessary.” And Sasuke hated the strategist ninja once again, for his entitlement to a say. He didn’t know her. None of them knew Sakura the way that her own teammates did, including Sasuke, himself.

“She only killed the one who hurt that kid,” Sasuke retorted, cursing his own damn depleted state of chakra that was forcing him to sit and reason with these idiots. “None of the ones who touched her suffered any sort of consequence.”

“How many times?” Kakashi asked lowly, but loud enough for them all to hear. “How many times must she prove herself to you, Sasuke?”

Sasuke gritted his teeth in frustration, his blood pulsing in his head from the chakra-depletion induced headache forming there. The truth was, that this wasn’t an issue to him anymore. He believed in her abilities. He had witnessed them, himself. And as he had explained to Sakura as he had wrapped his arms around her in the moonlight of last night, his faith in her didn’t change the fact that Sasuke would worry. That Sasuke would go after her. Every. Single. Time. Why? Because he loved Sakura, and a man in love with someone didn’t need an excuse to make sure she never faced anything alone, not as Sasuke had for years. Sakura’s enemies were his enemies. Her battles, his battles. All wars, theirs.

“Tell us where she’s gone, Kakashi!” Naruto interrupted, derailing both Sasuke’s thoughts and their sensei’s attempt to convince him completely. “Sakura is our teammate. I don’t care what her plan is! We fight as a team!”

Sasuke saw it in their faces, the wavering. Naruto always had that effect on people when he spoke, altering their thinking and changing their minds, easily.

Kakashi remained on course, however. “You can’t follow her, Naruto. Everyone in the shinobi world knows who you are. They would recognize you instantly. Remember what I said earlier? Leaf shinobi can’t enter into Tanigakure without consequence. It’s neutral. You’ll be starting something—”

“And the world doesn’t know Sakura?!” Naruto shouted in disbelief. “She’s just as recognizable as any of us! Is just as important to the Leaf!”

“Sakura has many different strengths she can draw from,” Kakashi continued. “She doesn’t have to rely on a ninjutsu that could give her away. Not like your Rasengan, beast modes, sage art, and more. She has another plan.”

Naruto began to protest again, but Sasuke interjected. “Fine, Naruto can stay here.”

“WHAT?!” his friend screeched, rounding on him instantly, but Sasuke ignored him.

“The idea was mine originally,” Sasuke explained to Kakashi. “Sakura just stole it. I will go and I will be as discreet as I have for the last couple of years on Konoha’s behalf.”

Kakashi sighed. “Sasuke, you’re involvement is not a good idea. You have your own mission.”

And as Kakashi began to deny him once more, Sasuke felt a sense of dread and panic as more time was slipping away from him. Each minute that passed, took Sakura further away from them and toward those who wanted to kill her.

Desperation wasn’t like Sasuke and he had never resorted to begging before, always being able to rely on his strength and jutsu to carry him through life, taking what he wanted, doing as he pleased, and needing permission from few. But he was growing more and more irate and more and more frantic, and so he risked being vulnerable in front of all these ninja who had often judged him.

“If I have to watch someone who I love die, sacrificing themselves for the sake of the Leaf Village, again, the person who I am now won’t survive it. What’s left of the shinobi world will either fall to the Otsusuki race in my absence, or it will fall to the person I will become.”

He watched the fear flash across each of their faces as Sasuke’s words registered throughout the room. Sasuke had been too young to help his brother bear the weight of such terrible orders from his village, but Sasuke wouldn’t sit by and do nothing when Sakura was given such a mission.

“Is that a threat, Uchiha?” Gaara grumbled and Sasuke felt the very ground, the entire sand-constructed village, shift in response to the Kazekage’s wrath. Sasuke felt no fear. He didn’t fear such things anymore.

“Sasuke,” Naruto whispered as his friend placed a supportive palm on his shoulder, but Sasuke shrugged it off and stepped up to Kakashi, so close that Sasuke could see the red and purple of his own gaze in Kakashi’s irises.

“That will be its fate if you keep me here and she dies, Kakashi. Don’t make the wrong choice.”

He saw it in Kakashi’s face. The realization that Sasuke was more dangerous to Konoha than any repercussions from Tanigakure, or any unnamed organization. Sasuke was also essential because he was the only one who could use the Rinnegan to get an edge on the Otsusuki race. He watched the risks shift in the Hokage’s mind as he weighed this new danger to the Leaf. And so Kakashi didn’t stop him. The sand rained down around him. They let him go.

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Sasuke fisted the pink hair that had been cut and placed upon a note on the foot of his bed. He had almost missed it in the darkness, but the moon as always, caught Sakura’s hair in a way that nothing else could. The sight of her slashed hair, a pre-battle ritual of Sakura’s, instantly caught his eye and it panicked the Uchiha even more; he wished he would have returned to their shared room earlier in the day, because Sasuke would have realized what exactly Sakura had intended to do, and he could just have avoided the Kage meeting all together and gone straight after her.

He had returned now to make sure Sakura wasn’t there waiting for him. Sasuke knew better, but he had still hoped. All their conversations about partnership, communication and goodbyes, and all their small promises to one another these past couple of months had given him that hope. But it was all nothing, now. Empty words because none of it prevented her from leaving him. Sasuke Uchiha had been left behind. And for the first time, he realized just how lonely and horrendously painful it was to be left behind.

In the darkness, the hair fell from his hands onto the bed like Sasuke’s slashed headband had once descended from his forehead. He snatched the note from the bed and separated the two pages with the pad of his thumb. Sasuke activated his Sharingan in the dark and forced himself to read it slowly and carefully, instead of skipping over lines in his urgency.

Sasuke, it read.

Sasuke,

I am sorry. If you have found this letter, know that I write it because we promised one another a goodbye. This is my goodbye, for now. I thought a lot about your suggestion on how to handle this situation, and I decided to do this on my own, since I was going to be involved regardless. I have thought it through, put extensive research into how I will achieve my goal, and decided a solo mission was the best option after all. Forgive me for being a distraction to you and I hope that the time apart will give us ‘clear heads’ as you suggested last night. Focus on your mission and I will focus on mine. Keep Naruto from following. He can be impulsive, and I need to do this alone. If you don’t find this until later, and I do not return, know that I love you. You have always been worthy of that love, even the darkest version of you. Save the shinobi world and remember who you are.

She did not sign it. As soon as his eyes scanned the last line of pen scrawl, Sasuke was half-tempted to crumble it in his hand. But his eyes found the most important words on the page: I love you…you have always been worthy of that love…remember who you are. And Sasuke realized he needed this letter as much as he needed chakra or oxygen. Because if she died, Sasuke would have to stare at it every day for the rest of his lonely existence and let it be the tether that kept him from falling apart.

Chapter Text

Sakura’s trail was cold. Beyond their shared bedroom and her departing letter, there was nothing. Like a released bowstring, Sasuke had sprung forth into the night in the direction of the only detail he was certain about her plan: Tanigakure. He had plucked this detail from Mako’s memories like a healer digs out pieces of metal in a flesh wound. The physical toll of traveling nonstop overnight while chakra-depleted had cost the Uchiha, and he had been tempted several times to just pop another chakra pill into his mouth. However, he couldn’t risk taking it in case he came upon a situation where he would need it in combat. So, Sasuke had trudged through the sand all night, wrapping his hair and face with the black cloth of his turban, pulling the hood of his traveling poncho up and over his hair to better disguise himself; Sasuke didn’t want to even waste chakra on a simple transformation jutsu. He ‘had to be discreet,’ after all.

Sasuke arrived at the jagged mountainous ribcage surrounding Tanigakure the following evening, gaining entrance easily as an unrecognizable traveler in a world of peace. His eyes searched for any flash of pink and he stopped at every place he could think where Sakura might start her search for the organization bent on killing her: the hospital she made Sasuke stay at just so she could visit the medical facilities here, and even their old hotel room, but there was no sign of her. After hours of staking out with no word or sign, Sasuke cursed himself for not gathering more information about her plan from Kakashi before pursuing her. His inability to find even a trace of her just went to show that Sasuke was always a little too confident in himself and still found himself habitually underestimating Sakura’s skill.

As the sun began to set, Sasuke wanted nothing more than to approach every single soul crowding the streets in the evening lantern-lit dusk and ask if anyone had seen her, but Sasuke couldn’t risk the suspicion it would rouse about his own identity. Who was he and why did he want to know? How did he know her and where could they find him if they did see her? He could already hear the questions and he didn’t want any rumors to make it to the leadership of this village. Discretion turned out to be a lot more difficult when you were panicking.

And so, Sasuke perched himself on the roof above a crowded izakaya, where many individuals were flocking to participate in nighttime drinking and he did the only thing he could think of: watch and wait for a word, a clue, the breath of her name or description between the boisterous laughter of intoxicated patrons. In the darkness of night, when the starlight outshone the dimming lanterns, Sasuke even became desperate for the crickets to sigh but a syllable of her name. But like everyone else, they gave him nothing. Sasuke released a frustrated sigh, adding another useless sound to the nightscape around him as he jumped down from the building, too restless to do anything but pace the streets and wonder how he ever ended up like this.

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Sakura fingered her dark hair in the reflection of the ink-stained water in the bucket at her feet. She scrubbed at the lingering residue of black dye running past her hairline and wrapped the towel in her hands quickly around her short hair. When Sakura heard the crack of the door, she flashed the woman who entered a quick grin.

“You dyed it!?” the youngest girl of the group, Tabi exclaimed, falling to her knees beside Sakura with her hands covering her mouth. “But it’s your best feature! You would attract the attention of everyone!”

Sakura shook her head, wanting to say something along the lines of ‘that’s exactly the point,’ but she didn’t for the obvious reason of blowing her cover. And despite what she had told the headmistress of the bathhouse, Sakura didn’t plan on being here long—just long enough to gather the intel she needed in order to move into the next phase of her plan.

“Mother will not be happy,” the girl stated, reaching over to finger a stray lock of jet that escaped from the bundle atop Sakura’s head.

“Mother,” Sakura responded, using the same honorific for the headmistress, “will hopefully understand my reasons. I don’t want to stand out too much.”

Tabi shook her head, saying, “Is it permanent? How long will it last? Will the steam from the bath ruin it?”

Sakura shook her head, grateful she could be honest with the young girl with at least one thing. “It should hold for a couple of days, if not more.”

“The sooner it fades back to rose, the better.” Tabi stated matter-of-factly, rising to move to the other side of the room that they shared to begin the evening ritual of preparing for the night’s work.

Sakura copied her experienced movements, powdering her face while her hair dried, carefully concealing the purple diamond between her brows. Infiltrating this job had been easier than Sakura had anticipated given the reputation of difficulty in this line of work. Sakura had approached the headmistress as a ‘transfer’ from another establishment. Due to Tanigakure’s exclusive nature from the outside world, it was not difficult to acquire fabricated copies of the necessary paperwork indicating a ‘private transfer’ from another village, and Sakura easily produced the medical assessments of her health that was also required. It also didn’t hurt that Sakura’s coloring was considered rare and possibly desirable by some; in other words, she would be highly profitable. Sakura promised the headmistress a steep percentage for every patron she ‘pleased.’ Or would allegedly please.

No, Sakura did not plan to violate herself in order to gain the information she was looking for. She had never stooped into this role before in all her mission activity, but Ino had once used the disguise in order to slip into minds of her targets more easily once she got them isolated and no harm could befall her body once she performed the jutsu.

Sakura had only acquired empty leads since she had arrived in Tanigakure. All Sakura needed to do was assess, learn what she could from the right people, and transition into the next step of her plan. The infiltration was the easy part, but this next part was dangerous, and Sakura would have to tread so very carefully.

“Why are you here, Tabi?” Sakura couldn’t resist asking, wondering how such a lovely girl ended up servicing despicable men at one of the secretive bath house locations in the shinobi world. “How did you end up in a place like this?”

Tabi eyed Sakura curiously for a second before laughing. “I could ask the same about you.” And then she didn’t talk to Sakura for the rest of the evening as they prepped for the night.

Sakura followed the other girls into the establishment, a building disguised as a common bathhouse in the front section, advertising the typical bathhouse amenities, but concealing the back half which included private baths and rooms. When a section of the wall slid back to reveal a dark sitting room, Sakura had to steal herself and conceal an inner cringe under the stares of the lounging men who were already expecting them in the luxury-style waiting room. Sakura never felt so disgusted in her entire life than she did in that moment under the predatory gazes of those who only sought to devour others and pleasure themselves. Sakura immediately found herself second guessing this step. Maybe this hadn’t been such a clever idea. But she had no other choice. The members of the organization had been able to conceal themselves in a “neutral” territory long enough to gain numbers and begin operation. To Sakura, this meant one of three things. The first and most unlikely option was that this anti-peace organization had managed to keep their activity low enough to avoid detection and that Tanikage was truly focused on other things. Sakura doubted this one. The village was simply too small to have as many members as Mako had claimed go undetected. Or there was a very real possibility that the Kage and Council were already aware and didn’t take action because powerful figures were involved, maybe even leadership, or they simply did not care.

When the door was shut behind them, Sakura watched the other girls disappear into the noisy room hazed with pipe smoke, making their way toward familiar patrons. Socialization seemed to be a part of the selection process, to intensify the excitement, and Sakura planned to take advantage of it. She held her breath as she navigated, walking up to Tabi who had already familiarly climbed into the lap of one of the younger men, apparently a returning patron of hers.

“Is this a new friend,” the man drawled thickly through a handful of Tabi’s hair that he had twirled throughout his fingers and pressed to his mouth.

At Tabi’s sudden wide-eyed expression at Sakura’s appearance, Sakura answered for herself, soothing Tabi’s fears in the same sentence. Sakura knew the look of someone who felt threatened by her presence, and Tabi was giving her a warning stare for approaching her patron. “Yes. Guta Hae, sir,” Sakura introduced with a bow. “I am new. Perhaps you could introduce me to any friends that you might be in company with.”

Around her, the socialization had already begun and men who had already found their women for the evening, began to mingle with their associates, the girls clinging to their arms like trophies. Several of them appraised Sakura from a distance, naturally curious at the new face. But Sakura wasn’t going to just be picked from the lot like a prized animal ripe for butcher. No. Instead, Sakura would be choosing amongst them in the form of an introduction, just as she had planned.

Tabi nodded, exclaiming, “Yes. This is her first night so she doesn’t know anyone,” Tabi smiled back at the man who was running his hands possessively over her leg in the dim light around them as he debated whether this unexpected disturbance would be beneficial in some way, or if he should just whisk Tabi away to their private room. “Could you introduce her to some friends, Toka-san?”

“Hmm,” Toka smirked, “any favor for you, dear,” he murmured into Tabi’s hair. “If you’re willing to return it.”

The words dropped into Sakura’s stomach to spoil like rotten food. This wasn’t good. Sakura didn’t want anyone to suffer anything personally from her meddling, especially not a woman as nice to her as Tabi had been. Just as she was fixing to retract her request, intent to say nevermind, Tabi was helping the man in the lounge chair to his feet, twirling his arm around her neck as they walked toward the crowd gathering in the back of the room.

The haze grew thicker around the smoking men as they lounged against the shadow-cloaked walls, and Sakura bowed to them when Toka stopped and held out his hand smoothly for Sakura to take. Masking her face to conceal her repulsion, Sakura slid her fingers into Toka’s waiting palm and he held her hand above her head to spin her in a half pirouette in front of his curious counterparts. The way each of their eyes clung to different parts of her body had Sakura feeling like she might wretch.

“Guta Hae,” Toka introduced, dropping her hand as if he were a gentleman. Sakura knew he was anything but. “She’s new here. Tabi asked that I introduce her to you all.”

Sakura’s eyes fluttered as she feigned shyness, bringing her shoulders innocently up for a small second.

There were exchanged smiles amongst some of the men as they debated their current choices, but Sakura’s eyes assessed them back, weighing her options and gathering what little intel she could gather from them. At the center of the pack, Sakura’s medical eye immediately located a man with his eyes tightly bound with bandaging. He was quiet as he tilted his ear to appraise her, solemn with two girls on each of his knees as he sat in one of the red, luxuriously tufted high-back chairs. And Sakura marked him as someone of little interest to her despite the initial surprise of his blindness. His injuries could mean several things, either good or bad for her purposes, but Sakura also could tell that whatever had happened to him had potentially wisened him, and Sakura didn’t need to approach that type of person. The fact that his injury potentially revealed his status as a former ninja, put him on Sakura’s radar; but, she also believed he might be worth investigating at a distance. Sakura’s eyes scanned over the rest of their smoking and laughing personas.

“New in what way?” one of the men joked loudly as the rest of them snickered with shiny, interested eyes. “New here? Or…new, new?”

Sakura wanted to sneer at such a suggestive question, curl her lip and let her inner Sakura bleed through her teeth and down into her firsts. “I’m from the Land of Fire,” she revealed, weighing the various reactions to such a revelation. And several eyes flickered to her, assessing her differently.

“The Land of Fire?” asked the loud man again as he crossed his arms. “Can’t be Konoha. I’ve never heard of such an establishment in the Leaf. Not recently, anyway.”

The others agreed around him, but Sakura didn’t reveal that answer. She had made her cast, throwing the lure out onto the smoke-infused water, dangling the bait in the crocodile faces of six influential men. By smiling and shrugging her shoulders and keeping the mystery of her origin concealed, Sakura was reeling in that line and establish her own draw.

Sakura moved toward the loud one, painting a saccharine grin on her face. He was going to be the one to spill secrets, Sakura could tell. He had a mouth on him like Naruto. “Are you familiar with Konoha?” Sakura asked him sweetly as she moved into his inner circle, receiving a glare from the woman on his arm. “I’ve never been to the Leaf, but had many patrons from there,” she continued.

Before she even learned the man’s name, Sakura’s fingers were grasped carefully once again, the same application of force that Toka had just touched her with, and she was being tugged back around to face the group of men. The rougher man with the bandaging around his eyes had stood to retrieve her, reeling her in towards him as if she were the bait on the line. “Don’t waste your time on him. He’s a clown.”

Sakura’s instinctual reaction was to become solid, send chakra to her feet and become as immovable as her inhuman strength would allow her to be. It took her only a millisecond to resolve herself, to recommit to her plan, and Sakura became supple despite her annoyance with the man who felt too important to be overlooked by her.

The two women who had once sat on his lap were gone and he replaced them with her, pulling her down to sit on his right knee. She still stiffened despite her resolve, realizing once again how dangerous the people were whom she was trying to play with. This guy was lucky, so incredibly lucky that Sakura’s purpose here was not to kill every single one of them.

“I can tell you about Konoha,” he spoke lowly, a whisper as the conversation resumed around them, as he bent his head into her blackened hair. Sakura could feel the rumble of his voice in his chest as he said, “What is it that you want to know?”

Sakura couldn’t help herself. She turned her left shoulder into him to create more distance as she watched him carefully. “Are you from there?” she asked, wary that this man might be able to recognize her despite her careful disguise.

“No,” he answered, “but I know several men who are.”

“Are you a ninja?” she questioned again, trying with everything in her to relax into this man’s embrace. Where their bodies touched, Sakura felt as if he were like a boiling acid, searing and burning at the connection points.

“Have you been with a ninja?” he countered, and Sakura recognized his attempt to avoid answering the question.

“Who do you think visited my previous establishment in the Land of Fire?”

He chuckled, a mirthful laugh that lasted a little too long to make anyone comfortable. His next words sent an electricity through her blood. “What I wouldn’t give to see your face as you lie to everyone around you that you’re a sex worker like the rest of them.”

Her eyes grew wide as she checked to see if anyone heard what he had said. Most of the couples had already retired to their rooms, so Sakura forced her breathing into a steady cadence of ease and indifference. She turned to him slowly. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Her hand was taken lightly into his and she resisted the urge to snatch it back as he guided it to his cheek, splaying her fingers across the side of his head with his own as he grinned wickedly. “Your face was the last thing that I saw before I lost my vision. I’ll never forget the sound of your voice, Haruno Sakura.”

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When the door closed behind them, Sakura snatched her hand from the blind man who had lead her privately to one of the sauna rooms where extracurriculars were expected to take place. Sakura’s initial plan for this part was immediately interrupted. Pulling a kunai from her tightly-fitted silk attire, Sakura spun and pinned the mysterious man against the black wood of the closed door, kunai flush against the flesh of his throat. Beyond the slight tilt of his chin skyward, the man had no reaction.

“Who are you?” she hissed, all pretenses and disguises temporarily dropped.

The man chuckled against her blade. “It’s not surprising you don’t remember me. The battlefield of the war was so gruesome and so many men at your mercy, my face was one in a sea of millions.”

Sakura couldn’t help but think of Satou, Isao’s father, and Satou’s wife, whom Sakura had failed to save. Isao’s mother, too, had been one of millions. Sakura desperately searched for any recognition and came up blank. She remembered healing hundreds of visual injuries—this man had only been one of them. A heavy weight settled in her gut as she realized, that like all those others, his injuries had most likely been passed off to others because of the minority of them in comparison to those on the brink of dying. Severed appendages, organ damage, bleeding. Going blind was unfortunate, but not life threatening.

Sakura asked the next obvious question. “Are you one of the people out to kill me?”

“Yes, actually.” He admitted and Sakura pressed the blade deeper, contemplating the pros and cons of killing him on the spot. “But,” he added lightly, avoiding the dipping of his throat against the bite of her kunai’s sharpness. “Since I was lucky enough to find you first, I will make you a deal.”

“Why should I even believe a word out of your mouth?”

“Because you have something that I want,” he answered, a hand coming up to grip her own. But he couldn’t move the fisted blade away because Sakura’s hand was as unmovable as steal as she no longer suppressed her immaculate strength.

“And what is that?” she interrogated, unperturbed by his words.

“Your abilities,” he smiled. “Heal my eyes completely, and I’ll help you.”

“I’ve been betrayed once already by a fellow member of yours,” Sakura revealed. “I won’t make the same mistake twice. Trusting you is the last thing I am going to do.”

Another chuckle reverberated up his chest like the swell of a wave in a turbulent ocean. “Then don’t trust me. But I am afraid that you have no other choice to work with me.”

“And why is that?”

“Because all of your friends are being watched carefully. And to your soon-to-be dismay, a certain Uchiha has been identified here within Tanigakure, and he is looking for you. The Zenshin’s plans for him aren’t a part of your plans, are they?”

Sakura’s kunai bounced as her hand shook in surprise at his words and it nicked his throat once before she steadied it. He hissed and pulled harder against her hand, but it still didn’t move.

“He is here?” Sakura asked in a whisper, a myriad of paths of possibility spidering out from the revelation. Sasuke had followed her. Despite her wishes and despite Kakashi’s promises of keeping Naruto and Sasuke preoccupied, Sasuke had followed her. Not Naruto, but Sasuke. Even if it was out of concern for her, why? Why did he continue to doubt her abilities? Sakura pushed those feelings to the back of her mind as a new thought formed around the name of the organization that wanted to kill her and many others: Zenshin. To advance. Progression. The exact same word that Mako had declared to her in the desert wind only nights ago. She finally had the name.

“Here and unsuccessful in his search for you, is what I have heard,” came the blind man’s sultry response in her face. “We knew you had to be close if he was here sniffing for you.”

Damn it. Her plans were already starting to unravel. She was banking on the fact that they might not believe her brave enough to confront them, alone and in their own territory. “On the off chance you’re actually telling the truth,” Sakura growled, “you lot are absolute fools to underestimate Sasuke. He and Naruto are singlehandedly the strongest shinobi to have ever walked this earth. He will mow you down just as Madara did to the shinobi alliance.”

“What about you?” he asked, a smirk tugging on the corner of his mouth despite the knife still secured against his flesh, nearly vibrating with the energy it was taking Sakura not to silence him permanently. “How strong are you?”

In the next movement, Sakura sheathed the weapon and relaxed her face into a smile of her own. “I am not far behind them.”

The blind man instinctively rubbed his neck where her kunai had been, smearing the pinpricks of blood there. “You’re lucky that even blind, my senses are sharper than my companions’,” he spoke, seriousness replacing the nervous humor of his previous persona. “By claiming you first, I have saved you from the lions you were prowling amongst just outside.”

“Which ones in the sitting room are a part of ‘Zenshin’?” Sakura asked, and her eyes grew terribly wide at the next admission from his mouth.

“Why, all of them,” he laughed once again.

All of them? If the man had been able to see, he would have noticed that Sakura’s face had drained of all color. Sakura’s mental efforts doubled as she began to cross out steps of her plan and recalculate, following the conceptual intricate spiderweb of possible effects from each detour she could potentially plan for.

He took a step toward her. “And all of them were already suspecting your identity the very minute Toka introduced you. I happen to be the only one present who has ever heard your voice. My actions to grab your attention will have interested them even more. I’ll have to explain what I did tonight. Your next move will determine the words that will come out of my mouth.”

Sakura nodded, still silently assessing her options, before she said, “remove the bandage.”

The man hesitated, as if he was almost unsure if he wanted her to see what lie beneath. He only hesitated for a moment before fingering the white bandage. He walked toward her until he was only a few feet ahead of her. When the bandage slipped down to reveal his eye sockets, Sakura frowned at the unblemished nature of them. Not an external injury that could be healed, then. She had been hoping for cataracts or some other resolvable issue via procedure.

He flinched as she touched his temples, tilting his head back so Sakura could peer into them. She summoned her chakra to her fingertips and pressed exploratory chakra into them. He gasped at the invasion when her chakra made contact with his flesh, and his hand came up to grasp on to Sakura’s wrist.

“I’m only investigating the injury,” Sakura reassured him.

“I know,” he frowned. “You did so once before. You told me there was little that could be done.”

Sakura nodded, feeling dread at her past self’s words. If she had not been able to heal them, she suspected no one could. Sakura suddenly recalled the shinobi war and Kakashi sensei, whose eye had been torn from his eye socket by Madara and then restored by Naruto, through his perfected Ying-Yang release through the sun seal given to him by Hagoromo. Naruto was not only able to restore Kakashi’s eye from nothing, but he had also been able to revive Obito after the extractions of the Ten Tales, and accomplish other grand healing feats during the war in the duration of which he had possessed the seal. Both Naruto and Sasuke relinquished their Sun and Moon seals when they sealed Kaguya. That sort of healing power was gone now.

Sakura possessed and could control both Yin and Yang chakra due to her healing training under Tsunade and her natural affinity for genjutsus. Even with Sakura’s near perfect control of chakra, she could not use Yin and Yang simultaneously as Naruto had done with Hagoromo’s seal.

“Are you able to see anything at all? Lights? Shadows? Shapes?” There was a big difference between being blind and being visually impaired. While others saw nothing but darkness, some could still make out some glimpses of their surroundings.

“Nothing. Not since the war.”

Sakura frowned as she searched the eyes with her chakra. The eyes themselves were undamaged. The optic nerves intact. The retinas whole. They were clear in appearance, with startling dark irises. Black, like Sasuke’s. No clouding. There was only one possible cause left: brain damage.

Sakura frowned at how hopeless the situation was. “Do you have any pain?”

“No,” he answered. “Would pain be a good sign? That the body is trying to heal?”

Sakura winced at his train of thought. People often believed that pain meant the body was trying to repair itself, and that if there was no pain, it meant one of two things: the body was not damaged, or whatever healing was to be done was complete. This was not the case for many injuries. If he was experiencing pain, it might just indicate a different type of injury. Saying he had no pain was just strengthening Sakura’s suspicion.

Reaching to cup the back of his head, Sakura pushed her fingertips into his scalp. He winced at the contact.

“Were you hit in the back of the head during the war? Is that how you lost your vision?”

He nodded, grinding down his teeth as she determined the truth he hadn’t offered freely. Brain damage was irreversible. Sakura could not create new pathways for nerves. She felt the dead-end her chakra reached after traveling down the optic nerves. The visual cortexes of the occipital lobe at the very back of the brain was no longer receiving signals from the eye. Sakura suspected that he probably had been told this by multiple healers and was hoping she would arrive at a different conclusion.

“What’s your name?” she asked, feigning medical indifference to his injury. She wasn’t ready to reveal her deductions while he was still in the mood to answer her questions.

“You can call me Rugo. It’s what the others call me.”

Sakura nodded, understanding why he wasn’t going to divulge his real identity to her. She decided not to ask what village he was from originally, which was going to be her next question. Tanigakure had been neutral in the war, and since he had allegedly fought in the war, he had either migrated here after the war, or he came to be a part of Zenshin mission, specifically.

“How many members of Zenshin are ninja from other villages?” she questioned instead while she still had the opportunity.

He hesitated for a moment, before admitting. “Most of them.” Sakura frowned at that. Just how many ninja had been unsatisfied with their lives after the war that they believed healing the grievances of the next generation stood in the way of progression?

“Is your vision loss why you joined Zenshin?” she asked boldly, trying her best to understand his particular motives. Something as significant as blindness could make the kindest of people bitter. If that was the source of his bitterness, Sakura didn’t understand why he wanted to allow such anger spread for the sake of strength and progression in the next generation of ninja.

He did not answer at first, but then said. “Yes. It is the reason. But I did not join Zenshin to prevent you and others from healing the trauma of ninja. I joined to find you. You are the only one who can help me now.”

Sakura sighed at his confession and pulled her hands away, but Rugo caught them desperately, a sharp contrast to his cocky charisma. “If you can heal them, I’ll help you. Don’t tell me what the other healers say. I know that you can fix this.”

Sakura pulled her hands free, hesitant to disappoint him. She fumbled silently in her pocket for an item that she had prepared for the next phase of this night once she was alone in this room with whichever man was unlucky enough to become her recipient, even though it hadn’t exactly happened how she had planned.

“I am sorry Rugo. Brain damage cannot be reveresed. I cannot heal them.”

The man frowned deeply at her words, shaking his head. He was not expecting the sharp prick in his neck that came next. Sakura pushed down on the plunger that pushed the harmless sedative into his bloodstream. Ironically, as a medic, Sakura couldn’t help but notice the widening of his eyes as the muscles registered his surprise, which indicated that the cerebellum, the separate part of the brain in control of muscles still operated perfectly. He crashed to his knees before falling forward as she caught him.

She wished she had the time to tell him that he was lucky, so incredibly lucky to only have lost his vision from the type of head injury that he had received. If any other parts of the brain had been damaged, he would have likely lost his ability to speak, to control his muscles, to walk; he could have become paralyzed. Maybe, if he were still alive, they could have this conversation in the future after she executed her plan.

Sakura was only a little disappointed that she hadn’t been able to accept Rugo’s offer of assistance as an inside source, after all. Whether or not he had intended to, the Zenshin member had already given her the information she was looking for. And Sakura never really needed anyone’s help anyway. Not Rugo’s. And not Sasuke’s, either.

Only when Sakura turned on the tap water for the bath that wouldn’t be used after all, and she was certain the sound of it would keep her from being disturbed by the head matron, did Sakura bite into her flesh. Blood pooling at the tip of her finger, Sakura placed her thumb against her palm and pushed her five fingers into the ground, performing the summoning technique.

“Lady Katsuyu,” Sakura greeted the small slug, 1/1000th of her original body, that began to climb its way over the legs of the man she had just incapacitated.

Sakura knelt, using her blood smeared finger to trace an intricate symbol on Rugo’s temple. The blood pooling where she had traced, and small trails hastily dissected from the main paths to trickle down into the hair at his temples. “You’re certain this will work?” Sakura asked the human-size slug that reached up to cover the man’s unmoving face with her body.

“It should,” Katuyu reassured her. “The blood is just an extra step of assurance. I should be able to do this on my own without it.”

Sakura nodded, sparing the little extra chakra it took to stop the blood flowing freely from her thumb without completely healing it. She was going to have to repeatedly break the skin there as the night continued, so growing new skin was not needed. “This is the first of many.”

“Sakura, dear,” Katsuyu responded as the slug divided into an even smaller version of herself and slipped into Sakura’s outstretched palm while the main body completely consumed the man Sakura had incapacitated. “Please be careful.”

“Of course, milady. I’m sorry for what you will witness from this moment on.” She tucked the slug away into the hem of her robe’s neckline.

Sakura opened the door to her room and turned to stare down the hallway at all the closed doors concealing the fellow members of Zenshin.

.

.

.

It was the sheer lack of activity that he was witnessing in his observation spots that first alerted Sasuke that something wasn’t quite right. In every town, if someone positioned themselves correctly, there would be brawling to spectate, scandals to witness, information to gather, but not in Tanigakure, apparently. The last twenty-four hours had been surprisingly uneventful in comparison to his first pass through when Sasuke and Sakura had been ambushed in their sleep. It was odd, how quickly they had been identified the first time in Tanigakure, but Sasuke had yet to be approached. Yes, he had been more discreet than before, but Sasuke was starting to feel annoyed both with his lack of progress in finding Sakura’s whereabouts and this organizations inability to notice his whereabouts.

That was, until he noticed that nothing around him was particularly noticeable. Ah, he realized. So I have been discovered. It was the only explanation for how fruitless his efforts had been to acquire any real intel about an organization fixated on killing his friend. Sasuke realized immediately that he was purposefully not being fed anything helpful. It only unnerved him when he realized just how many people must be in this group if the multitudes of people he currently watched from above were being intentionally silent. Sasuke also surmised that whatever organization this was, they were also dodging interest from the leaders of Tanigakure. They, too, were trying to fly under the radar.

And so, Sasuke waited in the night, perched above the noisy izakaya once more, rain pattering against his cloak and bouncing from the brim of his black hood, content to play his role while he schemed. He contemplated doing something unexpected just to shake things up, but what would they consider unexpected? Sasuke tried to see this situation for their perspective. This organization knew that Sasuke had followed his pink-haired friend here, and that he was searching for her. They knew that Sasuke had retreated the last time he was here, whisking Sakura away in order to protect them both. They knew he was trying to be discreet so as not to cause any problems for Konoha. With that information, Sasuke deduced that they expected him to continue to look for Sakura, sit and listen discreetly until he located her, interrupt her mission to take her away. They were allowing him to do just as they expected him to in order not to alert him.

To their extreme disappointment, Sasuke was smarter than everyone involved in this ridiculous plan to distract him.

And so, Sasuke covered his face tightly. He planned to throw a wrench into the plan, discreetly, while still sending a very strong message to those he assumed lurked in the rain-cloaked shadows. And it wasn’t going to cost him very much chakra.

Unfortunately for them, thunder rumbled above him, and Sasuke inhaled the energy of the surrounding atmosphere. Unlike in his battle with Itachi, Sasuke did not have to manipulate the air with Amaterasu in order to manipulate the cumulonimbus clouds into existence. They brooded over him regardless, as if his very frustration manifested into the storm that now cast the village in a torrential downpour. For once, Sasuke saw it as a sign that the universe might actually be on his side, that his decision regarding a future with Sakura might have been the right one. One worth destroying a few buildings for.

And he did exactly that. Sasuke wasn’t entirely his former revenge-seeking self, one bent on the destruction of an entire village, but he smirked dangerously as a flash of lightning struck the infuriatingly useless izakaya. A lightning bolt strikes in 1/1000th of a second, and the explosion happened first. Sasuke waited on the sound to follow before he let out one quick laugh to himself. Sasuke inhaled as if it were the first real breath he had in a long while; it felt so good to let go, to cave to destruction. To push things back into motion and take control of a situation.

As expected, people ran from the building, some attempting to put out the small fire in the ceiling, while others ducked for cover back into other structures and away from the smoking rooftop. The heavy rain assisted in putting it out very quickly, causing minimal damage.

It wouldn’t draw enough attention from those who didn’t know that the lightning wasn’t entirely one of nature’s unfortunate disasters. Only those who were watching him as closely as he was suspecting, would realize that Sasuke was done waiting.

When two ninja landed on either side of him, Sasuke’s Sharningan glowed in the dark as he leaned his head back against the building, arm slung forward over one reclined knee. His Sharingan darted to each of the two men, seeing what no one else could see in the blinding shower and muddled night. Two shinobi, faces covered, stood before him, proudly adorning two headbands with that insufferable five-spiral symbol he’d seen the last time he was here and more recently glimpsed from Mako’s memories.

“Finally,” the Uchiha breathed as he rolled his neck.

At his words, the two ninja, obviously assigned to monitor him, glanced at each other in surprise. Sasuke saw it cross their faces: the moment they realized they had been outplayed and forced to show themselves.

The air, now electrified, lashed out on its own and more lightning crackled in the air above them. In one lightning flash, Sasuke sat unmoving against the building’s side. In the very next, he had swapped with one of the men, teleporting places with him. Timing his movements with the crash of thunder, Sasuke grabbed the second by the neck and hurtled him into the first, smashing their bodies together. Sasuke justified his next actions based on two things: his low levels of chakra and the fact that he had one arm to handle two ninja at once. His katana spun free of its sheath before either men could even react to their sudden collision, and Sasuke skewered them on his blade, penetrating one through the shoulder and the other through the bicep until they were pinned together against the elevated section of the roof. They cried out in unison but their noises didn’t echo beyond the very next crack of lightning that Sasuke generated somewhere in the distance, its very purpose to disguise their screams.

Releasing the blade, Sasuke knelt before them in the pouring blackness, just so that they could see a glaring set of red and purple irises. He wouldn’t waste his limited chakra combing through their deranged minds, so Sasuke planned to interrogate his preferred way and do it thoroughly. “Where is she?”

“We don’t know who you’re talking ab—,” came the automatic lie, and Sasuke twisted the blade immediately in disguised fury. He was not in the mood to listen to deceptions. The thunder boomed.

Sasuke sighed. Sometimes it was the most predictable outcomes that tipped Sasuke over into an all-consuming sea of annoyance. If he treaded this sea too long, Sasuke would tire and eventually sink, and the Uchiha was already too well-acquainted with the depths of anger. If he hit the bottom, people would begin to die. And Sasuke didn’t want to be a murderer anymore if he could help it. Steadying himself, Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose and said lowly, “I would advise not bothering to waste my time with more lies. It won’t end well for you.”

“We don’t know,” spat the first man as he clutched at the katana penetrating through his arm. “The lightshow is unnecessary. Someone needs to put you in your place, Uchiha, for using your power in this village.”

So that was it. As long as Sasuke was laying low, they were planning to leave him to his futile attempts to find Sakura. They didn’t want the real authority alerted to his presence because then Sasuke would talk, explain his presence and involve the real people in charge of this village. That, or there was deal with the higherups. If the village leaders knew of this organzaiton’s activity, they had allowed it to transpire as long as it remained inconspicuous. All of this information told Sasuke that the less evident of a profile this organization could keep, the better. Sasuke suspected that Tanigakure didn’t want multiple villages involved, but were somehow benefiting personally from this arrangement. Sasuke guessed that this secret organization also wanted to eliminate more reputable individuals off their list before they were confronted by multiple parties. It was a testament to their lack of experience and firepower if they had yet to eliminate Number 1 and had already pissed off two out of the five Kage.

“Last chance to be honest,” Sasuke hissed, twisting the blade deeper into both of their bodies, relishing the squelch of the blade’s movements in their flesh.

“We lost her!” the man in the very back hissed, spitting out rainwater, holding his partner very still with his clenched fists to keep him from jostling the weapon any further. “And many of our men, with her.”

Sasuke unfeelingly blinked at that confession.

“Shut your mouth,” the front man said to the fellow soldier behind him, jostling the both of them as he tried to shift in order to look back at him.

“Stop moving!” the man in the back hissed, grabbing more firmly to the man seated practically in his lap.

They had already located and lost her? The mention of other members of their organization going missing was the part that had Sasuke’s mind trying to make connections. Sasuke wasn’t sure if this was a trap. He had expected it to be a lot more difficult to receive any answers from anyone. So, what was the angle? Did they intend to follow Sasuke to her after telling him that? There would be no chance of that happening; Sasuke would quickly ensure it.

Inhaling, filling his lungs with electric energy, Sasuke reached forward and gripped the hilt of his katana. The current came from his lungs when he exhaled and it snaked around his arm in a circuiting slither, crisscrossing down the blade until a surge of electricity connected with their open wounds. Another crack of lightning, closer this time. More screaming.

It had been a very long time since Sasuke had used this technique to simultaneously torture and weaken his captive. He remembered performing this very move on Yamato, the temporary squad leader for Team 7 when they had come searching for Sasuke in one of Orochimaru’s underground hideouts. How ironic that he had once felt the same level of annoyance that he was now, but it had been directed at Team 7. And now. Now, it was because these imbeciles had the absolute audacity to come after one of them, as if any member of Team 7 could be taken down by such dirt beneath their feet. As if Sasuke didn’t have the absolute power to obliterate every single one of them without a second thought.

“Enough,” Sasuke growled lowly, forcing himself to talk more than he was usually inclined to do. “This current will intensify over the course of two minutes until you are essentially executed by electrocution. Which means you have two minutes to answer my questions without lying. If I even suspect a lie, lightning will travel straight to your heart before two minutes is even up.”

Their eyes widened, and Sasuke moved out of the path of the rain running down the slope of the roof towards him, until he was free of any electrified water that connected with their bodies.

“First question,” Sasuke began, thickening the electricity traveling through his arm to his blade. “Where was her last known location?”

“The bathhouse,” groaned the man in the back, the more talkative of the two. “The brothel.”

Despite his usual collected countenance, Sasuke’s red and purple eyes widened marginally at such a word. A brothel? A brothel? A new fire quickly formed in Sasuke’s chest at the revelation, and it was not the lightning-style chakra centralized there. It was a fire of panic and rage.

“When?” Sasuke asked next, amping up the voltage once more. The man in front, the first to receive electrical current, slumped forward unconscious.

“Earlier in the night,” the guy mumbled, lips beginning to numb with the rest of his body. His words still came out in a rush, however, eager to meet Sasuke’s deadline, before he, too, ended up like his partner. “Our leaders failed to give us our next orders at our usual rendezvous point. We arrived at the bathhouse, their last known location, to investigate—the other girls. They told us she had taken them.”

“Where is this bathhouse?” came Sasuke’s final question.

“Promise you will spare me, first,” the man pleaded, but Sasuke’s frustration only grew at the begging. Instead of assuring the man, Sasuke twisted his blade again.

After the scream, came the answer to his question. “On the eastside, against the mountain.” This man, too, fell unconscious, slumping against his partner, when Sasuke poured more electricity into his chest cavity. Sasuke ripped his blade free from their bodies.

He left them there in the rain, feeling absolutely no guilt at all because they would at least eventually wake up. Unlike every man who had occupied Sakura’s space in a godforsaken brothel, these two men were lucky because they would keep their lives.

Chapter Text

When Sasuke stepped into the brothel disguised as a bathhouse, an empty room greeted him. Not a single soul was in sight, and Sasuke wasn’t quite sure what he was expecting, but the place being deserted was the worst possible outcome. It meant no traces, no answers, and Sasuke dreaded finding Sakura’s trail end in this damned place. It also made his stomach knot at the thought that this might be what the room typically looked like on an average night considering the private and concealed activities that occurred in separate chambers.

Despite the absolute darkness, Sasuke could make out giant undisturbed baths beyond the reception counter, the water a still onyx glass as if the baths were only there to serve as a display, never to be used. And that’s probably exactly what they were: a lie to disguise the truth of what this place actually was. Only Sasuke’s Sharingan could make out the alcove, the inconspicuous hallway in the back that Sasuke crept toward in the shadows.

His visual abilities revealed the outline of the door at the end of it, where someone without visual prowess might find nothing but a wall. Sasuke placed his fingertips against it to push on the barricade, not detecting any sort of seal or rigging to prevent it from opening. Sasuke wasn’t surprised that there wasn’t considering this particular establishment housed regular citizens and not ninja. If ninja did inhabit the space, Sasuke figured that it was for a short, purposeful visit, not long-term residency. The door gave to his pressure and a faint light glowed through the opening as Sasuke silently slid the door until he had had hairline’s width to peer through.

A group of women were the first thing Sasuke noticed, all gathered in the middle of the floor, some holding candles in various states of distress. Muffled, crying sounds reached his ears and Sasuke naturally found the dimly-lit faces where the noises originated, paths of light-reflecting tears striping their painted faces. There were also lavish styled chairs scattered throughout the room, some tipped on their sides and others still erect in rows.

A gruff male voice interrupted the women’s soft, plea-filled weeping and Sasuke’s uncovered Sharingan eye instantly narrowed as he located three supervising figures that towered over the distressed girls. They stood just outside of the candlelight between Sasuke and the group they were terrorizing, their shadows passing in front of the light source which made it very easy for Sasuke to trace their movements, even without his Sharingan. Their mistake, Sasuke thought to himself, as the words became more substantial.

“There must be something else that she said,” hissed one man as he reached forward and fisted one of the older woman’s robes, yanking her forward from the group. The other girls screamed, clutching at the dangling woman and halting her movement forward. One girl was kicked down by the man because she dared to stand before him in an attempt to wrestle the woman from him. “You’re the Mother, aren’t you?!” he spat viscously in her face. “How could you make such a mistake? You let the enemy in, and you will pay for it!”

“We already told the last group of men here,” the woman gasped, tearing at the sleeve of the arm that held her in the air by her throat. “She’s gone to the Land of Fire’s border. That’s all we know. Please let me go.”

“Where?! Where at on the border?”

“We don’t know!” a fair-headed girl pleaded, crawling forward to the man’s feet to look up imploringly into his shadowed face. “That’s all she said after she took the men away.”

“There must be more,” another man spoke, coming forward to respond to the girl and glare up at the hanging woman, too.

Sasuke waited, dampening his eagerness to intervene. A situation such as this one was not typically one to cause any sort of reaction from Sasuke, but as his conscience had come back to him over the years after the Fourth Shinobi World War, these types of intimidation tactics on people who didn’t deserve it were the sort that pissed the Uchiha off in an unforgiving sort of way. But he couldn’t be too rash, considering the information he, too, was receiving from the exchange. Unfortunately, Sasuke was still the sort of person who would let that woman dangle for an eternity if it meant that he would get the answers he needed about Sakura’s actions and whereabouts. But at the same time, Sasuke was desperately hoping she knew nothing.

The woman choked, face purpling. She was beyond being able to speak now, her body no longer receiving the oxygen to use words, so the girls huddled on the floor made implorations on her behalf.

“Stop this! You’re killing her!”

“Give me more information and she we will live!” the man shouted down at them. “Or stay silent and she dies!”

Another minute of silent crying had Sasuke’s hand itching toward the door, not certain how much information there was left to learn. Their tactic worked as intended, however, and Sasuke stilled himself once more when a dark-haired girl shuffled forward on her knees, barely old enough to be considered a mature adult. With beseeching hand movements, she disclosed, “I’ll tell you everything. Just let her go.”

“Talk first!” snarled the offender, shaking the matron for good measure.

“All I know is that she dyed her hair after arriving. She’s in disguise,” she confessed with a shaky voice.

Finally receiving a scrap of intelligence, the man threw the matron toward the group of girls and there was more shrieking as she landed roughly among them, and their hands all scrabbled in unison to catch and break her fall. The matron coughed violently as color began to return to her face.

“And?” the man enticed the young girl to continue, leaning down to fist her dressing gown next.

The young girl returned his gaze with a fire that wasn’t there before. Now that she had replaced the matron’s spot in the face of the zealot, she laced her next words with venom. “And,” she murmured. “She’s going to kill every single one of you bastards.”

There was a loud strike against flesh, but the sound was infinitesimal compared to the crack of lightning that suddenly struck and shook the ceiling above them. Everyone fell to the ground at the sound, covering their ears and crawling toward one another instinctively. Even the three men crouched in surprise, but they were the first to recover, casting their eyes about wildly.

As the three extremists turned to assess the room’s entrance, the door that separated them from the Uchiha was now fully open, the darkness of the hallway consuming all of Sasuke’s person except for his unconcealed blood red eye. When he stepped into the room, the three ninja prepared themselves to face the new threat, which was a mistake, because all three of them locked eyes with red and purple.

Without a second of passing time, the three men fell back to their knees and their screams were positively delicious sounds as they succumbed to the horrors Sasuke had planned for them in his genjutsu. They would suffer and the chakra it cost the Uchiha to do it was worth it based on their screaming alone.

The girls scrambled to collect the candles they had dropped out of fear when the lightning had struck, each of them desperate to claim some light to reveal what monster had just stepped into the room with them. When the youngest girl successfully secured one, she brought it to her face only to reveal Sasuke’s dark outline standing before her. When she looked up into his Sharingan, she dropped the candle once more.

“The devil,” she whispered, speaking the word as if doing so had sealed her fate. “He’s finally come for me.”

Panicked gasps, crying, and prayers fabricated into existence around Sasuke as the other girls beheld the apparition of him for themselves, a phantom of black and red and purple delivering punishment to the three begging men now behind him.

Sasuke crouched before the young, dark-haired girl, the very one who had revealed information about Sakura to the three anti-peace members, all of whom would soon not be able to remember anything but Sasuke’s katana as it penetrated their bodies over and over. How fitting a description, Sasuke thought to himself as he remembered Itachi, whom the genjutsu he now used was modeled after, how devil-like the Uchiha clan became when they were set on protecting something they cared about.

“Not for any of you,” Sasuke responded coldly, wasting no time to reach for her terrified face over the flickering circumference of the discarded candlelight between their bodies. When he clutched her chin between his fingers, her eyes widened in fear, which was positively advantageous for the Uchiha as he peered through them to search her memories.

Sasuke moved through this girl’s memories just like the phantom she imagined him to be, gliding through the very sins she committed tonight until he saw the scene he was looking for: Sakura’s face coming into view as she entered into the dark room in which this girl and a man were coupled on a lounge, both still wet from the bath. They were wrapped in one another’s arms, exchanging sweet whispers to each other in the dark.

Sakura seemed surprised by this fact, as if she hadn’t expected to find them nestling into one another there. Sasuke watched his teammate hesitate for just a moment until a needle sank into the man’s flesh. The girl from whose eyes Sasuke watched his former teammate, gasped at the sudden attack. Untangling himself, the man swung in Sakura’s direction. “You,” he had hissed. “You’re—” he began before falling to the floor lifelessly, incapacitated by the drug that Sakura had injected him with.

Sakura stared down at him for a moment, eyes flashing back toward the girl, before she reached down to flip over the man’s body, so that he could breathe freely.

Sasuke couldn’t focus on anything other than the raven black of Sakura’s tinted hair. A small part of his heart wanted to linger on the scene, imagine a child with Sakura’s features and Sasuke’s hair. He fisted the emotions and shoved them back, resuming the memory.

“Hae, what are you doing!?” screamed the girl, scrambling from the lounge onto the floor beside the man.

“I am sorry, Tabi.” Sakura whispered, biting into her thumb and performing a summoning jutsu that Sasuke was too familiar with. Katsuyu, Sakura and the Fifth Hokage’s summoning familiar, materialized into existence on the spot on the floor where Sakura had pressed her five-fingered seal. To Tabi’s extreme horror, the slug, human-sized, began to encapsulate the man she desperately tried to shield away from the creature. But her hands disappeared into the mucusy flesh of the gastropod, failing to gain any purchase.

“Who are you?! Why are you doing this?” she cried, backing speedily away when the creature began to absorb her hands as well.

“There’s not much time to explain,” Sakura replied, coming to bend down before the girl. Sakura knelt before the girl, revealing a small canvas bundle of small bottles, needles, and medicines. “I’m not really in this business as I made all of you believe. I’m a doctor and I only have a few minutes to help you.”

When Tabi said nothing else, just stared at Sakura in confusion, she asked carefully, “Do you suspect that you’re pregnant?”

Tabi’s mouth fell open at the revelation and her hands moved to her stomach at the mention of pregnancy. The tears that began to fall from her face was confirmation enough for the medic. She asked her next question. “Do you want to keep it?”

“What?” Tabi asked, wondering how the woman before her could have suspected something Tabi only was beginning to experience the symptoms of.

“Do you want this baby? There are ways to—”

“Yes, I want it!” Tabi cried, hugging herself and flinching away from the unrolled canvas parcel of vials as she began to see the collection in a new light. “The baby is mine and—” she protested, turning back to the man who was now completely encased by the slug. “What are you doing to him?!”

Sakura’s eyes flicked over to the man and only Sasuke was able to recognize the regret in them. “He’s one of the members of Zenshin,” Sakura informed the distraught girl. “It’s my mission to eradicate the organization.”

“Please,” Tabi begged, grasping Sakura’s arms with her hands, stilling them over the bag of medical supplies. “You can’t take him. He’s different from the others. We love each other.”

Sasuke saw Sakura chew her lip in thought, rerolling the canvas bag into a tight parcel. He instantly knew Sakura was thinking of him, his face flashing in her mind as she faced Tabi. The confliction there let Sasuke know exactly what she was thinking. Just as Sakura so desperately wanted her own happy ending, she also wanted Tabi to have hers. But her eyes hardened, and she removed her arms from Tabi’s hands. In that very same instant, the slug dematerialized into nothing, taking the man with her to wherever the slug disappeared to.

“If Toka loves you, he will come back to you once I am finished with him,” Sakura divulged, looking pointedly at her stomach. “Does he know?”

Tabi shook her head, more tears streaming down her face. “I was going to tell him once he left them. He was going to do it soon—run away with me.”

Sakura nodded and shoved the canvas bundle into Tabi’s shaking hands. “Give these to the other girls and have them follow the directions inside. I don’t know how well you guys are taking care of yourselves here, but there are medicines in here. To prevent pregnancy— and to protect yourselves from diseases. As a medic, I can’t leave here without doing at least this.”

Sasuke flinched at the scene before him, knowing that Sakura had carried that on her person, probably having prepared it in advance for this very mission in this damn brothel, intended for her own personal use. Sasuke had never been so close to wanting to vomit in his life. He wanted to reach through this memory and grab her arm and force her to explain all of this to him. Why would she take such risks for a mission—abuse herself in this way?

“Where are you going?” Tabi beseeched, focused more on the fact that this parting gift meant Sakura’s immediate intentions to depart along with the man she loved.

“The border of the Land of Fire,” Sakura responded without hesitation as she met Tabi’s gaze with hers. “You can tell that to whoever comes asking questions,” the woman who Tabi had believed was named Hae added. “It’s the truth and it’s not a secret. Let them come.”

Sasuke closed his eyes at the intentional crumb she had left for the enemy. She had probably told every girl who had asked this information the same response. It was obvious that she was luring whoever was left of the organization out of Tanigakure. They had more of a personal vendetta against her now after her actions tonight and would definitely pursue, especially since they believed she was acting alone. It would be perfect for them, to eliminate their Number 1 and get revenge in the same motion. The temptation to chase would be too great.

As Sakura stood and headed back for the door, she turned back to Tabi, who was still kneeling on the ground and clutching the bundle of medications to her stomach, shielding the small flutter of life that had started there.

When Sakura’s eyes met Tabi’s, Sasuke suddenly felt as if Sakura were looking beyond them, into the memory itself until her eyes met Sasuke’s within. “In case you’re watching this, I can handle this alone. I don’t need your help.” Sasuke felt Tabi’s confusion as the girl failed to comprehend Sakura’s last words. Sasuke, however, knew exactly who those words were for: the Uchiha, himself. So, she knew. Sakura had known that he was here in Tanigakure searching for her. She had predicted that he would track her to this place and perform this very jutsu.

When Sakura closed the door behind her, leaving Tabi to sob uncontrollably to herself, Sasuke rewound the memory further, past the indecencies between the girl and the man called Toka, until he was watching the same man spin Sakura in front of a crowd of lust-hungry brutes. Sasuke froze the scene before him, eyes narrowing as he memorized each of their faces. One man came forward and grabbed Sakura, pulling her into his lap. His eyes were tightly bound, and the blind stranger leaned his mouth against Sakura’s ear in the dimly lit room. To Sasuke’s extreme dissatisfaction, Tabi had not heard, and therefore Sasuke could not decipher what the man had whispered in his teammate’s ear. Sasuke was beyond disappointed to miss the very words that he would repeat to the man as the Uchiha eviscerated him. The memory of Sakura ended once more as Toka led Tabi away to their private room.

Thoroughly enraged at what he had just witnessed, Sasuke cursed to himself as he released the young woman’s chin. Tabi gasped when Sasuke retreated viciously from her mind, and she fell back on her wrists away from him. Sasuke’s crimson gaze fell on every girl who clustered in the darkness, gaping openly at him in terror, and he couldn’t help but picture Sakura in all of their faces. They, too, had been feasted upon by the eyes of despicable men, dragged into laps and so much more. In another life and in different set of circumstances, who knows if Sakura might have ended up trying to earn her living doing such a thing, too. He pitied every woman who had no other options. Sasuke would not consider himself a sentimental or feeling person. In fact, he wanted nothing more than to turn on his heel and vanish from the room in the same manner in which he had appeared, letting his fire-style impede the very building in which he stood. But he wavered, glancing down at the tiny swell of Tabi’s malnourished stomach. With his Rinnegan, Sasuke could see the tiny orb of light there. It pulsed like a tiny, throbbing sun.

Leaning fully into the devil character they believed him to be, Sasuke did something very much unlike himself. He took the time to say, “Leave this place and do not come back. Every single one of you.” He turned back down to Tabi once more and said, “Your child deserves a peaceful world. The next generation does not need to suffer for the sins of their parents.”

And then Sasuke, like a demon specter made of shadows, turned and vanished back into the blackness of a hellish night.

.

.

.

The downpour lasted long into the night and Sakura swore at her bad luck. Sakura had quickly snagged a set of clothing from one of the smaller ninja that she had rendered unconscious back at the bathhouse. Even still, the man’s clothes hung loosely on her thinner, angular frame and Sakura had apologized to the palm-sized version of Katsuyu that clung to Sakura’s skin at the slug’s initial repulsion to the smell of the stranger’s attire. Sakura hadn’t had time to find her original set of clothing once her mission had begun; the tight-fitting robes from the bathhouse had been insufficiently insulated, so Sakura had tugged on one of the radical’s dark pants, black jacket, and matching vest in the presence of one of the horrified girls without explanation as the girl watched Katuyu absorb another person and whisk them away. Strategically, Sakura had even adorned her forehead with the five-spiral headband tucked away in the man’s vest just in case it was slightly advantageous to do so. Sakura had only seen the forehead protector twice before, but more recently caught a glimpse of it in the desert when Mako was thrown the identical headband for successfully kidnapping her.

With her shadow-colored hair tucked hurriedly under the jacket’s stiff-fabric hood, Sakura pulled the shirt’s loose-fitting collar up and over her nose so that only her eyes and the headband were visible on her brow. She had hoped such a disguise would at least get her out of Tanigakure unnoticed in the night. Surprisingly enough, Tanigakure’s “peaceful” reputation and open access to travelers made it relatively easy for Sakura to locate a small mountain path that exited the village undetected. The kunoichi also allowed herself a moment of pride, because not being stopped also meant that she had been quick enough with the execution of her plan. She had handled any immediate threats back at the brothel, making it out before any other Zenshin members could discover the cookie crumb she had left behind for them to find.

It was dark, and the rain was merciless as Sakura skirted the side of the mountain, taking refuge from the rain in the dense tree cover that blanketed the landscape. The tree limbs bowed beneath the weight of her hurdles as she bounded from branch to branch, arms thrown behind her as she mercilessly raced toward the border between the Land of Rivers and Land of Fire. Once she had guided her likely pursuers into the Land of Fire, Sakura would be able to handle the rest of them as she pleased, as recklessly as she pleased. She would no longer have to worry about causing any catastrophes in Tanigakure that the Leaf or the Sand might have to take responsibility for.

She had expected a pursuit. Mako had told Sakura that there were Zenshin members all throughout the shinobi world—eventually, they would come for her, too—but the remaining Zenshin members in Tanigakure would be absolutely desperate to prevent her from reaching the border. But what Sakura had not expected was the speed in which some of them had caught up with her.

When Sakura had first picked up on the footfalls that those without the sharpened senses of a ninja wouldn’t be able to distinguish beyond the crashing rain against the canopy above, Sakura had immediately halted her movements in the branches. Tucking her body tightly into the bough of a tree, she contemplated her options as the voices began to near her. Considering that it took Sasuke and Sakura two days of leisure travel to reach Tanigakure from Konoha, Sakura was predicting that it would likely take her a fraction of that time to reach the border—which was located much closer to Tanigakure than the Leaf—at the speed in which she was travelling now. If her estimations were right, it would be essentially six hours, four of which had already transpired since her exit. Could she simply outrun them for another two hours?

Maybe the solution was something simpler, something E-Rank that Sakura hadn’t used since her Genin days. Sakura thought back to her interaction with the second man she had spoken with at the brothel, “the clown” of the group as Rugo had called him. Sakura’s initial target who had asked Sakura questions, investigating if she were “new, new.” Sakura focused on his features as she performed a transformation. The Transformation Jutsu had its flaws, which is why it wasn’t used too often, especially in the presence of experienced shinobi or those who could see chakra with a visual prowess like the Sharingan or Byakugan, or detect chakra signatures like the ninja, Karin. But a confrontation was going to be inevitable regardless of whether or not Sakura could fool them with a jutsu; she would just have to face them head on sooner than she had wanted. If it were the latter, then the jutsu possibly failing was a moot point, so there was no harm in crossing her fingers and going for it. The jutsu wouldn’t have to be flawless to be effective.

She could hardly assess them, the rain a thick sheet between herself and the enemy. There were three of them, all cloaked and protected from the elements. The low number made Sakura suspect that this was one of many search parties and their likelihood of finding her had less to do with their skill at tracking and more to do with fact that at least one group was going to guess her direction of travel correctly and encounter her by chance. She waited until they were practically under her perch to make her choice.

Without a second more of hesitation, Sakura dropped several feet in front of them, shouting in a voice that had thickened into that obnoxiously loud tenor from the brothel. “I think she went this way!” Sakura didn’t wait to hear a response as she darted forward into the night.

“Araki?!” came a woman’s voice as she was the first to recognize the man whom was Sakura’s current disguise. The female immediately followed as she continued to shout after who she believed was her fellow Zenshin member.

“Hurry!” Sakura screamed back in reply but did not slow her pace for them. One of the Transformation Jutsu’s innate failings that made it unfavorable to use, was that it was difficult to converse with others or perform other mental feats because a ninja had to pour a lot of focus into channeling chakra into maintaining the transformation. It’s the very reason why a lot of transformations didn’t last too long; some people were better at executing it than others. It wasn’t overly difficult for Sakura to engage in conversation while transformed, but she didn’t know her enemy very well or their various jutsu and talents, so she decided to take advantage of the chase element of their interaction to avoid super close proximity.

Like shadowed hounds that thought they had found one of their own kind, they pursued after Sakura, barking after her as their feet collided with the ground, thinking they were joining the hunt when in fact they were chasing the very goose they were after.

“How do you know she went this way, Araki?” a male voice called up to her through the thundering rain, and Sakura barely made it out.

“She’s making a run for the Leaf Village, but we have to catch her before she gets too far over the border!” Sakura called back with the same arrogant confidence Araki had spoken to her with at the brothel.

“How did you escape? Weren’t you with the others at the bathhouse? What happened to them?” the woman’s voice called out again, firing questions off faster than the rain could fall from the sky, and maybe Sasuke had started to rub off on Sakura the past couple of months, but the relentless inquiries were beginning to annoy her.
Sakura didn’t know if she should even attempt to respond. She knew very little about this Araki’s personality, other than the fact that he was loud, bold, and talked incessantly as well. But Sakura was not comfortable sustaining an unrehearsed act for long segments, and was unsure exactly what types of ridiculous comments were normal for the man. A little too late, Sakura wondered if Rugo or Toka would have been a better choice to impersonate with their various stoicism in comparison to Ataki; their seriousness would have suited Sakura’s current circumstances better. As a side note to rationalize her choice, Sakura wasn’t too sure about how Rugo’s blindness affected his abilities, and Sakura naturally wanted to steer clear of casting Toka in more of a negative light in case he really was trying to cut ties with Zenshin as Tabi had claimed.

“We have to move faster!” Sakura deflected, pretending not to hear them as she bounded further ahead of them to create a safer distance between them.

Sakura relentlessly pushed them forward, a shadow before them that they could barely distinguish as it was. She was desperately clinging to the transformation even as she strategically considered her next move. Sakura had crossed the river she and Sasuke had camped at on their second night of traveling together hours ago. She was only minutes away from the border now. For the most part, Sakura had chosen to stick to the same remote path she and Sasuke had taken from Konoha because it was the most recent in her memory and it was a small miracle she wasn’t getting the four of them completely lost in this starless monsoon. At some point over the past hour, she dissected from that trail, travelling northwest for the plains she remembered passing through during a mission with Kakashi, Naruto, and Sai.

The forest thinned as Sakura neared the space between forests, the sizeable meadow surrounded by rocky plateaus like the very mountain the Leaf was built up against. Seeing such familiar forested landscape, Sakura could have wept in relief. Her lungs shuttered from the relentlessness of her breathing and her legs practically felt numb and cold from the freezing rain, but the pain was absolutely miniscule in comparison to the absolute thrill she felt in her bones when she took her first step across an imaginary line only a ninja who had crossed it multiple times would remember even in the hours just before sunrise. She stumbled to a stop in the knee-high grass, wading through ankle-deep flood waters, stealing herself for what was to come. As much as she wanted to fall to her knees, tilt her head up to face the rain, and not get back up, she couldn’t quit yet.

The three ninja following her burst from the trees behind, lurching to a halt when they realized their front-runner had finally stopped. “Did you find her!” one called out to her, but Sakura didn’t answer as she turned to face them. Sensing a change, one of the ninja suddenly stopped in his tracks and held his arm out to halt the others.

“Araki?” he asked, preventing his team from moving any further toward her as she stood unmoving and waiting for them. Sakura wasn’t intending to suddenly act so predatory, her shift in nature causing them to hesitate like all prey before a hunter, but she was just so tired of pretending. She let the transformation fall away and the girl in the group gasped. Sakura could still sense their confusion, and their assessments of her outfit and headband that mirrored their own was almost painful to watch.

Deciding that the charade was truly well and over, Sakura relieved them of their nervous bewilderment. “Unfortunately, no,” she called back, talking loudly to reach them through the persistent deluge around them.

“I was wondering why he was being so quiet,” one of the male voices answered, pushing forward to stand in front of his teammates. “It’s her. The Haruno girl. She’s in disguise.” Sakura could hear the girl gasp again before she grabbed onto the man’s arm fearfully to pause his advance.

Sakura pressed against the inner-pocket of her jacket, whispering, “Are you still with me, Lady Katusyu?”

“Yes, Sakura dear,” the small slug replied, slithering out to greet her despite the rain. “I’m here if you need me.”

“Hang on tight, then,” came Sakura’s instructions as she tucked her back away. “I’ll be sending more your way soon.”

A laughter broke out near the tree line and Sakura saw one man shove forward, past his concerned and apprehensive teammates. Sakura could make out his flashy, red cloak for the first time now that he was closer in the downpour. “You’ve given us exactly what we wanted—lead us far away where no one can help you, now! I am going to have so much fun beating you within an inch of your life!”

“What are you waiting for, then?” Sakura goaded, pleasantly surprised when the cloaked man rushed forward despite his teammates’ beseeching council.

The man charged at her, sloshing his way through the muddy field, and Sakura let him come, let his momentum carry him face first into the punch she had waiting for him. He sailed backward, right into his other male companion and they skipped like scattered stone across the flooding pasture. Even in the dark, Sakura could see the mud that sprayed up around them, covering their once distinguishable features in total blackness. That felt so good. After days of secrecy, disguising her power and identity, the release of her physical abilities was positively glorious. Sakura didn’t have a ton of chakra left at her disposal after her repetitive use of the Summoning Technique, but she had the adequate amount remaining in order to take care of these three and anyone who decided to show up later.

The girl, who had avoided the collision, came for Sakura next, and as she neared, Sakura was able to finally get a decent look at her. Her hair was white beneath her black cloak’s cowl and her brow was adorned with the anti-peace symbol. Sakura wanted to talk to her, ask her opinions and learn her story, investigating her personal vendetta against the peace they had all fought so hard for during the Fourth Shinobi War. The girl quickly began to form the signs for a fire release and Sakura’s eyes widened as the heavy rain suddenly steamed around her as it hit the girl’s body and hissed into hot air. When the floodwaters pooled at Sakura’s feet began to bubble, Sakura cursed as she jumped back and into the air to avoid the boiling water below. At first, Sakura feared that the girl might have the Boil Release Kekkei Genkai, a transformation of water and fire nature energies, but as Sakura began to descend from her fall, the girl met her in the air, and Sakura soon realized that she had a unique fire release that allowed her to direct heat from pinpoints on her body. Sakura’s shielding kick that made contact with the girl’s stomach was instantly scorched through her boot from having touched her, and Sakura hissed.

“Die!” the ninja screamed, grabbing onto Sakura’s calf muscle with both burning hands and swinging her right into the arms of her knife-wielding companion. But Sakura gripped the man’s arms and simultaneously kicked against the girls’ stomach, deeper into her magma flesh, gritting her teeth at the pain, but directing her immense strength into the blow. The girl went sailing into the trees just as the red-coated man had done seconds before this second confrontation. Using the same momentum, Sakura swung up and over her captor’s shoulders, slipping easily from his grasp.

She landed behind him, a dark-haired, broad-shouldered man with silver pupil-less irises that reminded Sakura of the Kazekage. She saw these eyes clearly despite the darkness and the mud smeared across his face practically made them glow. The ninja turned on his heel to intercept her next blow, his knife catching her cheek just before he also received the brunt force of her physical strength.

Sakura could feel the water around her already tenderized ankle start to boil again, and Sakura swore, locating the girl with her eyes. Sakura had to admit that this girl was quite literally making it impossible to remain standing on her own two feet. Even if Sakura summoned chakra to the soles of her feet to walk on the surface of the five inches of saturation, Sakura knew that the water would quickly melt through her stolen shoes completely, so Sakura came up with another solution. She wouldn’t let this girl scald her from a distance; if this fire-nature ninja wanted to land another injury on Sakura, she was going to have to get up close and personal, just as Sakura liked it.

Sakura exhaled when her uninjured hand collided with the ground at her feet. “SHANNARO!” she screamed as the entire landscape fractured beneath her, spiderwebbing across the plain until all the rainwater succumbed to gravity, falling down the sides of new projectiles of earth, and down into the fissures. Sakura perched on top of one of the new pillars like a bird of night, staring down at her three recovered enemies who stared up at her with a new appreciation.

“You bitch,” the female spat up at Sakura, but Sakura ignored her. She fisted the anti-peace forehead protector on her brow and tossed it down to the three of them. She pulled back her hood and looked up into the sky as it fell on her face, the rain fingering her dyed tresses until streaks of black began to run down her chin along with the blood from her sliced cheek. Keeping it always on her person, Sakura reached into her vest and revealed her own shinobi headband, the red one bearing the Leaf Village symbol she had worn as a chunin. She tied it tightly against her forehead and across the back of her ink-dripping crown and thought how fitting it felt to bear her flag now that she was standing in Land of Fire territory. She saw her enemies’ shocked and exchanged expressions when green regenerative chakra began to glow around her knuckles, her cheek, and the various burns on her leg and ankle, healing the damage in seconds.

“You guys didn’t do a lot of research on your target, did you?” Sakura called down to them. She couldn’t understand it, the surprise. If they were not originally from Tanigakure, who had been neutral, that would mean they had all fought together in the war. So how did they not know every detail about Sakura? Sakura began to collect various pieces of information in her brain and a realization formed. Most of the members of this organization that Sakura had encountered in Tanigakure so far had not been overly remarkable. Aside from the shade she went head-to-head with in the sands surrounding Suna, everyone seemed to know the bare minimum of Sakura’s power. They knew of her, but not what she was capable of. In fact, they seemed content to hang back and relish in the fear created by their superiors, and Sakura suddenly realized why some of them might be interested in a world that created bitter and stronger generations to follow them. They were those ninja who hung back during the war, who let others—the strong and fearless—do all the work because they could not; it’s why they wanted to mimic conditions that would create strength in other ninja for them to hide behind. Huh, Sakura thought privately to herself. She wondered who exactly was taking advantage of ninja like this to kill off others who stood in their way. Who exactly was the leader?

“We know enough to kill you,” the silver-eyed one spoke, and his voice was raspy and menacing. Even his voice reminded her of the Kazekage, along with the sand-weilder’s path to redemption, and Sakura tried not to be distracted as she imagined this dark-haired ninja capable of a future where he could redirect his efforts into a righteous cause. This type of thinking, while keeping her intentions toward others good, would cloud her judgement now.

“We have to get information from her first and then deliver her to the boss,” reminded the red cloaked one, whom Sakura had all but forgotten was there after she sent him flying for his bold move to attack first.

The other two swapped looks of apprehension to one another, as if they weren’t sure they were going to be able to restrain and deliver blows to get her to talk, after all. And Sakura smiled because, she too, knew that wasn’t going to be happening.

Sakura’s finger bled once again when she bit back into it, and now that the rain had washed away most of her ivory face paint, the Hundred Healing’s seal spanned out across her forehead in black stripes. It was still activated since her very first summoning of Katsuyu, and Sakura could feel the steady drain of chakra from her body that it was costing her to maintain the states of all her captives where she had reverse summoned them back to Katsuyu’s home in Shikkotsu forest. Since Sakura wasn’t having to heal her horde of hostages, but rather, keep them all in an unconscious state, cryogenized in the chamber of Katsuyu’s flesh, the chakra being loaned to her familiar was a trickle, but it was still depleting her already diminishing levels.

“Are you alright, Sakura dear?” came Katsuyu’s voice from the inside pocket of her vest, the slug sensing her labored breathing and strain on the chakra connection between them.

Sakura nodded, whispering, “Yes. I have a few more summons in me. If more enemies appear here, I might not be able to hold onto the jutsu. The connection will be severed between us. What happens then?”

Katsuyu’s answer came back as a whisper in the relentless pattering of rain against Sakura’s flesh. “It will take them all some time to come out of comatose. When they do, they will have nowhere to go. The Shikkotsu forest is an endless maze of jungle. They’ll be in the same spot when you come for them.”

“Excellent,” Sakura responded, reaching into her waistband, and withdrawing three vials of sedative. Privately and expertly, Sakura filled three needles with the drug and placed each between her teeth until three needles protruded from her mouth like the fangs of a demon. Next, Sakura palmed her bloody hand into the top of the jagged steeple of earth on which she still stood and cried “Summoning Jutsu!” as clearly as she could manage with a mouthful of liquid sleep.

The three human-sized divisions of Katsuyu’s body slithered down the sides of the post and came to a stop when Sakura’s own feet touched level ground once more, the water no longer coagulating around her ankles.

“Here she comes!” shouted the girl, and Sakura smirked as she sprinted straight towards them through the rain, engaging each one in a pirouette of hand-to-hand combat.

Just as Sakura had once fought Sasori’s countless puppets on the end of Lady Chiyo’s chakra threads, Sakura took control of her own strings now and navigated smoothly between her enemies’ strikes like a leaf darting on the wind. Deflect, block, strike, defend, parry, punch. The actions were faster than Sakura could even think of which move to execute next, and she let her muscles act on memory alone.

She could feel the heat of the white-haired girl’s skin every time one of her open-palmed strikes grazed Sakura’s body. She was aiming for the most incapacitating of areas like the eyes, her hands, legs, or any other placement that might cripple Sakura temporarily. But every time the ninja got close to landing a hit on her, the sound of sizzling rain would alert Sakura’s sharp ears to her nearness and Sakura would dodge just in time. Sakura focused on the mud covered, silver-eyed enemy before her, turning to the side to dodge his kunai stab to her stomach. She fisted his own weapon hand with her own and used his own piercing thrust to direct it into the stomach of the red-cloaked shinobi who had come up behind her and fisted her inky, wet hair. She heard his cry at the same moment that the grip on her hair slackened. When the white-haired kunoichi recovered and came at her again, Sakura was ready. Grabbing the silver-haired ninja by the leg as he fell, Sakura swung him like her own weapon, right into the burning arms of his companion. The two of them collapsed into a tangle together, and Sakura’s knee was in the man’s back as she sank his body deeper into the lava skin of the fire-wielding ninja until he began to scream. Sakura used his screams to motivate the white-haired ninja. She would eventually stop her fire-nature jutsu.

Sakura couldn’t risk incinerating the needle, so she waited patiently, yanking out the syringe of her mouth in the meantime. She saw the girl’s eyes widen at the damage she was inflicting upon her partner, and the melting instantly stopped. Sakura plunged the needle into her neck, followed by a dose for the silver-eyed ninja. They both fell unconscious against one another, and two of three Katusyus had already crawled to meet them.

When Sakura pulled the last syringe from her mouth and turned to face the red-cloaked man who had been stabbed, she was surprised to find him already standing before her in the darkness. He knocked the syringe out of her hand and seized Sakura’s throat, slamming her against one of the pillars of earth at Sakura’s back. The very blade that had lacerated his stomach was now pointing into her navel, still bloody and dripping from his own injury. Sakura’s next move was going to be to knee him directly where his wound bloomed the same shade as his cloak in order to create a safe space between them again. Even if he managed to cut her open, Sakura would use her Mitotic Regeneration Jutsu to heal herself before the blood loss rendered her unconscious. However, his next words made her reevaluate her actions at the last moment.

“When Mozai finally has his way with you, I’m going to enjoy every minute of it,” he snarled as he pinned her body with his. The knife in his hand dug into her flesh with every word and Sakura hissed at the sudden pain.

As she reached up to push against his hold on her throat, she choked out, “Who’s Mozai? Is he your boss?” She pretended to weaken at his hold. She needed to keep him talking and feeding her the information she wanted.

“Someone who will do a lot worse to you than I’m about to do.” His knife suddenly pulled away from her and began to snake up Sakura’s clothing, cutting a trail of blood up her bare stomach. She gritted her teeth against the pain, holding back the instinct to break the wrist around her throat. If Sakura could just get him back on the topic of her choice.

“He’s nothing without his henchmen. Didn’t you want to know what happened to the others?” she strained to ask next, spluttering the words, trying to regain his attention.

He laughed, a cruel, wicked laugh that reminded Sakura of the deranged Orochimaru. It was the sort of laugh that alerted her to his madness, the deeper and more dangerous kind of madness that a medic such as herself was easily able to recognize no matter how hard one tried to hide it. “He knows where you’ve run off to, and we will find the others soon enough now that I know your pets have taken them.” He pushed harder against her throat and despite her efforts to remain calm and focus, Sakura’s vision still blackened from the lack of oxygen and her grip on him tightened. In that moment, Sakura barely even felt Kaguya’s small body drop from her clothing. With her squinting eyes, Sakura witnessed the small slug make a dash for the syringe that Sakura had dropped earlier. At the same time, she realized that Katsuyu knew that it was their last dose of sedative and the slug wanted to either protect or retrieve it for Sakura.

The rain was still coming down so hard, a shower soaking every inch of Sakura’s newly exposed stomach. It made the knife he was ghosting her skin with wet and slick as it bounced against her skin, causing knicks and superficial lacerations where it touched. Sakura couldn’t tell if she was only feeling the rain, or the trickling of her own blood. Was it pooling at her feet with the man’s own colors of red?

“But he won’t mind if I have my fun with you first before he gets here,” came his thickened voice as he placed the hilt of his kunai between his teeth and replaced the pressure against her stomach with his fingers. They caressed her abdomen, smearing the blood there. Sakura realized in this moment that the game of holding back for information was over.

But before she could act, break his hold on her, and shove him away from her, Sakura’s stomach dropped as her vision came to focus over the man’s shoulder at the shadow that stood there in the rain, red eye flashing as he unsheathed his katana. The rain rendered him nearly invisible in the dark and Sakura sucked in a breath of alarm.

“You’re going to die if you don’t let go,” came Sakura’s hurried warning to the man still inching his hand up her shirt. The vice on Sakura’s throat instantly slackened when a blade came across the man’s throat, not hesitating to sunder the man’s head from his shoulders. Before the damage was inflicted, Sakura’s hand shot out and grabbed Sasuke’s katana just in time, the bite of the blade sliding against the palm of her hand until she stopped its movement completely with her grip. She fisted the quaking blade, and it was immediately abandoned.

Sakura was powerless to stop what happened next. In the very next second, the man was thrown from her, catapulted near across the field as Sasuke pivoted to ram his fist into the side of the man’s face. Sasuke, too, disappeared as he teleported, switching positions with the bloody kunai the man had possessed. Before the kunai stuck true in the grass at Sakura’s feet, the Uchiha was on top of his victim in a millisecond, and Sakura could hear the man’s screams as she ran toward them in the rain, still clutching Sasuke’s katana in a bloody grip.

“Sasuke, don’t!” she screamed, desperate to reach him in time. Sakura soon realized that the distance the man had been sent wasn’t just a coincidence. It served two purposes: to deliver a harder impact, and to generate enough space from Sakura to give Sasuke the extra second of time to exact whatever revenge he had in mind. The kunoichi spared one minute to find Katsuyu, a bright pinpoint of white in the overwhelming darkness. Beneath the slug, lay the last injection of sedative, and she scooped them both up.

“Follow me,” she instructed the last of the three summonings of Katsuyu’s body.

The screaming was Sakura’s only compass in the storm, guiding her to the source of the brutalization. When she finally neared them, two dark obscurities in the night, Sasuke was fisting both of the man’s hands with his single grasp. The black flames of Amaterasu were already ravishing the bones of his ten fingers.

“You seem awfully fond of these hands of yours,” Sasuke sneered, “let’s begin here, shall we?” The flames spread to the man’s palms and then his wrists, a drawn-out creeping of flickering black that couldn’t be anything other than an intentional deliberateness—to maximize the pain of it. The red-cloaked ninja’s screams were louder than any suffering Sakura had ever heard.

The kunoichi could see the smirk on Sasuke’s face as she finally came around to face him, and her stomach turned to ice. Even his words delivered a blow to her heart in a familiar way. It was like the Chunin Exams: the ferocity, the visible fury rolling off of him in waves, the embracing of inner-darkness. Sakura had only ever seen Sasuke resort to methods of torture a few times in her life, and the sight struck such fear into her heart. Don’t you see? She thought to herself at the terrifying vision of the Uchiha stooped over the scorching man. Don’t you see what the price of his love will be?

“Sasuke! Stop! You can’t kill him!” she shouted over the rain and guttural begging, grabbing onto the Uchiha’s clothing, fisting the wet fabric in her fingers. He didn’t budge, just let the fire spread as he watched and drank the pinned man’s screams, as if hearing them would quench a deeply buried thirst.

When Sakura’s immense strength lifted Sasuke to his feet and pulled him away from the man, Sasuke’s leer twisted into a frown and a different sort of fury filled his eyes. As if Sasuke sensed her impending interference and decided to finish the job before she could convince him to stop, the fire erupted over the man’s chest with a quickening ferocity. At his resolve, Sakura panicked, making Sasuke look at her with two palms to his face.

His dead eyes found her, and he spat a response to her previous demand, “He doesn’t get to live.”

The earsplitting screams intensified, and Sakura physically shook Sasuke, but he just glared down at her as the flames resumed their feast upon the man’s vaporizing flesh. “You’re not going to do this. You can’t kill someone because of me. I won’t let you go back to that!”

The words broke Sasuke’s carefully controlled anger. “I have spared hundreds today in your name! If it weren’t for you, they would all be dead. One of them can die, and it’s going to be him.”

“This isn’t who you are anymore!” Sakura shouted, willing her words into a truthful existence. She would hold on to him, the Sasuke she loved. The Sasuke who could see reason, act on ninja principles, and not let his emotions override his judgment. Not anymore. As a last attempt, she added. “You can be merciful. You don’t have to kill unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

Sasuke scoffed, choosing not to hide his smoldering ire as he broke eye contact with Sakura in order to survey the damage being done to the man who had attacked her. “It’s necessary.”

When he didn’t say anything else, Sakura demanded, “Spare one more. This is my mission and I need him to live.”

After a moment of deliberation, Sasuke snarled, like an animal being forced to give up its kill, and turned his back to her. With the dying of the Amaterasu, the screams turned into painful whimpers as the man spasmed on the ground.

Sakura knelt beside the man, who now looked at her with desperation in his eyes. A begging for mercy that hadn’t been there earlier, now glistened with tears. “Remember that I spared your life,” Sakura told him, penetrating the vein in his collar with the needle of the syringe. “Maybe one day, a future version of you will deserve it.” The man’s eyelids fell, and even in his unconsciousness, Sakura could sense the relief that came with oblivion. The third slug had appeared by her side, and Sakura watched as Lady Katsuyu began channeling Sakura’s chakra in order to heal the man’s injuries. They were deep, penetrating wounds that would require intensive medical treatment. The draw on Sakura’s reserves zapped her, real fatigue coming over her now.

“I can’t hold the summoning,” Sakura relayed to the two Katsuyus, one small and gliding over Sakura’s shoulder, the other encapsulating the injured man as the creature healed his injuries. She was the first to vanish, just like all those summoned before.

“Don’t worry about me,” came Katsuyu’s small reassuring voice. “I can handle the rest until you arrive. Will you be okay?”

Sakura nodded, “Yes. Thank you, Lady Katsuyu.” With the last of the jutsu released, Sakura exhaled a sigh of relief as the drain on her chakra reserves lessened. She caught her breath, sitting in the muddy grass for a moment.

When she turned to Sasuke, he was standing over her, silently brooding with an emotionless mask slipped back into place.

Sakura wanted to yell at him for his recklessness. For interfering when she was more than capable of handling this herself. “You have potentially jeopardized my mission,” she informed him bitterly, rising to stand toe to toe with him.

He didn’t respond, unmoving as he received her rebuke. Even the rain hailed down on them harder if that were even possible. And then the Uchiha was moving, taking her bloody palm, the hand that had come between Sasuke’s killing blow and his victim, between his fingers. She fisted it rebelliously, stiffening her arm, not quite ready to let her anger go.

And so he grabbed her wrist instead, pulling her with him toward the circumference of trees closest to them.

“I can’t leave,” she protested, digging her heals more firmly into the ground. She became immovable. “More of them could be on their way. I need to intercept them.” Sakura didn’t know how many more there would be, or what she was going to do to incapacitate them now that she was no longer able to summon Katsuyu. She would have to dig deep, fight until she couldn’t stand, pummeling them until she knocked them unconscious.

Still not looking at anything but the wrist in which he gripped as if Sakura could be ripped away at any second, Sasuke confessed. “Every person who was headed in this direction in pursuit of you tonight was handled. I shoved each of them into another dimension.”

Sakura’s eyebrows rose as she stared at him speechlessly. For the first time since she observed him, Sakura noticed his heavy breathing. His Rinnegan eye was closed and the Sharingan deactivated, and Sakura recognized the tell of his exhaustion. He had overexerted himself, definitely a sign that he really had transported an unknown number of men through his Rinnegan’s portal tonight.

“At least for now, let’s get out of this rain,” he told her. “There’s a place not far from here.”

Sakura pulled her hand free from his grasp and Sasuke didn’t move to take it again, accepting and mirroring her own frustration. After a moment, he turned, and Sakura followed the coiled back of the Uchiha into the shelter of the trees, allowing him to lead her from the battlefield.

Chapter Text

The location that Sasuke sought was something he had stumbled upon once on his mission between villages, concealed by pools of shallow water at the base. Now, in the darkness, the cave was near impossible for anyone to locate. Once inside the dense cover of forest, Sasuke had led them directly toward one of the many tree-covered mountains, the one with the fracture in the side that hid behind dense foliage. The falling rain had created flood waters and the shallow brook that Sasuke remembered was now rapidly flowing into the mouth of the cave, disappearing completely, and only Sasuke knew where it came out on the other side.

The darkness around them had faded infinitesimally, just enough that Sasuke realized night would soon give way to the faded in-between of dusk and dawn. But Sasuke was determined to have both he and his teammate safely tucked away into the mountain’s embrace before any sort of light could reveal them to any potential followers; Sasuke was fairly confident that there weren’t any left in the near vicinity that he hadn’t already dealt with, but he wasn’t going to take the chance anyway—not with both he and Sakura’s depleted chakra levels. And so, he jumped into the rushing waters that had turned into a lapping stream, a tongue snaking out from the sideways mouth of the cave.

“What are you doing?” Sakura whispered loudly over the roaring sounds of the water and Sasuke could sense her reluctance to follow his lead, most likely not wanting to subject herself to any further waterlogging.

“It’s a cave,” he informed her, digging his feet deeply into the rocky bed beneath his feet, stretching his arm up to offer her assistance, which she immediately denied to Sasuke’s extreme annoyance. Fine, he thought to himself. He was fine with her indignation because he was just as pissed off as she was. “We are going to have to swim through the entrance to get inside, so there’s no point to waste chakra trying to walk on it just yet.”

As Sakura slid into the black water, tightening her eyes at the shock of cold, the stream swelled up to her chest, pushing her tired body toward him in a jerk before her feet finally reached the bottom. “A cave? Won’t it be flooded?”

“No,” he answered. “Not dangerously so, at least.” He offered no further explanation before allowing the pull of the water to guide him the rest of the way to the entrance. Just before committing himself to the dark fissure in the mountain’s side, the open grin of the cave, Sasuke turned and grabbed Sakura’s uninjured hand and lifted her arm straight up above her head. “The ceiling will lower. Keep your arm extended so you know when you must go all the way under water. I’ll be in front of you, so stay close.”

Sakura’s eyes widened at this revelation before frowning at his command, and when Sasuke realized his teammate’s unbending anger towards him was going to prevent her from asking him any questions, Sasuke pushed forward into the all-consuming blackness.

The rumble of the water draining into the crevices of the cave was deafening and almost more distracting than the coolness of the water itself, and Sasuke took a minute to be grateful that they were in the dregs of late summer, otherwise they would be wading in critically low temperatures. The narrow entrance scuffed against Sasuke’s single palm as he dragged it along the side of the craggy tunnel. He could hear Sakura’s quick breathing behind him as she followed him, staying close enough where their bodies still brushed one another occasionally.

When his fingers brushed against the ceiling, Sasuke turned back to Sakura who had been following him in silence for the last fifteen minutes. They bumped together in the dark and Sakura brushed his side with her hand. It was terrifying and disorienting, how unreliable it felt to be this cut off from light. And yet, not even the darkness could dim her presence to Sasuke, that hyperawareness he had for her wherever she was in a room even if he didn’t know she would be there. His eyes would find her, his body would move in her direction, his soul would reach out as if hers were doing the same. He didn’t need the daylight to see her.

“This is the narrowest part,” he told her emotionlessly, preparing her for the dive that was to come. “It opens back up in about ten meters. Just hold your breath and keep swimming.”

She didn’t respond, only continued to breath raggedly in exhaustion. Even though he was angry, so damn angry with her, that he too, only wanted to give her a stony silence in return, his concern for her in this situation overrode all of that. “Did you hear me?” he hissed in frustrated urgency and Sakura’s echoing, emotionless “yes,” was the only confirmation he needed before he inhaled sharply, filling his lungs to capacity, and diving.

The vacuum of the current was stronger than Sasuke had anticipated as he felt forward with his arm. Water relentlessly pushed him forward and his knee met a sharp rock, and he grunted underwater as he pushed off of it, hoping Sakura’s smaller frame would avoid her any collisions. His lungs began to burn just when his fingers grasped for the ceiling and found it open. He took a huge gulp of air as he met the surface and immediately ducked back under, waiting and waiting in nervous anticipation before Sakura’s outstretched hand collided with him and he pulled her up with him. Her gasp of air, evidence of her safety, was just as relieving as Sasuke’s own inhaled breath. His body needed it just as much to keep going.

“There’s a drop,” Sasuke spoke quickly, the water still relentlessly tugging their bodies forward toward the cliff-like edge he remembered standing at once before as he looked down at the chasm below with a fireball sailing down to meet the bottom. Now, he only had memory and darkness to rely on in order to spare his chakra. Sasuke held Sakura’s body to him as they drifted. His stubborn pink-haired partner resisted his hold initially until his words registered, and he felt her arms cling tightly in response to his shoulders. With the standstill between them, Sasuke only had a second to hold her before they were freefalling.

Sasuke fell back-first over the drop, tucking Sakura tight against him, before spinning the both of them until his feet hit the surface of the lake below. He landed lightly despite the force of gravity from such a height, his weight distributing easily across the water as he pushed against it with his waning chakra. “Can you sta—” he began to ask Sakura, but she pulled away from him as soon as they landed, finding her own chakra-enhanced footing.

“I can take care of myself,” she reminded him, walking forward in the darkness as if she were the one who knew where to go. Her words carried the weight of their impending argument, the temporary peace between them coming to a swift and immediate end.

“I know you can,” Sasuke hissed as he pursued her footsteps in the dark. “You can stop trying to prove it to me, now.”

She spun to him and Sasuke felt her body accidentally crash with his and repel from him all within a millisecond, like two colliding ninja in battle. “Then why did you follow me? You didn’t think I could handle this on my own?”

Sasuke ground his teeth, because that just wasn’t it. It wasn’t that he doubted her abilities. She had proven herself more than capable—multiple times, in fact, in the last two months. During her most recent encounter with the anti-peace members in the desert after Mako had kidnapped her, Sasuke had arrived post-battle, the pieces of Sakura’s aftermath scattered among the sand like inconsequential annoyances. And tonight, when Sasuke had finally reached her after deposing of an obscure number of pursuers, he had stood on the edge of the clearing, watching her engage in hand-to-hand combat, the black dye of her hair running down her skin like the war paint of the Anbu Black Ops. Seeing her in combat, Sasuke had held himself back with all the willpower belonging to his being contrary to his instincts to act. He hadn’t wanted to intervene, hadn’t wanted to interrupt Sakura’s process because he knew she could easily handle the three ninja who fought with her. He had every intention to watch and let her handle them her way. That was until that last bastard trailed a blade up her stomach and used his own fingers to trace swirls into her skin with the red of her own blood. Not even the most controlled of men would have sat by and watched such an offense against their loved one—watch their woman be violated in any way—and Sasuke… he was not a controlled man. He was the opposite of that. He was an Uchiha who loved.

“Your silence speaks what you won’t say to my face,” Sakura whispered, disappointment replacing her ire in a moment of transparency.

Sasuke brushed past her, fisting her arm in the dark and guiding her over to the precipice of land that jutted out of the lake like a domed table. When Sakura’s feet met the rock-strewn beach, she stumbled in the dark and Sasuke held her more firmly as he, too, struggled to find even footing. Jumping to the top of the table-like plateau, Sasuke reached down and grabbed Sakura’s hand to pull her up behind him, but her hand was slick with the blood of her injury, and she threw her other hand up to grab his wrist to accommodate. Exhausted, the both of them fell back on their backsides and scooted away from the edge.

Feeling the stickiness of blood against his palm, Sasuke frowned. “Why aren’t you healing yourself?” he asked irritably, his carefully concealed anger similarly bleeding out in his tone.

Sakura’s own annoyance was evident in her response, an edged stillness that might have cut Sasuke as deep as any wound might had she meant to do damage with her words. “I have to reserve my chakra. I’m channeling to Katsuyu.”

Sasuke almost told her how annoying she was when she neglected herself, but he refrained, knowing that it would open the floodgate between them. Instead, Sasuke found himself reaching until he found her injured hand. He pulled at Sakura’s resisting palm until he held it out between them, a restorative green globe beginning to radiate from his own hand. They both squinted at the sudden flare of light, a speck in the immense blackness around them, and their dilated pupils suddenly constricted at the emerald glow. The circumference of light was no larger than that of a candle and the roaring cave swallowed the light hungrily beyond their bodies.

Sakura fisted her hand and looked away from him. “Leave it. Save what little chakra you have left.”

Sasuke ignored the command and his irritation momentarily faltered at the redness in her eyes that he could see over the dome of light between them, the tears she held back there. She was desperately trying not to cry at the misunderstanding of Sasuke not having faith in her regardless of his previous reassurances.

“It has nothing to do with doubting you,” he whispered, answering her question from moments ago. He tried his best to conceal his anger with her, but every word still came out sounding clipped, sounding cross. “You can tell me to stay away. You can trick me and leave me without chakra. You can leave me a damn goodbye letter telling me you love me in case you die.” Sakura sucked in a breath as her skin slowly knitted back together, sewn with the needle of Sasuke’s chakra. “You could be the strongest ninja in the shinobi world, but I am still going to go after you, Sakura.”

“But you have your own mission—The Otsusuki Race—” she began as Sasuke’s hand released her palm, moving down along her arm until he was pulling the fabric of her shirt up and away from the assaulting crooked line of the cut to her flesh. She sucked in a breath when he did so, reacting more so to his touch than the pain of it. She leaned back on to her arms as he hovered his glowing chakra across her abdomen.

Sasuke’s white-hot anger returned just looking at the damage, and he took a steadying breath as he passed his glowing palm along the gash. When his chakra met her injury, Sakura stopped speaking altogether as she inhaled a sharp gasp of pain.

“—can wait their turn,” Sasuke finished for her. “I still have time to hunt them down. Your enemies are also mine. Just like I told you back in the Sand Village, I can help you take care of these guys first.” The words were edged, punishing, even though he knew that he had absolutely no right to emphasize those words after years of rejecting her offer to help him with his goals. But he was trying, wasn’t he? Sasuke had let her come with him. He had let her help him just as she had wanted. But she didn’t want it to go both ways?! Or was it that Sakura didn’t believe that Sasuke wanted it to go both ways? What would they be able to accomplish as a unified force if they stopped this tug of war between each other of whose enemies were whose and what missions were hers or his?

Sakura’s eyes found his in the dimming light and she finally pushed his hand away. He knew that she was probably thinking along the same lines, and this was confirmed for him when she whispered. “How does it feel? To be left behind?” Her voice was thick with emotion. If it weren’t so dark, he might have seen tears prick her eyes.

He internally winced, but leveled a scowl at her, a flame she could no longer see returning to his eyes. He bit back the various answers that came to his mouth unbidden: Torturous. Like the hell I deserve. Like I couldn’t fucking breath every second we were separated. Like the relentless stomach-turning fire of panic, vengeance, and loss all at once. Either because those words would make Sakura’s own past feelings painfully corporeal, because none of them were the apology she deserved, or simply because he was a stubborn, prideful Uchiha who couldn’t admit that she had such power over him, he refrained from voicing them. Sasuke stopped those words on his tongue and bit back the confession.

Standing, the Uchiha jumped down off the giant stone jutting from the side of the cave and retreated back down the bank and onto the lake’s surface. “I’ll be back in a moment,” he announced to her “Stay here.”

She exhaled silently to the air around her, but Sasuke heard it regardless, no amount of riotous rushing of the waterfall behind them flooding out the sadness in her sigh. He should have told her his truth. He shouldn’t have held it back regardless of the reasons.

.

.

.

As Sakura waited for Sasuke on the bank, her eyes began to make out just the tiniest pinpricks of light coming somewhere very high above her. Her first thought was that it must be the night sky she was seeing, and as the time passed, it bled into a larger crack across the ceiling, beams of morning light reaching fingers down into the serrated ridge of the clamshell’s mouth, but not able to reach Sakura where she sat looking up at it. She was the pearl at the bottom of the shell that the sun just couldn’t reach no matter how desperately it clawed for her. Even though she couldn’t make out any of the details around her, Sakura was able to follow the jagged edge of the mountain’s opening for what she believed to be about a half-mile sideways before it disappeared into a rocky enclosure. She estimated that the distance between the two halves of the opening were just enough that a very small person might be able to scale down between the walls to find this place. But even if someone had managed to squeeze themselves through the ceiling, Sakura could now see that they would be dangling about thirty-five or more meters before they reached the surface below. It honestly astonished her that Sasuke knew this place so well, but she also understood him to be an individual who traveled to places and dimensions where no other human feet could ever touch.

After about thirty minutes of shivering in the same spot and tapping her feet in frustration at Sasuke’s absence, the annoyance turning to fear as the time lengthened, Sakura stood and began to strip her clothing. Firstly, she removed her headband, the water-saturated, black coat, and pants until she was in her water slicked shirt that hung off her and hit her thighs. Even if the cave was roughly about seventy degrees inside, her drenched clothing was lowering her temperature quickly.

As if sensing her predicament, the universe aligned so that Sasuke arrived at that specific moment, shuffling the rocks behind her announcing his arrival. She immediately sought to cover herself before she realized that he wouldn’t be able to see her anyway in this endless depth.

“Where did you go,” she asked incredulously, continuing to wring and shake out her ditched garments in the peace of blackness.

“Firewood,” he announced emotionlessly seconds before he directed a trivial fire release of flame at his newly assembled pile. Before Sakura could even ask where on earth he managed to find wood down here, light and heat branded the air around them and Sakura gasped at the suddenness of it. The fireball instantly caught the tiny pyre aflame despite how wet the wood must have been, creating a circumference of contrasting brightness in the black.

“What the hell are you doing?” Sasuke seethed after catching sight of her and immediately turned his back on her state of undress. Sakura blushed privately to herself as she turned her back to him.

“You can still get hypothermia in the summer,” she defended as she glanced back over her shoulder at his own drenched body. “I suggest you do the same.” That was the last thing she said before dropping the oversized shirt at her feet. After arranging the clothes to dry out on the ground next to the flames, Sakura settled before the fire, hiding her body behind her knees as she crouched.

She watched as Sasuke’s entire posture grew rigid at her nearness, his spine replacing itself with a rod of steel, and even with his back to her, Sakura recognized the curved shoulder and bowed head mannerisms that revealed he was pinching the bridge of his nose. Sighing, the Uchiha yanked a scroll from his jacket and knelt on one knee as he activated the summoning seals along the parchment, revealing two sets of clothing that materialized instead of the weapons she was expecting. The clothing was thrown forcefully in her direction, and they hit her body in a way that his words weren’t needed to communicate the command.

She was wet and cold and didn’t hesitate. She pulled one of Sasuke’s gray long-sleeve shirts over her shivering frame, never so grateful for a piece of fabric in her life. Trying not to get even the slightest bit elated over the fact that she was wearing one of his shirts like the teenage version of herself might, Sakura stripped herself of her still-wet undergarments before yanking on a loose-fitting pair of his clean black pants.

She watched as Sasuke released a defeated sigh from the other side of the fire and begin to pull his own clothes off, replacing them with his own set of dry clothes. Sakura did her best not to delight in the show, turning her beat red face away to give him some privacy. She mentally berated herself for her perversity. She wasn’t Naruto, Kakashi—or even worse, Jaariya, was she?!

She cleared her throat. “Where did you manage to get firewood?” she asked, desperate to fill the awkwardness.

He sighed as he shuffled on his own pair of pants. “There’s a back entrance. Even more discreet than the way we came in.”

“Won’t the smoke give us away if it’s daylight?”

“No. The fire is small and it’s a long way to the top. The ceiling opens up which will prevent the cavern from filling with smoke, but it’s a long way to the top. It will disperse before it exits.”

“How did you find this place?”

“I’ve looked in every corner of the Land of Fire for any trace of Kaguya or her white Zetsu army. It was the very first thing I did.”

Sakura’s heart panged, knowing he had been so close, sleeping nightly in the Land of Fire during that first year away from home after the War when she longed for him the most, when they had just gotten him back.

When Sasuke turned and walked over to lay out his clothes next to hers, Sakura felt the shift in his mood again. It was remarkable how her body knew his without even an exchange of words or a shared look between each other; Sakura could read every line of him, sometimes written in cursive roundness and sometimes written in sharp jagged, hidden scripts. She had always known every motion that made up Sasuke, even when they were younger. She had known when Sasuke wasn’t fairing well after Orohimaru’s cursemark, Sakura had known when he was in pain, when he was changing and no one else could tell; she had even known him well enough to intercept him as he left Konoha after he had decided on his path of revenge. But more recently, Sakura didn’t realize until now that she had spent the last several months learning and coaxing out new, infrequently used symbols she had never seen until now. Sakura guessed that Sasuke was currently struggling to sort out emotions he wasn’t used to feeling and after what had happened a mere few hours ago, she didn’t know if that was all entirely a good thing.

Sakura’s eyes flicked over to where he stretched out his black cloak with jerky, angry movements, snapping it loudly after wringing the literal life from it. His jaw was tight and Sakura crossed her arms as she scowled, trying to decipher what had him so vexed. Wasn’t she supposed to be the angry one? Hadn’t he interfered in her plans?

“Did Kakashi know?” came Sasuke’s question after he decided to join her by sitting across from her, the small fire offering no protective emotional barrier between them. Sakura frowned more from Sasuke’s question than she did the diminishing fire as it burned, his anger feeling suddenly hotter than any fire ever could.

She leveled him with her own scowl, feeling defensive at the abrupt question, not quite sure what he was inquiring about. “What are you asking—”

He averted his eyes for a moment, before locking them firmly with her own, deciding he didn’t want to miss a fraction of her reaction to his clarifying question. “Did Kakashi know you would be using your body in a brothel for your covert mission?”

Sakura’s mouth fell open. That’s what this is about?! He thought she had gone through with it, being completely committed to her undercover persona as a prostitute in order to gain information. Sakura could certainly see how he, or anyone else for that matter, might connect the dots and make that assumption, but the forthrightness of his interrogation shocked her. She was always so accustomed to his silent brooding.

“Sasuke—” she began, and she leaned forward, trying to immediately assuage his concerns, but he wasn’t going to give her the opportunity. He must have thought she was deflecting, changing the course with an explanation, because his next words cut her off.

“Did he?” he bit out, breathing the words out lowly and urgently. “Answer my question.”

Feeling rushed for an answer, she admitted quickly. “Of course he knew…some of it. He’s the Hokage. I told him what I was planning.”

Sasuke’s face turned white, and he closed his eyes as he inhaled deeply. “I’m going to kill him. I’m going to kill him for letting you run off and do such a thing for the sake of the Leaf Village—or for yourself—it doesn’t matter! You’re one of us. He’s supposed to—”

“It’s not what you’re thinking it is,” she tried, but his questions kept coming.

“How often? How often have you done this type of thing for a mission?”

“You’re misunderstanding—”

He leveled her with his challenging stare again. “Am I? I saw you. I saw you in the memories of that girl. In the lap of that ninja with his hands in your hair.”

Sakura gasped at his confession, not because she was distressed that Sasuke had seen her with Rugo, but knowing that he had actually tracked her to the bathhouse and searched for her in the girls’ memories of her just as she feared he might. It explained how he knew what location she had been planning to go, but Sakura dreaded knowing what else he must have seen in those memories of the brothel she had used as her stage for Act 1 of her plan.

Sakura could see his misinterpretation of her reaction settling into the shadows under his brow line. It darkened his eyes and he raised his chin as he mentally braced himself. He thought her gasp confirmation of all his worst fears.

“What you saw—it wasn’t what you’re thinking—”

“Did you sleep with him?” he breathed the question, not wanting to ask it but needing the truth all the same, desperately. “The man whose clothes you’re wearing.” The words were cold.

“Sasuke!” she shouted, aghast at his bluntness.

“Did you?!” he snapped, the same type of emotion he used when arguing with Naruto now flooding his voice.

“No!” she finally managed to get past him. “I didn’t have to. I have never had to sleep with anyone, nor would I. Not even for a mission.”

His face went into the palm of his hand, and she felt his audible sigh as Sasuke focused on regaining his emotions, trying so desperately to shove them behind the black wall of granite where he kept them once more. She watched his entire body slacken in relief, surrendering to the exhaustion of chakra-depletion. Had it been his fury that had kept him going until now?

“What you saw was just an unexpected occurrence during the mission,” she bit out, using his temporary silence to get out what she had been trying to say for the last few minutes. “Rugo, the man you saw me with, recognized me, and I had no choice but to play along not to blow my own cover. Choosing that route, I knew I would have to take some calculated risks.”

He was silent, but Sakura sensed the war with himself to say more, ask more, but exactly what she wasn’t sure. She waited. But he bit his lip and looked away.

“I’m a woman. There are always going to be men who try to take advantage of me in that way.”

She saw his jaw set, his teeth clench. She knew he was holding back whatever it was he wanted to say. She saw his eyes land on her stomach, searching for the concealed wound there, and she knew he was recalling the man who had dared to touch her. Self-conscious, Sakura covered the freshly healed scar with a hand over the fabric as if he might be able to see through it.

“Then I will make you untouchable,” came his final reply. Sakura’s skin prickled at the acerbic promise.

“I am already untouchable. I have made myself untouchable. Every predatory touch on my person was calculated, allowed. But nothing will happen that I do not allow.”

Sasuke scoffed, but it was the type of scoff that admitted he could not win the argument. The type of scoff that eased the tension between them.

Sakura stood and stepped around the fire, coming to kneel before him, his glare doing nothing to hold her back. “You’re going to have to trust me. Trust my abilities and trust my decisions,” she said to the Uchiha as she turned to sit down beside him, using her proximity to soften the harshness further. “I can handle myself.”

He sighed in irritation, leaning his head back against a low, darkness-concealed boulder that Sakura hadn’t realized he was perched against until she had come to join him. Again, Sakura was reading him, could tell that his anger with her was being pushed back and categorized in his brain to handle on his own. “Annoying,” he exhaled, and Sakura recognized it as the full-stop he used to end a conversation, to end the argument and concede to her points.

“My turn,” she announced after a moment of de-escalating silence, and Sasuke’s eyes narrowed suspiciously as he rolled his head to the right to look at her.

She plucked up his hesitant right hand and entwined her fingers with his to help with what she was going to say next. He didn’t pull away.

She was recalling his episode in the clearing, the torturous screams of the man who had been ignited with the flames of the Amaterasu. She spoke for him and others like him now, even if he didn’t deserve her representation. But it wasn’t on their behalf that she chose to do so. She recalled his words to her in Konoha after he discovered her collaborative plan with Gaara to be used as bait: ‘If something happened to you, I don’t know who I would become again.’ She loved Sasuke. Cared about Sasuke. She needed to say this for his sake more than anyone’s. She wouldn’t be the person responsible for his moral deterioration.

“I don’t want to become a detriment to you, Sasuke. I don’t want to be what breaks you. Earlier—” she stumbled, casting her eyes down at the narrow space of fire-lit ground between them. “It was all too familiar.”

“I know.” He responded quickly, unwilling to let her give voice to his actions any further. Sakura realized it was an attempt to keep his sins within his own personal head so that neither of them had to bear witness to them a second time. “It’s a part of me. No matter how hard I try to eradicate it, there’s a monster in here.” He brought her hand to his chest. “And we both know what he’s capable of. Even now, I don’t feel regret when I should. I have absolutely no desire to apologize for my actions tonight. But that look on your face is the same expression you looked at me all the times I’ve been lost. I don’t want to see that anymore.”

“You’re not a monster,” she stated as a fact, her focus hung upon that derogatory word. “Naruto and I will not let you be a monster. Even if you were to fall again, we would force you up. We will not let you become lost again.”

“I know,” he breathed, suddenly going very still and gazing at her as if the truth of her words were the only thing allowing him to cling to sanity. “It’s why I can choose you and the world will not pay for it.”

Using their conjoined hands, Sasuke tugged her toward him slowly, his fingers releasing her to find the back of her neck. His fingers were calloused but warm, hooking into the vertebrae of her spine like his fingertips were just another part of her—like they belonged there just as much as her spinal cord or her skin or her hair. She would let him permanently bond them there if only he never stopped touching her.

“Three days ago, you told me you weren’t going anywhere. But you left anyway.” His words were a shared breath between them, so close that Sakura could taste the abandoned shapes of them.

Sakura recalled the moment Sasuke talked about, a broken promise she had given him in their shared sleeping quarters in Sunagakure. A promise she had stamped with a peck on his lips and a promise he had accepted with a rare smile and the decision to brand the promise into her lips more fully.

“I know. I’m sorry,” she whispered, feeling ashamed despite all her reasoning.

“Can I remind you why you said it?” It was a question. And Sakura instantly recalled her reasoning back then: ‘I can finally do this.’ But Sasuke wasn’t going to push her without her consent, and Sakura realized his request was an attempt to give her voice back the power so many women didn’t have, the power that other men would have tried to take from her if she had stayed in that brothel.

Sakura held her breath and nodded, and then his mouth met hers, slowly, carefully, parting them with his own. Sakura didn’t need to be fluent in the script of Sasuke Uchiha—nobody who bore witness to this moment would—in order to grasp the intensity of how he truly felt about her.

.

.

.

When their kissing had evolved, Sasuke had stilled the desperate hand that had slid across his cheek and into his hair. It had been so difficult to once again be the one to halt something that he had started, but Sasuke had to stop. He wouldn’t be able to bring himself to do anything more. Not after what he’d seen tonight. Not after he had watched Sakura in that vision, pirouetted in front of ravenous men like she could be any of theirs to handle, to claim, to devour.

Sasuke couldn’t touch Sakura in the ways he desperately wanted to in this moment, because he couldn’t distinguish the color of his wants from the various shades of cravings of those men. He couldn’t see the difference between himself and them in this instant, because Sasuke had begun to desire her just as feverishly, just as frenziedly. His eyes had lingered over the planes of her body just as theirs had. Sasuke couldn’t erase the words from his mind that were whispered to her as she was being bloodily fondled before his very eyes: “But he won’t mind if I have my fun with you first before he gets here.” And the rage returned at the thought of it and that type of rage would disappoint Sakura. It disappointed himself. He didn’t want to be with her in this way right now feeling how he did. He didn’t want to be able to still feel those emotions as he attempted to smother them with his own desires of her. It would be the same as tangling threads together: a blue cord of worry, a black fiber of icy wrath, the blaring red string of his love for her, the violet twine of possessiveness, a white piercing strand that Sasuke couldn’t identify as need, hunger, or desire… He wouldn’t be able to sort them out in time and touching her with a greedy hand would stamp all those interwoven emotions into his memory forever, and Sasuke didn’t want his memory of such actions with Sakura tainted in his mind.

“What’s wrong,” she asked when he broke their contact just before it had really started, his forehead falling against hers. She misunderstood his labored breathing, hand moving to his forehead. “Are you okay? Is it your Rinnegan?”

The question reminded Sasuke of his weariness. Both of their current states and exhaustions. He always seemed to forget how tired he was when his lips would meet hers. Her breath gave him life. He brought her against him until her chin rested on his right shoulder like a bird returning to its nest, as if her chin belonged to that very spot, and Sasuke buried his face into her neck just to inhale her in. They both smelled damp, like mud and rainwater, but there wasn’t a man alive that had worshiped a scent like Sasuke did now. Because it meant that she was alive, here with him in a cave he had once refuged, not knowing then that he would return to this very spot and hold another person urgently as if the very purpose of his existence was so that he would end up here again, with her.

“Sasuke?” he heard Sakura whisper when he became lost in his silent reverence of her.

“Hn,” he responded in the crook of her neck, not ready to pull back and face her. He was afraid he’d get lost in her liquified green eyes and lose his resolve.

Her delicate fingers came up his neck to touch the black, feathered tips of his hair. “Maybe you should try to get some sleep. I’ll take first watch—”

But Sasuke was already pulling her to the ground next to him, the small fire warm against their skin. He turned Sakura so that she was closer to the heat and Sasuke curled her into himself, trapping her back to his chest. “Only if you sleep, too,” came his response. “No one will be able to find us here.”

Even with her back to him, Sasuke could feel the smile spreading across her face as they lay together, tangled and sleeping, for the very first time. Sasuke felt lucky to be doing so. And as he dozed off beside her, he tried not to think of her in the ways of despicable men, despite how tempting it was to do so with her in this proximity, wearing his clothes as if it were already the after. He buried his nose into her half-dyed hair, frowning at the dulled shade of it. He found her neck instead and inhaled until sleep found him.

. . .

When Sasuke roused sometime later, the lack of her body against his was almost painful despite the novelty of it. As if their bodies where they had lain touching had been sewn together while they slept, and Sakura had risen at some point, unknowingly cleaving the delicately fabricated web between them. Sasuke sucked in a panicked breath, the fire now extinguished and leaving nothing but a consuming blackness that Sasuke desperately tried to adjust his eyes to.

“Sakura,” he rasped, his throat dry from disuse. How long exactly had he been sleeping? Hours? Days? He had no sense of knowing in this submerged world of black that left you feeling as if your soul simply floated in an abyss somewhere free of time and space. Thankfully, his eyes adjusted, and he could make out a few isolated stars puncturing through the craig above. By the lack of the deafening sound of collapsing water, Sasuke assumed that the waterfall had lessened, most of the floodwaters now pooling in the cave and flowing to the exit. Asleep for the day, then, Sasuke concluded.

“Over here,” Sakura calls out, somewhere across the cavern, her voice skipping across the water like a thrown stone. Sasuke couldn’t help but focus more on the distance than the direction. It was much farther than Sasuke would have ever liked it. His panic gave way to a small irritation as her tone seemed absolutely confident and unharmed. Sasuke recalled his irrational fear the last time she had snuck off on her own while they had slept in the forest between Konoha and Suna. And then again in Kaguya’s tower. Sasuke was starting to realize this was an annoying habit of hers. He huffed to himself as he rose to his feet, adorning his now-dry cloak.

“There’s a glow,” she spoke again and Sasuke traced her echo across the river. Some of his chakra had returned and when Sasuke’s feet met the edge of water, he summoned his energy to the bottoms of his feet to walk across the surface to where she stood. “Just over there. Do you see it?”

When Sasuke neared her, the glow she claimed to see began to register in his vision. A distant sphere of blue light somewhere farther down a tunnel. And then Sasuke was remembering the sight he beheld the first and only time he had come here to hunt Kaguya. He had forgotten about it, since he had learned that the natural phenomenon bore no connection to the Otsusuki race.

Reaching out to search for his hand, Sakura asked, “What do you think it is? A jutsu?”

And Sasuke realized in that moment what had caused her to tear away from him in his sleep. Sakura thought they had been found, the faint glow a sign that someone was performing a light release through the tunnel.

Sasuke smirked to himself in the dark, knowing the truth of the light would be a welcome surprise for once. “Come. I’ll show you.”

.

.

.

When they reached the mouth of the cave, Sakura still only saw an indistinct glow coming from an angle farther down the tunnel. It was a vibrant blue-green and it became brighter as she followed Sasuke, clutching desperately at the fingers of his hand, unsure of what they would soon face.

Sasuke rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand to reassure her and Sakura tried not to let the affectionate action distract her. He was surprising her, Sakura admitted to herself, more and more every day, as he slowly let his guard fall, the pretenses drop, the ice melt away for her. She had never slept so contentedly as she had in Sasuke’s embrace, only broken moments ago. Her entire life, she had reached across her bed, her bed roll, the forest ground whenever she woke in the dead of night, fingers searching for the outline of a person who had never really been next to her, but who her heart told her that should be. As if the delusion of her passion was real and existed between the realm of sleep and wakefulness, an imprint belonging to someone from an alternative universe still etched into the space beside her, only available to her in the subconscious. How right it had felt for Sasuke to nestle his nose into the back of her neck, as if Sakura’s very soul had known all along that the lover of her intuition had a face, had a name she already knew and called out for, but that only time separated them for this long.

Rounding the corner, Sakura refocused her thoughts on the illumination and gasped at what she beheld before her. A galaxy worth of stars hung above her, twinkling like distant blue supergiants in an abyss of black. Sakura’s mouth dropped at the spectacle, astounded by the millions of tiny orbs of light splayed beautifully across the onyx walls and tops of the tunnel.

“What are they?” Sakura finally asked, glancing to Sasuke’s face, now alight with the blue-green light, his black eyes a mirroring universe for the pinpricks of fluorescence to glow against.

He smirked and confessed. “I’m not entirely sure you will want to know.”

Because they weren’t stars. Of course, they weren’t, being thousands of feet deep inside a mountain cave made that an impossibility. As Sakura observed them carefully, walking forward on the glimmering water, Sasuke in tow, she began to notice the fidgeting movement of the lights. Thin, sparkling, silk-like strands hung from each light, every star bearing a comet's tail that made them look as if they were shooting up toward a sky they would never reach. It became clear to Sakura suddenly that this was an organism— many living organisms.

“I suspect bioluminescence is at play?” Sakura asked as she immediately assessed the sight with a medic’s mind.

Sasuke nodded in confirmation, and Sakura saw the gleam of approval in his eyes, as if he were impressed that she solved it so swiftly. “When I stumbled upon them the first time, it took me a minute to realize what they were. When I came here searching for the Otsusuki race, they caught my attention at first, but I dismissed them after I realized they were of no relevance. I had forgotten about them until now.”

“How on earth could you forget such a sight?” Sakura questioned him, eyes roaming the ceiling as she paced forward once again, her neck straining to hold her head as she stared. “I’ll think of it every night. When I saw them, I thought of stars. But now when I see stars, I’ll think of them.”

Sasuke rubbed the back of his head, and Sakura could tell he was hesitant to ruin the moment with further details. “It can’t be that bad. Are they insects? I’m a shinobi, Sasuke, and a medic. Such things don’t bother me.”

The Uchiha smirked at her again and Sakura was hopelessly falling for that rogue smirk. She hoped he would do it for her the rest of his life. “Worms,” Sasuke revealed. “Larva, actually. And that’s mucus and excrement hanging from the ceilings.”

Sakura’s mouth dropped, not in disgust, but in absolute awe that there were threads of mucus hanging as long as two feet from the ceiling at a distance she could never reach unless chakra came into play. Sakura’s medical nature had her standing on her toes to look closer. Instinctively, she wanted to take samples, research them, and learn all about the ezymes responsible.

She heard Sasuke’s signature half-laugh, the ejection of air through his nose, the “hmph” resounding in his throat as she appeared to be completely unbothered by the truth of what she was seeing. Sakura didn’t care what it was. It was no less unusual than learning that stars were giant orbs of floating rock and gas giants.

“The light is predatory,” Sasuke informed her again, but Sakura had already guessed as much. “To draw moths and other insects to their flaming blue light. The mucus acts like a spider’s web.”

“Fascinating,” Sakura marveled, grinning and pulling Sasuke closer to further inspect one particular cluster of mucus strands that suspended on a low hanging rock.

“Ironically, like you,” he teased, pulling her back against him as she faced the depthless tunnel, the lights a never-ending trail into the void.

She laughed, elbowing him in the side, “Are you calling me an insect?”

“Insects are annoying,” he goaded, and Sakura realized she would have punched anyone else, but the tongue-in-cheek from his lips was like the saccharine additive she put in kids’ medicine.

She spun around in his arm, sending him a grinning glare. “Don’t make me give you another black eye.”

His smirk turned into a feral smile and the sight of it left Sakura breathless. He was so beautiful. More beautiful than the glowing worms. More beautiful than the cosmos. Who was she kidding? It wouldn’t be the stars or the larva that she thought of each night before she slept. It would be this smile. This moment between them as they lay hidden from the rest of the world, hundreds of feet underground in their own starry space and time.

The air stilled between them as both their smiles fell away. Sakura couldn’t help herself and she knew Sasuke could immediately sense what she was about to say. She would say it again, though, with the stars that existed below a mountain to witness. “I love you,” she breathed, staring into his glass-like eyes. “I want to tell you now, so that every time you see the stars at night without me, you’ll remember.”

And something snapped in Sasuke’s expression, a carefully constructed guard that Sakura didn’t even know was there. Because his mouth was on hers. Gently at first and then so very hungrily. Sakura was surprised at the fervor of the kiss. Like an inevitable collision that they had both anticipated for so long. And he wasn’t stopping. And she wasn’t stopping. Tangling her fingers in his hair as he guided her to the wall where the water turned into shoreline. She hadn’t even known there was a spot high enough out of the water to sit, but Sakura was soon placed upon it and she let out a gasp when Sasuke released her lips to press his open mouth against the throbbing of her pulse in her carotid artery. She bit her lip to hold in the sound she wanted to moan as the heat of his tongue brushed against it, and then further down, until he was peppering kisses along her clavicle. He was moving slowly despite Sakura’s reassuring fist in his hair. It felt like a burnt offering to her body. The most delicious string of fire igniting a path along her skin. She bit her lip harder to stop herself from making the noises she knew would flood from her mouth. And Sasuke realized what she was doing and returned to her mouth, freeing her lip from herself as he pulled it between his own teeth. The sound she had held back until now escaped into his mouth and he swallowed it as if he wanted to taste the sound.

The glowing spectacle around them was forgotten because it paled in comparison to what was finally happening between them, but Sakura tried not to get ahead of herself. Sakura had gotten her hopes up once before, believing their progression would lead to the inevitable, the release of years of sexual tension and pining. But Sasuke had slowed the last time she had hoped, halted their intoxicating, careening fall, just as he was doing now. Kissed once more. Waited. Then just once again more as if he was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to do it again once he regained some control over himself. And then stopped, looking to her face, anxious of her reaction.

“Don’t stop,” she pleaded as he stilled. “Please don’t stop. Just this once.”

“I can’t do this without knowing that if I had just—” he breathes heavily, trying to fumble for the words that had never come to him naturally. “I have to be sure. I need you to be sure. I’ll never forgive myself if this makes you suffer.”

“The only thing making me suffer is you kissing me like that and then stopping.” It was simultaneously a hiss and a plea.

In the glowing dampness of the cave, Sakura could see her words registering in his starry eyes and the smirk playing at the corner of his freshly abrased lips, but he grew serious again before it could spread into something more. “We won’t be able to go back from this. This life you’ll be choosing. If I am your choice—I’m terrified you’ll come to regret it.”

And Sakura realized what he was trying to say. What crossing this line for him would mean. That it wouldn’t be ‘just this once.’ It would mean them. This act would make it impossible for him to deny that they were together, officially. Maybe forever.

“I have already chosen you a thousand times,” Sakura sighed, clutching his cheek with the palm of her hand and bringing their faces closer together. “The only thing I will regret is knowing we were so close, but we chose to stop.” She glanced up to the celestial larva above them, and Sasuke followed her gaze. “Even if we spend our lives like orbiting stars, passing one another in the night…The miniscule amount of time I spend next to you will be more than I would want with anyone else.”

Sasuke’s eyes softened. She watched his resolve waver. “I’m not very much like a star, unless black holes count,” he stated sarcastically, punctuating his frank admission with the slowest of kisses. The kind that wanted to feel every microscopic inch and relish in every millisecond it took to join their mouths, just in case she changed her mind. Instead, Sakura wanted to tell him that she believed he was her sun, a central point in the galaxy that captured her with its immense gravity, a sun that grew warmer as it approached her.

.

.

.

She had said, “Just this once.” And Sasuke had internally flinched at such words because that’s exactly what he was afraid of: their combined inability to leave it at “once.” It was never going to be just once between them and crossing this line would be rolling the snowball down the hill. It would be igniting the bang to the universe of them. Once Sasuke had her, he knew he would crave her forever afterward, and the rest of what came with it: the relationship, the label, a life with her. He would want everything as badly as he had ever wanted revenge or to find the Otsusuki race.

This past month traveling with Sakura, Sasuke had been like a man wandering the desert, starved of water, and following the mirage of a future, seeing it before him in the distance, telling himself he could have it, have her if he only reached out and grabbed it. That he might be able to choose Sakura after all. And that’s what Sasuke had been doing, stepping one foot in front of the other toward the mirage knowing that it could very possibly not turn out to be the reality he hoped for, but wanting it badly all the same.

And now this beautiful mirage was pulling his mouth to hers again, offering to become substantial. To give him a drink of her. And Sasuke knew it was better not to drink, because he was always going to be that man in the desert, unable to grasp an ever-fleeting illusion of happiness. But Sasuke also knew that if he got a taste of her, he would drink and drink and drink and want more, and he would suffer in the desert of his future knowing she was out there, and he couldn’t even see the mirage of her anymore. It was better for him not to even taste her.

But she had gone and said that, the devotion of two celestial bodies orbiting around their common center of mass, reuniting as time allowed them. And Sasuke had decided at this moment that until the time came where their orbits were ripped apart, Sasuke was going to love her, and spend every day waiting for their orbits to align again.

Her fingers pulled at his shirt and lifted it from his skin, and Sasuke sucked in a breath as her fingertips met the coils of his flesh beneath the fabric. He didn’t stop her because like any man wandering the desert of loneliness, stumbling upon the oasis of love and happiness, Sasuke was going to drink because he needed her so badly it physically hurt. And he wasn’t going to be able to stop drinking until he was satiated.

He breathed her in, knowing his resolve was gone. Shuddering with anticipation, Sasuke cupped her knees and pushed her back further along the ridge, following up after her. “We can start with once,” he breathed as he found her mouth again. And like a starved man, he drank.

Sakura looked up at him with wide eyes as Sasuke crouched before her along the narrow awning of rock jutting out along the base of the tunnel, with eyes that said she couldn’t believe what was finally going to happen.

Sasuke pulled his cloak free of his shoulders and positioned it along the expanse of rock, guiding Sakura by her waist to position her back on top of it. While she might think this was a simple gesture of chivalry, it was more than that. Sasuke wanted to have her atop his cloak for more carnal reasons. Sasuke knew that he would spend a future with more lonely nights without her than with her, and he wanted to remember it. Mark their virginities into the fabric so he could recall it every single time he touched it in the future. When it was all he had to accompany on his long, lonely, self-sacrificial journey.

Her fingers reached up and caressed his face, desperate to move beyond Sasuke just staring down at her atop his cloak, wearing his clothes, cast in a blueish white tint that made her eyes appear teal. The tug of his shirt is what startled him back into movement and Sasuke reached behind his neck for the collar, pulling it until his skin prickled against the dampness of the cave.

She stared back, too, leaning up on one elbow to run the fingers of her other hand across the plane of his chest. Her movements were just as unhurried as his and Sasuke could read the memorization intended by her slowness.

He pushed the fabric of her shirt away, next, until his hand was running up her stomach, and Sakura sat up to remove it herself, eager to similarly have his fingertips along her own skin. He had forgotten that she was bare skinned beneath it, having abandoned all damp articles of clothing. Sakura had chastised him for not remembering the glowworms, but the sight was nothing, truly forgettable, compared to the vision of her without clothes on.

Sasuke couldn’t help himself. He couldn’t wait for it. He had to see the rest of her. He pinched the ankles of the too-large black pants and pulled the fabric free, almost no resistance as the material slid against her thinner frame easily. And after he beheld her, naked and pale against the black of his cloak, Sasuke was content to fuck her with his eyes first. Just for a few minutes as he trailed a thirsty gaze up her ankles, her calves, the swell of her thighs, and his eyes found her sex unabashedly. She pulled up a knee to hide herself under the intensity of such a gaze, but Sasuke grabbed her ankle gently with his fingers to pull it back down, spreading it to the right to devour her further.

“Please,” he whispered, the words wet as he practically salivated, and Sasuke thanked the larva above for giving him the light to see her blush, to see her skin, the apex of her thighs. “Don’t do that. I want to see every inch of you.”

“Sasuke,” she whispered as he spread her legs further apart. As he watched the skin part between her legs, dark and rubied, he licked the front of his teeth and swallowed. And suddenly, looking wasn’t enough. He was going to do everything. Nothing saved for later, because maybe Sakura was right, and they weren’t guaranteed a tomorrow. It could only just be once. Being shinobi, every time could be the last time for them. They still had enemies to deal with after all.

He trailed his right hand up along her leg slowly, as tantalizingly tortuous as possible just so she could feel the anticipation of waiting. He wanted her to feel just a little bit of what he was feeling, because despite the frustration, the expectation of what was to come was so deliriously sweet. This was the one and only instance in his life that Sasuke genuinely reflected on his decision to forego treatment and the replacement of his left arm. Because Gods, did he desperately want to worship her with both hands. But he convinced himself he was going to outdo anyone’s ability with just the one.

He moved his knees between her legs, gently guiding them as far apart as they would go.

“Sasuke,” Sakura whispered again, his name a small moan that turned into a gasp when he touched her for the first time. Taking his thumb, he started at the top, grazing that bud of flesh in the center, and then dragged it down her entrance. He moved it up and down until his finger was coated with the slick of her. She moaned again and gasped and cried out his name.

He inhaled sharply, feeling his own erection pressing against the inside of his pant leg. As if he had practiced this a million times, Sasuke slowed the movement, dragging it, circling that spot that made her breath hitch and legs tighten against his thighs. Daringly, he dipped his fingers into the heat of her and Sakura wailed a “Yes Yes. Yes.” Those sounds were as delicious as the act of penetrating her with his fingers.

In and out, slowly at first, coming back to find that ball of nerves until she was clenching his fingers with her walls. “Just one more,” he begged before forcing a third, his ring finger into her with the others. He learned she became louder if he rubbed his thumb against her core while he crooked the others into her. And Sasuke would do this for hours if she would let him, learning her, memorizing her, preparing her for the stretch that would eventually come. Sasuke was not as clueless of a virgin as many would assume, but God did he delight in discovering the truth of what his instincts led him toward. The desire for her made him infinitely brave and confident, like he might be able to catch the mirage after all.

Her moans turned into pants and her hips ground against his hand, and Sasuke threw his head back in bliss for just a moment before realizing he needed even more. He knew it. He. Knew. It. Sasuke had known he would become the depraved man in the desert that wouldn’t be able to stop once he had a taste.

And suddenly, that word was exactly what he wanted. A taste. His eyes found hers as she watched him make love to her with his hand. Watching her watch him while he did this to her turned this devotion to her body into something more sinful and sensuous.

“Look at me,” he ordered, and Sakura’s eyes snapped up to his mouth, a shine as thick as her arousal glazed over her eyes. “Watch me while I taste you.”

“Sasuke,” she interjected with a whisper, a warning, or perhaps a plea, Sasuke didn’t care.

He brought his fingers to his lips and penetrated his own mouth until his tongue was savoring her. He groaned at how absolutely remarkable she tasted.

More. More. Forget the fingers. He was going to feast upon her, and Sasuke didn’t care if it was too much or too fast or too soon for their first time. She loved the stars, and he was suddenly determined to make her see them.

When Sakura realized he was descending upon her, arm buckling around her left leg to pull her closer in the direction of his face, she made a sound of protest. “Sasuke, you don’t have to—”

He wanted to ask her why she was shying away from him. She had asked for this hadn’t she? She had begged him not to stop just a few moments ago. But he slowed his momentum despite it, wanting to reassure her. “I want this. I want everything. Right now. This is one of those things,” he breathed desperately, practically imploring, but adding, “only if you want to.”

She nodded as she watched him, her medical training giving her the boldness to watch things unfold. “Then yes. Please.”

Sasuke loved that damn word. And he did as she asked, throwing her leg over his shoulder as he placed his mouth upon her for the first time. And, gods. It was better, the taste more concentrated as it pooled against his tongue. He spent a few moments just lapping her into his mouth, focused more on the taste of her instead of her pleasure. He speared her with his tongue, running up until he played with the same ball of nerves where she loved to be touched at until the broad flat of his tongue pushed against it, back down to lance her, and then up to that spot again. Her moans turned into mewls, cries of ecstasy as he found a rhythm she liked.

His own name had never particularly sounded like a prayer, but Sakura was imploring him with the fervor of a saint.

Her hands flew to his hair and Sasuke groaned as she said “Sasuke, it’s going to happen for me. It’s going to—If you want me to wait until you’re inside, you need to stop.”

But Sasuke had absolutely no intention of stopping until he tasted her orgasm with his tongue. He didn’t know if the rumors about women being able to have multiple orgasms were true, but they would find out. And that was what was so fantastically glorious about all of this. That he was going to get a chance to find out after all, with her, a dream he had almost completely sacrificed. He didn’t deserve such bliss. He didn’t deserve the cry she suddenly echoed into the cave, unmistakable in its nature for anyone who cared to listen. He also thanked the universe that no one else ever would. In this moment, Sasuke realized he had been a damned fool to ever try to convince Sakura to be with someone else.

As her cry abashed his ears, Sasuke couldn’t help himself. He had to experience her own pleasure for himself, the pulsation of her throbbing orgasm against his fingers while he continued to suck on that ball of nerves through her metaphysical rapture. It felt like the throb of his own heartbeat, synchronizing with his own organ so he knew that she was his. Had always been his—and fuck Itachi and fuck the Leaf and fuck revenge. He should have spent his entire life doing this with her.

She unraveled before him, the stars in her vision mirroring the ones above them. While he waited for her to recover, Sasuke kneeled before her again and did something even more shameless. He gathered her climax as it dripped from her and fisted as much as he could.

Sasuke reached into his waistband and coated the ready length of himself with her cum. Sasuke, too, saw the pinpricks of stars when he pulled himself off with her arousal against his own for the first time. He pleasured himself with a few unhurried movements, pumping up and down, even going as far to touch her again to gather more of her mingled ejaculation and returning his hand to himself.

There was so much more they could still do, but pumping himself had his patience waning quickly. He didn’t know how much longer he would be able to last. Her wetness and his hand alone would tip him over the edge, and he was so tempted to let it if he hadn’t known what waited minutes away was the ultimate sensation. That being with her in that way was more important than this temptation of release.

“Tell me when you’re ready for me?” he beseeched her. Would get on his knees and say her name again and again if she would let him finally have her. Gods he wanted her. Had wanted her like this for months. Had been going mad denying the both of them for so long.

She was still gasping for breath, trying to catch up on the oxygen she had forgone while crying out his name. “I’ve been ready for years,” she whimpered, and Sasuke let out a sound to match.

“Are you certain?” he asked, voice dark and hoarse as he shamelessly pumped himself within his pants, her eyes never leaving the action of his hand.

“Actually,” she wetted her lips. She reached forward with both hands and tugged down his waistband to reveal his self-touching in plain view. He sprung forward from his pants and Sakura moaned his name at the sight of him. She pushed his hand away and it was painful to stop but he let her feast upon him with her eyes, eager and so elated to see the same hunger he felt in them.

She lubricated her fingers with her tongue before reaching out to replace his hand. “I want to touch you first.”

He groaned, his turn to make the noises and he fucking wanted to thrash against her hand when she mimicked the same momentum he had pleasured himself with. She was always such a fast learner. An academic with a complete understanding of anatomy.

“God, look at you,” she murmured as she rubbed the pad of her thumb gently over his glossy tip and Sasuke barely heard her words over the desperate plea of her name as it left his mouth over and over.

“I won’t last. It has to be now,” he begged.

She leaned her other palm against his chest while she continued the glide of her fingers until he fell back out of his kneeling position to sit on the ground before her. She mounted him, settling into his lap, becoming a glorious vision before him.

Sasuke suddenly became focused on pleasuring her chest, abandoning his own pulsing need between his legs. His mouth found each of her nipples, rosebuds pebbled and ready for him, and took turns sucking each one. Sakura squealed and she reached back into his hair to hold his head to the breast of his fixation.

“I’m ready,” she declared.

He nodded readily, nervously, his first bout of nerves since this began. Because this would be it. There would be no going back after they committed this ultimate act.

“Wait,” he pleaded. “I haven’t told you yet. That I love you. You must already know, but I have to tell you now. Before.”

There were tears brimming in Sakura’s eyelids after he said it. She didn't need a further declaration, his worship of her body speaking beyond what words were even capable of.

And he held himself erect for her as she navigated her entrance over the head of his erection. He let go once her descent began and he supported her weight with a hand under her thigh, knowing this angle might be intense for their first time.

When the broad width of him began to spread her apart, Sasuke let out the deepest and loudest of groans that he had ever let escape his lips. He hadn’t even known he was capable of emitting such a noise. Sakura’s own sound followed, but it was sharper. An indication of pain. And Sasuke stilled her immediately.

“We can still stop,” he breathed, the words honest despite the desire of his body. When it came down to it, his heart for her was stronger and Sasuke balked at the thought of causing her any more pain in whatever form. He had already given her a lifetime’s worth.

In response, Sakura pushed his hand away with that damn inhuman strength until he was no longer supporting her weight and she sank all the way down to the hilt of him. She let out a painful gasp of shock and Sasuke felt himself connect with some part of her on the inside.

She pulled off and back on, slowly but forcefully to adjust herself to him. She trembled in his hands as they both looked down at themselves in disbelief, their bodies finally and undeniably connected. Somewhere in his delirium, Sasuke thought something about orbits aligning and how the wait between rotations and trajectories would be worth it if the two of them always came back together in this way at the end of it. Finally uniting into one solid, burning star. And then those two orbits were flying off their universal paths and colliding. Sasuke didn’t know collisions could be this beautiful.

The pace intensified, became faster as Sakura chased a second release now that she was focusing beyond the pain of it.

“I-“ she moaned, punctuating the word with another thrust of her hips, sinking back down on him. “-love,” she added, another thrust following. “-you, too” she finishes with a final thrust. And Sasuke rewards her confession with a bite, a small harmless nip to her right breast but she moans and bounces against him more quickly after he does it.

He let her pleasure herself on the blade of him until her pitch heightened, that now familiar signal causing him to move quickly. And Sasuke lowered her back onto his cloak, not compromising on the fact that this is exactly where he wanted her when they came apart.

Her legs were still wrapped around his waist, her right arm coming up to his chest in order to support his weight on his right side. And he fucked her. Made love to her. Whatever inadequate term you wanted to call this otherworldly sensation of colliding bodies of energy.

In a cathedral of blue green cave celestials, they worshiped each other, their mutual releases and echoing cries a prayer to one another.

“Sakura,” he moaned as he finally, finally released himself at the sensation of that beating heart around his cock. He spilled into her carelessly, irresponsibly, unwilling to let any sort of rational thought between himself and his instinctual need to finish inside her. It was one of those decisions where the moment was too fragile and the consequences of such actions simply weren’t something either of them were too frightened of. A part of him said, fuck it. If it happens, so be it. He would think about it later, worry about it later.

In turn, Sakura did not deny Sasuke this. She had no instructions. No complaints and only clutched his sides with her knees until his own pulsing ebbed.

When he pulled slowly from her, Sasuke spared himself no embarrassment as he dipped his fingers into their conjoined ejaculations pooling at the base of her, her blood of purity staining his fingertips. Ever so gently, he turned her carefully onto her stomach.

He was going to mark what was his with what was his and hers combined, using the mark of what was his alone. His fingers found the center of her back and Sakura gasped as he ran two fingers in a circle, the trace of the Uchiha crest becoming distinct in the faint illumination of the cavern. The crest, an uchiwa fan, never belonged on any Uchiha’s back the way it did on the woman of his choosing, the woman that Sasuke Uchiha loved.

“What are you doing?” Sakura gasped, the realization of what he was doing dawning on her through the haze of her post-orgasmic state. “That symbol--“

“Making my vow to you in this underground temple,” he whispered unapologetically as he finished the masterpiece, never as sure of any other words he had ever spoken to her before. “I told you what this would mean. That there would be no going back.”

He laid down on his stomach beside her and Sakura’s green eyes widened. She let out a whispered, “What? What are you saying right now?”

He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into him, not retracting his statement despite her effort to give him a chance to take it all back, to clarify. “How do the words go?”

Sakura broke into a sob as she buried her tear-streaked face into his neck and murmured, “I am yours. And you are mine?” He can tell she can’t even believe this promise he was making her to be true. Because she had dreamed of it all her life and now it was happening.

“Those ones.” He leaned forward and kissed her softly, suddenly sorry for the relentless pace of their first time. All the slow and tender kisses he had skipped. He would make up for them now, in the blue green, insect glow of after. He would make everything up to her, including all his previous wrongs, in all the ways only a lover could, a husband.They had forever, didn’t they, even if it would be few and far between. A life with her was no longer a mirage in the desert. What was the next line? Ah, “Until death,” he announces to the air around them, voices it aloud for her so she will never forget the memory. He rubs the center of her forehead with his thumb. “Good thing that stars take forever to die.”

Chapter Text

Just when Sakura thought the insect-glow induced spell might diminish or expire between them, she glanced over her shoulder as she bathed in the warm cave waters to see that Sasuke watched her from the bank. He sat familiarly reclined with an arm over his knee, and where Sakura might have expected his countenance to have once again returned to the smooth planes and carefully composed eyes of guardedness, she sucked in a breath to see an expression wholly new to her. His mouth was parted in a silent reverence as he beheld the cleansing paths her hands traced over her collarbones, down her neck and through her hair. Had she even thought Sasuke capable of looking at another human that way? Well, it lasted until she reached up and over her shoulder to run water down her back, right between her shoulder blades where Sasuke’s fingers had traced the Uchiha symbol. His countenance slipped, a frown of consideration deepening the lines between his brows.

Having an idea of his annoyance, she turned her back to him and smiled silently to herself when he stood, waded waist deep into the starry-lit water to join her.

“Washing already?” he murmured in that low Uchiha disappointment that told Sakura he was pretending to pout. And his faux ire at such a notion was pleasant enough to warm Sakura from within and she prided herself on her self-restraint in this moment, because she wanted to smile like an idiot until her face split at the creases of her lips.

With Sasuke’s strict abstinence of years and a single-sided willpower to outlast her own desires these last several months, Sakura was pleasantly astonished to discover that Sasuke Uchiha didn’t have such restraint in that moment. Turning her to face him, he stilled her efforts completely by touching his lips to hers. And the kiss was softer. Much slower than before. Like a whisper in a cave.

Sakura had always daydreamed about what sort of lover the untouchable Uchiha, Sasuke might be. She always expected him to be as Sasuke-ish about everything possible, including his love life. He would be the sort of man to keep his interactions with her formal in the public eye, respectable, reserved, and avoiding all physical contact that some couples easily flaunted for others to see. This was the reality that Sakura had long predicted and, therefore, accepted and did not anticipate Sasuke to be the sort of partner who, over the last couple of months, might secretly hold her hand while she slept, find excuses to be next to her, crave her touch in the private moments shared between them, and kiss her tenderly even after their bodies separated. As sad as that sounded, Sakura had predicted it, because despite how much she loved him, he was still going to be Sasuke, in the most adjective form possible of the word.

Which was why Sakura certainly had not expected the overwhelming passion of moments ago, the longing that passed between their mouths and the intensity of years’ worth of suppressed feelings into such a surmounting detonation. An explosion of celestial matter.

“It’s annoying,” he growled mischievously between their lips, tearing Sakura from her thoughts as she concentrated back on his current vexation. It had to be because Sakura had washed away the traces of Uchiha symbol he had marked between her shoulder blades. She laughed in response and continued to pull him deeper into the water, ignoring his attempts to stop her from erasing the evidence of his actions. Not even his devoted mouth making her breathless and his following steps as she descended into the river, was enough to prevent Sakura from completely submerging. And with her impossible human strength, she pulled him under after her.

Sakura saw his eyes widen in the dim glow of ethereal lights, and she grinned wickedly in return, just before complete and total blackness consumed them. The water was brisk but not freezing, the balmy cave already warming the new layers of flood water. In the depths, void of sound and light, she felt Sasuke’s arm twine around the dip in her spine, binding her body to his, and the lack of all other sensation made the grasping touch alleviate every nerve in her person. Like a healing salve to an old wound Sakura hadn’t even realized she still possessed, Sasuke’s touch was the remedy to every feeling of loss, every doubt, and confusion she had ever had in regards to him. His possessive touch that clung to her body like she was now an extension of himself made everything in the past suddenly forgivable even if what had happened wasn’t okay. It was forgivable because it brought them to this.

That look of reverence he had been appraising her with just a moment ago was completely replaced when they surfaced, an artificial glare of mild displeasure at being drenched completely eclipsing it. “Have I told you lately that you are the most annoying woman I have ever met?”

“Twice now in the last five minutes,” she giggled, wrapping her legs around his waist as Sasuke’s feet found the smooth underground surface once more. And that glare evaporated, turning back into veneration as Sasuke’s body reacted to her embrace. And Sakura realized that needed to say something now, before his knee found a chakra-controlled perch on the glassy surface of the water and he was pulling her up with him to take her between his body and the water below. She could see that he was already envisioning something of the sort in his mind.

“The last thing I want is for this between us to end,” she announced as she wound her greedy fingers through his wet hair—she had always imagined doing this very thing and it was so satisfying to finally be able to do so. “But we’re running out of time. I need to survey the area, and in the morning, I need to report to Katsuyu in Shikkotsu Forest and check on the men I’ve captured. Waiting for the off-hand chance that remaining members of Zenshin might discover our location won’t exactly get us anywhere.”

“You need food,” he whispered against her skin, and Sakura sighed as his wet hand slid up her back to reach the same spot where he had traced the Uchiha symbol earlier, giving up his quest and washing where she could not. She knew Sasuke would be sensible with her decision to move forward with her plans and reasoned that he would probably try to focus his attention back on his own mission of Kaguya once this electricity between them dissipated into a comfortable normal.

And as his words settled, Sakura realized she hadn’t eaten in almost forty-two hours and her stomach grumbled loudly to Sasuke’s victorious smirk as he successfully delayed their departure by a few moments more.

. . .

Sakura returned to the central cavern after a few private minutes to herself, the charred fragrance of something crackling over a fresh fire luring her from the enchanting tunnel of glowworms. The muffled roar of the waterfall was distant and had quieted significantly enough that Sakura could hear the crack of the fire as Sasuke roasted whatever little, unfortunate, and very possibly blind cave dwellers he had managed to find down here for them to eat.

“What are those?” she asked, crouching beside him to assess the row of tiny fish now charred and black on the skewers.

“Something between an eel and a fish,” he announced. “Neither and both. Living fossils only found in caves.”

Sakura raised an eyebrow as she investigated the freshwater fish. She couldn’t quite make out anything distinct about them now that they had been basically cooked to a crisp. Sasuke handed her a skewer and her ravenous appetite made her overlook the unfamiliar eel-fish quickly.

As she ate next to him, Sakura began to feel the contrasting shift in Sasuke’s demeanor. He ate silently, avoided her eyes, and kept the small space undisturbed between them as he stared off into the black beyond the illuminated circumference of their warming fire. Sakura stiffened in response, simultaneously annoyed at the change and nervous at its meaning. She searched his expression for any clue as to what he might be thinking and felt her stomach dropping the longer he refused to return her regard. Could a few moments apart have already cleared his mind and reset his determinations somehow? How could he go from “We won’t be able to go back from this” and “Until death” to being all hesitant again? Sakura halted her spiraling train of thought before she came crashing down like one of the stalactites hanging off the ceiling. Maybe it was something else and she just needed to address him directly. That was healthy, wasn’t it?

“What’s wrong?” she blurted. “You’re overthinking things aren’t you?” She was frightened that he would answer that with more silence or even worse, a declaration of how he had thought about what had happened, decided it was a mistake, and had changed his mind. But he laughed instead, that small, signature hmph of ejected air that had Sakura sighing in relief.

“There’s no going back now, remember?” she continued teasingly, capitalizing on his small sign of amusement at her words. “Because It’s too late to mope and reconsider how you’re not the best for me and blah blah blah.” She would do what many women often did when faced with uncomfortable couple confrontations. She would call him out on his thinking, his pattern of behavior that signaled her anxiety, and disguise it as a lighthearted chastisement and reminder. “We get to choose each other.”

“I meant what I’ve said,” he answered seriously before rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as he fumbled for the words that always tangled in his throat. “But, I was irresponsible earlier and—I am sorry. What do I need to do for—Do you need anything?”

Oh. That. Sakura's face instantly reddened at the words, because she immediately knew what he was referring to and what exactly he had been hung up on until now. There were no precautions taken in the moment, and Sakura didn’t know if Sasuke’s questions were because he was worried Sakura might be angry about his carelessness after the fact, or worse, he might fear the possible consequences of such an impulsive choice.

Sakura assessed his own flushed face and he looked away again, firelight-reflecting eyes revealing the warring predicament she hadn’t been able to decipher up until now. She looked down shyly as well when she answered him.

“You don’t have to worry,” she whispered, genuinely hoping to ease his concerns even if a small part of her wished he didn’t have any. “I had prepared before… before the brothel. Just in case.”

And as his eyes snapped to her face, Sakura saw him set his jaw in understanding and trap the words he was holding there. Sakura didn’t make any adjustments to her phrase or retract her statement, because it was the truth of it, and even if it wasn’t the exact answer he cared to hear, she hoped it would be enough reassurance for him. Before Sakura had left Sunagakure, she had prepped the bag of contraceptives, taking several doses before handing over what was left to Tabi, the girl Sakura had entrusted the supplies to before she left. She hadn’t planned on using her body as Sasuke had originally feared she meant to do, but Sakura also wasn’t naïve to think she might be completely untouchable despite her claims to Sasuke that she was. As a woman, physician, and ninja, she wasn’t going to be unprepared walking into a brothel; she had also reminded herself that it would be a wise choice to get started on them anyway after expressing her desires to Sasuke about being more. Regardless, the contraceptive had been taken and the doses were supposed to last months per measurement, so Sakura wasn’t too concerned about her and Sasuke’s actions tonight.

When Sasuke stiffened and made to angle his body back toward the fire, Sakura reached out for his hand and gently grasped his fingers, a now special form of communication between them. In the beginning of their traveling together, the tender touches between them had been the first blessed crack in the ice constructed walls of Sasuke Uchiha—the big bang initiation that led to the them of now. And she hoped the gesture would work for her again as she used it once more to bring him back to the warmth they had discovered together behind those walls.

Sakura focused on her courage, fighting to have the desire to stay on the topic while it was before them. Even if her preservatory instinct was to move on from the subject as quickly as possible, Sakura knew that the mature, responsible thing to do would be to discuss it. Thoroughly, so that they could come to an agreement, find common ground, and try to be on the same page heading forward. It was a condition to their partnership that they had long since established: communication.

“Sasuke, I understand if you don’t want a family right now.” And he was looking away from her again as he, too, struggled to overcome the new discomfort of serious “couple” conversations between them. Sakura’s heart panged as she thought that maybe this nervousness meant that Sasuke Uchiha would never want children, even with her. She told herself to breathe, and not jump ahead, but she couldn’t resist voicing her fear: “Do you never–"

“It’s not a never,” he shuttered, finding her eyes with his own. “It’s just—my mission concerning Kaguya is unforeseeable.” He found her eyes and looked down when he saw the sadness his response instantly elicited in her face. He rushed to add, squeezing her fingers back. “But I promise to fight for that future. I’ll find the Otsusuki race. I’ll make the world safe so I can come back to you.”

Sakura nodded, her heart still feeling unsettled at such a promise. She reminded herself that by choosing Sasuke, she was choosing him and him alone. She wouldn’t force him to abandon his goals in order to be a husband and a father. “Even if we spend our lives like orbiting stars, passing one another in the night,” she had promised. “The miniscule amount of time I spend next to you will be more than I would want with anyone else.” It was her own vow to him, and Sakura had never meant truer words. Sakura knew what this life meant, and she could tell by the look on his face that he was worried, already concerned that she was regretting. And maybe in her heart, she was disheartened that their reality would be a difficult one. Sakura would be sacrificing several dreams, and she would have to make her peace with it all in time, because despite it all, she wanted Sasuke more than anything else. She also wanted a peaceful future, and Sasuke was the only person, in a combined effort with Naruto’s future leadership, capable of ensuring that it came to pass by fulfilling his side.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered as he shook his head, and Sakura saw him steel himself with a breath before forcing out, “I’m already sorry for so much. I think I’ll live our entire lives being sorry, Sakura.”

She gently squeezed his hand and shook her head as well. “I meant what I said too. I want this life with you, whatever it looks like. And of course, I eventually want a family with you, but only if that’s what you want, too. It comes second to everything else. Or not at all. Okay?”

He nodded in obvious relief and, to Sakura’s continuing list of surprises, pulled her to him. Her hands found his chest to brace herself and he inhaled the scent of her hair, whispering an apology in the crook of her neck. She kissed his lips sweetly with a comforting smile, but Sasuke took advantage and kissed her again, fervently, tenderly, consolingly in return. And Sakura decided to let him push her to the ground beneath him where his hand slid up her thigh. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Sakura made the connection that Sasuke’s conversation skills were barely adequate, but that in the private moments between them, he would choose to compensate for it with the language of bodies. This, too, was not what Sakura had expected, but it made sense that the stoic, awkward Uchiha might choose to express himself with the dedicated dialect spoken with the only other person who could receive, comprehend, and appreciate that language. With her legs tossed over his shoulders, and her fingers in his hair, and Sasuke’s head between her thighs, Sakura submitted completely as he made her forget her current and future grievances. He devoted his apology to her body like an act of repentance, and Sakura decided she would take him, take the man who promised a lifetime of regretful apologies, if this was his method of atonement. Sakura didn’t know that apologies could come in the form of slow arousals, roaming tongues, and¬¬—holy shit, suction. The sound of his own name from her mouth was the only verbalization of forgiveness that Sasuke needed in their mutually exclusive vernacular.

.

.

.

Sasuke was a fucking idiot. He had thought this to himself as he fisted each and every eel fish coasting below his feet, as he tried to explain his thoughts to her about starting a family, and even now as he stared at her back as they lay tangled together in sleep for the second night. Adding to the list of self-deprecations, Sasuke cursed himself for foregoing the Uchiha symbol on his clothing several years ago as an act of penance. At the time, Sasuke had felt that in order to preserve whatever was left of his clan’s dignity, he needed to part with wearing the symbol until after he felt properly atoned. He didn’t want his past and image to represent the Uchiha, furthering the disgrace of his clan in the eyes of those who knew their history or was learning of it for the first time. But as he had traced the symbol between Sakura’s shoulder blades, Sasuke had had the realization that Sakura, the only other person to bear the Uchiha name, was now going to be the new face representing their clan. In contrast to himself, Sakura had always been unwavering in her goodness, unblemished by wrongdoings, and righteously leading a new generation of mental health advocates and creating new healthcare standards. Her reach would know no bounds and there wouldn’t be a better individual walking this dimension to wear the Uchiha crest, to start a new history associated with it. It wouldn’t be Sasuke leading the Uchiha clan into the future; it would be her.

Which is why he was cursing himself now for not possessing at least one article of clothing with his crest so that he could be staring at her back in the firelight as she boasted the mark that identified her to the world as an Uchiha and as his. Did that make him a possessive bastard? Probably. But it was an Uchiha trait to be so and Sasuke was more Uchiha in both good and bad senses of the word than many before him.

And, he thought privately to himself, if his actions of last night bore the natural consequences, there could be two individuals aside from himself demonstrating to the world what the Uchiha could be. Which is why he was a fucking idiot. Because fuck, he wanted that reality as much as his next breath of oxygen. He wanted to be staring at his family’s backs as a miniature raven-haired child clung to his wife’s hand through a busy Konoha market street. It was why he had made a mistake last night, choosing to recklessly chase his high with abandon because it was the dream he wanted—knew that at the end of the day, was what Sakura wanted too. And that’s why it had devastated him to make that apology to his new wife, prepared to do what he needed to do to not force the responsibility of a child on Sakura alone while he had no choice but to continue on his mission to find those who Kaguya feared, the rest of the Otsusuki race.

He had even fucked up that apology, incompetently trying to form the words. How did he tell the woman he had just tied to himself in a cave of stars that he fucking wanted to watch her grow heavy with the swell of his child while simultaneously dreading the reality of what that would mean for her. And for him. He would miss it. He would miss all of it. He had promised Sakura a fifty-fifty partnership, and Sasuke had only just realized how badly he would fail that promise.

And these thoughts continued into the morning as the fissure in the ceiling went from boasting the brightest of stars above them to the thin purpling stripe of summer dawn, and Sakura rose from their tangled sleep, a new set determination in her shoulders to handle the members of the organization she had sent days ago into the home of her personal summon, Katsuyu.

“What’s your plan?” he asked as she turned to face him, triple folding his borrowed black trousers along her hips to make them fit better. They still hung loosely around her calves and she rolled the arms of his long sleeved shirt until the cuffs were chunky and hit her wrists exactly. He raised an eyebrow appreciatively knowing that Sakura was just making do, but the vision of her sporting a modified version of his attire sent his mind back into a perilous orbit.

“You’re not going to like your options in my plan,” she announced, oblivious to his wandering eyes.

That statement was more than sobering and it instantly put Sasuke on guard. He frowned at her.

She swallowed before saying, “You can stay here and focus on your—"

“Don’t finish that sentence,” he bristled as he interrupted her, getting really tired of hearing that phrase come out of her mouth—even though he had been the one say it a million times before this. He guessed that he deserved to hear it as often as he had said it. “I’m going with you.”

The absolute irony of his words hit them both immediately as he said it.

The pink-haired kunoichi laughed and rubbed the back of her neck as she bluntly said, “Then your second option is to be very still while Katsuyu swallows you whole, and I release her summoning back to Shikkotsu Forest. It’s the only way for you to get there. Just like the rest of them.”

Sasuke’s eye visibly twitched. “And option three is?”

“You could walk, but it would take you weeks to catch up, not to mention how much work it would take to avoid the hazards of Shikkotsu Forest such as beasets, acid pools, and toxin seeping trees.”

Sasuke tried not to be miffed that she was suggesting it might be difficult for him to traverse Shikkotsu Forest, even though he had spent the last several years exploring similar dimensions, but he trusted that if she was saying that it was bad, then it probably very well was. “And you were planning on transporting these people back to Konoha, how exactly?”

“The same way I plan on getting you in and out.”

He groaned and she smiled innocently.

They had to get these people back to Konoha somehow. Not to mention the dozens of Zenshin members Sasuke had tossed into a dimension two days ago, telling them to begin their walk northeast for about thirty kilometers where they would find a stash of supplies Sasuke kept there to sustain them while they waited for his return. He hadn’t bothered to explain that if they weren’t at the designated spot, where the dimension spaces crossed with the Leaf Village, they would eventually die in that dimension. At the time, he hadn’t quite cared what happened to them in there, and he selfishly hadn’t spared them another thought sense. Sasuke supposed that it was a tiny reason to speed things along so he didn’t have any unnecessary victims, even if they did deserve it, at the very least, for not being able to follow simple instructions. He just didn’t want to have to explain it to Sakura.

And the next thing Sasuke knew, Katsuyu was being summoned and Sasuke was resigned to a slimy fate of the inching human-sized slug as it ascended his body. And that pink-haired woman of his had the absolute audacity to declare teasingly with a grin, “It would be easier if you were laying down,” but he only glared at her with his most severe displeasure, not having the time to respond or even scoff before the damn thing had consumed his face entirely. And as Sasuke was encapsulated in a bath of mucus, water, and salt—yes, it somehow got in his fucking mouth (probably when he lifted his lip to sneer at Sakura’s black-streaked cheeks and sadistic expression)—he realized with a newfound appreciation how endearing Aoda seemed in comparison. That was indeed one beautiful snake.

And within moments, Sasuke found himself on his back, eyes projected toward a tree canopy so dense, the light struggled to penetrate below, creating a blue-green cast that darkened the forest around him. Travelling from the aphotic void of the underground sanctuary of seconds ago to the ear-piercing hum of the insect and amphibian infested jungle of a forest, left Sasuke feeling deafened by the abrasive cacophony. In a satirical form of irony, Sasuke suddenly wasn’t so opposed to the slug form currently detaching itself from his face and ears. Katsuyu, the source and embodiment of healing itself, even left the Uchiha feeling more restored than before which made Sasuke just the tiniest bit sorry for his initial disgust towards the creature. He bit back his urge to say something in condolence to the beast who had no initial indication of his discomfort to begin with, so Sasuke bit his lip, feeling all sorts of confused feelings in that moment.

“Sasuke,” the slug spoke to him in her singsong of a voice, “Milady will be present shortly, appearing where my main body is two miles north of here. She asked me to deposit you here to help corral a man back to the central location. He has wandered to this location.”

Sasuke instantly frowned at the slug’s words. He supposed some silent conversation had happened between Katsuyu and Sakura in the minute it took to transport him. That, or this was some clever way to distract Sasuke while she took advantage of the distance he still had to traverse. Hadn’t the kunoichi just told him that the Shikottsu Forest was a hazard maze? Well, she obviously had more faith in his abilities than she had let on when discussing option three, the annoying tease.

Sasuke took in his surroundings more carefully, trees taller than the Hokage Monument towering to the sky as vines thicker than Aoda twisted up and around them. It made the forest where the Chunin Exams were held almost miniature in scale. Sasuke supposed it made sense that beasts of gargantuan size such as the three Sanin summons to have come from even larger habitats, environmental determinism and all that.

A thick fog hovered above the ground, and Sasuke stood and leaned his head up to view the treetops above, breathing in as he activated his ocular jutsu, the tomoes spinning into both red and purple eyes. With his dual dojutsu, Sasuke surveyed the area more closely, peering beyond the fog blanketed trees in front of him, where the treacherous swamp and pools of bubbling black acid threatened to pull him into a fiery oblivion like the siren call of an eternally burning river in hell. Sakura had been right to warn him of this place; she had personally encountered Kaguya’s acid-sea dimension, after all. Acid didn’t stop burning until it could be scrubbed from the skin. Falling in a lagoon of it would be the absolute worst of deaths. Sasuke moved forward, toward the chakra network and watery outline of the soul he was supposedly sent to retrieve. Approximately fifty meters beyond the trees in his immediate vision, Sasuke analytically watched the flickering figure before him, their heartbeat speedily beating as they stood erect, still, and unmoving.

Sighing, Sasuke moved toward the individual, slowly and silently, contemplating what exactly Sakura had expected him to do. It was indeed perilous, to navigate the small path that winded between acid reservoirs, and Sasuke’s footfalls were near silent as he proceeded with slow and deliberate caution. The physical form of Sasuke’s fixation materialized from the mist, a man who stood before one of the black, endless, gurgling acid ponds. The stranger’s back was turned to Sasuke and, unexpectedly, the man’s head tilted in Sasuke’s direction as he detected the Uchiha’s approaching presence. Sasuke raised an eyebrow privately at the man’s perceptiveness despite Sasuke’s silent footfalls. He had to be a ninja, then, without a shadow of a doubt, if he was able to sense him.

Sasuke took in the man’s appearance more carefully: tall, dark hair, a tailor-fitted suit as if he were some sort of mobster instead of a ninja. Of course, that suit now displayed various tears and holes, the wearable evidence of days in the Shikkotsu Forest. Was he missing a shoe?

“Reaper?” came his voice next, a resigned, melancholic breathlessness as if he were talking to himself rather than acknowledging Sasuke’s presence.

Sasuke was getting that sort of association a lot lately. If the world continued to sense him as such before they even knew him, was he honestly doing a well enough job redeeming himself? He shook the thought away.

“But I haven’t done it yet,” the man whispered again, just before toeing the pool of acid with is remaining shoed foot. He screamed instantly when the acid ate through the leather of his sole and found his toes. He bent, ripping the melting shoe away. Well, that explained the first shoe, then, Sasuke assessed. And then Sasuke’s gut was sinking as the man straightened his back, finding the resolve to do it again, and the entire situation started to make a lot more sense to him. Just exactly why Sakura had sent Sasuke to retrieve him. The slug had known what the man was planning, what was about to happen.

The man was going to jump—all in, at once. He bent, sucking in a loud breath as if he were about to dive. And then propelled his body into the air. And Sasuke’s Rinnegan was activating before he could even register his choices. And within seconds, Sasuke’s body had replaced the man with himself feet above the black abyss of acid, and now he was on the planned trajectory of the consequences of this man’s suicide attempt. And before Sasuke could even question whether or not a ninja might be able to direct chakra and walk along the surface of acid like they did water, the Eternal Mangekyo of his right eye was spinning, and the skeletal arms of his imperfect Susanoo shot out and braced their hands on either side of the acid pond. Sasuke sneered in the man’s direction after he righted himself and stepped down onto the bank and stalked back toward the man who now lay sprawled where Sasuke had just been standing seconds before.

The giant fist of the Susanoo shot outward, collecting the man into its glowing grip, the blazing yellow eyes of the Susanoo’s face inches from his own.

The man cried out in surprise, probably believing that he had indeed fallen into the realm that came after death. But his next words gave Sasuke pause. “Who’s there?” Despite the man’s initial fear, Sasuke suddenly realized that he wasn’t seeing the Susanoo at all. He felt the grip that held him, the crushing digits of the chakra-controlled entity, but he cast his wide eyes about as if not sure where he should be looking.

And then Sasuke saw it. The dirty bandage-wrapping that had fallen from his eyes at some point to rest around his neck like a prophetic noose. Because the man had been correct. It was the Reaper that had found him. Sasuke was going to finish the man himself because recognition hit the Uchiha in full force. He had seen this ninja before in the memories of that girl at the brothel. Before him was the ninja who had pulled Sakura into his lap and touched her black-dyed hair as if she had been his to do so. Rugo. That was the name Sakura had relayed to him over a campfire in a cave, and Sasuke had let the name sear a hole into his memory the same way the flames of that fire burned into his vision. He would never forget it.

“You were right the first time,” Sasuke smirked, gladly becoming that deathbringer of his fear, the darkness in the Uchiha like an incurable itch that he sometimes craved to scratch. Even though it was when he indulged himself, that he got into trouble, Sasuke still couldn’t resist the urge when it came to defending his friends.

“Uchiha,” Rugo breathed, more solid but still another fearful recognition coming from his lips. “You might as well be.” He grunted as the Susanoo’s fingers tightened as if they were Sasuke’s own.

“That’s right.” Sasuke confirmed, that characteristic drawl he used with his enemies coming back full force out of Sakura’s company. “You should have been faster. There’s nothing that burns like the black flames of Amaterasu. It doesn’t stop burning until there’s nothing left. The acid would have been a mercy in comparison.”

A steely calm came over Rugo’s face and Sasuke didn’t quite care for it. “I don’t know where she is. I had found her. Begged her to help me. And the next thing I knew, I woke up in this godforsaken place with those bastards for company.”

Sasuke registered his words with that signature “hn,” of acknowledgement, but nothing more. But internally, Sasuke was at war with himself. This was one of the men who had touched her. Sakura, his Team 7 teammate. And now she was more than that; she was his. This bastard had touched his fucking wife. The scene of that girls’ memories played over and over in his mind like his own personal hell of Sharingan genjutsu. But all he could hear was her. Those convicting words of her letter playing in his skull, still tucked against his chest as if it could be the second heart to operate and stand in place for his blackened one: ‘remember who you are.’ Damn, he really wasn’t trying hard enough honor his promise to himself, was he? Quite frankly, Sasuke didn’t want to. But Sakura’s order through the memory of mud and rain pounded in his ears as she yelled: “This isn’t who you are anymore! You can be merciful!” A declaration of weight whispered in a cave between bent heads came to him next: “You’re not a monster. Naruto and I will not let you be a monster.”

Sakura had sent him here. Knowing everything she did, the woman he loved still believed it was going to be Sasuke who would be the best between the two of them to retrieve this man. And he was suddenly very annoyed with her unwavering faith in him because it suddenly made Sasuke feel like he had to be worth that faith. Damn slug should have just left the issue—let the man do as he pleased.

Aw, fuck. Fine.

Sasuke sneered as he dropped the man to the ground before him, his Susanoo of chakra retreating back into the essence of him. The man scrambled to his knees and Sasuke turned and began to walk off before he changed his mind. “You’re very fortunate that the woman you speak of spared your life,” he drawled. “It’s the only reason I do now.” And after the wide eyed, unseeing man blanched, Sasuke added: “But by all means—don’t let me get in the way of what you were doing.”

The man nodded once, that serious, resolved expression returning to his ashen face.

But even as Sasuke put distance between them, his feet slowed when Rugo’s voice carried after him. “You’ve found her then. It’s the only way you would know how we got here. That’s good.”

Just keep walking, Sasuke told himself. Let the man do as he wished. He would tell Sakura that he hadn’t killed the man, at the very least. And what else could she honestly have expected of him? What was he supposed to do? Talk to him? She was delusional. Grab the stranger by the collar of his suit and corral him back toward her, the last person he wanted within a mile of her? Hmph. Unlikely.

“It must be wonderful,” Rugo exclaimed as he found a tree to lean back against. “To look at her. To watch that mouth and that hair.” The man let out a small groan. “I can only imagine it. She was the last woman I ever laid my eyes on. Not a bad view, for the last thing to see.”

Sasuke closed his eyes as the manipulative declaration designed to ensnare his rage hit his ears. And his feet came to an abrupt halt. He counted to three before he spoke next. “You really do have a death wish, don’t you?” Fucking bastard, testing his fragile resolve.

“You’re a fool to let her do what she did,” Rugo announced, and Sasuke wondered where all of a sudden, he found the fucking nerve. Probably was trying to get the Uchiha to run him through with his katana or burn him alive with unrelenting flame. “Now, Mozai will do more than just kill her. He’s vengeful, and he will make her pay for what she’s done personally. She’s done nothing but paint a bigger target on her back. And you let her.”

Sasuke had never been so tempted to laugh. As if he could stop that woman from doing anything she set her mind to. The two of them were alike in that way. “And if he ever dares to come close enough, he’ll see her back for himself and learn exactly who she is now and who he dares to fuck with.” Because Sakura Haruno was an Uchiha now, and he would soon show the world that. She would wear his crest. Their symbol. He had already decided it, but it was without question now. He would beg her if he had to.

Rugo laughed, and Sasuke turned to see him bend forward over his knees. “It won’t be enough.”

“Then tell me how to find him,” Sasuke drawled again. “I’ll kill him right after I’m done killing you.”

“I don’t know where he is. He could be anywhere. He is never in the same place, always moving.”

“There’s not a corner in this world where I have not been,” Sasuke told him. “I’ll find him soon.”

“That’s a relief. Good riddance.”

And Sasuke was a little curious to know why this man was even with them if he expressed hate for the leader. Rugo had said something about begging Sakura to help him? And Sasuke eyes flickered back toward the man’s bandages as Sasuke made the connections. He was blind. He was able to recognize Sakura in a brothel despite being so. She had been the last person he had seen before blindness… The war, then, Sasuke concluded. Rugo had been injured in the shinobi war.

“Is that why you’re set on killing yourself then?” Sasuke asked after a second of indecision. He was in the limbo of not caring, and being mildly curious simply because Sakura had been involved in some way. His interest was more along the lines of knowing one’s enemy and their motivations. “Because you lost your vision?” Sasuke scoffed cruelly.

“You couldn’t possibly understand, so don’t pretend that you do,” came Rugo’s angry accusation. “You’ve been blessed with the visual prowess of gods. You get to see the people you love.”

Sasuke sighed. He really wanted to just walk away, but for some reason, Sakura was always involving him with people who needed some sort of reality check. Sasuke wasn’t Naruto, but damn if he didn’t always end up in situations where he knew exactly what that idiot might say to these men. Something about joining him on his journey to bring peace to the shinobi world as if he were some sort of Saint to be followed. And hell, it had worked on Sasuke and many more, hadn’t it? Sasuke sighed in decided annoyance. Sasuke wasn’t inherently good like Naruto, but he had learned a few things over the last few years to draw upon for this speech. Especially in the last few months.

“I would give it up in an instant,” Sasuke told the blind man. “These eyes are a curse. They come with power and responsibility. If I could trade them for the life of peace that you could have, I would switch places with you this very second. Even with my vison intact, I soon won’t see get to see the people I care about most for a very long time. But if I were you, I could still hear her. Touch her. Not a second spent, would I miss these eyes and the mission that comes with them.”

And how true it all was. Because Sasuke had been literally blinded for a year after the war as he sat in a prison cell in Konoha with his eyes sealed and covered. But as he looked back on it now, it had been such a peaceful year, knowing that it was all out of his control and it was alright to do absolutely nothing for a year. And then she came. Every day, without fail. Just as his friend had attended his bedside in their youth, Sakura had come to visit him. She was only allowed forty minutes to check on him as a physician, and they didn’t talk much at first. But damn, if it didn’t quickly become the forty minutes of every day that he looked forward to. Now, he realized it might have been the only thing to carry his sanity out of that endless darkness.

If he were blind like Rugo, then maybe he could be present. His lack of power would make it so. The job of hunting down the Otsusuki race would fall onto someone else’s shoulders. And in exchange, maybe Sasuke could be there every day. Wake beside her every day. Touch, taste, fuck, and hear her tell him that she loved him over and over. Have children with her. Hold their tiny bodies against his chest as he whispered his own declaration of love to them. Every. Day. Even if he had to tolerate Naruto’s nonsense daily for the rest of his life, it would be worth it. He would be the better man, and leave the fallen Sasuke behind.

“Get up. Come to the Leaf. Live a simple life. And if you must be ambitious, fight with us to create a world of peace for the next generation.”

And as Rugo’s sightless eyes filled with tears, Sasuke felt a little more like Naruto. Because he meant those words.

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“Took you long enough,” one of the men spat in Sakura’s direction as she stared down the twenty-seven individuals who were now looking back at her as an enemy; there was a narrowing of the eyes, a hesitation in their shoulders, and the erratic exchanging of nervous looks, that was not displayed back at the brothel when they merely thought she was an instrument of sex. In the span of a few days, she had taught them the mistake of underestimating someone.

They were gathered around a campfire, cooking some poor scrap of a thing they had managed to catch in these woods. They should consider themselves lucky that they hadn’t become the meals themselves here. If not for Katsuyu’s looming gargantuan presence nearby that warded away other predators, they undoubtedly would be. Many of them appeared haggard around the firelight and the dense tree coverage combined with the dimming sky already gave the appearance of night. Owls of monstrous size hooted in the distance, already eager for the night and the prey it would bring them. The members of Zenshin, in contrast, did not seem as keen. They sat huddled together as if in perpetual watch for whatever beast might pay them a visit tonight.

“I’m sorry,” Sakura smiled brightly despite their stabbing glares, “afraid of the dark, are we?”

There were murmurs of varying degrees of bitterness and disbelief. There were even some choice words Sakura ignored completely as she moved into their company. They were like wolves, snapping and growling as she got near them, and like wolves, a few of them decided to charge her.

The first man, the loudmouth of the group whose person Sakura had originally aimed for first back at the brothel, and then used his identity to fool his friends later, boldly sprinted in her direction. With murderous, bloodshot eyes and a gaping mouth, he brought his open hands together at the thumbs as if he meant to choke her, but Sakura quickly remedied his mistake. Her foot shot out, her monstrous strength sending him hurtling into the gigantic tree in their immediate proximity. There was a crunch and a splintering of wood, and Sakura felt more sorry for the tree than the man who would walk away fine after she healed him. Sakura couldn’t say the same for the poor, hollowed out tree. She winced, already prepared to apologize to Katsuyu for the violation of the sacred forest.

“Araki!” came a feminine screech as the man slid down from the tree like one of Katsuyu’s many slug divisions, and he crashed to the forest floor with a groan. Recognizing the voice who had called out to him, Sakura quickly identified the white-haired, Boil Release Kekkei Genkai ninja whom Sakura had battled with days ago. She stood from where she was sitting among the men next to the fire and she pointed an accusing finger at Sakura as she screamed, “You bitch! That wasn’t necessary!”

“Hello, again,” Sakura waved and the girl growled as she fisted both her palms with radiating fury. “Mind if I sit?” Sakura asked unbothered, before coming as close as she dared to the group, a body’s space away from the fire and sat crisscross as a large scroll materialized with a poof in the palm of her hand. She unfurled it, a white, encrypted document that served as a dividing line between them.

Staring back at their blank, confused expressions, Sakura got straight to the point. “This is the warrant for your individual arrests by both Sunagakure and Konoha as declared, signed, and sealed by the Fifth Kazekage and Seventh Hokage respectively. Each of you will receive a minimum of ten years in either correctional facility on the account of trespassing, kidnapping, attempted murder, or at the very least, illegal engagement in sexual acts for compensation.”

As she spoke, the outrage grew loud again but it fell on deaf ears as Sakura continued to read the document.

“However,” Sakura added with the snapping of the scroll as it tightly retracted back into form. “You will be given the choice of where to serve your sentences.”

The outrage quickly grew to silence as Sakura modified the original, documented warrant with her own condition.

“You can serve your various sentences back in Sunagakure, where the Kazekage eagerly awaits you. While serving your sentence, you will become potential new test subjects for the Kazekage’s new Mental Health clinic, and simultaneously perform excavation indentures to further create the sand dungeons you’ll be staying in.”

Their faces paled, so Sakura informed them of their second choice. “Or, you may return with me to Konoha where you’ll quickly be enrolled in the Mental Health clinic already established, perform community service, and also qualify for parole based on good behavior and reform. Those are your two options.”

And of course, there was always that wise guy who had to add: “And what makes you think we will go willingly to either?”

“You see,” Sakura smiled again, leaning back on her arms as if she were content to rest there. As if it were just another night around the warm campfire for Team 7 as they traveled for a mission. She gestured to the buzzing forest around them that grew darker by the minute. “Coming with me will be the only way to leave this place. You’re more than welcome to stay here and try to find your way out on your own. But I wouldn’t recommend it.”

They carefully considered her words after that. They exchanged petrified glances and shook their heads at one another.

“Perfect,” Sakura clapped her hands together in artificial delight, retrieving a separate scroll from thin air and an ink brush followed after, plopping onto the ground as it was summoned. Sakura unfurled this one too, a red blank document that she instantly divided down the center with the following two headings: “Konoha” and “Sunagakure.” She glanced over their shoulders to regard Araki first, who still lay unconscious in front of the tree he had been hurled ungracefully in to. She wrote down his name first and said to herself: “Araki, Konoha.”

“You can’t choose for him!” seethed the white-haired female who had returned to a seated position at some point, but still stared into Sakura’s person as if she could boil her alive just from staring at her. Sakura made a mental note to stay out of touching distance from her. This girl didn’t seem the type to retain information from the lessons others taught her.

“I can,” Sakura responded, “because he is going to need medical attention and will need to come with me in order to do that. Should I mark him under ‘Sunagakure,’ instead? If he lives from that, you can explain why you made that decision for him.”

The girl didn’t respond and so Sakura left it. “Ok then. Who else chooses Konoha?” There was a hesitation at first as no hands were raised. But a motion in the back caught Sakura’s attention. Not looking at her directly, a man sporting a familiar red, hooded cloak raised one of his mutilated and scarred hands. Sakura winced as she recognized the man who had attacked her, groping at her body before Sasuke ignited him with black flames.“Remember that I spared your life,” she had said to this man after interfering in Sasuke’s torture-attempt, and Sakura didn’t know if he raised his hand now because he felt indebted to her, needed further medical attention for his hands, or something else. But it didn’t matter, because like the first rain drop before the torrent of many, his hand was followed by the others.

Sakura placed a fake frown on her lips despite her internal relief. “Not a single person wants to attend Sunagakure? Gaara is going to be so disappointed.” And Kakashi, she thought to herself, when he realized he was about to gain twenty-seven new fugitives to care for. She could already imagine the Hokage’s slack jawed surprise when she showed up with them tomorrow.

Not a single voice responded, and Sakura grinned as she stood and dusted the forest floor from Sasuke’s oversized slacks. “Well, that’s settled then. We’ll leave first thing in the morning.”

“Morning?!” someone called out. “Why not now, before the sun sets?”

Sakura looked around as if she had only just noticed it was growing dark. The crickets of nighttime began to chirp, large amphibians exchanged mating calls, and some growling beast began its nightly prowl with a roar in the distance. “I think one more night will be good for you.” Just to remind them of their choices.

And with impeccable timing, something he always managed to seem to have, Sasuke emerged from the woods behind her. His red and purple eyes seemed to glow from the shadows as if he, too, were some nocturnal beast of the Shikkotsu Forest come to pay them a visit. He stalked forward like a panther until he stood beside her. Those who might have had anything to say grew wide-eyed and gasped at his arrival, not coming to recognize him even as he stared each of them down. His gaze flickered to the red-cloaked individual in the back whose hands he had decimated, and his eyes seemed to rest on him longer than the others.

“Did you find him?” Sakura asked the Uchiha and his eyes reluctantly slid to hers in the darkening woods. He dipped his chin in a silent nod before gesturing behind him with a tilt of his head. Slowly, as if moving at a much slower space, Rugo stepped out of the trees behind them. At his appearance, the voices around the campfire picked up once again and they mocked, belittling the man who had made promises of walking into the woods and not returning. One man even went as far as saying, “Should have been a man and gone through with it, Rugo. Mozai will kill you anyway—” but he stopped midsentence and began screaming. The rest of the group panicked, scattering like cockroaches away from the individual, trying to identify the source of his torment.

But as Sakura glance to her left and saw Sasuke’s Sharingan, she knew instantly that it was him, taking it upon himself to silence the man with a torturous genjutsu. After the screaming continued for longer than what made her comfortable, Sakura sent a pointed look to her teammate. The shrieking died after that, but Sasuke added for good measure, “Be quiet. All of you—before you piss me off.”

Rugo didn’t stop until he came within a few feet of Sakura, and even though she knew he couldn’t see her, he stopped and stared at her as if he could, as if by sheer will alone, he might be able to. Sakura held his unseeing eyes as she chewed her lip in thought about how she might be able to help him through this more, before he silently turned and headed back toward the fire, sitting alone and far away from the group. He looked morose, haggard, and was he barefoot?

“I’ll be right back,” she informed Sasuke who turned to follow her anyway. She thought of asking him to stay behind and keep watch over the group, but she thought better of it. She had informed them of their options. They were free to make a run for it…if they dared to.

“Where are you going?” came Sasuke’s peeved, clipped question once they were out of earshot. She rolled her eyes even as her medical mind whirred and calculated. Despite the gloom and perilous nature of The Shikkotsu Forest, it was also a goldmine, a plethora of hard-to-obtain plants and fauna that made Sakura’s eyes sparkle in delight. Now, some of these things were rather tricky to get your hands on, but it made them all the more tempting.

H. Perforatum, for example, a yellow-flowering shrub that grew tangled at the base of large trees, was highly sought after for its medical properties; Shikkotsu Forest supposedly had it in abundance but no one dared to face the Shikkotsu Forest just to get their hands on it. Unfortunately, the trees here also often oozed toxic, milky-white sap that blistered the skin on contact, which would make the extraction complicated. But Sakura didn’t tell Sasuke that as she circled several bushes like one of Kakashi’s scent hounds on the trail.

“I’m looking for a plant known to help with depression. I’d like to offer it to Rugo and see if it can be help to him.”

She didn’t see Sasuke’s blink of surprise, but she felt it in his silence. She knew he didn’t care enough about it to ask further. At least until she snatched her hand away from a tree just in time before a sizzling dewdrop of white fluid fell from a branch, narrowly missing her fingers. Sasuke frowned at her and she smiled innocently while moving on to the next tree.

“Leave it,” Sasuke said as he peered up at the trees with a newfound trepidation. “He’s fine now.”

But Sakura discounted his words, plowing on until she saw it: the blue-green leaves and the bright starshaped, yellow flower clusters that Sakura had been desperate to get her hands on since she formulated the plan of coming here. It would be revolutionary in its use with her Mental Health clinics. And as she bent to pluck them greedily, she glanced above her head to watch for falling sap, but was surprised to find the purple hand of Sasuke’s Susanoo stretched above her. He stood cross-armed and aloof beside her, acting as if he had little regard for her tasks, but Sakura smiled to herself as the arm of charka reached out from his body with the intent to protect her from searing drops overhead. Seeing him do so reminded her of simpler times during their Genin youth, when Sasuke’s attitude was abrasive, but his actions always spoke his true feelings.

“Was it his permanent vision loss that made him want to do it?” Sakura inquired as she loaded the pockets of Sasuke’s oversized pants with yellow flora. Katsuyu told me he was in danger of himself, and I couldn’t think of why else.” There were millions of Katsuyu divisions spread through the forest, keeping tabs on all of Sakura’s charges, and the slug who had come to transport Sasuke to Shikkotsu had told her of the situation after Sasuke had been swallowed.

“Hn.” Sasuke acknowledged as she shifted beside her and she nodded, understanding that Sasuke might not give any more details than that. Sakura wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from sending Sasuke, but she had hoped he would be able to handle the situation better than she might even though it was her expertise. Maybe it was an instinct, knowing that Sasuke might be the right person to talk to someone who had lost his vision. He had been able to convince him somehow, and for that she was grateful.
Sasuke surprised her again when he spoke lowly. “I’ve told him to come to the Leaf and he agreed.”

“They’ll all be coming to the Leaf,” she informed him, popping one of the yellow flowers into her mouth, tucking it into the inside of her cheek to ruminate. It was both simultaneously bitter and pleasant; sort of like drinking Black Tea. It would be better brewed like a tea, but chewing would have to suffice for now.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her words. “And we’ll be taking the slug express back to Konoha, how, again, if you’re here? You left that part out.”

“Lady Tsunade is waiting for the signal. She’ll perform the summoning that will take us all back to the Leaf.”

“Hmph,” he smirked, not being able to hide his regard for her ability to thoroughly plan something out to this extent in the span of twenty-four hours.

Sakura may have been a medic, but she was a ninja first. She wasn’t a mastermind strategist like Shikamaru, but she could hold a candle to many team leaders of her generation. A small pang of regret filled Sakura’s chest at the thought. She would never have a rookie team of her own to lead because she had dedicated her life to medical science.

Knowing that she wouldn’t get the chance once they returned to the watching eyes and glaring scowls of their group, Sakura daringly stood up on her tiptoes and kissed an unexpecting Sasuke chastely on the cheek, before turning to return to the campsite. At his reddening expression and clearing of his throat, Sakura smiled innocently, those hands coming to rest behind her back as she leaned forward and tilted her head, a habit leftover from girlish youth. And maybe she was interpreting things, but the Susanoo didn’t disappear from above her head until they were well away from the deadly trees, and to Sakura, it was all she needed in return to know that Sasuke was expressing his own form of love back.

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In the dead of night, when the detainees had all passed into sleep, Sasuke kept his eyes trained on them, making sure that their heartbeats and cadence of breath signified genuine sleep. To his surprise, it seemed no one had any indication or plans to run. Not that he cared in particular, but it still didn’t ease his uncertainty. He wondered what Sakura had offered them to get them to go along with their sentencing. Regardless of their snoring and dream-filled twitching—which could easily alert prey to their presence; he didn’t know how they could even sleep knowing where they were—Sasuke didn’t trust them. Despite Sakura’s assurances, Sasuke still watched them as if he were the predator of their fears. Maybe that’s why they slept so soundly, knowing Sasuke was there to keep watch over them. Maybe it gave them some sort of security knowing that the man who protected the ambitions of their target-turned-jailer was there to ensure everything went according to the kunoichi’s design. Maybe, subconsciously, they knew Sakura cared about what happened to them at the very least, and as a result Sasuke was forced to as well. Perhaps it was the same factor that made them all choose to return to Konoha with her.

From a non-poisonous, outstretched branch, Sasuke watched two interactions initiated by Sakura on the ground below him. First, and expected, Sakura sought out Rugo, offering him the yellow flowers, explaining in whispers how to get the most out of the medicinal properties it offered. Saskue narrowed his eyes at the man, whom Sasuke still didn’t quite care for, as Sakura crouched before him and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder. He couldn’t hear her or read her lips with his Sharingan because her back was turned to him, but Sasuke saw that Rugo only nodded in response to everything she said and asked and kept his respectable distance. Smart choice on his part with Sasuke present.

Her second stop in the crowd below, however, had Sasuke leaning forward, his right eye glowing red as he made out the conversation below.

“Toka,” Sakura was saying, cross-armed as she stared down at the man who was reclined against a tree toward the back of the crowd. Sasuke recalled the stranger’s identity when she said his name, recalling the visions of the man clinging to the girl Sasuke had stolen the vision from. “We need to discuss something.”

“I don’t plan on discussing anything with you,” he sneered back at her, rolling his head back to the side to pretend to sleep against the tree roots.

“Tabi is pregnant,” Sakura deadpanned, and Sasuke could tell by her posture that she had adopted the professional voice of the physician. Toka’s eyes shot open with disbelief and his mouth went slack. Even Sasuke’s stomach dropped a bit at the abrasive announcement, suddenly feeling more empathy about the situation considering the context of his and Sakura’s conversation last night. No man would want to learn of his partner’s pregnancy right before facing a prison sentence.

When Toka recovered from the shock, he glanced nervously around at the others to see if anyone might have heard them. Sasuke could barely discern the furious whisper on Toka’s lips in response: “Why the fuck would you say that out loud in front of these people? You don’t understand the gravity of what you could have just done.”

“Does this mean you care about them, then? About Tabi and the baby?” she probed, unphased by his alarm. Sasuke wondered if Sakura did exactly what had triggered him just to assess his reaction.

“Why does it matter to you?” he asked angrily in a murmur, still trying to keep his words private between them.

Sakura turned her head in Sasuke’s direction unconsciously, and Sasuke’s eyes met hers, and she instantly looked away having realized what she’d done. And Sasuke frowned, because suddenly the conversation between his pink-haired teammate and the man sitting before her took on a new and uncomfortable context. Sasuke suddenly felt as if this were a personal topic for Sakura and she was asking from experience. As if she was hoping Toka would say yes, that he did care. That he would do anything to go back to the mother of his child and make their family whole. To stop his foolish conquests and ambitions and be the man they needed him to be. Sasuke felt himself go rigid as he waited for Sakura’s response.

“Because Tabi told me you were different. I’m hoping that’s true.”

“I would only bring them heartbreak and pain. They’re better off without me.” Sasuke winced as the words that could have been his own landed directly as a blow to his chest.

And then Sasuke knew. He knew Toka was not the only intended recipient for her next words. “They’ll be in more pain to know you had a choice and your choice wasn’t them. All because you thought you knew best. Because you thought you didn’t deserve them.” It may have been Toka’s first time hearing such words, but for Sasuke, it was another echoing reminder.

He only stared at Sakura’s feet, and so she said, “I thought it might change your decision to come to Konoha. I’ve said that I won’t stop anyone from running if they want to risk the forest. Someone with a family waiting for them on the other side might just be brave enough to make it.” There was no response as she walked away from him, surveying the group one last time before making her way to the teammate she knew observed her every step from above.

And when she came to settle in the treetop beside him, Sasuke couldn’t meet her eye. For the longest minute of his life, he held his breath as her gaze settled on to him. Slowly and with fearful anticipation, Sasuke glanced at her to find that Sakura had merely propped her back against the trunk where the branch met the tree and had closed her eyes to sleep. Sasuke wanted to reach for her, tug her against his chest as he had last night in a different environment of darkness. He wanted to tell her that he was sorry. To tell her that she was his choice because he was hers. But a family…it couldn’t be his choice right now. Not when he knew what was coming for them. Sasuke’s choice would always have to be his mission, but he prayed to whatever sentient being looked down on them, that he would find the Otsusuki race, eradicate them quickly, and get back to his life with his wife.

Sasuke stared openly at her as she slept and he knew her decision to do so was to not force an uncomfortable conversation on him in the moment. Not after the trauma of the day. Not after witnessing a man attempt suicide and the conversation that followed, or from overhearing her discussion about families and choices with Toka. The day had been full of discomfort, and Sakura understood the Uchiha enough to know that now was not the time to have another. It was an indescribable mercy. And why she made a damn good doctor and rising therapist.
And with this realization, Sasuke wondered when, in Sakura’s eyes, he had become like a patient with his own mental health needs as well. When did she start seeing him as someone who needed to heal instead of someone she needed to heal from?

And Sasuke thought back to pools of acid and black flames that never stopped burning. And he thought of Sakura, the star in the sky of his darkness who still eternally burned for him despite everything. And Sasuke wondered when exactly he had started to answer that burn with a fire of his own. Even if he were galaxies away, he would burn eternally for her, too, just like the star she had likewise claimed him to be, an eternal black sun of Amaterasu.

Chapter Text

Sakura had been right. Kakashi had been positively miffed when Lady Tsunade and Sakura promptly reverse-summoned an entire group of ninja—via the slug express as Sasuke had so eloquently put it—and marched them all straight into his office at two-hours past sunrise. Kakashi and Shikamaru, who looked as if they had only recently returned themselves from their mini-vacation in Sunagakure, practically leaned over from behind each of their designated towers of late paperwork to drop their jaws in astonishment at the suddenly cramped room.

Sakura smiled guiltily, Sasuke ‘hmphed’ humorously, and Tsunade, who had insisted on coming along to see the Sixth’s reaction, cackled loudly and pointed a finger at Kakashi who, in return, frowned at the former Hokage with obvious envy about life on the other side of retirement.

Tsunade’s laughter grew louder when Sasuke didn’t hesitate to activate his Rinnegan and reveal another twenty-five fear-stricken members of Zenshin who clung to their reunited acquaintances. Sakura caught Sasuke’s eyes with her own when the newcomers recoiled from the Uchiha’s presence in obvious traumatic fear, and Sakura suddenly became highly suspicious that they had endured a torturous genjutsu for at least a small length of time before they had been ejected into another dimension.

Kakashi sighed loudly for all to hear and leaned back in his chair in disbelief at the increasing crowd of convicts. To Sakura’s amazement, they all looked down at their feet in the Hokage’s presence, even the loudest of them, quiet now that they were among five of the most powerful ninja in the Leaf Village. They hadn’t even met Naruto yet. They knew their inadequate skills and ninjutsu would get them nowhere here.

Sakura rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly as she pushed forward through the gathering of people who had been intent on killing her just twenty-four hours ago. Some sneered at her as she passed while the newcomers stared openly at her in shock. She felt Sasuke’s narrowed eyes on her back as she made her way through the pit of vipers.

“Please tell me you didn’t just bring fifty more criminals into my village,” Kakashi frowned at her. It was technically fifty-one, but she wasn’t going to add that additional number right now. It would have been fifty-two if they hadn’t woken up this morning to discover a member of Zenshin missing to the shadows of the Shikkotsu Forest. Toka had taken the risk after all, it seemed, rising at some point in the night to face the terrors within, gambling his life on the small likelihood he might survive the Forest for a chance at a future as a father. Sakura had silently wished him luck upon discovery, for Tabi’s sake, but she wasn’t going to be fool enough to provide him any sort of assistance—there was always the risk of him returning to whatever was left of Zenshin now, even though Sakura wasn’t too worried about it in the long run. She’d handle it as it came.

Kakashi continued his scowling reprimand. “I had thought at least half of this group would be going to Sunagakure when I signed off on that.”

When she placed the mentioned scrolls with each of their names and sentencing on his desk, and smiled again, saying, “I sort of gave them the choice,” Kakashi gave her the most affronted look he had ever given his student. She knew he was wanting to respond with something like ‘on whose authority?’ but then she saw his next train of thought cross his face, register behind his eyes, and evolve into acceptance with another resigned sigh. Team 7 was as close as Kakashi would ever get to having children; the three of them took advantage of their old sensei at every turn, especially since he became Hokage with much more influence at his disposal. Just when Sakura thought Kakashi would finally put one of Team 7 in their place, Sakura could practically see when Kakashi weighed the request and caved like an overfond parent, deciding that there was very little he wouldn’t do for the three ninja he had almost lost at one point or another in the past.

He pulled Sakura’s scroll across the desk like it was the heaviest thing in the world, unfurling it slowly, as if he dreaded the finality of the contents inside.

“I don’t know why you’re laughing Tsunade, since it says here that all twenty-seven—” he looked up at the assembly Sasuke had revealed—“double that, now—are to attend the Mental Health Clinic you are currently in charge of. In addition to any medical attention they might need beforehand.”

The laughter did stop then as Tsunade opened her mouth and swung her head in Sakura’s direction, obviously not aware of that particular clause in Sakura’s sentencing. Shikamaru laughed under his breath when the Fifth released a sigh to compete with the current Hokage’s.

Sakura just giggled lightly, continuing to blush deeply and smile guiltily at her two former masters. “Um, well I will definitely help with that this evening, Lady Tsunade. I’d like to check up on Isao, as well. He did make it back here with you guys, correct?” She easily got distracted when her mind wandered to a patient she cared deeply for. And it was Isao, the young boy she had gotten quite attached to over the past few months; she hadn’t been this emotionally invested in a while. It was easy to spiral when her work was involved, and Sakura sometimes found herself completely forgetting everyone else present.

“One thing at a time,” Kakashi sighed, turning to Shikamaru, who flinched under the Hokage’s sudden attention. It usually meant that he was about to have work to do—work that the Hokage was redirecting to him, and Sakura silently wondered to herself how anything got done between the two. And then she was thinking of Naruto, the soon-to-be Hokage-in-training, and was suddenly overcome with agita at the future ping-pong match of responsibility between the two laziest ninja of their year as Shikamaru continued his duty of chief aide to the Hokage.

“Shikamaru, please escort this caravan to the prison-hold, for now. Arrange for them to be brought food and water, and whatever basics can be provided for them while we assemble a team of medics to see to them. I’ll have to think of where to house and facilitate them in the meantime. Lady Fifth, do you mind assist—”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it,” Tsunade sighed, and Sakura laughed awkwardly at the former Hokage’s inability to take orders since she had been so used to dishing them out for five years. “Come on kid, let’s get this over with,” she said to Shikamaru, and he slowly rose to his feet with a sigh, mumbling something about his unfortunate lot with Hokages.

“This way,” Shikamaru waved them all behind him and they filed out after him like ants, Tsunade on their heels. They must have heard the rumors of the Fifth’s temper and strength, then, Sakura thought, as nobody took a step out of line. Sakura couldn’t believe her luck as a few of them even looked back to her for reassurance, fear of the change in warden crossing their features. On her way out the door, Tsunade gave Sakura the ‘You’ll-be-following-shortly-to-help-with-this’ look, and Sakura nodded out of the teenage habit of student compliance.

This left Sakura alone with a silent, brooding Sasuke in the back of the room, and a silent, exhausted Kakashi at the front. Sakura suddenly felt like an uncomfortable sandwich.

She cleared her throat as Kakashi stood and made his way around his desk to stand before her, placing a hand on her shoulder, a different, relieved sort of sigh escaping this time. “I’m glad to see that you are okay.”

Sasuke immediately scoffed to himself at that declaration, an ejection of air from his nose, and Sakura and Kakashi both looked over at him as he stood perched against the wall as still as if he hadn’t just made a noise at all.

Kakashi looked back to her, gripping her shoulder encouragingly before releasing her altogether. “Sometimes I miss the girl who fainted multiple times during that first bell test—where has she gone? She certainly isn’t before me, now. Hasn’t been for years.”

Sakura wanted to laugh at that and tell her sensei that if she remembered correctly, she was fainting because she thought Sasuke had been hurt and would probably do so again under more authentic life-threatening circumstances if they occurred in the future. And that she was still prone to fainting spells if she got worked up enough. But her sensei was giving her a compliment right now and she didn’t feel like reminding him otherwise at the moment. She smiled and thanked her sensei.

“Is this all of them?” he asked. “Is the situation finally settled?”

“Not quite,”Sakura confessed. “I never learned the exact number, but we might have more luck with interrogations this time. I do know that there’s still someone out there—a man named Mozai, and who knows how many more.”

“Gaara got the same name from the Shade,” the Sixth declared, and Sakura’s eyes widened, not ever having expected the Shade to be the one to give that up. Mako hadn’t been given the name at all. “We thought he was the leader at first.”

“So did I, until Mako told me otherwise,” Sakura confirmed, but remembered her shock when Mako had told her that the organization worked in cells similar to the Akatsuki, the Shade being in charge of those who had attacked her back in the deserts of Suna.

“We can investigate it further and send a team to handle it this time,” Kakashi reassured her. “In the meantime, I’m just glad the two of you are home.”

“No need. I’m sure they’ll either disappear or come for me eventually. And if I could handle the others, I’m sure I can handle a few more when the time comes.”

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, and she caught him glance over to Sasuke, whose stare she could feel straight into her back.

She cleared her throat, “If that’s everything sensei, can I be excused? I just want to check on Isao now.”

Kakashi nodded emphatically, gesturing for Sakura to go ahead and take her leave. She turned quickly, making eye contact with Sasuke before she made to exit. He wasn’t moving to follow her, and Sakura realized suddenly that he was intending to hang behind to talk to Kakashi on his own. Her stomach turned a little at that, wondering what he might have to say without her, but he nodded and boldly said, “I’ll find you afterwhile.”

And her mood instantly lifted, and she nodded back, trying not to grin stupidly in the presence of an everwatching sensei who always knew more than he should. It was like if Sakura smiled, then Kakashi’s sharingan-less eyes could still see straight through her like a parent who knew their child was keeping a secret. She cleared her throat and left them, saving her face-splitting smile for the hallway as she skipped to find Isao.
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Kakashi was back to sighing when Sakura left, and Sasuke’s eyes landed on him like sharp kunai. In contrast to Sakura’s ten-year change since the Bell Test, Sasuke was giving Kakashi that same hateful stare that made Kakashi reminiscent of the relentless youth who had always been determined, always had a purpose, and never really cared whether he came off as rude to anyone else. Kakashi was used to this Sasuke—had dealt with him a few days ago in the presence of the Kazekage.

“If I have to watch someone who I love die, sacrificing themselves for the sake of the Leaf Village, again, the person who I am now won’t survive it. What’s left of the shinobi world will either fall to the Otsusuki race in my absence, or it will fall to the person I will become. That will be its fate if you keep me here and she dies, Kakashi.” Those were the words Sasuke had used to manipulate the Hokage and Kazekage both when the Uchiha was being retained against his will. When Sasuke had uttered such words before the very ninja who had given him another chance, Kakashi had felt like a stone of foreboding had fallen into the pit of his stomach.

After Sasuke had been allowed to leave, a very tense discussion followed. Gaara had raised his concerns once again about Sasuke, to which Kakashi had no immediate response, because Kakashi, himself, didn’t know if Sasuke would ever be capable of turning on them all once more. He was unpredictable, the Uchiha. His attachments either tethered him to goodness or dropped him right into the depths of darkness. Kakashi had believed Sasuke to be returned for good, had taken up his self-sacrificial role of a journey of atonement in order to ensure that no threat could be posed to the shinobi world again. But Sasuke’s response to the situation with Sakura contradicted his very goal, didn’t it? Where did his allegiances lie? Who could guarantee that Sasuke would never fall again?

Naruto had apologized to both Gaara and Kakashi on his behalf, saying, “You don’t have to worry. He doesn’t mean that. He’s just upset and concerned. He and Sakura, they’re—”

“Don’t make excuses for him Naruto,” Gaara had responded. “Threats like that have to be taken seriously. Especially from him.”

“He’s not like that anymore,” Naruto insisted. “He’s under a lot of stress. Think about what we’ve asked him to do for the world. He thought he’d never get a chance to pursue a happiness like this. And now you’re letting Sakura go and face a threat to her life all by herself.” And then Naruto was glaring at Kakashi, too. “You taught us about teamwork, remember? That was our very first lesson from you, and you let her go alone. Has being Hokage made you lose sight of that? He wouldn’t have had to make that threat if you remembered that lesson yourself in the first place.”

And it had felt like a punch to Kakashi’s gut. Gaara had frowned as Naruto spoke and he had turned back to the Kazekage and added, “I’ll handle it. It won’t, but if it ever gets that bad again, I’ll be here to stop him. However many times it takes. I have already made that promise to him, myself.”

The conversations had ended after that. And Kakashi had holed up into the guest quarters of the Sand, staying through the night before making the trip back to Konoha. The jinchuriki was boisterous and loud for the sake of their tag-along, Isao, who nervously chose the path forward into a new land, carrying his entire life’s belonging in one rucksack. He looked to Naruto as a sense of comfort, but the following night, after Isao had fallen asleep beside their fire, Naruto had dropped his faux excitement and stared up into the stars a long time as he quietly kept to himself. The following morning, as they stood outside the A N gates, Naruto spoke his next request lowly. “Don’t tell Sakura,” Naruto had breathed between them, a hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. “Whenever she comes back, don’t tell her what he said. She deserves this newfound happiness with Sasuke. I’ll talk to him.”

And that had been the end of it. Until now. Because despite Naruto’s assurance and his promise to talk to Sasuke himself, Kakashi was feeling responsible again. As Sasuke’s sensei, Kakashi had taken him aside before, explaining to the youth how he, too, had already lost all his loved ones to the shinobi way of life and that Sasuke should give up on revenge. And now, he felt the need to remind Sasuke of the hard lesson he had thought the Uchiha had already learned.

“If you want to remain in the good graces of the Kages, you shouldn’t carelessly throw around threats. It wasn’t well received. Your reputation isn’t going to improve if you still come across as an insubordinate. Naruto and I had to do some damage control after you left.”

Sasuke scoffed aloud again, and Kakashi bristled when the Uchiha didn’t even seem to listen to the beginning of his lecture, falling straight into that sardonic voice as he said, “I hope this next threat is better received, because I don’t plan on breaking the habit today.”

Kakashi raised an unexpectant eyebrow at that statement. A threat to him? He shook his head as he prepared himself. He didn’t like where this was going.

“You sent her to a brothel.” Sasuke stated contemptuously, narrowing his only visible eye.

Ah. That. Kakashi supposed he would be hearing about this from one of the boys; hadn’t quite expected it to be Sasuke, though. Kakashi had hated that part of Sakura’s plan. Was very tempted to force her to stay with them in Suna when she had confessed it to him. However, as both a Hokage and someone with a very fair estimation of Sakura’s capabilities, the plan had made sense. He had full faith that she would be able to protect herself and execute her plan flawlessly. When Kakashi had raised concerns, Sakura did specifically tell him that the bathhouse was just a stage and she didn’t quite plan on performing the entire act that went with that stage. She had walked him through step-by-step of it. And he trusted her, as a medic, to be able to excute the anesthetic approach to captivation flawlessly.

“That was her plan; it sounded foolproof, and she assured me she would be safe. No one here is forced or asked to do that sort of thing for a mission. It’s been a thing of the past since Tsunade became Hokage. She made sure of it. Except for the rare occasion, on a voluntary basis—"

“It ends,” Sasuke drawled, interrupting him once again. “For everyone. Today. No matter the occasion.”

Kakashi sighed, feeling like Sasuke wasn’t quite understanding that his former sensei wasn’t saying he condoned Leaf ninja using their bodies as a means of success in a mission. That wasn’t what Sakura had been planning to do; it was the illusion of that to get inside.

“Or Naruto will hear more about Sakura’s recent mission himself,” Sasuke finished, finally delivering that threat he promised. And Kakashi really did feel more like a father than a Kage. An old man who had just had one troublesome son threaten him with the other, just as problematic, one. Meanwhile, the second son was yelling at him about sending Sakura (the daughter in this ridiculous scenario?) and foregoing all their training about teamwork. This entire thing made Kakashi feel like a figurehead, a reminder that Sasuke had begun his covert Kage rein long before Naruto would begin his official one, and Naruto, who acted like Hokage before he had even started. Not to mention Sakura forming plans on her own and expecting Kakashi’s approval to follow through with them. Ugh. If they only just saw him as someone to manipulate as they saw fit, then they should just relieve him of such duties and provide him the retirement check he wanted. But alas, he was still in charge. Kakashi loved the village and would die protecting it, but he knew the title of “Sixth Hokage” was a temporary placement holder until Naruto was ready to take over, and Sasuke and Shikamaru with him.

“I agree that it shouldn’t be allowed,” Kakashi informed him, just so there was no confusion about this topic. “Sakura was successful because of the disguise. She assured me she wasn’t going to go as far as that. I never would have let her go if she had.”

“Do you think she would have told you if she had planned it? She did more than she should have had to simply because she was in that situation. And that’s my point.”

“What did she do? You’re not saying—" Kakashi asked, suddenly feeling like his stomach was twisting violently. Would she have lied to him? Had Naruto been right? Had he just sent Sakura without a team into a situation Kakashi shouldn’t have?

“You don’t get to know what,” Sasuke hissed. “Because if I hadn’t followed her, then no one would know.”

Kakashi’s stomach turned again as he thought about what Sakura might feel obligated to do to complete a mission she had proposed herself because it had been about her. Would she have done anything to ensure it was a success? Would she have felt like it was her personal sacrifice to make in order to obtain the members of the organization simply because she was their target? A part of the Hokage’s duties came with giving orders and entrusting missions to the ninja the Hokage believed would deliver and follow through with those orders.

He looked back at Sasuke differently, then. Kakashi always thought he might be the one to know his students best in the beginning. But Sasuke knew a great deal more now about personal sacrifice because he, himself, had taken that road as his ninja path. Maybe Sasuke understood Sakura in her most recent mission on a level the rest of them could not, simply because it was his own personal convictions being mirrored back to him in the girl who loved him. Maybe it was that particular fact that had Sasuke braving to threaten the Hokage again, because he somewhat felt responsible for her choice. Sasuke was doing more than threatening Kakashi; he was asking him to stop Sakura in circumstances like this in the future. To continue to look after her as he had always done as her sensei. Because he was going to be gone and couldn’t do it himself.

“And why do you suddenly care so much Sasuke?” Kakashi prompted, already knowing the answer but wanting to force the Uchiha to admit it. It was the truth Sasuke needed to acknowledge outright before Kakashi confronted the Uchiha further. “Naruto, I could understand, but until two days ago in the Kazekage’s meeting room, you’ve always acted like you couldn’t really be bothered—”

“There’s no point in telling you what you already know, so move on with it,” Sasuke interrupted and Kakashi nodded thoughtfully. So, he was past the point of denying his growing attachment to Sakura. Kakashi’s thoughts returned to that ever-growing connection. Just a few days ago, Kakashi had been beaming with joy at having caught his two students together in a shared room in Sunagakure. But now, after Sasuke’s threat, the Hokage was concerned about it. As much as he wished otherwise, maybe the opening of the Uchiha’s heart wouldn’t turn out to be a good thing after all. Sasuke cared about Naruto. He cared about Sakura. But she had become something more over the course of the last few months at the very least, if not before that. He suddenly thought of Obito and Rin, and what Rin’s death had done to Obito.

Would a matter of a few months change Sasuke’s bearings and weaken his resolve about a peaceful future in a worst case scenario?

While Sasuke was complying with responses to his questions, Kakashi pushed further, “Naruto says that we don’t have to worry about the threat you made to the shinobi world in Sunagakure. Is that true? Being a shinobi comes with risks; Sakura is a frontline medic and more. There is always a gamble of her safety. As there is for me. And for Naruto, as well.”

There was silence as Sasuke stared beyond Kakashi and into the faces of the Hokage Mountain at his back. Kakashi wasn’t certain if Sasuke was going to even respond at first, but then he reached some sort of conclusion in his mind, “If Naruto exists, the world will never have to worry. We have the same goal. I will protect the Leaf. More so now than ever, I must find out everything I can about the Otsusuki. I’ve sacrificed everything for that.”

“Not everything, it seems,” Kakashi said aloud and Sasuke’s scowl deepened.

“Everything and more,” Sasuke corrected. “My future and hers.” It was a brutal truth that made Kakashi frown in contemplation. Being connected to Sasuke would bring Sakura a future of suffering and sacrifices of her own.

And then Sasuke was making his exit, excusing himself as he always did. And as Kakashi watched him leave, he thought of something else. Even more than Sakura, Kakashi was suddenly concerned about another unspoken factor. The Uchiha may not go to such lengths again on behalf of his current bonds, but the ultimate attachment to those who might be born from this “newfound happiness” between teammates—that might different. The loss of a friend is one thing. The loss of a spouse another. But the loss of a child was a pain more terrible than the first two. And definitely one to seek vengeance over. Would anyone truly be able to stop him then? But Kakashi didn’t say this aloud to Sasuke, hoping that Naruto would always be the insurance the shinobi world needed to keep the Uchiha in the light.

“Use the Uchiha compound,” Sasuke called back to him as if he had just thought of something else to add. “Build the clinic, the wards, or a prison. I don’t care. Whatever she wants, you can build it there, but put the Uchiha crest on it. I leave tomorrow to hunt down the rest of Zenshin, so there will be more coming if I don’t end up having to kill them, first.”

Kakashi rose an eyebrow at Sasuke’s parting words. The Uchiha had just given him permission to use his ancestral clan territory to expand Sakura’s professional reach and display the symbol of Uchiha pride once more. And told him he would have even more prisoners to take care of. Kakashi sighed.

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The sun was high and bright over the ninja academy when Sakura finally found Isao and Naruto. They stood just outside the red doors of the building, that leaf symbol towering above the entrance crippling Sakura with nostalgia as she approached. That same lonely swing hung from the tree just outside. She was glad to not see Naruto sitting in that swing anymore. Now, he was serving as a personal tour guide, introducing Isao to Iruka Sensei, who had been promoted from homeroom teacher to Konoha Academy headmaster. Iruka was teasing Naruto’s past behavior lightheartedly to which Naruto was guffawing loudly over or cheesing bashfully at the accusations. Konohamaru was also among the group and Sakura was shocked at how much he had grown as well. Full of reminiscent wistfulness, Sakura hung back a moment despite how much she wanted to rush to them. Isao’s wide smile was just as vibrant as the others and Sakura felt relieved to see him surrounded with a group of men who had a history of supporting and looking up to one another. It was such a contrast to the treatment he had grown up with, and Sakura’s concern for Isao’s adjustment to life in the Leaf lightened considerably knowing that this group of ninja would be there for him.

Isao’s small voice carried to her on the wind. “What if no one likes me? What if I am alone?”

And she saw Naruto crouch down in front of him and grab each of his shoulders. “Impossible. But even if they don’t like you, that’s okay. Even if you feel alone in the beginning, friends will find you.”

And Sakura heard Naruto’s reflective laugh before continuing, “And if they don’t come to you, you go to them. Find the person who is also alone, and in them, you’ll have a lifelong friend. My best friend is often still alone, but we find our way back to one another, because we are each other’s closest friend to this day. He needs to be punched occasionally, but he is a good guy.”

Sakura chuckled to herself at that, then revealed her snooping by acting as if she were catching Naruto in a love confession. “Never thought I’d ever hear you admit that aloud.”

And Naruto turned to her, looking as if he had been caught with his pants down. He rubbed the back of his head, “Oh, hey Sakura! Don’t tell Sasuke I said that, ‘kay?”

When Isao finally caught her standing there, Sakura raised her hand and waved, revealing her own jovial smile. The child abandoned the party and sprinted toward her like no child ever had. He clutched her around the middle and Sakura had to summon chakra to her feet just to keep from sprawling on the ground from the force of his hug.

“You’re here!” Isao was mumbling into her side, large tears brimming along his bottom eyelids and Sakura realized suddenly that despite his smiling, this was the moment where he felt safest and was letting all that pent up stress directly fuel that sniffling. Sakura hugged him tightly back, catching Naruto’s giant grin as he walked toward them with his fingers laced behind his head.

“I’m glad to see you well,” Sakura admitted to Isao truthfully, her own emotions beginning to make her throat swell. She did her best to swallow them, coughing out, “How are you enjoying the Leaf so far? Naruto isn’t pushing you too hard, is he? He can be a bit oblivious, so telling him directly is what always works best for the rest of us.” She teased her friend, who grumbled, “not you too, Sakura.” Iruka and Konohamaru were laughing again. Sakura waved at them, too.

“It’s so lively here,” Isao admitted. “It’s a lot to take in. But everyone has been so nice.”

“I was just trying to convince Iruka to take us all out for Ramen since it will be Isao’s first time!” Naruto confessed as he came to stand beside her. He nudged her with his elbow. “But it’s not working. Your treat Sakura?”

Sakura wanted to habitually threaten his life like she had always done as a genin, but found herself sighing and nodding instead. She’d buy Naruto a hundred bowls of ‘Miso Ramen with extra pork!’ just for the kindness he showed Isao in her absence alone, not to mention everything else he had ever done for her. And besides, the last thing she had eaten was a stick of slimy eel fish, so Sakura was beside herself with hunger. At Naruto’s ‘huzzah’, Sakura placed a hand on top of Isao’s head after he let her go and wiped his eyes. “I was just coming to retrieve you for a short health check, but let’s get you some food first.”

Together, the three of them headed for Ichiraku, and Sakura watched with a smile as Naruto explained to Isao what the best ramen order was. Eager to please, Isao did everything Naruto was telling him to do, and Sakura elbowed him sharply. “Let him pick out what he wants.” She grinned innocently when Naruto overdramatized his new pained ribs. But Isao only nodded his eager approval at the food when it finally arrived.

When Isao began to eat enthusiastically, Naruto elbowed her back privately, saying, “Congrats by the way. It was about time that you two—”

And Sakura’s hand found his mouth to silence him as she looked back to her left at Isao to see if the child had heard her obnoxiously loud friend, but Isao played it off as if he hadn’t, turning back to his food and slurping loudly. Perceptive child.

“Geeze, Sakura. I wasn’t going to say that, but that too, huh?” Naruto whispered and grinned cheekily and Sakura dropped her jaw in absolute shock at his bluntness.

“Na-ru-to,” Sakura seethed, steam to compete with the ramen once again coming fresh off the planes of her too-large forehead.

“Alright, sheesh,” Naruto sighed, raising two hands to ward off her temper. “I just wanted to wish my two best friends a lifetime of happiness together.”

“So now I’m your best friend, too? Not twenty minutes ago, you just told Isao that you had only one best friend. Being the third wheel is starting to get old, you know.” She pretended to pout with her chin in her palm.

“Doesn’t seem like you’re much of third wheel anymore, to me.”

And Sakura immediately asked, “What did he tell you?” Because Sakura was trying to fit the information together. Sakura hadn’t told him; she had confirmed it for Kakashi, but Naruto had purposefully been kept in the dark. She took a calming breath because she certainly hadn’t told anyone about how official things seemed to have become just in the last twenty-four hours.

Naruto glanced over her shoulder to catch Isao strategically ordering another bowl of ramen while they talked, and Naruto stopped mid-conversation to say, “Make that two, old man!”

And then lowly, he said, “I’m not as dumb as you two believe me to be. I have eyes, too, sometimes.”

“Emphasis on the sometimes.”

“I’m happy for you two,” he nodded, leaning across her to ask Isao if he had ever had Naruto fishcakes in his ramen, to which Isao had replied that he had never had ramen, which sent Naruto into hysterics. Sakura was near-hysterics herself because talking about her relationship status with Naruto was not on her to-do-list and it took her by complete surprise. She didn’t even know what to say.

“Thanks, Naruto,” she ended up whispering to him, “for everything you’ve done for Sasuke. And for me. You kept your promise, you know. You brought him back.”

“And I always will. You have my word.”

Sakura shook her head. She wouldn’t ever burden Naruto the same way she had as a genin. “No, I’ll never let you make that sort of promise again, Naruto. You have a family now. A baby on the way. I’ll be there for Sasuke now. Keep him in line. That sort of thing.” She grinned as she raised her fist in an illustrative threat.

But, in response, Naruto reached out an arm and clapped a hand on her shoulder. “We can take care of him together. Take shifts, since you’re right. I do have a baby on the way!” It was a celebratory statement, at such a volume that revealed that Naruto had reached his limitations on whispered speech for one evening. “But I’ll trade you night shifts when the baby gets here.”

Sakura laughed at that intrusive picture. An exhausted, dark eyed Naruto showing up on her doorstep with a baby in his arms and handing him to Sakura, while heading toward her room where Sasuke slept, curling up next to the Uchiha as if he were the baby that needed snuggling, except Sasuke was a prickly porcupine who would kick him straight off the bed. Maybe she could rope Kakashi into it somehow and it would be like Team 7 was raising a baby together. Well, when Hinata needed a break, of course. She wasn’t the sort to hog a newborn baby that didn’t belong to her—those sort of people were odd. But helping when asked—Sakura wasn’t bothered by that notion. She thought back to her and Sasuke’s mutual understanding about a delayed family start, if they even got that point. So, if Hinata felt up for sharing, Sakura would spend every night awake with her and Naruto’s sweet child. Unlike Naruto himself, this baby would be surrounded by a family who loved him.

“You’re having a baby?” Isao suddenly chimed in as he leaned across Sakura to talk to her boisterous shinobi friend, no longer pretending not to hear their conversation. “I love babies. I always wanted a brother or sister.”

“Really?” Naruto asked him, “because I’m sure that Hinata and I could use all the help we can get!”

Isao’s face brightened as he smiled at Naruto, and Sakura was suddenly seeing another copy of an adoring Konohamaru in Isao, who was essentially a copy of Naruto. Not to mention the copy yet to be born. This world was going to be full of Narutos, Sakura thought to herself, but she also found herself smiling and admitting that it wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Long after Naruto left them in pursuit of Sasuke, Isao glanced over at her as they walked back toward the hospital. Curiosity getting the better of him, Isao questioned, “His best friend, the one he was talking about… That’s the man you love? The one who was in Sunagakure with you?”

Sakura didn’t know why exactly he was asking, but she nodded, suddenly nervous about Isao’s perception of Sasuke and what her choice in him might mean to the young boy. His father had been cruel to him, his mother lost forever. She felt the weight of her choices in the contextual lens of a young person’s impressionable viewpoint.

But that feeling went away when Isao said, “Why’d you and Naruto breakup? He said something about you two dating in the past—”

Sakura dropped her chin, and her face turned red, “Narutoooo,” she growled. “Don’t believe anything that idiot tells you!”

Isao’s laughter was sharp and bright and Sakura realized that for the first time, she had never heard him truly laugh before until now. As a medic, she knew it was a good sign that came with a change in environment. As someone who cared about the youth, her heart felt such peace.

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The August cicada song of Konoha summer evenings was a comforting sound to Sasuke. It was loud, definitely, but not near as loud as the deafening roar of life in Shikkotsu Forest. It was warm and humming, and it was also a sound that Sasuke had once associated with his birthday. Being in Konoha for the first time since May, he realized his birthday must have passed under his nose without his remembering. That’s how it was when one got older, but for Sasuke, he had forgotten his birthday and age altogether the moment his family, the people who celebrated those things with him, were murdered. All dates of celebration were eclipsed in his mind by anniversaries of death. It was probably the same for many shinobi who’d lost their loved ones to a world of war.

After Sasuke had forgotten about his birthday, the cicada sound became attached to new memories other than his birthday. It was the sound of conversations between friends, camping by a fire in the forest, D-rank missions, and competitive sparring. Pairing it with the smell of street vendors and the Konoha evening dinner crowd made Sasuke suddenly overcome with nostalgia.

“Is that everything you need dear?” came the vendor’s question and Sasuke suddenly realized he was spacing.

He nodded, accepting the bag of supplies from the older woman, a face he recognized from his youth, but she didn’t seem to recognize him. Speaking to anyone in Konoha was sometimes nerve-wracking because Sasuke didn’t know if he was going to be receiving a fearful reception or indifferent one.

Sasuke was walking back in the direction of the Uchiha compound when that idiot blonde’s voice became louder than the cicada song. “Yo. You need help with that? Unlike you, I’ve got two arms now.”

Sasuke closed his eyes and scoffed. “Don’t you have anything better to be doing loser? Aren’t you about to be a father? Won’t your wife be angry if she catches you goofing off?”

“Hinata doesn’t get bent out of shape easily. Your wife, on the other hand.” Naruto countered and pointed at Sasuke square in the face when the Uchiha snapped his neck in his direction. Naruto laughed.

After a minute of solid glaring and no denying on Sasuke’s part, Naruto stopped mid-step and dropped his mouth. “Wait just a second! Are you serious? You two are married!?”

Sasuke turned on his heel and continued to make his way into the tree line.

“Why didn’t Sakura tell me that!? And here she was going on about a third-wheel, but you two are leaving me out of the know!”

Sasuke sighed again, not sure if he was relieved or frustrated that Naruto had discovered that secret. Well, maybe. He could still patch it, possibly. If Sakura wasn’t saying anything, then Sasuke sure damn well wasn’t confirming anything. He would let her tell it in her own time. “There’s nothing to tell. So shut up before the entire village hears you.”

“So you’re not? I need to know! Spill!”

“Why do you need to know anything? It’s none of your business.”

His joking voice changed, that quiet solidness it sometimes took on when Naruto was trying to get on Sasuke’s level. “It is my business when you go and threaten the Leaf and shinobi world again.”

Sasuke stopped walking then, turning to Naruto once they were both under tree cover. “Kakashi already gave me the lecture, so you can save your breath.” He sat, unfurling his scrolls and dumping the bags contents on the ground beside them with the purpose of restocking his summoning scrolls.

Naruto leaned against an opposite tree, arms crossed and eyes upward to the treetops. “I know that you don’t mean those things. That you only said it because they allowed Sakura to walk into danger alone. It makes more sense, knowing the scale of what she means to you now.”

Sasuke wanted to correct him. He wanted to tell Naruto that before and after he was consumed in darkness, Sakura had always been important to him. The only difference was that his goal had changed and that he was on the right side, the side that allowed him to admit and develop his attachment to her. Essentially, only after Sasuke had experienced death, that zone of in-between where he could still talk to Naruto and their souls collided, did Sasuke see that whatever goals he had in life, the only way to reach them was with the help of Naruto and the multitude on his side. While being the only one cutout for his solitary role, Sasuke had still tried to keep that distance from Sakura, but because he had believed it to be for her own sake. Not because he didn’t care for her on the same measure as now. Making her his wife didn’t mean he had cared less before. It was just a little different now, because he had finally admitted it to himself, something he had never done before. For both of his friends, Sasuke had denied their bonds to spare himself of the pain of losing them. And there was another factor that altered the situation. If Sakura were targeted because of their marriage and killed because of the Uchiha tie, then yes, Sasuke would avenge her. He would avenge her regardless, but it would be an entire new level of vengeance. A intense and dark sort of retaliation.

Which had Sasuke considering his threat. Despite what Naruto believed, Sasuke had meant every word of it, and even though it scared everyone for him to say those words, it also scared Sasuke. Because he didn’t want to fall, didn’t want to pitch back into darkness. He had tried to stay far away from the edge of it for the last two years, but falling in love with that pink-haired Kunoichi… it just might make him stagger. Because that’s what love did to an Uchiha and Sasuke was well aware of that. Had faced it very recently with a display of Amaterasu on the prick who had marred Sakura’s skin with her own blood.

However, this time, Sasuke had the confidence that he wouldn’t fall to such depths again. Because of hia closest friend across from him. Because of Naruto. Where Sakura had become a tether to sanity and happiness, Naruto was still the savior when that lifeline snapped. The person who dove after the falling and careened over the edge along with them, and just when you thought their strength would run out and they would let go or fall too, they somehow managed to pull you both back to safety.

“Your promise still stands?” Sasuke asked aloud, glancing up at Naruto through his eyelashes. “To stop me no matter what?”

Naruto held his eyes as he nodded. “Hell yeah. Always.”

“Then there’s nothing to worry about. The future remains bright.”

“What are you two going to do now? Are you staying in the Leaf?”

“No,” Sasuke admitted bluntly, resuming the task of sealing each item into his travelling scrolls. “I know my mission. This doesn’t change that.”

Naruto frowned. “Then Sakura.. is she—”

“Staying here. She has her own goals, and her work is essential to the Leaf. She belongs here.”

“We can think of a different plan, Sasuke,” Naruto sighed, a sound that was both frustrated and sorrowful. “We can do this thing together.”

“We are doing it together,” Sasuke countered. “This is the only way to do that. The three of us—we each have a role to play. Think of it like stars and orbits.”

“Hmm,” Naruto hummed, that blank squinting confusion passing his features. “What was that now?”

Sasuke tsked. “Forget it. Should have known it would be too complicated for you to understand.”

Naruto started his fake nod, like he was following, even though he clearly wasn’t. “Something about space, got it. I can be a part of this space thing. Because I’m out of this world. Get it?”

“Definitely spacey,” Sasuke deadpanned, smirking at his own joke that still went over Naruto’s head.

The cicada song in Sasuke’s heart grew louder.

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“We need to talk.”

Sakura turned from her work of capsulizing the newly aquired H. Perforatum to find Shikamaru there. She was finishing reviewing the anti-depressant’s trial period and clinical practice schedule with Tsunade, smiling as her old mentor assisted and simultaneously tried to pry the details of her last couple months of travelling with Sasuke. Sakura had been blushing furiously from that last very personal question her mentor had boldly asked just before the door had opened.

Tsunade and Sakura had turned to one another in surprise at Shikamaru’s interruption, and big-eyed, Sakura had answered, “okay?” already nervous about the tone of voice delivering that declarative statement.

“What’s got you worked up, Shikamaru?” Tsunade crossed her arms, before leaning in Sakura’s direction and whispering, “Probably overworked. Shizune used to get cranky, too. Or his ponytail is too tight, either one.”

But Shikamaru ignored the loud whispers, staring only at Sakura. “We need to talk about Sasuke.”

Both the sanin and her pupil got very still at that. “I’ll leave you to it, then,” announced Tsunade immediately, ditching Sakura not because she wasn’t going to be the sort of mentor to take Sakura’s side, but because she was the former Hokage, and Sakura knew that Tsunade had had several uncomfortable conversations about the Uchiha with the rest of Team 7 over the years; Sakura suspected she was either staying out of it completely or she believed the conversation might be a necessary one, whatever it was about.

Sakura caught the unwavering determination in the set of Shikamaru’s shoulders. He wasn’t going to take no for an answer, and Sakura tried her best not to immediately bristle or react in Sasuke’s defense. She had a strange sense of deja-vu, recalling that time Sai and Shikamaru had come to talk to her about what needed to be done about Sasuke. The Konoha 11 had decided to take it upon themselves to eliminate Sasuke because Naruto’s defense of him was causing strain with the Hidden Cloud. At the time, it was believed to be essential in avoiding a war with the Hidden Cloud. In the end, Sakura had been the one to try to shoulder it alone, and she had failed. And after all this time, here was Shikamaru, approaching her in the same manner he had done back then, and it made Sakura’s stomach turn violently.

“What about him?” she asked, crossing her arms and leaning back against the table.

Shikamaru sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Naruto didn’t want us to tell you. But considering Sasuke’s past, and the importance of our present peace, I feel you ought to know.”

With every word, Sakura’s heart was sinking until it hit the floor. No. It hit the first level of the building. “What? What happened? Whatever it is, I’m sure there’s an explanation.”

Shikamaru sighed before looking her dead in the face. “Sasuke threatened the Leaf, Sakura. Again. He threatened to personally become Konoha’s—no, the entire shinobi world’s—enemy again.”

Sakura froze and her arms fell from their rigged position and her entire body went numb as those word registered. “When? What are you talking about?”

“Back in Sunagakure,” Shikamaru explained brusquely, not pulling the punch of the truth of it. He gave it to her frankly and quickly. “After you left, the Lord Hokage and the Kazekage denied him permission to follow you. Him and Naruto, both. Because that’s what you had asked.”

“And?” Sakura asked breathlessly, not sure why Sasuke was being singled out if he and Naruto had both reacted how she had expected them to.

“But Sasuke didn’t accept the Hokage’s orders,” Shikamaru continued, like this choice alone was Sasuke’s noose. “Unlike Naruto, he threatened his way out of that room.”

She fell silent, because she didn’t know what to say to that.

“And Kakashi—not just Kakashi—we all knew he meant it. Every one of us. Kakashi let him leave because of that threat.”

“I’ve talked to him,” Sakura rushed out, panic gripping her chest. Her words came out choppy like the floodwaters of that cave she was suddenly remembering. “He promised…Well, I promised. We will take care of him. Naruto and I will stop him if he ever—"

“Will you?” the shadow-wielder asked incredulously. “Will you two always take the fall for him? Will you always live in fear of his derailment? You two will spend the rest of your lives trying to keep him in line. He ran out of second chances this last time; there aren’t any more.”

“He’s not going to need another one, Shikamaru,” Sakura rushed to reassure him. She was remembering her and Sasuke’s conversation in the black abyss of a fire-lit cave just three nights ago. Right after she had just witnessed Sasuke try to de-limb someone, she had confronted him. “I don’t want to become a detriment to you, Sasuke. I don’t want to be what breaks you,” she had said. To which he had responded with: “It’s a part of me. No matter how hard I try to eradicate it, there’s a monster in here. And we both know what he’s capable of. Even now, I don’t feel regret when I should. I have absolutely no desire to apologize for my actions tonight. But that look on your face is the same expression you looked at me all the times I’ve been lost. I don’t want to see that anymore.” Sakura had promised that she and Naruto would not let him become a monster again and he had told her he could choose her because of it.

Sakura sucked in a breath, before adding, “It won’t get that far. The world needs Sasuke if there’s to be a future at all.”

“Let me ask you this then,” Shikamaru questioned without delay. “Do you need him more than the world does? His threats were concerning you, Sakura. Naruto told us you two were together now. And whatever. I don’t really care what you two are. What I do care about, is the ninja world, Konoha, and our current peace. That should be your priority as well, Sakura. If cutting Sasuke off is something that will save all of us, I am begging you on behalf of the world to do so.”

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It was dusk by the time Sakura finished helping settle the new group of convicts she had delivered this morning and made her way toward her apartment on the outskirts of town. She didn’t know where Sasuke was, but she imagined he was caught up with Naruto, the two probably knocking each other’s teeth out or something somewhere. They had that annoying habit of having to challenge one another to a duel every time they reunited. And to be quite frank, Sakura needed a few minutes to herself just to think.

She revealed her copy of the apartment key from a hidden jutsu she kept it under when she was away on missions. It materialized into existence on the ground before her, like a stepping stone into a sanctuary.

Everything was exactly how she had left it. Clean, but bearing evidence of her quick departure. Sasuke’s pallet on the sofa was still there as if it had only been yesterday when Sakura had forced him to stay over. Her father’s clothes that he had borrowed were folded neatly and placed on the arm. Leftover—now expired—Onigri in the fridge. Their clean dishes stacked to the left of the sink. It was incredible how the official beginning of them was right before her face, preserved by the time capsule of four private walls. And yet, despite their previous time of residence, the house had returned to the odor of its original making, the familiar scents of fresh tea and herbal concoctions no longer attaching itself to the walls simply because she had vacated and taken them with her. It suddenly reminded Sakura of the fleetingness of life and of the impending departure of Sasuke once more. The evidence of his presence in her life would be there, but suddenly, he wouldn’t. And he would take his scents, his smirking confidence, his ridiculous stoicism with him. It hadn’t even been twelve hours, and Sakura’s heart already ached for him. How was she supposed to do this? How was she supposed to accept his leaving again? She couldn’t even bring herself to let him leave, let alone choose to suddenly live without him. Shikamaru had asked her to choose the world. As ridiculous and weak-natured as this self-confession made her, Sasuke was her world. Shikamaru had asked her to make a selfless decision and impossible choice. Shikamaru was asking her to live without her world, so everyone still had theirs to live for. Just as the Konoha 11 had once done years ago.

And Sakura would do it this time, wouldn’t she? That’s what she had told herself the entire walk here. For Konoha, she should. As a Leaf Shinobi, it was her duty to put the village first.

Like a pinprick of light, her eyes found the extra copy of the key on her kitchen counter, the one she had given Sasuke the night she had asked him to come to her as a friend while he was resting in Konoha. The very key he had given back to her, saying no and that he refused the life she offered. It still sat where she had tossed it in dismay several months ago, a cold key that bore no evidence of Sasuke ever holding it. And Sakura suddenly realized that this is what her life would be like, what she had chosen. A home that bore no witness of him being there. It wouldn’t smell like him; it wouldn’t feel like him. It would be hers and he would be a passing star whose light became too far away to even see anymore. And all that was expected of her from everyone else was to not prevent that star from playing its crucial role in the universe. She was to move along on her own orbital path, trying not to prevent their inevitable separation. To be indifferent to their fate.

But Sakura wasn’t indifferent. She would never be able to be indifferent, and she didn’t know why Shikamaru had tried to tell her to be, because everyone knew how selfish she and Naruto were when it came to Sasuke, didn’t they? They would do exactly as Shikamaru had predicted them to. They would spend the rest of their lives clinging to his sanity for him.

Sakura fretted over Sasuke hours into the night as she held on to that key. On her sofa, with tea brewing as an attempt to make her home feel like its old self, Sakura finally realized that it might never feel like home again. Not after being with him these past few months. And she stood from her sofa, the scream of the tea kettle a perfect depiction of what she was suddenly feeling like on the inside. She had to go and find him. Because every second mattered. They were separating, their orbits spinning away from one another, and she needed every minute left of it. And then a myriad of unwanted thoughts came with this most recent realization: What if he already left? Maybe he was late because he wasn’t coming back. He had brought her back to the Leaf and left the first chance he gotten before she could follow him.

And just before she exited her home in pursuit of the Uchiha once again, she swung open the door to see the man in question raising his hand to knock against the frame. He was shocked for a moment as he unexpectedly came face to face with her, and she stood motionless in the absolute relief of seeing him there. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. Then sighed nervously. “I’ll take that key, if it’s still being offered.”

And she almost threw it at him. But she found herself helplessly reaching out for him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she began to sob uncontrollably. He stiffened at first at the suddenness of her grasping, confused as to why she was crying to the point of hysteria. He pushed her through the entryway and kicked the door shut behind him, wrapping his arm loosely around her waist as his body thawed of his initial embarrassment. “What happened?” he asked lowly, a worried rumble through his chest and throat. “Why are you suddenly crying?”

Sakura’s words came out through rattled breaths, and she pushed back against the surge of panic with an explanation. “I thought—” inhale, “thought y—you’d—” inhale, exhale, inhale, “left.” She cried some more, before attempting to say, “I thought you must have left again.”

He got still. “I promised not to do that anymore, remember?” he automatically reassured her. “We both did. I said I’d find you later, so you’d have no doubt.”

“Yeah,” she found herself exhaling, slowly counting in her mind the way she had taught small children to when they were upset. The tea kettle continued to squeal, and it was deafening, but so was her own thoughts. She clung to him and wouldn’t let go until he led her to the sofa. He walked over to remove the kettle, and like the metaphor to her internal frenzy, the kettle began to quiet as a direct result of his mediation.

“This is yours.” She reached out her hand to drop the key into his single palm when he came to stand before her once more. “It always has been. Even before you wanted it.” She stared down as he took it from her hands, and she didn’t see what he did with it, but heard the rustle of his clothing as he tucked it away somewhere.

His silence felt unsure, and Sakura knew his mind was probably spiraling, afraid he would say something else to set her off. And so Sakura whispered, “It’s not much of a home and it’s small, but when you’re here, it can be yours, too.”

He nodded, attempting to ease her concerns about their mutual habitation needs by saying. “I won’t be in your way. You can live wherever you like.”

She began to cry again at that, and Sakura could tell by his stricken face that he suddenly realized it had been the wrong thing to say after all. It broke his hesitancy, and he reached his palm forward and ran his thumb along the ridge of her cheekbone, wiping the tears there. “Don’t cry. I’m saying that you will be home to me.”

She nodded, trying to calm herself, which his soothing gesture was helping immensely. She leaned into it, hoping he never moved it away. Sakura was comforted immensely at the thought of being Sasuke’s home to return to, even if Sakura spent a lifetime waiting for her home to return to her. “I’m sorry. I’m always crying.”

“And I’m the one always making you, it seems like.” He confessed with a frown. “I hate that.”

She shook her head. “No. It’s just been a day.”

Sasuke didn’t respond to that, so Sakura asked the next looming question on her mind, “When are you leaving?”

He sucked in a breath, not quite ready to tell her, but then exhaled. “Tomorrow. In the morning.”

Already? She wanted to cry again. Her tears rushed to her eyes the longer he refused to clarify, modify, or ask her to come with him. “So that was it, then? Our time together has stopped?”

“I’m going to continue to find the leader of the organization who is after you. I’ll find him first before I continue to pursue the Otsusuki. There’s not much more time to delay. We’ve delivered the rest of them to Kakashi. I must continue on, now.”

“I can help you,” she tried, knowing he would deny her anyway. “I can help you with the Zenshin leader and make more chakra pills for you when you run out.”

He was looking down between them, at the careful space kept between them on the auburn-colored sofa. “After what you’ve recently done, you deserve to rest. You’ll be safe here, and I’ll have peace knowing that, while I do the mission only I can do.”

She wasn’t ready to give this topic up. She argued anyway, Shikamaru’s voice like a ticking clock in the back of her mind as she approached the discussion she needed to have with him yet again. “What if they come for me here? While you’re away, Mozai could come. It would be his next logical step.”

“He wouldn’t come here and risk having to deal with Kakashi and Nar—"

She pushed on. “What if they find and kill me? What are you going to do if that happens, Sasuke?”

He got very still as those words registered, not because he was angry at the idea of it or fearful of it becoming true. He froze with a staring sourness of narrowed eyes, because he had caught on to the direction of her conversation. She suddenly knew that Sasuke had just learned that she was told about his choice words of a threat back in Sunagakure.

She steeled herself at that stare, swallowing back the discomfort of the confrontation. “Are you going to avenge me? Are you going to become an enemy of the world again if someone else is taken from you?”

Sasuke stood from the couch at her words, turning his back on her in the darkness of the room. “I’m getting really tired of this conversation,” he retorted scornfully. “I have already had it twice today.”

“So it’s true,” she laughed mirthlessly, standing up along with him as she stared at his bowed head and bent shoulders. “You really said that? Why? You never would have said something like that as far as I was concerned in the past. You’ve risked everything you have worked toward over the last two years by doing that!”

He had started to walk away from her as she spoke, every word stiffening his posture. His only response was, “Who told you what I said? Was it Naruto? Kakashi?”

Sakura ignored his redirection, because she had to say this. She had to do this so when the time came for her to be accountable for her own actions in the world, Sakura could use this conversation as an excuse for why she couldn’t do more than this. She continued. “Why did you say that? Why go to that extent because I went on a mission of my own volition? In the past, I was always the ‘annoying’ person who was in your way, and now you’ve made me a liability to the world?”

“You’re being annoying right now,” he droned, using that tone of voice that always made her body fill with ice. Instead of the playful connotation of that word, it now reminded her of all the times he had chastised her and been cruel on purpose. It still hurt when he used it that way. He sighed and turned to face her then at her silence, and Sakura could see the small regret of those words. So he clarified. “You’re my wife. I’m allowed to say that I will avenge you, and I’ll make sure the world knows that I will.”

“We had made no vows when you said that. We weren’t serious yet—"

He was getting angrier every time she tried to speak. It caused him to spill secrets he had kept for a long time, words that would heal Sakura’s pain from the past and sustain her like fodder throughout her future of loneliness. “I knew where it was headed. I’ve known for a long time. Since before I left the Leaf, I knew what you would become to me. It’s why I said and did those things to you. To keep you away from me. You were supposed to hate me so this would never happen. I would have avenged you when we were genin together on Team 7, maybe even after at some points. And I would do so now. As I would for Naruto, or Kakashi even.”

After a moment, more tears streamed down her face, because Sasuke didn’t know the gravity of what he just confessed. She still hadn’t gotten to the hard part, because Sakura had been asked to do everything she could to protect the world, but she just couldn’t give Sasuke up. Her and Naruto both; he would be their weakness for life. So, she had to do the next extreme, and very gutsy thing she could think of. “I need you to add it to your vow to me. Right now. That you never will. If I am killed tomorrow—or Naruto, or Kakashi—you’ll never choose revenge again. You told me that night that the world will not pay for us loving one another.”

Sasuke laughed, scornfully. Like she had just said something funny, and Sakura had never seen him laugh except for when he was wrapped in darkness. He laughed again in utter exhaustion, rubbing his palm down across his face. Maybe it was the trauma of the past coming back to haunt her, but it made her blood run cold at the familiarity.

In a flash of panicked anger, Sakura pulled out her kunai and angled it toward her heart. There was a sound of metal, and Sasuke’s laughter died immediately at the sight of it, and a still rage filled his eyes as they widened at her actions. She wasn’t swayed by that wrath, and when he instantly made to make an interfering step toward her, she drew it closer to her chest, stilling him straightaway.

“Now you’re the one making stupid threats, Sakura.” He sneered lowly and she could see the flash of his red Sharingan. She was going to run out of time to make this stupid bluff of a facade count. It was an extreme thing to do maybe, but she couldn’t think of another way to get him to see what he had done by putting her in a position of choosing him or choosing Konoha. “Shikamaru said I needed to cut ties with you,” she explained. “That being with you was a risk. But I can’t do that because I am selfish. What I should do is end myself now for the sake of the village, because my life is not worth the risk you pose to the world. That’s what you will be asking me to do if you continue using my life as the rationale for your recent behavior. If you keep making threats like this, then it will be the only thing I can do to save it.”

“That bastard didn’t tell you everything I said,” he hissed, furiously, a quiet sound that still jarred her nerves just as much as the screeching tea kettle had. “I also said that I wouldn’t survive it. I said the world would just as likely fall to the Otsusuki in my absence. And that’s the truth. You dying will make a shell out of me, if not outright kill me, too.”

Her hand lowered at those words, and the Uchiha saw it with his Sharingan, and the next thing Sakura knew, she was no longer holding that kunai as it was transported places with the handle of that still-hot tea kettle. The metal singed her skin as it swung in the air and she winced before dropping it. Sasuke rushed forward and caught the handle himself before it could hit the ground, and he glared at her as he placed it on the table before the sofa.

“Cheap trick,” she chided, as he came very close to stand before her. He held her eyes with red and purple irises. She didn’t look away.

“Don’t you ever do that again, even to make a point. If you don’t want to be with me because you choose the world, fine. None of your choices change what we are to one another.” Every word was sharp and stony. “It’s a hard lesson to learn, believe me, but you would have to erase our past. I tried that. And you fought to make me remember. All of you did. So now you have to live with that choice.”

“Tell me what do,” Sakura pleaded. “Tell me how I can love you and still protect the world from you.”

“You just have to live. Because of you, I will continue. I will find the Otsusuki race and eliminate them as a threat so that I can return to you, just like I promised. And if someone ever dared to touch you, they would die for it, and Naruto would prevent it from going beyond that. And if Naruto dies, it will be you who I have to cling to. You all just have to accept that.”

“I can’t stop you, Sasuke. And I can’t kill you. I’ll never be able to kill you. Even after you tried to kill me, yourself, I couldn’t follow through. I’ll never be able to stop you from another path of destruction because, like I said, I’m selfish. Despite what Shikamaru said, I can’t choose the world over you. My choice will always be you. Just as it was the day you left me the first time. I’d even go as far as to help you with revenge. As always, I’m pitiful. I’m hopeless. I’m in love with you. I love you more than the world. What kind of ninja does that make me? It makes me a traitor.”

His irritation faded as she confessed this long stream of thoughts to him. He reached forward and cupped the back of her neck, pulling her the rest of the way to him. “No. It makes you an Uchiha.”

More tears fell down her cheeks as he pulled her mouth the rest of the way to his. And he was pushing her toward the couch. Down onto the surface of it as he claimed her mouth with his. And it was a frantic exploration with his tongue, a touching that was high with the intoxication of tormenting truths, threats, and confessions. A type of kissing that came after you thought you might never get to do so again. In a way, he made it bruising and punishing, for having even dared to do what she had.

He pressed her body deep into the couch as he straddled her waist and Sakura reached up and desperately clung to the collar of his shirt. He leaned over her, fist tangled in her hair as he pulled her head flush against the headrest of the sofa to reveal her throat. Sakura’s skin prickled at the roughness.

“I told you there would be no going back for us,” he breathed against her jawline, sending gooseflesh into the scalp of her head and along her arms. “It’s too late, remember? We get to choose each other, and I’ll even vow to you that the world will not pay for this. I have already chosen the world for all of us. You get to choose me and not live with the guilt of it. I won’t become who I used to be. Because I don’t want to see you look at me like that.”

She nodded before his mouth found hers again. It was hot, sweltering, fueled with the fire-nature of his chakra. He meant to burn her up, completely. So that when he had to leave tomorrow morning, she could still feel the heat of him. She would allow herself to be burned from his heat because then at least something would remain of him.

He pushed her clothing down around her, pulling the shirt up and over her head between kisses, demanding the attention of her mouth. In the next instant, he was pulling something from his cloak. A red bundle the size of his fist. Still straddling her lap, he unfurled it in front of her face. An Uchiha crest, front and center on the backside of a perfect rendition of the shirt she had just been wearing, hung before her like a territorial flag. She outright gasped.

“For a second, you had me thinking you were done with me, and I wasn’t going to get to give this to you,” he sighed between labored panting, his heart still beating loudly from their heated proximity. “I had it made today. You’ll wear it in my stead, won’t you?”

Sakura’s face hurt at this point from crying so much, and she was sure it was splotchy and red, but it didn’t stop her from crying more. She nodded through tears and Sasuke showed her his rare, sporadic smile. She slipped it over her head and he stood, pulling her with him and spinning her so he could see it on her. She blushed at the scrutiny, looking down and tucking her hair behind her ear. Her shyness melted away when he abandoned his own, tilting her chin up to claim her mouth once more.

“You’re now the only Uchiha woman in this world,” he whispered against her mouth. “I’ve never seen someone look as beautiful as you do right now. Wearing that.”

Okay, maybe her bashfulness hadn’t completely vanished, because she was blushing furiously after he said that. And with it, she experienced a sudden moment of disassociation. Could this even be real? Just moments ago, she was dramatically threatening her own life, and now she didn’t care about anything else other than simply just living for him. To have more of him. Every second, even in madness, she would take it all. Because she was selfish. Because she didn’t care about anything else and never had.

But his hot mouth on hers grounded her. He was real and she could have him. And she could look Shikamaru confidently in his face from now on, regardless of her choice, because he, too, was a star locked in his own orbit of destiny, but Sasuke was the sun of her life and meant to burn her. And he did.

The steam of herbal tea intensified that heat, searing the press of him, the feel of him, his mouth on hers into the memory of ‘home,’ and it lingered long into the blissful after. And at some point during their kissing, Sasuke reached above her head to crack open the window behind her, letting in the nighttime fading sound of hot summer cicadas and crickets. “I want to hear them. I want to remember this when I hear them.”

She felt for him, pulling his shirt away from his muscular back, and he felt feverish, but they both knew he wasn’t sick. Just intoxicated with adrenaline and need. Sasuke continued to push her down into the very couch where she had been sitting in despair moments ago, and when he became parallel with her own body, reaching into her waistband, she hooked her leg up and over his hip so he could reach exactly where he was aiming.

Before things escalated further and they lost themselves to the mindlessness of burning a second time, Sakura pulled back and reached into her pocket, revealing a tiny vial of citrine tinted liquid sloshing from the movements of its revelation. “Take this. So that there’s no uncertainty,” Sakura explained. “Tsunade helped me make it today. Its common here for men to take a contraceptive, as well. We’ll both be covered.” His euphoric expression of concentration turned into a frown as he met her eyes in understanding. He looked at it and then looked at her.
He reached behind him to place it on the table.

“I will in a minute, but first…” he whispered, readjusting himself on the couch so that he was pulling her back against his chest as he moved into a reclined seating position against the arm. She rested against him, confused, as he began to kick her pants and underclothes down the rest of the way. When she was fully pressed against him, his chin digging into her shoulder, he grabbed her wrist with his fingers and pushed her own hand down onto the pink mass of hair she had between her legs. She had hoped to find the time to groom that area a bit before this happened again, but he didn’t seem to mind.

“I want to see you touch yourself,” he finished saying, and Sakura instantly froze, resisting the pressure of his urging.

“Sasuke—” she hesitated, feeling immensely exposed. He wanted to watch her pleasure herself? Was she hearing that correctly?

“I want to know what it will look like, all the nights you’re alone,” he whispered into her ear and she leaned her head back to look at him. His Sharingan flashed red in her peripheral vision and it made her hesitate even more. Why would it be activated for any other purpose than to memorize and commit to photographic memory?

“I don’t—” she said in a last attempt to be reserving, to keep some wall of privacy between them, just as she had tried to do in a cave of stars when he went down on her for the first time. But just as he did then, Sasuke exchanged his normal tentativeness for absolute transparency and confidence.

“I need something to picture when I’m alone, too. I want it to be of my wife thinking of me as she undoes herself.”

She closed her eyes and bit back her shyness. Be bold, she told herself, just as she had done several months ago. Be bold, Sakura. And she found the wet heat between her legs with her fingers. She closed her eyes and looked down at herself, but Sasuke pulled her head back against his shoulder with a gentle hand around her throat. “Eyes open,” he ordered. “I want to see them.”

And so she began, her breath hitching and spine stiffening between a symphony of self-ministrations, sighs, hitches of breath, cicada song, and tea mingled with the aroma of her own sex. Sasuke panted behind her as she began to ride her own hand into an oblivion, picturing her husband somewhere in an unknown universe reaching his own spectacular height as he recalled a Sharingan vision of this moment. When his hand released its hold on her chin, and grabbed her opposite wrist to bring to her breast, she sighed deeply and freed herself from all inhibition as she touched herself there, too.

“What will you be thinking of when you do this?” he asked, and Sakura could feel the press of him into her back.

“Of you,” she moaned. It was barely an answer.

“Specifically,” he pressed. “Tell me specifically.”

Her breath hitched as she tried to concentrate on his instructions, his goading hand against her opposite breast because he couldn’t resist to do this completely without touching. He pressed his own need into her back, needing some sort of friction, himself. “I’m picturing—picturing you somewhere far away,” she admitted between moans. “Touching yourself, too.”

“Hmm,” he hummed as he listened. “And I’m missing you like crazy while I do it.”

She came undone, then, just as he had wanted, sighing his name and crying a cry without tears this time.

.
.
.

Leaving tomorrow. That’s what Sasuke was thinking as his wife came on her own fingers, dying a little death against his chest. And in that moment, Sasuke wanted to ask her to come with him on his mission, because he wanted to watch her do this over and over. From every angle. And with every assistance he could provide her. That wasn’t the only reason, of course. But he held his tongue. Because then she wouldn’t be safe in Konoha anymore. She would be sacrificing her own dream and her own work here.

Right alongside those pricks. Shikamaru and Naruto, both, could take a damn hike and take their holier-than-thou lectures elsewhere. Because they got to stay in the Leaf and fuck their women, plant themselves with abandon in order to take root in the woman of their dreams and watch their children grow inside of them. Sasuke didn’t get to do that. He got a few moments of blissful ecstasy with years to divide them, and watch families grow like mocking gardens of happiness while he dragged Sakura into the deep dark earth of a baren family tree. She would be the only branch of his dying lineage unless he could complete his goal, first.

Which is why he had to leave tomorrow. So that he could come back to her.

She turned in his embrace after her breath returned to her, and she began trying to strip him of his own clothing. He reached for that vial on the table and their eyes held one another’s as he pulled the stopper. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, swallowing that putrid concoction of protection that was simultaneously a death sentence of a future disguised as responsibility. It was a choice he had to make for the both of them, and it killed him to do it. But he told himself that Sakura was enough for now. Stars and orbits. Stars and orbits. Stars and orbits.

Sasuke didn’t have time to evaluate the effects of such a potion, to see if it dulled his need, because his wife was now rising from the sofa and sinking on to the floor. And those knees hit the ground and he realized what she was planning to do as she tried to rotate his body in the direction of her face. Oh hell no. Not like that.

“Get up,” he instructed.

“I want to,” she confessed, thinking he was stumbling over his own nervousness as she had done back in the cave. He most certainly was not.

“No,” he said in finality, pulling at her. “Get off your knees. Uchiha women don’t get on their knees for anyone. Not even their husbands.”

Her eyes widened at that statement, and she allowed him to pull her from the floor. “How would you even know that?”

And Sasuke specifically remembered his father snatching his mother’s cleaning rag from her hands as she stooped on the ground to clean the dirt that had been tracked in. “Get up,” he had told her as he took the chore over himself. “You have two sons who are more than capable of doing that. I better never see you on your knees again.” When it had happened, Sasuke had been shocked by the angry reproach from his father, but his mother had only laughed and walked out of the room brightly. Sasuke hadn’t understood such context at the time—well, other than the fact that whatever had just happened meant he would soon be having to scrub floors. But he understood now, in this moment, what his father had been doing. And even if the situation had some sort of different context he wouldn’t ever have answers to, he suddenly knew that it was going to be a rule in his relationship from now on. Because he would set the precedent. He was the only one left to make those rules.

He didn’t explain it to her in that moment, because time did not allow for it. Instead, he copied his father’s tone to the best of his ability. “Just stay off your knees.”

He was really leaving tomorrow. He was going to be walking away from this again. That’s what Sasuke was thinking as he captured her mouth. Sasuke was selfish and despite what he had told her moments ago, he wanted to ask her to come with him on his mission. He held his tongue, because then she wouldn’t be safe in Konoha anymore. She would be sacrificing her own dream and her own work here. But as their bodies found home in one another, Sasuke lost his will to hold back that request. He had changed his mind. She could come. He would let her come with him. Stay beside him for the whole of it if she didn’t care to sacrifice her own important work here in the Leaf. He could take her up on her promise from all those years ago, because he couldn’t stay, but maybe, just maybe he could take her with him.

Sakura let out a surprised yelp when their bodies dematerialized and reappeared on her (their?) bed. A new array of scents greeted him with the change, and this room felt sacred. Because it was where she had slept every night for the last several years without him. The bedding emitted the very essence of her sweet fragrance, as if it were the concentration of all things her. This bed had just become the ribcage of his new home, where the beating heart of it would sleep waiting for his return.

When he had replaced the two of them on the couch with the pillows of her bed, Sasuke had flipped her onto her stomach. He wanted to see the Uchiha crest. He wanted to truly be with her as she wore that symbol of theirs.

They came back together, and Sasuke voiced what he had once wanted to say to her back then, and what he wanted to say now. “Come with me.”

In the heat of things, she didn’t catch the true meaning of his words, interpreting it for its double entendre.

“No,” he clarified, when they lay next to one another and panted shallowly. “Come with me. Forget what I said earlier. Just come with me.”

“What?” she asked, her head shooting up and she raised onto her elbows to look at him. “You’re asking me to continue on your mission with you?” Were those more tears? He hated seeing her cry.

“Yes. Come with me, Sakura.” It wasn’t time for their orbits to separate yet. Maybe they could hold on just a little longer.

Chapter Text

It was hours before dawn, the darkness still a shield that protected them from tomorrow, when Sasuke felt Sakura shift under his encircling arm. He inwardly groaned as she made to move away from him, because it meant that she was cutting this short, choosing to break into the soft sleepy realm of togetherness that the dark sky promised them. It had been a night unlike any other, a night of peace and safety as they slept in their bed, in their home, in their village. Sakura’s decision to try to sneak away was as abrasive as the sunrise would have been in that moment. Sasuke tightened his hold, pulling her back into his chest where he curled his body around her as if he could protect the peace of now just by holding her to him. He gave a grunt of protest as she froze.

Sasuke was usually the one who was up all hours of the night, hardly sleeping at times while he traveled across foreign territories. Typically haunted by nightmares and the past when his eyes closed, Sasuke was usually the one beyond eager to greet the next day, the sunrise the only interruption able to halt the endless torment of his mind. It wasn’t until this very moment as Sakura woke first beside him, that Sasuke realized he hadn’t been plagued by dreams of any kind for the last month at least, and he didn’t need to wonder as to why. The why slept beside him, trying to pull away from him and begin the day at an ungodly hour.

“Are you always going to have this annoying habit?” he whispered into her shoulder, not even allowing the strength of a solid voice to interrupt this stillness.

“What habit,” she answered back, just as quietly, but the mirthful faux exasperation still made its way through with her sharp exhalation of breath.

“The one where you sneak away when you think I’m asleep,” Sasuke chided. “This makes at least four times now, I believe.”

“I have to go and see—” she began, but Sasuke just pulled her in tighter, shaking his head against her shoulder. No. He simply wouldn’t let her go just yet.

“Whatever it is, it can wait until morning. Just stay with me.”

And his own words fully woke him like an ironic nightmare. ‘So please. Just stay with me, Sasuke. And if you can’t, then take me with you.”’ He dug his nose deeper into her shoulder blades, shaking free from those lingering words that had never stopped ricocheting through the echoing chambers of his heart. But he was here now. They were together. And she had agreed to come with him. Sasuke Uchiha was determined to rewrite the story of them from the moment he had made his vows in an underground cave.

“I can’t stay in this bed for much longer if you want to depart the village by sunrise,” she informed him, and Sasuke wanted to say it didn’t matter, but that would be a lie, and she knew the Uchiha well enough to infer that he wanted to leave in the quiet as he always chose to do. “I have to talk to Kakashi…” she sighed, and then added more softly, as if the truth of it was fragile: “… before I leave with you.”

Sasuke stared into her back as she said it, and his heart climbed while his stomach sank with his guilt. Despite his initial resolve to make Sakura stay behind for the sake of her goals, her safety, and the village, Sasuke had asked her to come with him.

“Come with me, Sakura,” he had requested—a moment of weakness truly, the voice of the starved, desert man—and she had stared at him for a long minute after, as if waiting for him to take the words away again. Sasuke hated that it was in his nature to overthink everything, fail expectations, and create this pattern in Sakura of expecting the floor to be ripped out from beneath her. He hated it, but it didn’t change the fact that she was right to believe it of him.

“What?” she had voiced, expressing that uncertainty. “You’re asking me to come on your mission with you?”

“Yes,” he had doubled down, convincing both of them of what his heart had decided. “Come with me, Sakura.”

“Why the change in heart?” she had asked. “You said—”

“I know. I just—I’m selfish, too, Sakura. I shouldn’t be asking you this. It’s dangerous. But I—just don’t want it to be over yet. I need to find Kaguya, and I want you safe, and I shouldn’t—”

God, he had been a bumbling idiot. Had he ever rambled incoherently in front of anyone before? All of that usually took place in his mind, but this time, he struggled audibly, trying to make her understand with words that never came naturally to the Uchiha. He was only ever eloquent when he was being snarky or vindictive.

“Stop talking yourself out of it,” she smiled, shuffling closer toward him on the bed and pulling that green cotton comforter that smelled like her up and over their bare skin. “I’ll come with you.”

“I wish you would say no. I’m having a hard time doing what’s best for the both of us right now.”

“I’ve only ever dreamed of hearing you ask me that,” she had said in response. “Of course I am not saying no.”

But afterward, his thoughts had predictably raced throughout the night as Sasuke over-analyzed his request, the decision to bring his new wife with him, and what that would mean for her and the village. What it would mean for his mission. Was he really allowed such selfishness? What would Itachi think if he knew that Sasuke had committed himself to a similar life of sacrifice, but that his younger brother had faltered. Sasuke had put it on pause, hadn’t he? The moment he had chosen to meet her lips with his own back in Suna.

“Am I allowed this,” Sasuke voiced the words he had harbored to himself in the quiet after of sex and Sakura’s sleep-induced cadence of breathing, “Maybe I cannot be like Itachi, after all. Maybe I’m still too weak to live a life of sacrifice.”

The back of her head rested back against his shoulder, until their faces became parallel silhouettes. “You’re choices now are not going to interrupt your mission Sasuke,” she whispered, hitting straight to the concerns in his heart. “I’m going to help you, not become a hinderance to you like Shikamaru believes. The four of us—Team 7—we are going to protect this peace together. We all have roles to play.”

And that’s why it was selfish of him, Sasuke wanted to say, but, again, couldn’t find the words to explain it. Because he had juxtaposed her mission with being with him, while Sasuke planned to do both: execute his mission while she followed him. Sakura was so much more than his wife, especially to the Leaf, but Sasuke just wanted his wife to be with him a little longer. The problem was that it would be to her own sacrifice. Sasuke would be forgoing nothing, which felt counterintuitive to his entire goal. He knew no matter what he said, Sakura wouldn’t see it as Sasuke did.

“And I am taking you away from your role,” he tried to explain, but she shook her head.

“I choose my own role.”

Sensing the unspoken monologue of his mind, she turned under his clinging arm to face him. “You’re allowed to be selfish for once—” she began, but Sasuke’s sigh of despondency cut her short.

“I’ve allowed myself a lifetime of selfishness in a short few years, remember? I only thought of myself and my own goals and caused a lot of pain in the process. Being selfless is a part of my journey of atonement. You were never supposed to be a part of that—”

And Sakura interrupted him this time, stopping his self-critical speech before he could spiral further. Her left palm reached up to the plane of his cheek, staring at him through the dark. “Your future is going to be nothing but sacrifice, remember? Mine too, now. I’m going to be selfish this time, too, because we have nothing but a future of sacrifice ahead of us. The universe will be paid its due of sacrifice in full, I promise you.”

He tried to say more, something about how his past was not hers to atone for, how he wished he could spare her from this life altogether, but she kissed him before he could give voice to any more of his concerns. Concerns even about her safety despite everything she had proven to him recently. Like a persistent gnat, that dread that he would be the reason Sakura was pulled back into danger again now that she was safely in Konoha—it would always be there. But Sasuke was going to eradicate the threat that remained and ease his anxieties a bit by doing so.

“You can’t take it back,” she whispered. “I’ll continue my work wherever it takes me and I’ll help you with your goals. Just as before. We deserve this.”

She slipped from under his braced arm then, her inhuman strength always catching Sasuke by surprise no matter how many times she had reminded him of her abilities. He tried to blame it on her taking advantage of his lack of an appendage.

Sasuke heard the shower as she retreated into the bathroom down the hall, and he face-planted back onto the pillow in exhaustion. That is until he heard her tentatively call out, “want to join me?”

Sasuke shot straight up, all fatigue suddenly gone and that gentle undisturbed night gave way to the immediate, panicky present. He blushed furiously at that question, staring wide-eyed down the hall. Did she just invite him into the shower with her? Sasuke chided himself for his reaction immediately. He had just done unspeakable things with that woman not five hours ago, but here he was acting like a shy first-year genin at the suggestion that he shower with her.

He didn’t answer, reminding himself that she likely wore a blushing face to match his, even if she was the one brave enough to ask him. Sasuke Uchiha would be damned if he skipped the opportunity. He was still a man, even if his desires for her were kept strictly in the privacy between them. But beyond that, he was more tempted to accept her offer because there was something remarkably intimate about being with someone in such an exposed way that it went beyond comfortability. Sasuke didn’t want to miss out on the normalcy that developed between two people living their mundane lives beside one another, where acts such as showering together were almost as normal as showering alone. He wanted to participate in the mutual lifestyle, even if it wasn’t the sort of routine Sasuke would get to hold on to in the future. The fact that he was even getting the chance to be with someone in such a way, reminded Sasuke of how far he had come and the small miracles he was going to be getting despite that vow of complete selflessness he had made to himself.

Climbing into the shower, Sasuke had guessed right. Sakura’s face was the same rosy shade as her hair, which was just as lovely all lathered and molded into a crown atop her head. He even noticed how the blush spread down to the back of her neck and kissed the tops of her shoulders. They both locked eyes and immediately dropped their gazes to their feet, pointedly ignoring eachothers’ nakedness as if it they hadn’t just been intimate hours earlier. Their eyes locked again as they looked back up, and Sakura smiled at him reassuringly before she traded positions with him under the showerhead. She was pretending to be unaffected, continuing to massage her scalp and newly-short hair, the soap bubbles running in rivulets along the paths of the loose hair along her nape drawing Sasuke’s attention, and he desperately wanted to run his fingers through it. And to Sasuke’s surprise, Sakura must have been thinking similarly, because she reached up to his own wet black locks immediately and did just that. He closed his eyes as she stood on her tiptoes and began massaging soap into his scalp with two hands. Gods, that felt fucking amazing.

“Showers were such a great invention,” he announced, to which Sakura agreed, going into detail about how the homes were built with modern plumbing after Pain’s demolition of the Leaf, among other modifications and technological advancements.

The hot water was blissful, a luxury Sasuke did not often receive on the road, unless he was lucky enough to stumble upon a hot spring. Even a daily bath was often a rarity, and so Sasuke was determined to enjoy every second of it. He would enjoy it a lot more though, if she would let him bathe her in return. Boldly, but growing in the increasing confidence and comfortability he was finding with her these days, Sasuke turned Sakura so that she faced the stream of the shower head.

He moved his hand to her hair, mimicking her washing efforts single-handedly, fingering those pink, bubble woven strands.

“Do you like girls with short hair or long hair?” she suddenly inquired, and Sasuke halted for a moment at the question. Why did she suddenly want to know that? It immediately felt like the sort of question with no right answer, and his internal alarms were going off.

“Irrelevant, considering you’re the only girl I have, or will ever like.” Surely that was the right answer. It was the truth of it, anyway. Sasuke hoped it would be enough of a response to satisfy her, but Sakura pushed on as his single-handed massaging continued.

“This is going to sound silly, but all of us girls at the academy grew our hair out on purpose because we had all heard the rumor that you liked girls with long hair.”

Sasuke raised a curious brow, trying desperately, but failing to recall any sort of youthful declaration of preference. If Sasuke were to guess, he had probably said all kinds of things to ward off silly girl advances. If someone with a schoolgirl crush on him wore glasses, he would have told her he hated girls with glasses. If another girl was short, he would have said he liked taller girls. And so on and so forth. Anything to spurn them and send them on their way. Sasuke had never had a preference for such things. A preference would be admitting he liked anyone for anything at all. And to be honest, Sasuke hadn’t even paid attention to a girl’s hair until one specific day in the Forest of Death.

“I like your hair,” he admitted candidly. “Especially when you go and cut it off like it’s some declaration of war.”

He could tell she was smiling simply from the way she ducked her head slightly. “I guess in a way, it is,” she admitted.

Sasuke pulled his fingers away from her hair, curling them in hesitation, before deciding to trace a path in the soap at her shoulder blades, once again creating that symbol on her back. It had begun as a sort of declarative mark, a way to tell the world who she was to him; then that mark had become his hope for the future of his—their—clan; but more recently, tracing that symbol into her back was like a therapeutic reminder to them both. Of the choice he had made. When he did so now, Sakura laughed, but Sasuke was telling himself in his head: it’s real. This is real. This is happening. I can have this. I want this. She wants this. WE will make it work one way or another and no one is going to take it from me. Fuck complete selflessness. Just like this shared experience of showering with another person, the Uchiha symbol on Sakura’s back was proof of how far he had come from the man of three years ago, the one who would have killed her and Naruto for simply existing and being liabilities to him.

“So it was just a rumor then,” Sakura stated, refusing to drop her chosen subject even though Sasuke was now miles away from it in his head. It felt like whiplash, coming back to it. “All that time believing such a silly thing would make you like me, when it was power you only ever truly respected.”

Something in Sasuke’s stomach soured at those words and he called upon his years of practiced indifference to refrain himself from flinching. There was truth to her statement, they both knew, and Sasuke hated that he had been that type of person. Looking back on how Sasuke had treated those with power versus how he had acted towards others he believed to be weaker than himself. Had he not sought out Team Taka based on their abilities alone? Suddenly, the Uchiha sort of wished he had been the type of person to have a preference for one’s hair instead of one’s power and ninja ability.

Sasuke wanted to remedy his actions to her, explain it away, but like always, was going to fail miserably, he knew. He settled with trying to emphasize who he was now. “I don’t see people that way anymore. I think you’re the most powerful kunoichi in the world, but I loved you before any of that.” Sasuke wasn’t going to voice that it definitely eased his concerns knowing she was a sanin-level kunoichi who had proved to him countlessly now that she didn’t need others to protect herself. It wouldn’t be beneficial to bring that up again right now.

She turned back to face him then, once again moving to switch spots with him under the running water. Even though their conversation had taken a downward turn, Sasuke couldn’t help himself from trailing her body with his eyes as they pivoted, and her lower back brushed against his legs. It surprised himself how much of an affected man he actually was, even though he would convince the world he was impervious to such things. Just as Sasuke had admitted to the both of them last night, he would be alone in the near future and was eager to store as many visuals of her naked as he could before they parted. He wouldn’t ask her for anything more substantial now, though. Sakura was coming with him, and he could go back to allowing things to naturally transpire between them, instead of rushing into them like that starved desert man in his mind that Sasuke was having a hard time fighting against and reasoning with. He turned his own back to her when the evidence of his affectedness traveled south, and he disguised the concealing of it with the act of letting the water stream down into his face and over his chest. It was his ninja instinct that told him her eyes appraised him similarly while his back was turned.

It was obvious she didn’t notice his own elation, because she immediately asked with a bashful smile and redirected gaze, “So you’ve admitted twice now that you cared for me when we were genin. When exactly did that start?”

Oh, shit. Sasuke supposed he had alluded to that twice now—more like confessed it outright. He had angrily disclosed to Sakura in the heat of last night that his growing feelings for her was the reason for his inexcusable behavior towards her. Sasuke had told Sakura that he knew who she would become to him, which is why he had done everything to make her hate him and permanently cut his bond with her in every way possible. He chastised himself silently for admitting that. The truth to her question was that Sasuke couldn’t pinpoint when he had begun to care for her in more ways than a friend. Not exactly, anyway. At first, Sakura annoyed him. Like all the others. Naruto, of course, at the top of his list—but she wasn’t far behind, claiming she was in love with him when she didn’t even know him. He would say he had begun to care about her around the same time he had begun to care for the rest of Team 7. But when did he know that he would come to care for Sakura in a way that was more? The Chuunin exams? When he had woken from the effects of the Curse Mark to find her beaten and at the mercy of three sound ninja, and realized he would mangle and kill them for it? Or was it before then? Maybe as far back as The Land of Waves, when she thought he was dying and clung desperately to him as if doing so would keep him tethered to this world. Sasuke didn’t know exactly when it had begun for him, and so he avoided her eyes, scrambling to escape answering that question, afraid to not have the answer she hoped for. He reached back to turn off the tap before reaching for the towels beyond the curtain.

His wife’s persistent silence told Sasuke she’d wait the answer out.

“Hmm,” he stalled, then decided on an answer that sounded more like his usual self: “does it really matter?”

She immediately frowned, and Sasuke smirked as he began to towel his hair. It was getting too long and was longer than Sakura’s now when wet. Damn he wished he had two hands so he could dry off faster and leave the washroom that much quicker.

But Sakura was as relentless as usual, deciding to take a guess at it herself.

“In the Forest of Death? During the Chunnin Exams?” She gasped, as if suddenly realizing something and covered her face with her hands. “When I tried to kiss you on the bench? No, that can’t be right. You were so angry that day, calling me annoying for the first time.”

Sasuke halted his efforts of toweling his head. “What are you talking about?”

“You’re still going to pretend that you don’t remember that day?! You tried this the night you left, too!” Sakura reproached his forgetfulness. “I’ll never forget when you called me annoying because I was being harsh about Naruto’s upbringing…I thought you were angry because I had tried to kiss you, but I also sort of said some stupid things—” she confessed in a stutter, avoiding his confused stare

“No,” he clarified. “I remember that part. And calling you annoying. I lied that night and said I didn’t remember that day, but I do. But that’s not the part I’m talking about.”

She narrowed her eyes at his blatant provocation.

“I don’t ever remember you trying to kiss me,” he deadpanned.

“Seriously? You asked me what I thought about Naruto, and I gave an obnoxiously embarrassing speech about how I only wanted your acceptance.” She ducked her head in defeat, grabbing her own towels and wrapping them delicately around herself. “I learned my lesson after that day, and I never said anything like that again. Or tried to kiss you.”

Sasuke listened with roaming, blinking eyes as he tried to make sense of what she was saying. “I don’t remember any of that. I do remember being very angry that day because Naruto had—” Sasuke stopped talking abruptly as the pieces suddenly put themselves together. That day had been like any other normal day, until Naruto ambushed him in his room with his shadow clones. They tied him up and Sasuke was forced to watch as Naruto transformed into him, a perfect Sasuke Uchiha double. That damn idiot.

“What?” she asked, already in the process of adorning her morning work clothes despite the pre-dawn hour.

“That wasn’t me,” Sasuke smirked to himself. “That was Naruto.”

Sakura straightened in disbelief. “Wait, what?”

“That idiot had transformed into me. Caught me by surprise and tied me up that day. I watched him transform into me and run off. And after all this time, now I know what he did as he pretended to be me.” Sasuke wanted to laugh as if he were a genin genuinely amused by the shenanigans of Team 7 once more. Naruto had pretended to be Sasuke that day because he had wanted to get closer to Sakura, who had almost kissed him because she had been so infatuated with her schoolgirl crush. The idea of it had the Uchiha suddenly grinning wildly. Like a treasure in a time capsule, the revelation came to him like a precious piece of the past. Like the cicada song of Konoha, it made Sasuke feel warm instead of exasperated at Naruto’s trickeries that day.

In contrast, Sakura shrieked as the realization of what Naruto had done dawned upon her, too. “HE DID WHAAAAAT?! That IDIOT!”

Sasuke grinned mischievously, not passing up the perfect opportunity of teasing her. “You almost kissed Naruto.”

Her mouth fell open. She stuttered before emphatically tossing down her towel on the floor and promising, “I’m seriously going to kill him for that.”

When Sasuke laughed again, Sakura pointed at him with her own devious smirk. “Well, one of us really did kiss Naruto, and it wasn’t me, unless medical resuscitation counts.”

Sasuke threw his own towel at her face, his laughter dying immediately as hers picked back up again. “Don’t ever bring that up again. And that counts.”

She laughed, peeking under the towel over her head. “Then I guess both of our first kisses were with Naruto. Can you believe that? And I’ve technically kissed several people before you then, as well.”

Sasuke frowned at the thought of Sakura performing that medically necessary practice and changed his answer. “Ok. It doesn’t count.”

“Then I win.”

“What was there to win?” he asked incredulously.

“Nothing. But there was something to lose. Your dignity. You lose because you kissed Naruto.”

“His wife, the Hyuga girl, begs to differ.”

“You’re right. Kissing the world’s savior is not a bad way to live your life. I guess that makes you a lucky man, then.”

Sasuke scowled pointedly and Sakura giggled, moving toward him in the dim steamy bathroom, fully clothed now while he was still dripping naked. She splayed her fingertips across his abdomen, and he immediately wiped his face clean of emotion. She took the towel in her other hand and wrapped it around his waist to bring him closer to her. “Not as lucky I feel getting to kiss you, the savior in the shadows.”

“I guess that’s true,” he murmured with a smug tilt of his chin. She went in for the kiss and Sasuke reached up to secure her neck, guiding her the rest of the way. Their lips touched briefly, a promise for that natural substantiality, after all. That starvation for connection flared to life inside him like that black, pulsating eternal sun of Amaterasu he had become for her.

And then a knock sounded through Sakura’s home. They both immediately stilled as Sasuke’s vision morphed into red and purple. Another knock. His gaze flashed in the direction of the doorway down the hall from them, and he quickly identified the two people, their two outlines of chakra concentrations flickering like flames just outside Sakura’s front door. At first, Sasuke was assuming it might be someone from the hospital again, coming to request her presence. One mass was impressive and flickering erratically, a figure dangling on the other as if supported. Sasuke sighed and deactivated his visual prowess, an unnecessary drain on his chakra now that he had a guess at who was at the door.

Before Sasuke could relay this conjecture to Sakura, the two individuals knocked again and announced their identities themselves. “Sakura?! You in there? Sorry to bother you at this hour, but Lee got a bit carried away drinking again! I heard you were back in the village, are you in there?”

“How often does this sort of thing happen?” Sasuke asked, instantly annoyed for several different reasons: 1) Sakura’s offered kiss had just been interrupted and he had been quite looking forward to that, 2) who in their right mind, because of drunkenness, would casually interrupt her sleep at this hour anyway, and 3) for some reason he would never confess aloud, Sasuke didn’t quite care that Rock Lee was one of the people on the other side of the door.

“Not often,” Sakura relayed, making to step around him. Sasuke scowled. “But when Lee gets like this, I told him to come to me without guilt or reservation.”

Sasuke couldn’t help but scoff distinctly at that.

“I owe him this much, remember?” she declared, making for the couch to grab her father’s old set of clothes from the spot on the arm where Sasuke had left them the last time he had stayed over. She tossed it to him as he continued to pointedly display his annoyed expression. “He fought for me in the Forest of Death and has helped me more since. Even without that between us, he is still a Konoha citizen and my patient.”

Sasuke almost asked ‘how exactly has he helped since’ simply because he wanted to know the specifics, but clamped his mouth shut. Do not be an irrational dick, he told himself. He technically owed Lee too, in a sense, for helping her. Sasuke shut the bathroom door as he heard Sakura receive them, Lee greeting her enthusiastically despite his supposed drunkenness, while Sasuke stood close enough to the bathroom door to eavesdrop while he dressed.

“Sakuraaa?” Lee stuttered, and Sasuke could hear him stumble his way into the small space, knocking his knee ungracefully into the doorframe.

“Leeee,” sighed an exasperated feminine voice that Sasuke recognized, placing it as the female member of Team Guy whom Sasuke couldn’t even recall having ever had a conversation with before. “Get off her! Sorry Sakura, he always gets like this when he’s had too much to drink, but you know that.”

“It’s fine!” Sakura assured them. “Here Lee, let’s get you to the couch.”

It most certainly was not fine, and Sasuke finished dressing, quite done eavesdropping. He had thought he might sit it out in the bathroom, but not after that exchange.

Opening the door, Sasuke casually strode into the kitchen as if he couldn’t be bothered by any of them. He heard the room fall silent as he pointedly ignored them, heading straight to the kitchen in search of that cabinet where he had once retrieved some medication for Sakura’s hangover not several months ago.

Sakura didn’t miss a beat, pretending to be unphased by Sasuke’s sudden unexpected passing, as if this was just as normal as Lee showing up to her house, apparently. “What happened exactly?” she inquired.

“It was an accident,” Tenten explained from the other room, stuttering as she recovered from the shock of randomly seeing Sasuke here after so many years of absence. “We were eating with Choji and Shikamaru, and Lee somehow got his drink mixed up with Shikamaru’s. Next thing we knew, he was hanging from the rafters.”

Sasuke clutched the container with the yellow label marked “Cys/Potas,” the same one that Sakura had indicated had been especially made for Lee’s drunken fist. Next, Sasuke grabbed a glass from a nearby shelf and rotated it in his hand as he thought about that particular information Tenten just divulged. Mixed up drinks? With Shikamaru, of all people? Sasuke pursed his lips as he considered that in the context of recent events. Maybe the shinobi world and his latest interactions concerning the spikey-haired ninja had made him paranoid, but Sasuke scowled down at the reflective glass, overthinking the likelihood of that happening with the Hokage’s right-hand assistant. Shikamaru was a genius, and to put it bluntly, didn’t like the Uchiha (Sasuke didn’t really care, because he didn’t like him all that much either), but would he really go as far as to purposefully get Lee drunk, knowing it was a habit for Lee and his companions to seek Sakura’s assistance? What would be the point of such a calculated move? To spy? To interrupt them? To wake Sakura so she would report to Kakashi? To remind her of her critical function in the Leaf and her other male options? Hn. Sasuke wasn’t going to assume any of that, but he wasn’t going to entirely discredit it as paranoia either.

Sakura didn’t hesitate a second at Tenten’s statement, saying, “Yes, this isn’t the first time this sort of thing has happened. Has he eaten anything?”

“Yes,” Tenten replied immediately. “He ate two plates before—” she halted when Sasuke came back into the room.

“This is what you need, correct?” Sasuke ignored them altogether, placing the glass of water and medication he held with one hand onto the table in front of the sofa.

“Yes,” Sakura answered him, not entirely sure whom Sasuke was addressing, but assuming it must have been her, since Sasuke paced to take up his usual shut-eyed spot against one of the walls, making no effort to talk to either of her guests. Sasuke wanted to tell them that they had gotten what they needed so they could leave now, but Sasuke was reminding himself to hold his tongue because he was trying to not come off as the asshole Shikamaru and the rest of Konoha 13 thought him to be. He may not be doing a very good job at it by blatantly ignoring them, but it was better than the annoyed words on his tongue.

Tenten didn’t seem to be too bothered by his predictable stony silence, because she said boldly, “So the rumors are true then. You’re back, Sasuke.”

Sasuke opened an eye to acknowledge her, giving her a polite but not out of character, “Not for long.” He could have remained silent completely, but Sasuke supposed he didn’t want to give the rest of Konoha any more reasons to hate him than they already had, especially those connected to Sakura.

The medicine seemed to be working as Lee began to come out of his drunken haze slowly but surely. “Sakuraaaaa,” he whined again, slumping forward on the couch her general direction. “I know--*hic* that you love Sasuke and all, but *hic*--” he didn’t get further before Tenten slapped a hand over his mouth.

“Don’t say anything more,” she chastised him, then turned to Sakura. “Sorry, he gets emotional and confrontational when he’s like this. He doesn’t mean half of what he says. Thank you for the medication, Sakura. I’ll take him home now.”

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the words that had come from Lee’s mouth, and the challenging glare framed by those bushy brows of his. Confrontational when drunk, indeed; Lee had acted completely different towards him several months back when he had met up with the caravan Lee had been escorting into the village. He had been full of the ‘spirit of youth’ back then, and very enthusiastic to see Sasuke well. And for the first time since all those years ago, Sasuke remembered Lee’s crush on Sakura. And with that memory, Sasuke suddenly had his answer to Sakura’s question from earlier, too. The first time Sasuke had felt something other than comradery toward Sakura had to have been when Lee boldly—still was bold, apparently—confessed his love for her on that first day of the Chuunin exams.

And now that Sasuke held Lee’s gaze, the Uchiha remembered that he had felt a deep annoyance for the ninja’s admiration for Sakura, but it had all been eclipsed once Lee brought up the Uchiha clan and proceeded to challenge Sasuke to a fight. Sasuke had also overlooked his annoyance when Lee had stood up for Sakura in the Forest of Death at a time when Sasuke and Naruto had been incapacitated. It was for those same reasons, that Sasuke chose to not say anything more now. He had always respected Lee, even if the bushy browed ninja did still harbor affection for his wife. A couple months ago, Sasuke would have conceded to Lee for Sakura’s attention, even going as far to push her in the other man’s direction, knowing in his heart that Lee deserved her, would be good to her, and might even make her happy someday through his consistent presence—be Sakura’s doting husband and the father of her children.

Not now though. Whatever Lee had wanted to say to her tonight, it would have been three months too late anyway. Even Lee knew it, because the drunken man sighed as he made to stand, picking up the medication to take with him. Lee was removing the excuse to visit her himself and they all recognized that intentional act. “I’m sorry Sakura. For bothering you again, especially at this hour. I’ll try to be more careful in the future.”

“You’re no trouble, Lee. You can always come to me for help. You know that. Tell Shikamaru to be more careful with his drink placement, next time.”

Sasuke glanced at Sakura at that statement. He supposed that he wasn’t the only one who squinted their eyes a bit at the circumstances of tonight.

And even though Sakura had offered Lee her continued assistance, Lee had still taken the medication with him. And Sakura didn’t insist he leave it behind.

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.

They didn’t talk about Lee, or much of anything after the two ninja left, really. Sakura had felt uncomfortable, but firm in her practices whenever the two members of Team Guy had arrived at her door. She had to admit she was a little surprised that Sasuke had retrieved Lee’s medication from her cabinet like he was as familiar with Lee’s drunken care as she was, placing it down on the table for him in her stead. But then again, the Uchiha had done stranger, bolder things in the last couple months that had surprised her more. Sakura knew Sasuke well enough to know why he had done it, doing his best to casually, but firmly reveal their relationship to Tenten and Lee (he didn’t have to come out of that bathroom, and Sakura hadn’t expected him to.)

She raced against the growing hour, throwing things randomly into a travel sack, already determined to leave with him. Sasuke watched her stonily with pursed, tense lips. She ignored him, knowing the Uchiha was still having second thoughts about asking her to continue their traveling together even in this moment. She wasn’t going to give him another out.

“I want to check in with Kakashi once more before we leave,” she announced for a second time, moving through the motions of packing, just as she had done several months prior, and not really paying that much attention to what she was throwing in the bag.

“Sakura..” Sasuke tried, but Sakura anticipated his words and cut him off instantly.

“I don’t want to hear it.”

“The Otsusuki—” he began again, refusing not to try one last time to emphasize the primary threat they’d be facing together from this point on.

“Can go to hell,” she finished, handing him her rucksack before boldly fisting her hands behind his neck, her palms sliding to the forefront of his cheekbones. In the dim pre-dawn, lantern-lit hour, Sakura searched both of his eyes. “We get to be selfish.” The window that they had left open all night long, gifted them one last Konoha breeze, the cicadas of the previous evening now silent. Not even they wanted to disturb this quiet solitude, but Sakura had to be the one to set things into motion. For the second time this year, she would tell Kakashi that she was leaving.

Sasuke closed the space between them, taking that kiss that had been interrupted earlier, and Sakura knew this was his way of saying, ‘Okay. Let’s do this, then.’ His mouth was warm and Sakura wanted desperately to climb back into that bed, kiss him into the dawn, and listen to the night give way to birdsong. But Sakura wanted to follow him the rest of the way toward accomplishing his mission more.

To her surprise, Sasuke broke the kiss, he too preparing for the imminent future. She knew he was eager to be gone from Konoha and to resume the hunt for the Otsutsuki.

“Meet me at the gates?” she asked, already gasping, but holding her breath like she could cling to the quiet present shared between them if she did so.

“I’ll meet you there.”

And Sakura assumed he had simply agreed. Donning her white doctor’s coat, she sprinted off into the night, heading toward the spot Sakura knew Kakashi would be.

The pink-haired Kunoichi once again, left her home with a silent farewell, the residence a loyal and waiting fortitude that would forever preserve the short Konoha chapters of their lifelong story together.

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Kakashi was a worldclass ninja, and being a ninja, was not in the habit of being snuck up upon, especially here. It was common for the Hokage to upgrade into more secure housing once they became officially titled as the head of the village, but Kakashi had reallocated the Hokage’s quarters for other purposes recently, taking up residence in his old apartment instead. He had meant what he had said this morning about running out of space to house all the individuals flooding into the Leaf Village. He had given up the Hokage quarters to shocked refugees a month ago, preferring to keep his old discreet lodgings for himself. To everyone else’s knowledge but a select few, he had simply upgraded to something more private.

He sat up at the knock, wondering which of those select few had decided to interrupt his sleep, and then shot out of bed as he registered the night out his window. Because if the Hokage was being sought out at this hour, it must be an emergency.

But when he opened the door, Kakashi’s anxiety skyrocketed for an entirely different reason. It was Sakura on the other side of it. He looked down at her, her determined expression as she stared into his chest was all he needed to see to know exactly why she was here. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

“I’m leaving,” his pink-haired student blurted out, like it had taken her significant courage to do so. And in a smaller guilty sort-of voice, added, “again.”

“I guessed as much,” Kakashi admitted, opening the door for her to come inside. The action gave her pause and Kakashi knew she was thinking he was inviting her inside because his goal would be to talk her out of it. She met his eyes to try to read his face and her emerald irises widened.

Kakashi sleepily raised a curious brow when her hand went to cover her mouth. “Your mask—it’s OFF?!”

Remembering suddenly that he had chosen to forego the mask while he slept, Kakashi clutched Sakura’s wrist and pulled her the rest of the way inside. When the door was shut behind her, he released her and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “I typically sleep with it off, in the privacy of my own home.”

“Um,” Sakura stumbled over her words, her eyes the size of full moons and mouth hung open like the door he had just slammed to avoid prying eyes. “Why do you even wear that mask when you have a face like that, Sensei?”

He turned his back on her in search of said mask, cringing internally that she had seen him without it. “It doesn’t fit me, this face,” he admitted finding the cowl and pulling it down over his chin and nose. “It’s my father’s face. The face of the White Fang.”

“You don’t want to see it?” she asked, moving more fully into the room. It was a labyrinth of books, paperwork, and gifts from the citizens of Konoha. He hadn’t known what to do with such items, but didn’t want to throw them out either, feeling it to be highly disrespectful to do so. So, it had become his surrounding, the insulation of his small apartment.

“No,” he confessed, as unaffected by emotion as possible.

“Then avoid reflective surfaces, but don’t do the rest of the world the disservice.”

He laughed then, enjoying his young student’s playful humor. He would never live this down; she’d never see him the same. Which is precisely why he would wear it to the grave. Kakashi had initially worn it for the reasons he had confessed to Sakura, but it had also just become a part of his persona. Like a pair of glasses or an Anbu mask, Kakashi had grown accustomed to the pressure on his face and now preferred the comfort of something so consistent. It didn’t hurt his shinobi reputation, either, to wear an elusive, intimidating mask. It separated him from his father, distinctly characterizing him as his own person to others. It was quite literally stitched into his identity.

“But seriously,” Sakura continued, “find someone to show yourself to, Sensei. Just because you’re the Hokage doesn’t mean you need to be alone.”

Kakashi sighed again, rubbing the back of his neck. Is this what it felt like when he interfered in his student’s love lives? “Not really interested in anything of the sort,” he confessed. “Living vicariously through my students is quite enough—”

Sakura wasn’t backing down it seemed, pointing a finger in his direction, “Don’t act like you’re not just as bad as Jiraiya, Kakashi Sensei. You read nothing but Makeout Tactics for years.”

He coughed loudly, suddenly confronted with a behavior that had never been a secret. Everyone knew how much he enjoyed that book series. “A healthy outlet,” he excused, “for a loveless life.”

Before she could say anything more, Kakashi turned the tables on her. “It seems you and Sasuke, however, have chosen to continue traveling together. When do you leave?”

She went from teasing back to serious as she came forward and stood a little straighter. “Sunrise.”

In just a couple hours, then. That soon? Kakashi supposed that this was going to be his last chance alone with Sakura to express his concerns before she inevitably followed the Uchiha back into the wilderness.

“Sakura,” he began, and he saw her physically brace herself as she searched his eyes for the words he had yet to speak. “I have wished for nothing more than you and Sasuke to be happy. Seeing you both choose each other was the highlight of my year, I promise you. But,”

She ducked her head. “I was afraid there might be a but this time.”

“Recently, there has been some tension where Sasuke is concerned—” Kakashi stated, but Sakura interrupted him.

“I already know,” she confessed. “Shikamaru told me.”

Kakashi squinted his eyes as he considered that, knowing that his assistant would have not been soft in his delivery of their mutual concerns. He sighed, wishing Shikamaru would have let Kakashi be the one to do so first as the leader of Team 7. He supposed Shikamaru had little faith Kakashi would address it at all for that very reason.

“But it’s not like that Kakashi. Naruto and I—” she began, but Kakashi waved her panicking declarations away.

“I know what you’re going to say,” he came forward and placed a hand on her shoulder groundingly. “And I still extend my congratulations to you both. I am happy for you, Sakura. But this time, I’m going to also extend a word of caution.”

She waited for it, and Kakashi could hear her breath catching, her chest tightening as if waiting for impact.

“I came to the conclusion that Sasuke’s threat wasn’t ingenuine like Naruto claims it to be,” he said and Sakura’s wide eyes jumped to his. “I think Sasuke will always struggle with his nature, and there is always the possibility of his relapse.”

She shook her head, attempting to resume Sasuke’s defense, but Kakashi finished his speech with, “However, I am choosing to have faith—just as Sasuke is, himself—that you and Naruto are enough security in the instance that one of Team 7 may eventually—heaven forbid—be lost.”

“I think that, too, Kakashi. But it will never come to that. Sasuke vowed to me last night that he would never become that way again, even if Team 7–.”

“But it’s not only Team 7 that I am concerned about, Sakura,” Kakashi confessed, stealing himself to admit to her what he had silently worried about ever since the Uchiha’s declarations in Sunagakure. As much as he didn’t want to, Kakashi was going to bring it up. He wanted her prepared. He wanted Sasuke prepared.

“I don’t understand—”

“A child, Sakura.”

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In the eclipsing mist-lurking darkness, Sasuke traced his fingers along the Uchiha memorial, finding Itachi’s name carved into the plaque at the bottom. Sasuke hadn’t understood until now that whoever had created the memorial had listed each member of the Uchiha clan massacre and saw it fit to add UCHIHA ITACHI despite his role in their deaths. Sasuke was surprised to find it there, knowing that those who had died by his hand deserved their own plaque apart from their murderer. But whoever had designed it had added Itachi, and Sasuke couldn’t think of any other reason other than that, at the end of the day, it had been determined Itachi was a victim of the Uchiha massacre, too. There weren’t many people who knew about Itachi’s secret, which led Sasuke to conclude once again that Kakashi was responsible for this memorial. Sasuke had missed it the first time he had visited several months ago, but seeing it now made a flicker of guilt spark inside him about his behavior towards Kakashi the past few days. He was still angry with him about his recent actions regarding Sakura, but he appreciated him all the same for his efforts to maintain and honor their rocky back and forth relationship.

Sasuke sighed as he traced his older brother’s name, feeling like he was visiting his grave for the first time despite the fact that Itachi’s body didn’t lay beneath his feet. How incredible it was that a simple name engraved on stone suddenly became like an open conduit to one’s lost soul where there hadn’t been one before. Like an unexpected winter wind that whipped around you, the ghosts of the past arrived to surround Sasuke, the one from their clan who had survived, the one who had tried to avenge them. They stared back at him now, shadows of their former selves with hollow eyes pacing around Sasuke to survey just what kind of the man the last living Uchiha became. He fixated on the silhouettes of his imagination that felt like home as his fingers found his mother’s and father’s name placed beside one another on the monument just as they had left this world side-by-side.

“Mother,” he whispered, “Father,” uttering those words for the first time since the night they had left his throat in screams. “I don’t feel so alone anymore. I’m going to be my own man from now on. I’m going to make my own choices for myself, now. Wherever you are right now, I hope you’re together.”

Sasuke suddenly looked up into the eyes of a grim funeral bird, a crow landing to perch on the top of the memorial, a figment in the darkness that cocked its head in evaluative listening. Sasuke stilled, imagining his brother in its place, perched on top of that gravestone and looking down at him with a bone chilling, “Sasuke.”

“And you, Itachi,” Sasuke whispered among those pacing shadows, acknowledging the ghost above him. “I hope wherever you are, you’re finally free, and that your sacrifice paid for an afterlife of happiness. In the end, I don’t think I want to be like you, Itachi. You gave up all the things you wanted and dreamed about and for what? You were manipulated Itachi. Your sacrifice was for the benefit of a crazed man. I killed him for what he did to you.”

The crow tilted its head as it listened. It cawed loudly whenever Sasuke fell silent.

Sasuke continued, saying, “Instead of living a life of complete sacrifice, I think I want to simply live my life by doing what’s right. I want some of that happiness now, in the present.”

The cawing turned to words of warning that Sasuke heard in the chambers of his heart. “The Uchiha cannot determine what is right. Their emotions cloud their judgement. The Uchiha have always brought about destruction by conceding to their selfish desires. Selfishness will be your downfall.”

Sasuke scowled at the talking bird, shaking his head in denial at the very words that haunted his heart like his brother’s ghost did now. “I have Naruto and Sakura to live by. I’ll stand by their sides to protect the village. I’ll choose what they choose. I won’t become what I was. Never again. I’ll spend the rest of my life proving you wrong. Proving everyone else wrong.”

The bird did not speak, but its black beady eye surveyed him carefully as mist curled around them, as if the creature before him possessed a sight beyond the abilities of the Rinnegan. Sasuke suddenly felt exposed as it sized him with otherworldly measure, as if it could discern the very colors of the sins that stained his soul. As if it could scry into the various futures that could manifest according to Sasuke’s life-altering decisions.

Sasuke doubled down, convincing his brother and vowing to himself. “I’ll hunt the Otsusuki because I want to protect my loved ones and the Leaf, not because I want to live up to your legacy of martyrdom. I don’t want to live in the name of vengeance, in the name of sacrifice, or in the name of losses anymore. I think I want to live for me. I want to live for the ones who remain. Is that so terrible?”

And the crow tilted its head in contemplation, before croaking, “Maybe you’re different. Maybe your ties will save you, Sasuke. Maybe you can be selfish if your selfishness means living for others. Maybe it is love that will keep you from falling after all. It was my love for you that sustained me.” And then Sasuke imagined that the crow bowed its royal head, a show of the black plumage crown of the grim, before it cawed in finality, flapping its magnificent wings and bursting from its haunting roost in a loud cacophony that startled the souls of the grave back into the mist of the morning. Sasuke wasn’t sure what sort of answer he was given, or if he had imagined the entire conversation altogether, but he felt lighter. He felt righted in his downward spiral.

That feeling of lightness continued as the stripe of sun began its rise on the horizon, the warmth of the sun casting out the chill of shadows in his mind as Sasuke headed to that spot. It was its own kind of haunting, that expanse of cobblestone parallel the stone bench on the only road out of the village. The very place where he and Sakura’s first real confrontation took place and the spot where they had met multiple times since. Just a few months ago, it was the exact same location that Sakura had pretty much told Sasuke he wasn’t leaving her behind again. She had chosen to follow without his initial permission. But this time was different. This time, Sasuke wanted to face the ghost of it as he had his brother’s, the painful memory he had created there. This time he would rewrite his wrongs and their history.

Except that lightness won from earlier was replaced with unease when Sasuke got there as the sunrise fully cast its violet banner in the sky, and Sakura wasn’t there waiting for him. Activating his visual prowess, he looked down the path back toward the heart of the village, but did not even see the essence of her.

Was this how Sakura had felt that night? Waiting for Sasuke to arrive and fearing that something was wrong? Just as she had done for him all those years ago, Sasuke would wait for her because he knew she would come. And he realized suddenly how easy it had been to tell Naruto yesterday that Sakura would be staying behind in the Leaf where she belonged, but how impossible it now seemed to face such a reality. The Uchiha wasn’t leaving without her.

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Sakura had carried Kakashi’s words like weight in her chest as she had clamored into the medical labs at five in the morning with a newfound vigor.

“It’s not my place to pry like this,” he had begun when Sakura’s shock had left her speechless. “But as your sensei who knows all three of you best, would you or Naruto be enough insurance for Sasuke, or even you for that matter, if for some reason, a child—your child—was lost to the both of you?”

“You’re right, Kakashi Sensei. That really isn’t anyone’s business,” she had responded steadily and formally. “No one else is being asked what you’re about to ask me to do—or rather, do without.”

Kakashi had begun a long stream of consciousness in an attempt to clarify. “I don’t want to make you promise such a thing, Sakura. There’s nothing I want more for you than that. But I just want you to consider the answer to that question first. You’re not responsible for the path Sasuke takes from now on, so don’t mistake my words for that or let Shikamaru convince you that you are. I wholeheartedly support your choice to pursue this ‘newfound happiness’—as Naruto put it. We can leave the future in the future. I don’t intend to burden you with my worries, but I want you to be informed of the steaks at hand, to protect yourself. Sasuke’s reaction was intense, to say the least. And I know you Sakura. You’d throw away your life to protect him, side with him, or even stop him. Despite what you are to him now, know your worth to the rest of your loved ones. The entire shinobi world of medicine has advanced from your contributions alone. You are so much more than Sasuke Uchiha’s lover or his children’s mother.”

Sakura’s eyes had watered at that, her steely resolve softening at her sensei’s uplifting articulation. “I know Kakashi. I know what you’re trying to say, but you don’t have to worry. I’m being careful. I’m not taking any chances right now either. But I can’t help myself, Kakashi. I can’t walk away from him indefinitely.”

Her sensei had nodded, accepting her answer before his expression had turned a different sort of heavy. The speech concerning Sasuke had been fatherly. This sort of look on his face morphed into a sadness of regret. He had proceeded to apologize to her, for allowing her to go after the Zenshin organization alone back in Suna, saying, “I shouldn’t have allowed you to put yourself in any situation where you might have compromised yourself or felt pressured to—you know—for the sake of the village.”

Sakura had blushed embarrassingly at his apology. “Oh Kakashi, I didn’t.”

“That’s not what Uchiha Sasuke said to me.”

Sakura had waved his concerns away. “You know how dramatic he is. I had it under control. I didn’t do anything extreme.”

“Sasuke wouldn’t be angry without cause. He has a right to be angry with me about it. I should have never agreed to let anyone use such a disguise, especially one of my own.”

She had left shortly after, but not before the Zenshin organization, and those that continued to hunt her at a distance, were discussed in full. She had tried to listen to the Hokage’s concerns, plans, and questions carefully, but Sakura’s brain was planning for the now. Her time had been ticking and honestly, she was sick of caring about the organization known as Zenshin. They had come at her carelessly, unprepared, and with an underestimation of Sakura. She would deal with them when they came to find her again despite how proactive the Hokage was being on her behalf. To Kakashi’s chagrin, Sakura had expressed as much before parting with a tight hug around her sensei’s waist, a special request to keep an affectionate eye on Isao in her absence, and running toward the hospital.

Sakura didn’t know where they were headed next or for how long, but she wanted to have everything in order. She made more chakra pills even though she had made a batch before leaving Suna, medical supplies for injuries, capsulized more of the antidepressant, H. Perforatum, for further study, and yes, even more contraceptives for both Sasuke and herself. The Kunoichi hadn’t lied to Kakashi when she said she was being careful. Sakura had started her doses before leaving Suna and had consistently taken them, and now Sasuke was, too. She hadn’t chosen to do so for the sake of fearing Sasuke’s future, or because she was under the sick impression that they should sacrifice their happiness in order to protect any part of the shinobi world from Sasuke. She just wanted them both to be ready, and she knew that Sasuke clearly wasn’t any sort of ready from their conversations in the cave alone. She’d cross any other bridges when she came to them.

Taking a note from Sasuke’s handbook, Sakura began sealing all of her items within a concealment scroll for easier transport. She had just finished finalizing another canvas bundle of medicines and placing it in the scrolls, when she heard the birdsong. Glancing over at the window, Sakura was greeted with the flush of dawn. Stripping her Leaf medical attire and abandoning it in her office, Sakura clutched the scroll and ran.

It was such an odd sensation, racing the fuschia sunrise, pounding your feet down a stone path you had walked countless times, but now it miraculously felt different. It felt like the path to him. Before, it had been the path Sasuke had chosen to use to walk away from her that night and had done so several times since. She hadn’t been able to walk it a single time in his absence without remembering the pain of that night. But suddenly, it was like it had thawed from time, as if it were beginning at the sunrise after that night, picking up where it had left off and resuming what it always should have been. It should have always been a path they took together.

Sakura didn’t realize just how nervous she was that he might not have waited for her, until she saw him. Cloaked in black, traveling poncho once again adorned, and Sakura’s pack on his shoulder, a relieved sort of expression passing his features as he saw her. To be honest, Sakura hadn’t expected to see him there, standing exactly where she had all those years ago and where they had rendezvoused once more a few months ago. It clicked for her then, what Sasuke had meant by “I’ll meet you there.” Not at the gates as she had requested. But here. This spot. Before she could stop herself, tears pricked her eyes at the significance.

She wiped them away as she came to a stop before him, panting from the run. He sighed with a raised eyebrow and Sakura laughed slightly, assuming that he was annoyed at her tardiness. She didn’t care. She was high on the exhilaration of now and immediately chirped an old nostalgic excuse that also happened to be the truth. “Sorry I’m late. Got lost on the path of life.”

There was a mischievous poke to her forehead and Sakura rubbed it with a smile. “Never took you for picking up on Kakashi’s bad habits. I thought something must have happened. You did say sunrise, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I know. I was prepping some
medical supplies,” she smiled. She felt stupid for how much she was smiling. “We can go, now. I’m ready!” She made to walk past him, giddy with the love she felt for this man and the excitement of their continued journey, however long or short it would be. How different this scenario was playing out from the past. But Sasuke grabbed her fingers lightly with his own.

“Wait,” he breathed, a whisper on the birdsong dawn that no one would be able to hear but herself. “I wanted to tell you something.”

She turned, that elation coming down like the fall of adrenaline.

“I wanted to tell you that if I could make the choice over that night—”

Sakura shook her head immediately, wind-blown hair brushing her cheeks as she did so. “I would have you make the same choices,” she confessed. “Because it led us to here and now. I do not wish you would have chosen differently Sasuke, even though it was painful.”

He smiled sadly, before adding. “I’ve decided something, today. My reason for living is not revenge this time. After all these years, I think I am finally like you and Naruto. Our paths will still be different, but maybe we can walk together sometimes, share them along the way. Like our orbits.”

And Sakura knew he was referring to the words of that painful night. The words were written into the memory of her soul.

“My words from that night have not changed,” she smiled. “I still think that I can make you happy. I know that you won’t be able to stay in Konoha with me like I had begged you to. And I can’t promise you that every day will be fun and happy, but our sometimes is better than nothing.”

“I’m attempting to rewrite one of my most shameful moments,” he continued, confidence increasing with her adoring words. “This time, I’m asking you to come with me.”

“What if you regret it?” She teased, squeezing his fingers with her own. “I’ve been told quite often that I can be annoying.”

“I don’t see that ever changing,” he deadpanned, grunting as he received an elbow to the ribs.

“I’m not sticking my nose into your business?”

“You most definitely are,” he dodged her next jab, grabbing her wrist and bringing her closer to him. “But I want you to.”

After a moment of staring into one another’s mirthful eyes, flushed with daybreak. Sasuke released her and Sakura nodded down the path to the gates. “Then let’s go.”

“Hn,” he agreed, shouldering her pack just as he did months ago.

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Kakashi wasn’t a snoop, but he wanted—had to— see it for himself. He hadn’t been exaggerating when he had told Sakura he was vicariously living through his students. That moment where Sasuke had reached for her fingers with his own had been a breakthrough in Kakashi’s mind about Sasuke’s character. His words had been too hushed, and Kakashi was now without the sharingan to make out what they were saying, but he knew his students well enough to see it for himself: the tenderness, the regret, and the love they had for one another. Not to mention the degree of playfulness between them that Kakashi hadn’t even witnessed between their genin-selves.

And, Kakashi couldn’t believe his eyes as they made to walk away. Was that the Uchiha crest on Sakura’s back? He blinked, even going as far as to rub his old, now sharingan-less, eyes. It sure as hell was. Those two sneaks, Kakashi laughed to himself. Well, he now sort of felt like his speech earlier had been a bit pointless. It wasn’t a matter of if they had a family together, but a matter of when. If Sasuke’s feelings had grown enough where the Uchiha had actually gone as far as to marry her despite his resolution of independent atonement, then he would probably do pretty much anything for that woman. And Kakashi knew Sakura and the dreams she had for herself. Kakashi both sighed and smiled as he shook his head in disbelief and awe.

It wasn’t only Kakashi who had been a silent spectator. Eight anbu landed beside him, the very anbu Kakashi had detailed to follow Sakura while she was in the village. His concern for her safety rivaled the boys’ at this point. The Zenshin who wanted her life was still out there. The Anbu were silent witnesses to the pair’s exchange as well, as they stood beside Kakashi, waiting for their new orders now that Sakura was leaving the village with Sasuke.

Once his students were out of sight behind the Leaf Village gates, Kakashi performed the summoning seal. There was the telltale poof of materialization, a cloud of white revealing Kakashi’s eight ninja hounds. Pakkun, perched upon Bull’s massive head, looked up at Kakashi past his graying muzzle and misty eyes.

“Aren’t we a little too old to be summoned for work?” Pakkun complained. “When’s your retirement again?”

“Not getting here fast enough,” Kakashi answered before saying, “I hate to ask for your help. But this has gotten personal.”

Kakashi divided the hounds amongst the anbu present, giving precise orders for each four-cell team. Two dogs per two anbu was the goal, creating four teams total with the ability to move discreetly but have enough support within the squad, operating just as a leaf village shinobi team.

One orange-haired Anbu remained after the others received their orders and dispersed, Pakkun quickly attaching himself to the ninja’s shoulder.

“I want to hunt the Zenshin who remain,” Kakashi informed him. “Even if it takes us outside of the village. We will have to be discreet as a whole. Can I count on you to lead this mission and report on these four teams?”

“It would be my honor, Lord Hokage. I would do almost anything for Sakura-san.”

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at that, marking the distinct fox shape anbu mask and orange hair. There were several ninja sporting that color of hair, but Kakashi had a hunch as to who it might be. A ninja with the surname Mizuno. Kakashi knew him to be one of Chino’s exploding human bomb burn victims, and assumed his filial sentiments toward Sakura were due to her recent treatment of his burns.

“Give any remaining members you discover the same options she gave the others,” the Hokage ordered. “They can spend imprisonment here or be transported to Sunagakure to the Kazekage. There is no third option.”

“Yes, Lord Hokage.”

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“Where to now?” Sakura asked Sasuke once they were at the crossroads out of the village and Sasuke came to an abrupt stop. She took the opportunity to tuck the scroll she had been carrying into the side pocket of her bag that Sasuke had refused to relinquish over to her twice now. He had ‘plans to store it in his own scrolls soon’ and it ‘wasn’t a burden,’ he had claimed when she tried to take it.

Sasuke didn’t miss a beat, saying his next words as if it were the most normal conclusion. “Orochimaru’s hideout.”

Sakura, however, tripped over her own feet and came to a stumbling halt. Did she just hear him correctly? “Wait, what? WHY?”

The Uchiha kept walking down the forest path, seemingly unbothered by her obvious worry, but Sakura quickly caught up to him and grabbed his right arm, gently guiding his body back around to face her. She searched his eyes before identifying the resolution in them. Her shoulders sank at finding it there. This meant that Sasuke knew she would object, but he had a plan in place and was set on it.

“Is this for your mission?” she inquired, mentally preparing to see that slimy snake of a devil who had taken Sasuke from her all those years ago if it meant furthering Sasuke’s goal to find the Otsusuki. What could Orochimaru possibly have to add to the search?

Sasuke removed the emotion from his mask, slipping into the Uchiha persona she knew as the shinobi elite that could and would help save the world. “No. I meant what I said about finding the remaining members of Zenshin who are after you. There’s someone there that can help me do that.”

“Wait,” Sakura raised a hand to stop his explanation, a specific red-haired ninja who could identify someone by their chakra coming to the forefront of her mind. He couldn’t mean that woman, could he? “Just wait a second.”

“You can’t talk me out of it, Sakura.”

“Listen,” she began, sighing as this topic was brought up yet again. “Kakashi’s on it. He plans to hunt them down himself.”

Sasuke turned to continue walking, unphased by this knowledge. “He won’t get far, because I’ll beat him to it.”

She stumbled in front of him, blocking his path with an awkward rub to her neck. “Can we not do this,” she implored. “Please?”

He sighed in exasperation. “You want me to just forget about those still after you? Not do anything about it at all?”

“Yes?”

“What kind of man—and partner for that matter—do you take me for?”

“The kind of man who has already put off his own goals for my sake for a month and a half now. Come on. Let’s leave it to Kakashi, and if Zenshin shows up, we can deal with them at that point.”

He glared at her as her hands found his waist, reaching up under his poncho and tangling her fingers at his back, bringing their bodies close together. It was a method of entreating him that she had used a couple times now.

“That’s not going to work,” he hissed, an embarrassed blush staining his cheeks despite his harsh words.

“I’m not worried about them, and you shouldn’t take on that burden either. You have a different burden, and as long as I am with you, I’ll be out of harm’s way. Let’s just leave it all behind, remove ourselves from the equation while Kakashi and his team handle the rest.” It was her turn to blush when the fabric of Sasuke’s poncho came down over her head, entrapping her like a child under a blanket. His smirking face was peaking down into the neck of the fabric as she looked up at him with a crumbling glower of her own. Her smile spread free at her success. This was definitely working.

“Kakashi’s got hounds tracking them,” she said again. “They’re better at that sort of thing than anyone you have in mind anyway. So, let’s just forget them, yeah?” Sakura did not want Sasuke going anywhere near Orochimaru or Karin. She knew that both of the rogue ninja had helped at the end of the war, but Orochimaru was still suspicious enough of a character that the Leaf kept twenty-four-hour surveillance on him and his activity. Not to mention, how absolutely traumatized she was of him. And Karin, well—Sakura knew how the woman had felt about Sasuke at one point in time and didn’t really feel like facing that awkwardness anytime soon.

“So where to next?” she practically pleaded as Sasuke searched her eyes and raised a suspicious brow. Did he know where her thoughts had gone to?

After a moment, the Uchiha sighed, and Sakura immediately felt ten times lighter. “The plan after that was to head north, to the Land of Snow.”

Sakura tiptoed, popping her head through the neck of his poncho like a curious mole sticking its nose above ground. “The Land of Snow?”

“The environmental conditions of the Sunagakure desert helped connect me to Kaguya’s desert realm,” Sasuke explained, staring down into her face as he did so. “It made bypassing the central dimension altogether possible with the help of your chakra pills. In theory, bypassing the center dimension for Kaguya’s Ice realm would be achievable if I could find a similar environment; the Land of Snow is the coldest place in the shinobi world.”

“Excellent,” she piped, already dreaming of snowy landscapes and sub-degree temperatures. She recalled their time in the Land of Snow as Genin fondly, remembering that the land had a seasonal spring now that rivaled the beauty of its frosty contrast. She teased Sasuke by pretending to go in for a kiss, before retreating from his poncho and tossing it over his head just as he had done to her. “To the Land of Snow it is, then.”

Clutching the fabric with one hand, he dragged the material back down his face, mussing his wrapped head of hair as he did so, and revealing another smirking scowl. She heard him mumble something about her being the death of him as she turned and marched north before he could begin walking toward Orochimaru’s hideout.

Chapter Text

Sasuke’s plan had originally been to head northeast, travel through the land of Sound and Otogakure where Orochimaru’s base was located along the way, recruit some help to track and kill the remaining members of Zenshin, and then head to the Land of Snow. However, upon learning about that, Sakura had rerouted his plans, making a stark preference for the northwest route toward Takigakure, the Village Hidden by Waterfalls, bypassing Orochimaru’s hideout altogether.

Sakura was convinced that she would be fine if they didn’t hunt down the leader of Zenshin and had assured the Uchiha as much to persuade him to skip forward to hunting the Otsusuki instead, but Sasuke had written three letters as they camped just outside the border of Takigakure. First, he wrote to Kakashi to confirm the Hokage’s plans, not because he didn’t believe Sakura’s detailed explanation of their sensei’s interference, but because he wanted to assess the process for himself and compare it to his own. He had to be sure, before stealing Sakura away across the sea to the Land of Snow. His second letter was addressed to Takigakure’s current leader, Shibuki, requesting permission to pass through and seek safe seafaring passage from Takigakure’s northern harbor. It was the same route Team 7 had taken when they were assigned to guard the actress “Yukie,”—an alias for the Land of Snow’s princess, Koyuki, that Team 7 had been unaware of at the time of accepting the mission—which is why Sakura was familiar with the road that would take them through. Which brought him to his third and final letter, addressed to said Princess Koyuki, informing her of their intentions to arrive in her land. Sasuke hated to leave a paper trail of their activities considering Sakura still had people after her, but considering his past and his travels recently, it was always better to inform and request permission from those in charge.

As they waited on Sasuke’s letters to reach their destinations via messenger hawk, they set up camp lounged by a fire, sitting close to the flames that warded off the northern air that sought to chill their skin even in August. Sasuke eyed Sakura’s gooseflesh as she wrapped her arms around herself, determined to suffer in silence rather than admit she had hastily packed an unprepared bag. To his credit, Sasuke had repacked for her after her hasty exit, trying to discern which of her clothing might be the warmest, but found her wardrobe entirely lacking for winter climates. He thought they had more time before heading to the Land of Snow, so had packed her bag accordingly, refolding and organizing the bag in order to fit more in. Sakura had noticed as soon as she opened it for the first time, and immediately made to thank him, but Sasuke felt awkward as usual and chose that precise moment to flee in the name of firewood.

Seeing her shiver and wipe away the prickling flesh along her upper arms made Sasuke feel inattentive, and so the Uchiha pushed back his reserved nature once more and reached for her, taking hold of her by the waist with his right arm. She jumped in initial surprise but smiled complacently when Sasuke pulled her between his legs to settle her back against his chest. The poncho, once again, came down over her head as Sasuke positioned them to sleep in a reclined position together to share their newfound warmth. He quite liked it, the excuse to bundle her into the fabric of his person like she was an extension of his body (she was as far as he was concerned, that valve in his heart he’d decided she was the last time they had found themselves at a fire on the road at the beginning of a journey. He remembered moving away from her that first time, deciding the distance alone would be enough to keep their lives from entangling further. He had never been more wrong. And now they had come full circle, no amount of distance preventing the inevitable.

“We need to stop in Takigakure to get you some suitable outerwear,” he stated, her body shivering one last time as the caress of warmth greeted her.

She burrowed against him, fitting in all of Sasuke’s angles as if she had been designed to be the missing pieces of him all along. She sighed and leaned her head back into the bend of his shoulder, and Sasuke intimately tucked his nose into her hair as they drifted to the crackling melody of the firelight humming heat.

Until Sakura spoke with a small content laugh, saying the very last thing that Sasuke would ever imagine in that moment. “I saw Kakashi’s face.”

Sasuke couldn’t help himself. He practically jolted as if he had been shocked with his own lightning blade. The elusiveness of Kakashi’s face had been one of those Genin curiosities that had never really left the realm of Sasuke’s curiosity, and the Uchiha had privately theorized with Naruto that the ninja had something to hide with that mask. “And?” he immediately investigated, eager to know what she was withholding.

“And what?”

“Don’t ‘and what?’ You know exactly what. Tell me what he’s hiding under there.”

She snickered against his chest, a pleasant shifting motion against Sasuke’s sternum, as if her laughter could reach into his own body via vibration and demonstrate just how one could lose oneself in something funny.

“Not hiding much, other than the fact that he’s a complete and total hottie.”

Sasuke could have choked on the air in his lungs alone. “That’s it? Nothing out of the ordinary? No big secret? Sort of anti-climactic, if you ask me.”

“Oh trust me,” she sighed. “Nothing anti-climactic about it—”

“Stop talking,” Sasuke shushed into her hair, immediately covering her mouth with his right hand to completely cut-off her crude direction of speech. Since when had his shy genin teammate become so unreserved? They’d had sex twice, for peat sakes, and weren’t in the habit of making these types of jokes. It was even worse that she was making a go about Kakashi, their old, decrepit, retiring sensei. Or at least, that’s how Sasuke would forever regard him. “You have spent too much time with that Yamanaka girl,” he chided.

“That’s all from Tsunade, actually.” Sakura admitted with a small laugh at his innocence.

Sasuke grunted, and Sakura picked up the conversation again. “Do you think Kakashi is alone by choice? Because he’s the Hokage? I feel bad for him, always to himself when he isn’t working.”

Sasuke knew the answer immediately. He suddenly recalled several of Kakashi’s lectures whenever Sasuke found himself angry about being alone. “Kakashi was alone a long time before he was the Hokage and even our sensei. He lost many of his loved ones, everyone who was ever close to him. I imagine that he’s afraid to form a bond that intimate being who he is and the role he has to play.”

“Sort of like you, then.” Sakura acknowledged.

“Hn,” Sasuke affirmed, but added, “He’s right to guard his heart so. I tried, but someone’s chakra-enhanced strength punched through my rib cage.”

Sakura laughed before interjecting with, “You know, I always sort of theorized it might be because Kakashi sensei’s preferences leaned more towards men.”

Sasuke’s brows shot straight into his hairline, the first real emotion to present itself upon his carefully constructed face tonight. He thought about it, truly. And as he thought about it, he wondered. Truly wondered. “Hn,” he said again with a tilt to his head, “who knows.” He could honestly see his sensei having no particular preference at all. As he reflected on his genin days, Sasuke would say with confidence that he was definitely the sort to appeal to both. Everyone they encountered always had some weird obsession with him.

“I hope one day, whatever the case may be, he chooses to be selfish, too.”

“I think he’s more excited about retirement than anything else. I think he’s just ready to choose himself for once.” And he’s dog obsessed, Sasuke thought privately. And sometimes, maybe pets were all you needed for companionship. Back when Sasuke imagined a lonely life without anyone else in it, he pictured a pet or two in his future. A hawk. Maybe a cat, even. That sort of life had once appealed to him, but he was choosing one of attachment, instead. He was choosing her, even if it was half-lived and intermittent.

“Definitely,” she chimed, before stilling and growing quiet against him. Was she falling asleep?

But then, she said something else that rennervated Sasuke, and he was thoroughly trapped of his own making, the shared overgarment preventing him from fleeing from the question. “You helped Toka, didn’t you? Back in the Shikkotsu Forest.”

Sasuke didn’t answer. He didn’t breathe. Because how was he going to explain his actions of that night? He had thought it had completely escaped her notice, the hand he had played in Toka’s chances in escaping that night.

“It’s okay if you did,” Sakura rested back against him more firmly, seeking to give him comfort. “I just want to know why.”

Sasuke still couldn’t breathe as he thought of the truth. The truth was rather simple in his head. Sasuke envied the choice the man had been given. Sakura had given Toka an out, a condition. If he made it through the Shikkotsu Forest on his own, he could leave and not return to a life of imprisonment for his crimes. It would certainly mean his death, to risk the snare that was Shikkotsu Forest for the 1% chance only a soon-to-be-father would take in order to possibly have a life with his family on the other side. Sasuke had heard Sakura break the news to Toka about his impending paternity, and had felt it like a stab to his soul, because Sakura was giving the man a choice to risk it all for a chance at a life with his woman and unborn child. Sasuke still remembered that tiny little throb of light that woman had concealed within her, and he had made a choice that night, too. The choice to help Toka, even if he less than deserved it for the part he had played in Zenshin.

“He made the right choice,” Sasuke admitted to the back of her head, recalling how at the first sign of Toka’s departure, Sasuke had performed his own silent summoning, a winding camouflaged python ascending the monstrous trunk to greet him.

“Lord Sasuke,” it had hissed in an inaudible tongue only Sasuke could hear. “You have become like a stranger to us. A mere rumor of existence. We wondered if you were even still alive.”

“Let’s catch up another time, Sutsuma,” Sasuke had greeted cooly in the formal way of snakes. “Follow that man. Assist him out of this jungle. You’re familiar, aren’t you?”

“Katsuyu’s forest? Of coursssse we are,” hissed the python, turning its yellow eyes this way and that. “Not like the Ryuchi Cave, but we have brethren here all the same.”

He had watched the snake make its way toward the retreating man, and Toka had glanced back at Sasuke, when the snake revealed its good intentions by not eating him and waiting for the man to follow.

Sasuke hadn’t known if Toka had made it out, until Sutsuma found him once again in the morning, having slithered the miles back to him. “He livesssss. Barely, but he survivesssss.”

“Appreciated, Sutsuma,” Sasuke had amended, already prepared to reverse the summoning.

“Lord Orochimaru extends his greetingssss,” the snake informed, sending a small chill down Sasuke’s spine at the mention of the Snake Sannin. “And Aoda remains unbound despite Lord Orochimaru’s great displeasure, pledging his fealty to you only Sssasuke Uchihaaa. Do NOT forget such kindnesssss from ssssnakes. We do not do kindnessss freely.”

Sasuke simply nodded before the snake had dissolved into nothingness. Sasuke had felt a pang of guilt toward Aoda, a loyal friend from the past. When the situation had called for it, Sasuke had relied on his other summons after the war, the two hawks he had formed close connections with of recent days. He hadn’t realized that Aoda might have taken the Uchiha’s absence personally.

Sakura shifted against him, asking in finality, “So Toka made it out, then?”

Sasuke only nodded, saying “unfortunately,” but then added to assure her he hadn’t made the choice at the risk of her life, “and if he ever shows his face again, I’ll personally drop him back in the Shikkotsu and watch as the forest claims the life I took from her. He only got to live for the sake of his unborn child.”

Sakura didn’t respond, as if there was so much she wanted to say, but couldn’t. What was she thinking silently to herself at learning this information? Sasuke was suddenly worried, an uncomfortable ice replacing the burn of his annoyance. “What’s wrong? Are you angry that I interfered?”

“No, of course not,” she assured him, the curve of her skull moving back and forth against his sternum, but he heard the emotion in her voice. As if she were fighting back tears.

He suddenly stiffened. “Then why are you crying?”

She swallowed before saying, “I’m not.” The pause alone before answering gave her away.

“You are. Tell me what’s wrong.” He moved so he could see her profile in the dim light. Sakura’s tears now affected him in ways he couldn’t explain. Because he had always been the reason for them, and even though Sasuke had changed, chosen her, she still ended up crying for some reason connected to him. And cursed heavens, he hated it.

“Nothing,” she confessed, “Just, I’m happy you did. I am happy for them.”

And Sasuke’s stomach dropped, because he had been right to fear those tears. So much that was unsaid, was verbalized with those words. Sakura was pleased that Toka had chosen his pregnant lover despite the risk to himself. Happy that they would be together, and delighted for their baby and the family that tiny throbbing light within the woman’s womb would make them.

He had said this before, but he felt the need to try to explain this again.

“Sakura, if things were different—” he tried, but she interrupted him.

“I’m not pressuring you,” she defended. “I meant what I said back in the glowworm cave. You can’t make that choice right now, Sasuke. I’m not going to ask you to.”

“You’re right, Sakura. I can’t. Not until the Otsusuki are handled. I know that they’re out there.” But it wasn’t because he didn’t want to make that choice. In fact, it was such a temptation for him, which is why he downed that contraceptive in her presence. Did she even know that? He hadn’t technically been entirely transparent with her about his feelings about their future, his secret desires, and jealous fits about the choice he wasn’t able to make but others were. They had briefly discussed it after their first uniting in the cave, and he’d kept the rest of his thoughts about the matter private. For some reason, Sasuke felt like telling her all this would disappoint her if, for some reason, it never came to be. Gods forbid it, but if Sasuke’s search continued on for years and years, stuck on his isolatory orbit away from Sakura, what then? The devastation on her face when she had asked him if he never wanted kids had made Sasuke confess that he didn’t not want that when and if the time came. But—“I have to make sure the world is a safe one for the next generation.” Because that was the Uchiha’s promise to himself, and to Naruto, and the rest of the world—not because he wanted to live Itachi’s life of sacrifice or redeem himself—but because it was the right thing to do and it was still going to be his role to play, no matter what.

“I know. And it’s okay,” Sakura turned to him under his loose-fitting poncho, grabbing his fingers between their chests. “We won’t take the risk. Just like I said to Kakashi, it won’t even come to that —”

Sasuke’s eyes grew wide before narrowing at the mention of his sensei about something so private. “What the fuck does Kakashi have to do with any of this?”

There was a silence as she realized her slip, and Sasuke felt an anger rise in him about secret conversations that the Uchiha hadn’t been included in because they were about him. He could already hear the words of others in his mind. Could already hear Kakashi and Shikamaru and whoever else approaching his wife and putting their noses in places they didn’t belong.

“What was said to you?” he seethed, pulling his hand away from her as he ducked free of his own outerwear until only she wore it.

“I didn’t mean—” she tried to recover, but Sasuke’s patience had suddenly collapsed in on itself.

“Tell me what he said to you. Why would he ask you about that?”

The excuses and stalling came to an end at that. “It’s nothing, really, so don’t be upset. He’s just worried about us. Just about what being together might mean for you. What a child might mean.”

Sasuke got very still at that. What a child might mean. What being together might mean for him. Not Sakura. Him. And with the context of the last forty-eight hours, Sasuke knew what those words were implying. Kakashi was worried Sasuke would develop a true weakness. Sasuke was suddenly recalling Sakura’s words of two nights ago: “Are you going to avenge me? Are you going to become an enemy of the world again if someone else is taken from you?” and “Shikamaru said I needed to cut ties with you. That being with you was a risk.” Sasuke let out a scoff and his upper lip curled. It wasn’t only Shikamaru who had talked privately to Sakura, apparently. The puzzle pieces were finally connecting, clearing away the confusion like an assaulting wind. This was about that damn threat Sasuke had made. They had told Sakura that she would be his undoing, and to Kakashi, apparently, his unborn future children would damn him even more so. Had Kakashi honestly asked her not to have children with him? Was this the Hokage’s attempt to control him as a threat? He made eye contact with Sakura as he deliberated this, and knew that his wife saw it in the dim fire light. The churning fury in his eyes. The absolute indignation that was coursing through him like the visual manifestation of the strongest of chakras. And she panicked.

“It’s not what you’re thinking. I had told him there wasn’t anything to worry about, anyway. That this was between us, and no one else.”

And Sasuke took a heavy breath. He was irate. Not with her, of course, but anger blurred the lines to others and Sasuke wouldn’t be able to explain those lines right this second. “I need a minute,” he admitted, already trying to pull away from her, but Sakura clutched at his hand.

“Please don’t leave. Take that minute here, with me. I won’t deny you space if you really need it, but I’m asking you to stay here. I’ll give you silence to think if you want it.” She said it with panic, and Sasuke was suddenly confronted once more with his habit of running away. She was afraid he’d leave and abandon her again despite his promise to always tell her before actually leaving from now on. “Please don’t go.”

And he sighed, letting out that breath, the most volatile of that anger leaving his body with it. Regret flooded in, and while it didn’t replace the anger, it gave him a clearer head. It pained him, deeply, to have such things said to her about him. Even more so because they weren’t far from the truth. They believed him capable of atrocities, and Sasuke knew that he was. But once again, he found himself thinking that he didn’t want to be.

“We don’t have to talk about this,” Sakura said, placing the neck hem of the poncho back around him before turning to lay back into his stiff body, urging him with her own to relax once more. “Because I already know what would happen in a worst-case scenario.”

“And what is that?” he sighed bitterly. He wasn’t ready to let his frustration go completely even if he forced himself to remain sitting and listening.

“You made a vow that the world will not pay. And it won’t. You won’t ever have to seek vengeance because I will do it for you.” Sasuke stilled at her words, eyes widening, and a sharp stab of fear coursed through his blood at her ever being in such a situation. It was like being dunked in cold water, hearing her say those words. “I didn’t tell Kakashi this part, because I didn’t know what he would say. But if someone were to go after my child, I’d take care of them myself however best I saw fit. So, you don’t have to worry, because I will do it for the both of us. No one will be able to get to them in the first place anyway, having the two of us as parents. And Naruto and Kakashi as weird, and likely too-involved, uncles.” It reminded him of Naruto’s statement back in Suna: “Her association with all of us keeps her protected. Who’s going to risk the wrath of us in order to get to her?” But just like then, Sasuke knew better; there would always be those who tested the boundaries, who believed they were superior, who thought the lot of them had exaggerated reputations.

But Sasuke thought about Sakura’s stance for a long moment. It was everyone’s habit to underestimate Sakura and she knew that, which is why Kakashi and Shikamaru did not fear the potential of her fallout. Sasuke’s actions, no matter what, would damn him to the world once more because of his past. It would be seen as his fall back into darkness. Sasuke didn’t know if Sakura would be ostracized or criticized for vengeance, but she was viewed as wholly good. Would allowances be made for her actions? If a child would tip the scales for Sakura, then maybe it would be more than enough for him to lose it, just as Kakashi feared. He already knew he would avenge any member of Team 7, especially Sakura. A child would be no question.

Sasuke was suddenly afraid of that possible future for the both of them, despite how much Sakura wanted children that he had sworn to himself to give her one day. But it had him asking himself why? Why would he ever allow something to transpire for either of them? And perhaps that was Kakashi’s reasoning, to get them to evaluate this. He had wished his old sensei would have left her out of it, had the courage to speak to him directly, even if Sasuke had an impossible-to-reason with sort of personality.

There was a moment of hesitation before Sasuke voiced this concern aloud to Sakura: “If something like a child has the power to destroy us, then why do we do it? Why do we bring our own weakness into the world?”

“The same reason you chose to let me in, to care for me,” she breathed, smiling in confidence. “Remember what Naruto has taught us? Love brings us unbelievable strength.”

“And unbearable pain.” Sasuke sighed, seeing the cost and reward of his choices. His heart was resolved to never go through it again. He was terrified of it. He thought that as long as he hunted down the Otsusuki, the future would remain a good place just as Naruto promised. He knew Sakura could take care of herself, but recent events alone made him evaluate the future with Kakashi’s lens. A child would be vulnerable. Sasuke was already practically throwing his heart to his enemies by loving her. If the world were safe from the Otsusuki, would he still choose to bring children into the world if random threats appeared while he was distracted with his own mission? He couldn’t keep Sakura with him forever. He felt as if he was already stealing time, bringing her along.

Sakura’s declaration interrupted his critical thoughts. “I’ll face all the pain in the world for the opportunity at such love.” She said it with her back to his chest, but Sasuke didn’t need to see her eyes to see the weight of those words and the meaning behind them. At his silence, she continued, “But like I said, we aren’t taking risks right now anyway. It’s not happening. So take a breath. I can practically feel your low oxygen levels. You’re breathing like a statue.”

Sasuke didn’t respond verbally, but he forced himself to inhale and coax himself back into rhythm. At some point, she had fallen into sleep, and Sasuke debated silently to himself the remainder of the night. Was Kakashi right? Would a child be the tipping point for him? Sasuke shook his head clear of all thoughts beside his one goal: he needed to rid the world of the Otsusuki, first and foremost. The rest would come later. He must have followed Sakura into sleep sometime later despite his heavy thinking, because it wasn’t Sakura moving away from him that had woken Sasuke up the next morning, but rather the small silhouette of his messenger hawk ruffling its feathers against a backdrop of tree-dividing, morning light.

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Sakura shuffled in her warm parka, grateful for the scenic stop in Takigakure to purchase something to cover and replace her summer attire. She still wore the red Uchiha tunic Sasuke had had designed for her back in the Leaf, but she now paired it with long legging-style black breeches and a crimson knee-length overcoat that sported a thick lining of white fur along the hood. It had been one of the more expensive options, but she was grateful for the splurge now as the ship that her and Sasuke had boarded that morning lurched violently against winterized waters and winds as it headed toward the Land of Snow.

The movement below deck in their room had made her very motion sick, so Sakura had sought refuge at the edge of the ship’s deck, hoping the night sky would help ease her nausea. Unfortunately, the intense, horizonless darkness did nothing to alleviate her, and she had ended up seeking the railing to hurl over. Sasuke had followed her every step of the way, standing vigil with a concerned expression etched on his usual blank face. She could barely see him in this wind-whipping dark, but his presence was consistent and concentrated solely on her.

“Sorry,” she moaned, embarrassed to have him watching her motion sickness so closely. “I didn’t know that I could get seasick like this.” She certainly hadn’t the last time she’d made this journey, but she still cursed herself for not being more prepared medicinally for such occasions. She had encountered many sicknesses as a doctor and her immune system of steal usually was impervious to common illnesses. But her immunity was no match for seasickness apparently; she almost wished she had a cold. It was something she could treat nutritionally. The idea of trying to eat anything right now made her hurl a second time over the railing, her fingers digging into to the salt sprayed wood that was beginning to crystalize. It was very bitter up here, but the thought of going back down below made her stomach clench tightly.

“Don’t apologize for being sick,” Sasuke chided her, hand reaching up to clutch her arm, as if she weren’t currently channeling chakra to her feet and might careen over the side at any second. “We just have to get through the night; we’ll be there by morning.” He turned her away from the railing and she slid down the side, her head falling forward against his shoulder with a groan. He offered her water and Sakura was suddenly remembering months ago when she had gotten drunk and Sasuke had been there to take care of her then, too, a dark shadow in an alley forcing water into her mouth. “Try to drink something so you don’t get dehydrated. And hold on to me. I’ll steady you.”

Sakura didn’t know if his efforts could make that much of a difference, but she was feeling a small warmth in her chest for his offer and so in the dark starry night, where nothing but black careening sea surrounded them, she clung to him desperately, wrapping her arms weakly around his torso.

“I can use the Susanoo. We could fly and bypass the journey by boat completely,” he informed, chakra flowing to his feet to steady the both of them as a particularly violent waved crashed against the side and sprayed them with ice.

Sakura’s teeth chattered violently. “Save your chakra. You’re going to need it for the dimension jump.”

A couple of the ship’s sailors passed by at that moment, noticing her bent form clutching at her stomach, and they stopped to check on her. They eagerly made suggestions for various seasick remedies. One of them, a younger, less seasoned sailor returned a few moments later to offer her some peppermint leaves he admitted he still sometimes used himself or kept close for regular passengers, saying, “Ninja aren’t usually affected by the sea, so I’m surprised you’re this queasy,” to which Sasuke immediately scowled.

“Have anything more helpful to add?” came his derisive voice, colder than the lashing wind.

Sakura gave the Uchiha her best chiding stare in the dark—she was much too weak to elbow him or anything else of the like—before demonstrating an exhausted peace offering of a smile to the sailor. “First time for everything,” she sighed helplessly.

“You know,” he added, “you have a room in the guest corridors just below deck, but I’m sure the Captain wouldn’t mind you seeking refuge in the hold. It might not seem logical to you, but the lowest decks are the best place to be if you’re seasick. The swaying lessens the farther you go below.”

“Thank you,” she tried smiling again, breathing raggedly as she accepted the peppermint leaves, smelling their sharp twang to confirm the herb, before shoving them in her mouth as the kind seafarer wished her luck, gave her one last pitying smile, and walked away.

And when Sakura was certain she had nothing left to vomit, she took the man’s advice and allowed Sasuke to help her to the lowest level of the ship, the cargo hold. And the sailor had been right, the rocky back and forth evened out as she sought the inner-most spot of the ship amid boxes and hanging nets of supplies meant for the citizens of the Land of Snow. She tightened her hood around her, noting that while it may be a smoother ride, it was certainly colder down here. But Sakura could handle that, she couldn’t handle nausea. The floor was ice against her cheek as she curled straight into the fetal position around her stomach. Sasuke immediately came to sit beside her, tucking his thigh under cheek for head support. She clenched her eyes shut as she clung to his pant leg, too sick to even tell him she appreciated his uncharacteristic doting. When his hand came down on her hair, smoothing it back like she was a small child, she whispered one final thank you as the comfort of that gesture soothed her into sleep.

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Sasuke was beyond concerned about Sakura’s condition. It had started with motion sickness, and he had been up to ask the captain twice of their journey’s time and progress. “Fourteen hours, lad. Can’t rush a storm into settling. Better settle; wishing brings terrible luck.” And then again, at pre-dawn, “Storm set us back, but we will be there before noon. If you’ll stop insisting we be there sooner, Lady Sea might do us a favor simply for being content.”

But Sasuke was not content. Sakura hadn’t eaten anything in hours, and Sasuke was regretting this part of their plans. Even as time passed onboard, she wasn’t getting better. Maybe he should have pushed away the peppermint leaves that sailor had given her. He almost had, Mako’s poison attempts still very fresh in his mind. But Sakura seemed to be desperate for anything, so he had let her shove it down her throat, already mentally prepared for another allergic reaction. Instead, it helped her fall asleep which was at least some improvement. When the sun calmed the waves the following morning, Sasuke had expected Sakura’s sickness to improve, but it didn’t. Instead, her vomiting returned with the sunrise.

“That’s it,” he let out an exasperated breath, standing rigidly over her doubled over form in helplessness. “I’ll use the Rinnegan and take some time to recover if needed. I’m not so weak that I need to let you suffer to conserve every last drop of chakra.”

“Wait,” she moaned. “Just wait. It can’t be more than a few more hours.”

“I don’t care,” he hissed, bending down to sling her arm over his shoulder. She didn’t complain as he marched them up several flights of stairs, practically mowing down anyone who happened to be in his way from reaching the sunlight bathed deck. Her silence was the biggest indication that she wasn’t well.

He’d activate the Rinnegan as soon as he had the space to allow his full-bodied Susanoo to transform. But just as their heads broke free of the levels below, the white, ice-camouflaged shoreline of the Land of Snow greeted them. Sasuke didn’t hesitate for a second, jumping down from the starboard side of the ship despite the shock and protests of the most useless sailors Sasuke had ever had the displeasure of knowing (well, most of them, anyway).

With Sakura’s weight fully supported, he landed on the water gently, his chakra an anchor the uneven surfaces, floating chunks of ice solidifying the closer they got to the coastline. The ship was faster than his careful gait, docking well-before Sasuke could be considered ashore, but Sakura seemed to improve somewhat just from finding her balance in Sasuke’s steadying hold. “Almost there,” he told her, shuffling her against his side as she made to move her arm from his shoulder.

“I already feel like I can catch my breath again. Like the ground isn’t going to flip me upside down.”

Even though the Uchiha was relieved to hear such words, Sasuke didn’t let up or relax his support until both her boot-clad feet landed firmly on snow. She pulled her arm free, kneeling into the snow. His arm reached down for her elbow, but she shrugged him off, rolling over onto her back. He immediately panicked before he realized she had begun waving her arms and swinging her legs until she created a celebratory snow angel. “Aww, dry land!”

If he wasn’t so concerned, Sasuke’s didn’t know if his eye would have twitched, or he would have smirked. “Snow doesn’t exactly constitute as dry,” he corrected sarcastically. Her persistent snow angel-ing loosened a bit of the worry in his stomach, but he still implored, “will you please get up before you catch your death and become the very thing you're making?”

“I’m a doctor, remember—”

“And look what good that has done you in the last twenty-four hours.”

“I’m ‘grounding.’ It’s healing me from the seasickness.”

The Uchiha sighed and cast his eyes dramatically to the side, before honing them on the trio of sailors crunching their way through snow toward them from the docked ship. Instinctively, Sasuke took a step around Sakura to block her shenanigans from them and he knew the sort of picture he presented: black figure with a rolling sea of ice behind him. It was a perfect metaphorical picture for how he felt and could make others feel in a matter of seconds. “Is the lass okay?” they hollered, and Sasuke bit his tongue before returning their question rudely. “From the looks of it, she’s keeled over and died!”

“I’m fine!” Sakura called from the ground, attempting to roll over and find her own feet before Sasuke turned back toward her to assist her further. She shooed his only good working hand away as if she didn’t need the help, the stubborn convalescent. What was she trying to prove?

“Do you know if there is a doctor nearby?” Sasuke intercepted the sailor’s soon-to-be attempts at an inquiry about Sakura’s health. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been to the Land of Snow. We are unfamiliar.”

“Not needed,” Sakura interrupted, faking a bounce to her step that had Sasuke scowling at the obvious lie. “Will you direct us to the Princess Koyuki?”

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Despite Sakura’s insistence that her health had returned, Sasuke forced the both of them to stay overnight in the rainbow-inspired village homes of the new “Land of Spring,” the name for the colorful homes unaffected by the intense winter climate of the rest of country due to the Land of Snow’s ‘treasure’ winter-defying generator. Even though Koyuki had furnished them with a minka in the mountains where they could refuge in-between Sasuke’s interdimensional jumps, the Uchiha was firm in his resolve to stay overnight in town where they could at least remain “close” to a doctor should Sakura’s severe symptoms return.

“As long as I don’t step foot on a ship in the near future, I think I will be fine,” she had stated embarrassedly in front of the Princess Koyuki, whom hadn’t changed in the slightest. Maybe a little nicer, but she was more than accommodating, greeting them as old familiar friends, but inquiring the most about Naruto. She was surprised to learn a lot of the details about the post-war modernizations of Leaf Village and events leading up to the war. Sakura learned rather quickly that every time Koyuki would ask a question, she was really circling the conversation back around to Naruto and his involvement. Except for the one time when she smirked, glancing between them knowingly and said to Sasuke, “When you sent your letter, saying that you and your ‘wife’ would be passing through, somehow I knew it was the final member of your infamous Team 7 trio. I wonder what exactly that means, when you picture someone in your mind, and your thought becomes reality. I would call it coincidence, but I imagine Naruto would go on and on about Fate and the Will of Fire.”

Sakura had thought she had been blushing before from Sasuke’s mothering, but it was nothing compared to the scarlet that spread across her face at hearing how he’d addressed her in that letter. Wife. He was using that word freely, now. And it did all kinds of things to her.

Sasuke was completely unaffected by Koyuki’s words, ejecting that emotionless acknowledgement of ‘hn’ before moving them along.

As they said their final partings with Koyuki and the villagers the following morning to head toward the snowcapped mountains beyond the generator, Sakura made a mental note to remind Naruto to pay a visit to Koyuki and the Land of Snow soon—whenever fatherhood would allow him, that is.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay in town?” Sasuke had asked her lowly in the hours of the previous night, taking up the small space between them. “What if your sickness returns?”

She had pinched his cheek to his immense annoyance, eliciting a hiss like a snake whose body had just been violated by reaching hands. “I’ll acquaint myself with the medical staff in your absence, just as I did in Suna. I’ll make weekly visits and pick up some supplies before we head out in the morning. Will that assuage your needless concern?”

“Fine,” he had grumbled, before reaching up and pinching her own cheek in return.

And during the long trek into the winter wilderness, Sakura soon realized that she had underestimated the length of the journey and wasn’t so confident about those weekly trips back and forth. Sasuke stopped several times to wait for her to catch up, each time starting to probe about her wellbeing before she finally shot him the annoyed glare for once. He arched an eyebrow, but didn’t ask again. Just when Sakura thought her feet would fall off as blocks of ice to join the snow around them, she found herself at the base of the mountain, the steepled, snow blanketed minka a beacon of relief sending smokey signals in greeting. She shivered in anticipatory warmth just looking at it. Koyuki must have sent someone in advance to prepare it for their arrival.

She had been correct in this assumption, because they weren’t alone when Sasuke pushed aside the screen doors. One of Koyuki’s men greeted them warmly, showing the two how to utilize the space during the harsh elements, along with unnecessary demonstrations of the open wood hearth and quilt bordered kotatsu in the center of the floor. Sakura had immediate plans for diving under it to warm her feet but was diverted by the elderly man as he pointed to the rising steam coming from the private onsen just on the eastern side of the house. “This is Princess Koyuki’s private mountain home,” the elder announced in pride, “the water is heated from magma deep beneath the surface. In other words, some of those mountains are volcanic. The mountains are home to the snow monkey population. You may see some stragglers, but they won’t bother you if you don’t bother them.”

“Please share our thanks to the princess for her hospitality,” was the last parting word Sakura had for the man as he outfitted himself for the return journey back to the Land of Spring, assuring her that he would return with supplies for the duration of their stay.

Sakura couldn’t help herself. As soon as the man departed, she snaked her arms around her husband who was already tending to the hearth. “This is amazing! This is beautiful! And to think you’d be experiencing this all alone without me if I hadn’t come with you.”

He answered immediately. “If you hadn’t come along, I imagine I would have received the same neutral greeting that I do everywhere else. I’d probably be taking refuge somewhere up along the mountain side, closer to the source of the hot springs, surviving as the monkeys do.”

“Having a wife has it’s perks, then,” she grinned, stripping her bulky outer layers to dive under the quilt of the kotatsu just as planned, the floors warmed naturally by the streams funneling below.

Sasuke bent over the stone-laid irori, placing more wood on top and checking the steaming kettle hung by bamboo from the ceiling. He spoke up from the other room. “The Kazekage was much more accommodating knowing that you would be in company, remember? And that was before you were my wife. It’s just you in general.”

Hearing him nonchalantly verbalize the word ‘wife’ for the third time made Sakura’s stomach swoop and toes curl in that dramatic teenage way that often plagued her as a Genin. She hadn’t been able to appreciate it when he’d dropped it during their argument before, but Sakura just realized that he wasn’t just writing it, he was saying it and doing so consistently! She hid a giddy smile to herself, her inner-Sakura absolutely rioting inside with glee. When he glanced her way at her suspicious silence, she rubbed the back of her neck with an embarrassed grin and tried to return herself to the present moment.

“I’m going to check the area,” he said seriously, breaking into Sakura’s daydreaming with reality. “Will you be okay alone for a bit?”

“Of course. I’ll start cook—” she began, but he shook his head.

“Just rest,” he interrupted, before ducking through the door and closing it to encase her fully in the warmth of her new surroundings.

She promptly curled around herself beneath the kotatsu and let the sound of snowfall lull her to sleep.

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Kakashi’s response letter had come that morning, and Sasuke found it difficult to not let his thoughts return to it over and over throughout their journey.

Sasuke,
You are investigating my plans regarding the remaining Zenshin members who remain, despite telling me yourself that it would be you taking care of this, instead of an old man like myself. I am assuming this means that Sakura has convinced you to leave matters to me. No news as of yet, other than that the search is headed West toward the Hidden Rain and Hidden Grass villages, in the hopes of flushing the leader and any remaining members out. The hounds are on it. Burn this after reading. If I don’t receive a response, I’ll consider the information compromised.

They should be in the clear then, Sasuke assumed, if the pursuit for Zenshin members was heading South-West. Sasuke had responded quickly and decisively with no further information about their location or Sakura’s condition. It would be unwise to risk frequent communication in the instance that it might alert Zenshin to their whereabouts. This is the last message you’ll be receiving from me. If it’s crucial for me to know, alert me. Otherwise, I’ll trust you to handle it.

Even though he had been a little reassured at Kakashi’s efforts, Sasuke still took it upon himself to create a few shadow clones to check the immediate area. The suspended snow around and above him created a silence so deep and thorough, that all Sasuke could hear was the cracking of the white shrouded limbs of the forest trees encompassing the base of the mountain. It was so isolated, so off the beaten path, that Sasuke hoped the Land of Snow’s Princess kept the privacy of her mountain house a closely guarded secret from the rest of the population. But Sasuke wasn’t going to drop his guard completely, considering the staff she probably kept to maintain it. Sakura was going to have to be mindful if she was planning on making visits and supply runs back into town.

When his shadow clone jutsu released and he learned that there wasn’t a single living person within twenty-five kilometers in either direction, Sasuke returned to the house. Sakura had fallen asleep at some point in his absence, the fire crackling and tea-steamed air knocking her clean out. Sasuke watched her carefully for a few minutes, ensuring that she seemed well. Maybe it really was the sea that had made her so sick, and she would be better now that they were comfortable. He was anxious to make the first inter-dimensional jump but decided to wait until tomorrow morning. He was going to spend the day resting and ensuring that Sakura slept through the night without issue.

And that’s precisely what the Uchiha did, stretching out on the opposite end of the kotatsu and promptly knocking out. When they woke in the evening, they shared their first hearty meal in a long time—Sakura picked at it, really, something Sasuke didn’t miss—and despite his refusal, she dragged him out in the darkness toward the private onsen. The cold air was brutal against their skin, and Sakura slipped into the hot water in record time. He didn’t even get a second to appreciate her nakedness, while she openly watched him undress with a blush. When he raised an eyebrow at her obvious gawking, Sakura tried to make the excuse, “The heat is already getting to my head.” He smirked and snorted at her lie, if ejecting air out his nose could be called that, before wading into the steaming decalescent water.

They were wrapped in darkness, but the winter landscape outlined everything in white. The ground was patchy in some areas where the geothermal water flowed underground in a path directed toward them and beyond. Sakura sighed and rubbed her feet, claiming her toes had frostbite, and Sasuke assesssed them carefully to humor her, pulling at each small digit and admiring their dissimilarities from his own. Again, he was taken aback about how odd it was, being in love. It wasn’t the first time that Sasuke was noticing something about another individual that he never would have even bothered paying attention to in the past, but here he was admiring and evaluating the shapes of her feet. “You’re going to lose credibility as a physician if you claim those toes are even capable of developing frostbite,” he teased, releasing her perfectly pink and healthy foot back into the water. “The length of those nails should lift you five inches off the ground. They practically curl under.”

Her face reddened before she returned what Sasuke had given. “If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been travelling nonstop with you for months now. I don’t chew them off like you do apparently.”

“Mhm,” he responded, ignoring the jab altogether. He had been exaggerating good-naturedly just to get a rise out of her, and it had worked.

“Let’s see yours then,” she probed, snatching his foot from the water like she had just caught a fish in a Leaf Village summer pool. Before Sasuke even had a moment to defensively react to her words, his head submerged completely as his foot lead his body into reverse. He had quite literally never been yanked up by his foot before. He turned underwater and reached for her immediately, but she had already jolted from the bath, making a naked run toward the house. Sasuke didn’t run. He didn’t have to. He stalked after her with that slow sulking certainty of knowing your prey has nowhere to go, and Sakura knew it too, because her panicked laughter ricocheted throughout the mikan as she slammed the screen doors shut behind her and fled farther in.

Sasuke teleported—yes, it was a blatant waste of chakra, but the shock on her face and squeal of defeat when she collided into his dripping wet chest in the main room of the house, made it a worthy waste. He had her on her back next to the iori before she could even attempt to use that inhuman strength to free herself. Pinning her hands above her head, Sasuke smirked into her face with a victorious “hn.”

“I’m pretty sure running through the snow barefooted is how you actually get frostbite,” he chided, dipping his nose to her throat and trailing it tantalizingly down her collar bone. She stopped fighting at once but her facetiously laughter continued. “You’re going to pay for that stunt,” he rumbled in finality before ravishing her mouth, his hand slipping from her wrists to meet the back of her neck.

It wasn’t the sort of resting Sasuke had planned on doing, but their heavy breathing and mutual attention and indulgence of each other’s bodies once more brought the both of them an immense amount of respite and contentment. To Sasuke, it was still resting, in a way, because he knew that these moments were few and would one day be very far-between. Every second, every minute, every hour he got to be with Sakura in this way was collected eagerly as rest for his soul. And, god, it was a blessed sort of deliverance to break apart into a million pieces. Witnessing Sakura in peak performance and taking with full ferocity did things for his mental state, too. Sasuke’s anxiety about her health significantly improved as she varied their positions and he watched her rock above him in that desperate attempt to break into a million pieces, too. He was thankful the snow around them deafened everything.

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“I’m going to travel to the ice dimension in the morning,” he had told her in the night, when their bodies stilled and their hearts leveled back out. “I’ll have to hike to the top of the mountain to get to the coldest point. In theory, that should make it easier.”

Sakura had immediately examined his plan, problem solving in her mind. “Won’t the height be an issue? Back at the inn in Tanigakure, we fell the distance of the top floor once we were through the portal.”

“It would be,” he admitted before clarifying, “but if I can skip the central dimension successfully again, the Ice Realm is full of mountains, remember? I’ll probably be stepping right out onto another one.”

Sakura nodded and pursed her lips as she considered.

“I’ll do everything I can to return before nightfall the same day, but if I can’t make it back immediately, don’t panic. You’ll be okay here alone until I get back?”

“Of course,’ she responded immediately, but he still eyed her carefully in that all-knowing way of his. “And if I get bored, I’ll head back to town and get supplies or find some work.”

“It goes without saying, but be cautious. Kakashi may be hunting the Zenshin, but their reach has been large so far and their numbers surprising. Who knows what connections they may have in all sorts of places.”

She bristled; she couldn’t help it. Sakura didn’t know why his concern was irritating her at the moment, but she just looked away and nodded. Sakura decided that it wasn’t just him—in the back of her mind, his concern overall was adorable, and she knew he wasn’t insinuating that she lacked mindfulness. Except for having too much faith in Mako, but Sakura wasn’t in the honest sort of mood to feel like counting that one. But it was more than his concern. It was this gnat-like dispute with Zenshin that just wouldn’t go away. She hadn’t said it aloud, but this was practically a honeymoon to her and here they were still having conversations about this group whom Sakura was practically sick of hearing about. She was done. Done with Zenshin. She didn’t care if they weren’t done with her, she was done with them. Sakura just wanted to hole up with her new husband, the man of her dreams, in this winter traditional home against a snow-capped mountain and do more of what they had already started.

In the dim firelight of the irori, Sasuke scowled at her lack of a response. He could sense her irritation and sighed. “I know you can take care of yourself, I wasn’t saying—”

“I know,” she cut him off with sharpness, that annoyance bleeding through despite her resolve to contain it. He stared at her for a second before looking away as if he didn’t know what to say or do about her sudden attitude. This type of behavior had only ever been directed at Naruto. “I’m sorry,” she sighed. What was wrong with her? She was hormonal, she deduced, due to start any day. That godawful week before her actual period must have snuck up on her in the form of sudden mood swings. “But I’ll be fine. So you don’t have to worry. You can stop worrying.”

“Do you stop worrying about me when I am gone, even though I can take care of myself?” he asked calmly when she tucked her chest against his side. She felt him pull the strands of her hair in his fingers, touching it lightly so that she wouldn’t feel him doing so. She immediately felt his words like a guilt-inducing punch.

She sighed. “Of course I do.”

“I can relate more so now, is all. Especially since you’ve been sick.”

“I’m not sick,” she sighed again, tossing a leg over his own suggestively. “Obviously.”

He didn’t fall for the distraction. “You’ve barely eaten anything this evening.”

“I said I’m fine,” she sighed, rolling back over onto her back. “Honest.”

But much to Sakura’s surprise, she was not fine. Sasuke had rolled over well before sunrise to tell her he was leaving, just as he had always promised he would from now on. No empty beds upon her waking. No surprise escapes or lack of goodbyes like the past. She sat up groggily, and her breath froze in the air before her face, but Sasuke pushed against her shoulder to encourage her to return under the quilted covers. “I’ve stoked the fire. I’ll try to be back before sunset. Leave a note if you leave.”

She nodded sleepily and grasped his hand in parting. “Be careful. I love you.”

“Hn,” he murmured in response. And in typical Sasuke Uchiha fashion, he chose a voiceless reply, reaching down to tap his fingertips against her forehead. She rubbed at her forehead fondly long after he walked out into the frigid pre-dawn of the Land of Snow.

And when the sunrise woke her a second time, Sakura shuffled on her knees to the irori and poked the coals to aerate the steady flames before adding more wood to an already dying fire. But the ground flipping nausea from the sea voyage returned with a vengeance and hit her hard in her stomach. She doubled over, hardly avoiding the hearth before she vomited the meager contents of her stomach. She clutched her head with a moan.

Drearily, and confused by the returning sickness, Sakura crawled on hands and knees back to the blankets, dry heaving along the way. She dove back into them, chasing the sleep that might rid her of the vertigo and nausea. If this persisted for long, she would definitely not be making that three-hour snowy trek back to the village. It was in her plans to consistently make chakra pills for Sasuke so his stash wouldn’t diminish, but a supply-run would have to wait for now. She couldn’t walk to visit a doctor even if she wanted to. And she was too prideful to not treat any of her ailments herself.

Thankfully, Sakura had thought to purchase some nausea aid back in town when Sasuke insisted she see a doctor. It was one of the ways she appeased him, gathering the herbs for the medication herself. But she didn’t have the energy to brew her ginger and peppermint concoction until well into the afternoon when she was finally able to move around without vertigo. If she were her own physician right now, Sakura would be telling her to write down her symptoms along with times in order to track and identify this random illness, but she was struggling for brain power. She was just tired. So tired. She deduced it was probably a bad reaction to her new batch of contraceptives, since she took another one last night before falling asleep. She would study the ingredients again later. After downing the brewed nausea tea, she promptly fell back asleep with ragged breathing.

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Sasuke found the ape population almost as soon as he took his first step up the mountain, the ice sloped surfaces and tree coverage a flurry of activity the higher up the mountain he travelled. They must have been well-acquainted with human occupants occasionally traversing this way because they ignored him, just as the mikan manager claimed. And Sasuke disregarded them in return, grateful for the indifferent species of monkey who acted as if they were almost bored by his presence. Their eyes barely roved over him before choosing to move along to whatever they had found to eat beneath the snow.

Despite the hot springs woven into the mountain, the weather was brutal, especially in the hours before sunrise, and only increased in ruthlessness as he hiked. Sasuke tried not to think about the easiest way to reach the top of this mountain was in the same suggestion he had made earlier: the full body Susanoo could simply fly him to the top. But he refused, because he needed the chakra reserves. He had to get back to her tonight, and even with the help of the chakra pills, he couldn’t waste a single drop of his own reserves if he hoped to return. He hadn’t pushed himself to teleport so far twice in the same day yet. In Suna, the chakra pill had simply allowed him to bypass the center dimension, and Sasuke was going to try to make the initial jump and return all in the same day, if it worked. The greeting fuchsia sunrise at Sasuke’s back, bleeding the white foot-print dotted landscape a rosy hue that reminded him of his wife—who he’d had to leave behind again—would be what Sasuke would use as a tether back to this realm when it fell again in sunset. He strengthened his resolve as the time was already slipping away and turned back to face the top of the mountain.

The sheets of snow turned into ice as he ascended, and with every cracking step and swirling vapor of heated breath frosting his eyelashes, Sasuke couldn’t help but confide his thoughts to the mountain. His own life had been seasons of winter, an ice spanning the years of his youth, and no matter the amount of sunshine the season of the present now granted him, the seasons of his past were like the unmelting snow that lingered in the shadows of warmer weather, reminding all who looked at Sasuke of his history of frigid darknesses. Just as recollecting citizens often reminisced to one another during the first drop in temperatures, “do you remember the storm of ten years ago? The snow was waist-high…” So too, were the rumors of Sasuke Uchiha and his crimes. The ice of his past would never melt. Maybe Kakashi was right about one thing. How would he ever be able to truly embrace this summer without causing worry? All anyone ever saw when they looked at him was the reminder that Sasuke Uchiha was of the winter, a dark, icy monster. They were right to fear his growing attachments. Revenge, in any form, would be a returning winter that everyone expected.

But then, there was Sakura. A literal walking sun that warmed the steps he left behind before catching up to him with her radiance. She blinded others of Sasuke’s transgressions just by standing by his side, persistently bleeding into that snow of his past like that sunrise. And the question that everyone wanted to know was who would win, the ice or the sun? Because if he had a child born to and taken from him, it was no longer a matter of if Sasuke would fall, but when in their minds. And they were counting on Sakura to keep him in check, not knowing that she would bring her burning, incinerating power down, herself. And Sasuke was no longer creating that ice. Alongside his wife, Sasuke was a black burning sun with his own Amaterasu flame, an Uchiha with a fixating love. Maybe they would burn the world together, and that’s why the others were begging them not to take the chance. And Sasuke couldn’t decide if they were hypocrites not holding themselves to the same standard, or if they were right.

But, just as if Naruto were matching his trek, walking beside him in this unbearable cold, he could hear his voice. “I won’t let you. Either of you.” It was a promise that burned in the distance. Maybe they were wrong; maybe they were only burning stars of variation and Naruto was the sun who kept them all in gravitational pull.

Reaching the top was an exhilarating feat and the sunrise peaked through the winter haze, sharpening into the round outline of the sun. He inhaled, and exhaled deeply, closing his eyes to memorialize this feeling as all his troubled thoughts left him. Sunrises and sunsets, he’d seen so many. But this one sanctified him, reminded him of the man he wanted to be, but he didn’t yet know just how memorable and marking this one would come to be to him. He would find that out later.

For now, he turned his back, activating the Rinnegan and fracturing time and space, refraining from relying on Sakura’s chakra pill just yet. Push, he demanded of himself, when the portal wavered as he sharpened his focus on the realm beyond the core dimension. He could do it. He could do it. The portal flared to life at the expense of his chakra, the icy mountains corporealizing before his eyes. He didn’t even hesitate long enough to take in a victorious moment before jumping through the portal. Preparing for a long fall, just as Sakura had pointed, the Uchiha braced himself as he plummeted. But just as he theorized, something precipitous rose up to greet him. But it was not a mountain as he first thought. It was a spire, tall and ethereal beneath his crouched form. And Sasuke’s eyes widened in shock. He couldn’t believe it. He was standing on top of an icy fortress. It was a castle.

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Sakura woke mid-day to sounds coming from outside. She rose on her knees steadily, relieved that her sickness had gone, and her appetite returned. Her stomach growled angrily at its recent neglect, but she ignored it as she cautiously sidled up to one of the screen doors leading outside. Her ninja senses were suddenly on high alert as the soft crunching of snow met her ears and her hand inched down to her calf where a kunai was strategically hidden. She held her breath and took the risk to crack the door open to peer outside. What she saw was not what she had expected. The steaming onsen had attracted a few more guests from the mountain residents. A handful of monkeys, pale felted and red-faced, bobbed in the water with closed eyes. They groomed each other lazily, occasionally jumping out and back in. Sakura opened it wider to admire them with a smile. They noticed her, but paid no further attention, one monkey even going as far as to jump on the roof of the mikan to sit and dry.

Turning back to the iori, Sakura brewed her ginger tea and cooked a small meal for herself while she watched the monkeys soak up the heat of the onsen. For the first time in a long time, Sakura found herself at a complete rest. There was no demand for her help, no rush to her schedule, no one else to look after. It was just her now, in the middle of nowhere—Sasuke was in another dimension and was actually farther away than anyone else—and while she felt guilty about her continued absence in Konoha, Sakura took a greedy breath of winter solitude. She told herself not to feel the restlessness of the pressure to be productive and to just enjoy the winter landscape and the snow monkeys. Because it might be one of the few moments in her life of truly ever being alone and there was something special about facing the world by yourself and feeling yourself alive in a vastness that continued and continued regardless of your presence and your busy life. How otherworldly nature felt, when you stopped to witness it. She could see why Sasuke felt more at peace alone in nature than in a crowded village most of the time.

And besides, she had been ill of late and deserved this little respite. Sakura highly theorized that her unrelenting pace of recent months had caught up to her in the form of illness. Being a medic, she knew the challenges faced by an unrested body. It caught up to you eventually, but she had the habit of ignoring her own medical advice. Maybe if she modeled resting, Sasuke would catch on and rest too. She was proud of him for doing just that yesterday, choosing to stay with her and not jump at the first chance he got, which would have been the more Sasuke-like thing to do. It was the little things like that, that reminded Sakura of how much he actually had come to desire her presence. She tried to not think about the fact that the both of them might be trying to grab onto as many memories that they could before the inevitably of their lengthy separation prevented them from making more. She sighed dejectedly.

Sipping the ginger tea did her lots of good, and with the absence of her nausea, Sakura forgot just how sick she had been just hours ago, moving on with her day in the most mundane way possible. She read. And read. Underlining medical texts she’d picked up back in town, until her knee began to bounce from inactivity. After a while, Sakura explored the house more fully, admiring the various trinkets and belongings she encountered which probably once belonged to the princess. She cleaned and organized the space before going over to her supplies she’d brought with her to sort. Among her things, were ingredients for her burn solvent that she planned to pass along to the medical staff here just as she had in Sunagakure for the benefit of Gaara’s people. And now, she also brought along more of the anti-depressant plant H. Perforatum to capsulize for the Land of Snow as well. She would have to check in with Tsunade about the plant’s clinical trial progress back in Konoha before sharing it with anyone here, but it was on her list to do.

When she ran out of things to do, Sakura admitted to herself that she wasn’t the best at resting. She longed for Sasuke, and it hadn’t even been more than half a day since he’d left. She realized suddenly that she just might have to make a trip to town as early as tomorrow just to fill the time in his absence. As the sun nodded toward the horizon, Sakura watched the snow monkeys answer the call of home and retreat back up the mountain where they had come down from, while also yearning to see the mountain return her husband to her in the same way.

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.

Sasuke had explored Kaguya’s ice castle for the entire day, but just like the red-sand mountain back in the core dimension, it was abandoned and full of deceptive architecture. It was designed to trick him in the same way as the last building he had found—Sakura had pointed this out back when she had teleported with him after they had been ambushed in Tanigakure. However, unlike it had been with the tower, Sasuke couldn’t find the entrance of the ice castle despite circling the building twice and combing all the terraces and the domed top for a way inside to the central building. Every crevice or hole he discovered was a dead end, which staggered him. According to the theory Sakura had developed in the core dimension, the tower was constructed to lure and distract instead of prevent entry, but it didn’t seem to entirely hold true in this case. Sasuke supposed he might be able to use the Amenotejikara of the Rinnegan to swap places with something inside, but that would require chakra he wasn’t quite willing to sacrifice because he still needed to return to Sakura tonight. His Rinnegan and Sharingan revealed no one inside the castle structure as far as he could tell, but wasn’t sure others from the Otsusuki race might be detectable with his visual prowess. Kaguya was his only example, but if any of the Otsuski were still alive and operating as Kaguya had, then they would come eventually. Which is why Sasuke desperately needed to find away through the walls at whatever cost. Even if he had to blow the roof in, he would. But he couldn’t at the moment, not with the hours waning and his chakra vanishing rapidly. They would be spending longer than he had expected in the Land of Snow if this was the rate of his progress after discovering something so critical.

With a plan to return, Sasuke turned South in the direction the base of the mountain would be if he weren’t in another dimension. He’d walk the distance here instead of down the mountain at this time of night. For some reason, it was cold, but tolerable to an extent here as the light of this dimension was in full effect. As Sasuke made the long trek back toward his wife, he wondered if it might be a good idea to ask her to return with him once he had recovered from the aftereffects of repetitive teleportation. He didn’t like the idea of bringing her with him, the threat of the Otsuski was always a risk he wasn’t ready to take with anyone else, but she was the smartest of all of them, impressing even Kakashi at times. Sasuke knew she would figure out the puzzle of deception in no time at all if she came. He thought about the pros and cons of her tagging along with him as the travel time passed.

When he came close to the spot Sasuke believed would be the mikan’s approximate location, he dove into his weapon’s pouch and produced one of Sakura’s chakra pills. He exhaled, swallowing it down, and inhaling as the rush of chakra flooded his system. It was going to work. He just knew it. He willed it because she was on the other side of it.

The portal spun and widened, and his head cracked from the pain of it and Sasuke clutched it, squinting through the pain. He stepped through the black and purple vortex before it could minimize and leave him trapped here in the cold overnight. Sasuke had miscalculated a bit about the precise location of the mikan’s entrance, practically stepping out onto the iori and stumbling to avoid stomping out the flames completely. When he raised his eyes to search the house, he saw her in the same place he’d left her, under the blankets of their shared pallet on the floor. She was staring wide eyed at his sudden appearance, and Sasuke could tell that she was obviously not expecting him to teleport almost directly on top of her.

“You’re here!” she beamed, standing from her place of warmth to run to embrace her. He reached out his hand for her instinctively to close the distance.

But when she got closer, Sasuke froze, his receptive hand falling limply to his side and eyes widening in petrified shock. Sakura faltered at the expression on his face, meeting his shaken stare with an apprehensive one of her own. “What’s wrong?” she questioned in a panicked rush, but Sasuke couldn’t hear her. His heart fell all the way to his feet because he was looking at his beautiful wife with the Rinnegan still activated, and centralized in the middle of her lower abdomen was a tiny, pulsing, throbbing sun.