AN: This story takes place weeks after team seven meets again after 2 ½ years. You can take it as a glimpse that we just didn't see… I am not writing on because the rest happens in the series. Please note, I know they are 16, but I just kind of assume they are 18 for my peace of mine. :) Oh, and I jump POV so horribly because it is frustrating to stay in one. Forgive me, I know it's wrong, but it makes me feel better, and this is writing for fun. It is all from third person however, but jumps from Sasuke to Sakura and even to Kakshi at the end.

Three Weeks After Team Seven is Reunited

His Darkened Soul

Sasuke stood alone in the dark, the blaring red glare of his Sharingan the only thing visible. Suddenly, torches that had long ago been extinguished flared to life, casting ghostly dancing shadows across the wide hall. Thirty feet before him was a body lying unmoving in the floor. Another ten feet beyond the body a figure moved swiftly towards it.

"Sakura!"

Naruto.

Sasuke's eyes flickered back to the figure lying on the stone floor and his breath came to a stiff halt. It was Sakura… but why was she there? Blood stained her clothes and pooled in the floor, lining the cracks of the stone. A pain flickered across his cheek, allowing him to dodge the next several kunai knives that were thrown in his direction. Thick droplets of his own blood stained the stone beneath him as he wiped the blood from his cheek.

How could he have let the illusion fool him? He glanced to where he had saw Sakura and Naruto and felt a deep resentment towards them because of the bonds that allowed him to be fooled.

Orochimaru's hollow laugh made Sasuke turn to face him.

"I would have never believed you to be so soft, Sasuke. I could care less if it wasn't interfering with your training. Not once before have you let me spill your blood," Orochimaru said, looking at the deep gash on Sasuke's cheek.

Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, they were black once again. He turned to leave without a word. He had nothing to say to Orochimaru.

"Sasuke."

Sasuke stopped without turning. His patience for the day was gone. He was unnerved to say the least at what had just happened. Those ties… were severed. Or so he wished to believe. As much as he wished to deny it, ever since seeing them again after so long, they had been on his mind.

Sasuke looked up to find Orochimaru in front of him. He looked displeased, as if he knew what Sasuke was thinking.

"That girl is only a few days south of here. They are weak from finishing a mission; bring her to me. I will only resume your training after you accomplish this," Orochimaru said.

Sasuke finally looked up at him, interested for the first time.

"What girl?"

"Sakura."

The cold air rushed around him as the moment he had been waiting for finally came. The small clearing before him was silent and asleep, yet he lingered in the dark forest. A small breeze rustled through the leaves, lifting his bangs from his face. A trace of uncertainty flickered in his eyes as he watched Sakura sleeping by the deadened fire. He had tried to understand why Orochimaru wanted her, but decided it didn't matter. Whatever the reason, he couldn't afford to lose any training over it. He had only one goal and that was all that mattered.

He had watched Naruto waver between consciousness and sleep for hours before his eyes finally drifted closed. Kakashi had apparently stayed behind and was going to catch up. Sai was out of it, having been on guard before Naruto. Sasuke hadn't slept at all in the last three days, waiting for this moment. Now that is was here, he found himself hesitating, but why? He knew what needed to be done, what more was there? He continued to watch Sakura as she slept, oblivious to what was about to happen to her. He chose to not care anymore. Now he just had to live up to that decision.

Sasuke quietly stepped into the clearing but stopped once again. How could he have missed it before?

"It's been a long time Sasuke."

Sasuke jerked his head over his shoulder and engaged his Sharingan.

"You've gotten a lot taller," Kakashi said, his attitude just as Sasuke remembered.

Sasuke turned to face him, his hand gripping the handle of his kusanagi.

"Kakashi," Sasuke said.

Memories Sasuke wished he could forget flooded his mind. The sadness he saw in Kakashi's eyes was so familiar. It as the same look he had given him when he tried to convince him to give up on revenge. And yet, along with the sadness was understanding and disappointment. Sasuke didn't allow himself to consider what any of these emotions meant. He had one goal, and one purpose. If Kakashi was going to stand in the way of that, he would be eliminated.

"What are you doing here Sasuke?"

Behind him, Sasuke sensed a slight flicker of movement where Sakura was with his Sharingan. She was awake.

"I'm here for Sakura."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "You're not taking Sakura anywhere."

Sasuke was inwardly surprised at the cold bitterness in his voice. Kakashi hadn't changed one bit; still giving everything for his teammates. That was where they differed.

"He doesn't have to take me anywhere. I'll go of my own free will."

Sasuke wasn't surprised to hear Sakura's words. However, Kakashi had been unaware that she was awake and let down his guard for only a moment when she spoke. In that fraction of a second, Sasuke's fist collided with Kakashi's jaw sending him through a tree.

"Kakashi sensei!" Sakura yelled.

Sasuke sighed irritably as he noticed Naruto and Sai stir at the commotion and grabbed Sakura, one hand beneath the knees and the other gripping her back as he left the clearing. He didn't feel like dealing with Naruto right now. Sakura was going to be bad enough.

Sakura wasn't exactly heavy, but still burdensome when running. Sasuke could tell she was annoyed, but didn't pay her any attention. He was sensing any chakra around him, waiting for them to follow. Soon enough he felt Naruto and Sai's chakra forcing him to speed up.

"I can run too, you know," Sakura said, her voice quiet.

"Not as fast as I can."

"How would you know, you've been gone."

"I've been following you for three days. You're slow."

Sakura glared at him, which he ignored. It soon faded, however, as she realized what had just happened. She was in Sasuke's arms… it was so surreal she found herself staring at him. He was so focused… clearly worried about being followed.

"If you just let me talk to them I can make them let me go," Sakura said.

"What makes you think you want to come," Sasuke said.

Sakura stared at him wondering if he would ever understand.

"Naruto would never let you go," Sasuke said. "I can't move as fast carrying you like this. Wrap your legs around my waist."

"What?"

"Just do it," he said impatiently.

Sakura sucked in her breath and shifted in his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. Her arms were secured tightly around his neck when she realized why he wasn't carrying her on his back. His Kusanagi made that impossible. She noticed it was slipping because she had loosened the ropes around his waist and grabbed it just before it fell. Just as she slammed it into his back to stop it from falling, he grabbed the end of it as well. She glanced cautiously into his eyes. She wasn't sure if he knew she was stopping it from falling because of the way he reacted. Regardless, he continued to move much quicker now that she wasn't hindering him and didn't say anything. She held onto the blade for him until he tightened the ropes to secure it.

Sakura was starting to get dizzy and let her head rest against Sasuke's shoulder. It felt so strange to be so close to him. There were only a few times she had actually touched him and even those were brief. Having him hold onto her like this was something she dreamed of since she met him. She knew he would never see it like she did, and it made her wonder what he had come to get her for. He wouldn't do it on his own, so Orochimaru must have made him. It didn't matter though, because this way she would be near him at least, even if she was to be a prisoner or worse. That was something he would never understand.

"Damn it," Sasuke muttered.

His eyes were suddenly shining with the Sharingan as he glanced around him.

"Kakashi's ninja hounds," he said.

Sakura looked up, "My clothes back at the camp… That must be what he is using for them to track."

Sasuke scowled and ripped the fabric of Sakura's shirt down the back and pulled it off of her.

"Sasuke!"

He threw it into the wind and proceeded to rip her shorts off as well. As soon as he released them, he changed course and jumped from the treetops to the forest floor where there was a small watering hole much like a small pond. Without hesitation, Sasuke threw Sakura into the ice cold water, wearing only her undergarments.

The cold, icy water pierced her skin and froze her lungs as she submerged. As soon as she went under, Sasuke grabbed her and pulled her back into the cool air and back into his arms before immediately taking off again.

Chilled to the bone, Sakura gripped him tightly as she tried to get warm. She understood why he did it, but wished he would have gave her a warning at least. He held her tightly and she imagined it was because he cared for her rather than his obvious mission to get her back safely. She couldn't believe how different he looked. Everything about him had changed, but he was the same Sasuke that had left her. She wasn't sure if she was relieved about this fact or not. It could have been worse… though she wasn't certain it wasn't worse yet. He would have killed Naruto and her before had he not been stopped… A chill ran down her spine as she wondered what she could have been thinking in willingly going with him.

She shook her head. She had to believe in him; she couldn't give up hope… If she did, she would have nothing to live for.

Sakura glanced down at her scantily clad body. For the last two years she had trained and trained. She was much stronger, but it did nothing for her figure. She hadn't cared too much about what she looked like… Afterall, she had only cared what Sasuke thought of her and he was gone. She remained thin, but more muscular than he would remember. Her undergarments were fairly conservative and would have been acceptable to be seen in while training. However, is didn't make her feel any less exposed while she was so close to Sasuke and soaking wet on top of it all. She glanced at him.

He seemed so calm and collected, but he couldn't hide the exhaustion she saw in his eyes. His endurance was unbelievable. He had been running faster than she or Naruto could for over an hour and she was certain Team 7 would be well behind and off track, but he didn't stop. Even if he looked different, Sakura could still see that Sasuke was the same… His deep black eyes held the same pain and hatred they always had. It was what fueled his determination and pushed him to become so strong. She respected him for it and the desire for him to respect her had pushed her as well. She owed everything she was capable of to him and she would never give up on him. Even if she had to sacrifice everything, she would if it meant getting Sasuke just a little closer to being happy one day.

That was all she truly wanted. His happiness… even if it wasn't with her. She opened her eyes as she felt Sasuke drop to the ground. He let go of her and the warmth of his body suddenly disappearing made her shiver. It was still dark out.

Sasuke glanced at her. He was surprised she wasn't questioning him, or talking about something. He turned away from her and started a fire. He could feel Sakura's eyes burning into him and it was starting to annoy him. He turned to look at her sharply, but the harsh words on his tongue quickly vanished.

She was looking directly at him, but her eyes were glazed over. Her body shook from the cold and silent tears streamed down her face. He took a step towards her, unsure what was happening. As he moved, she jumped, startled and seemed to come out of a trance.

Sakura stared at Sasuke, his expression blank yet an eyebrow was raised. He walked away to set traps around the area bringing the fire into view. She had watched him use his jutsu to start a fire so many times… She had wondered if she would ever be on the receiving end of it during the many nights that she lay awake thinking of him. Thinking of that night he had walked away from her… leaving her unconscious at the gates of Konoha. She had meant every word she said that night and still did. She wondered if he even remembered.

Sasuke noticed her scoot closer to the fire. She gazed into it like it was breathing life back into her. He noticed how she still shivered even as close to the fire as she was. Sighing, he finished the traps and pulled off his shirt, handing it to her without looking at her.

Sakura's astonishment was impossible to ignore, forcing him to look at her. Her eyes were wide as she took the white shirt from his outstretched hand and slipped it on. Sasuke only now realized she was barely clothed, not having thought much of it when he shredded them from her to get rid of the thick scent. She didn't look as dainty as he remembered. She was always just a weak little girl, but now she looked different. Sasuke couldn't help but notice she definitely looked older… in a lot of ways. And to his dismay, she wasn't anywhere near as annoying.

AN: I wrote this story in one sitting, but am dividing it into three manageable chapters. So they kind of cut off at point blank. Sorry. This is my first Naruto story and will be about 7,000 words, so two more chapters. It is an interlude, or rather, I am not going to rewrite en existing plot, but simply add to it. I hope you enjoy it and if you do, please leave me a review!

EDIT: I decided to add a different dimension to this story. So the first 3 chapters will be Sasuke/Sakura, then the next 3 or 4 will be Itachi centric with a new character introduced as his uh... love interest I guess. You'll see, it works. Again, this is all still going along with actual plot. THEN after I do that segment (about 8000 words or so) I am going to clash Sasuke and Itachi's storylines and then wait for new manga chapters to move forward. Check out my profile for more on this. So this story will be longer.