AN: A new Naruto fic! Yay! Don't expect regular updates, but I do have a lot of this written, but there is still a lot unwritten. I actually have SEVERAL Naruto fics scattered on my laptop, and I am unearthing them. It's rather fun going back and reading fics I started, but never had time to continue. Still don't have time, haha, but I'm doing it anyway. Enjoy! This is going to be an AU, but only in the sense I changing some major plot details, such as Itachi being alive, but other than that, it works into the plot of Naruto and the settings are the same. It is a SasuSaku ItaSaku romance story. Expect mature scenes, but nothing too raunchy I don't expect. Will provide warnings in chapters.

Prologue

Naruto had stopped looking.

Of course, that did not mean that he stopped waiting.

He would wait for him forever.

And he would always continue to believe that he would come back. That he had to come back.

And that it had to be on his own.

But Sakura knew that was only an illusion.

Sasuke would never come back on his own.

She had to convince him.

So that's what she had decided to do.

Chapter One: Distance

She had nearly died that day. Seeing the blood from their battle had left her unable to breath. They had nearly killed each other. Even as she walked down the unfamiliar path in the Land of Water, she recalled how Sasuke has simply shattered at Naruto's determination to stop him. It was as if all the hatred and resistance he had built up had been destroyed when Naruto depleted the last of Sasuke's chakra. He had won, and yet, he left himself vulnerable. He gave Sasuke a chance to bring him down with him. He gave him the choice to live, or to succumb to death and take Naruto with him.

She had never seen Sasuke in such a state.

In the end, it was life he chose, but not his. He just could not kill Naruto.

When all was quiet, Madara lie defeated at their feet. Sasuke was finally free of him and left with only sadness of what he had become. There was nothing left to be said, and with only a look of deep regret, Sasuke left them.

Sakura had been despondent for weeks after the event. She couldn't understand why he would leave after everything was over. But Naruto understood.

He told her, "Sasuke needs time, Sakura. He will come back, just wait for him."

But she didn't believe him. Sasuke never did anything without a reason, and after she had become more collected in the months after his latest departure, she began to put the pieces together.

That revelation led her to leave Konoha in search of him.

Unfortunately, however, she did not leave with permission.

A year had passed since she abandoned her village and she had done little else besides learning how to manage her life as a missing nin. The ANBU were on her trail constantly, and despite her sensei being the Sixth Hokage, they were relentless and did not hesitate to use extreme force to bring her down. She was certain they would not kill her, but she refused to let herself be captured.

She could do nothing else until she found Sasuke.

# # #

Sakura felt her body resisting as she packed her things for the fifth time that week. She moved so much that she was always weary and never truly smiled anymore. Aside from that, she was constantly exerting a lot of energy searching for Sasuke with her sensory skills she had developed simply to locate him should she near his location. She had not even a hint so far which meant she was either loosening her hold on her chakra, or she was not reaching out far enough.

Grabbing her cloak, she ripped her pack from the bed and left the room behind. Catching sight of herself as she left the room, Sakura's eyes tightened. She hated constantly using a henge.

Going out into the crowded streets of the village displeased her. Everyone was hurrying, trying to escape to their homes before the storm struck. The skies were a dark grey that threatened to swallow everything and Sakura rushed to get out of the village and into the forest before the rain hit.

Her destination was an old base of a coalition force not too far from the Hidden Mist Village long forgotten by the ANBU Black Ops. It was well off the beaten path and used now as a storage facility by the local village she had recently stayed in. From what she had gathered, no one really ever went out that way because the terrain of the forest was so difficult to navigate and it wasn't on the way to anything.

To Sakura, it sounded like the perfect place to find sanctuary.

Feeling the incline as she entered the forest, she realized why civilians rarely traveled these woods. The rain made the ground slick and she fought just to keep her footing.

Hearing the thunder pound against her ears, Sakura tensed as she pushed, hoping this base was actually habitable.

# # #

She could hardly see as she neared the location because the rain was so thick. Most of the buildings were in decay, but some were made with reinforced concrete. Slipping into one of the openings, she found that the entrance led to a series of underground barracks. Lighting a torch, Sakura surveyed the barren stone walls and realized that these were once used as cells for prisoners. There was even blood from the battles that destroyed the base stained on the wall and last words etched into the walls of those who had been trapped inside.

Sighing, Sakura decided she would have to find somewhere else to make camp when the rain stopped.

As she listened to the pounding rain strike the roof, Sakura slid down the wall and hugged her knees to her chest.

How long would she have to endure before she found him?

"Sasuke…"

# # #

The weeks passed, and every time, Sakura found herself getting further and further away from her residence near Mist. She never once sensed Sasuke, and she wondered if something was wrong. She told herself she would wait before ruling out Water Country, in case he was on the move.

Far from her make-shift room in a slightly less bloody barracks room, Sakura held her pack tightly as she made the journey towards it once again.

She was losing her heart, and her gait was slow.

What if she never found him?

The sun was setting on the horizon in a mist of blood red. It was a magnificent sight from her vantage point high atop a mountain. She wished she felt the desire to watch it set, but it brought her no joy.

As she disappeared into the forest, she sensed a presence barely in time to intercept the blow to her head. However, her slow reaction resulted in being thrown against a tree, her ribs cracking in the process. This only slowed her though.

Retreating, Sakura caught a glimpse of the ANBU Black Ops of the Hidden Mist. Fear struck her hard as she realized they were out for a reward and surely did not care if she was taken back dead or alive. They had no concern for who she was, only that she was in the international bingo book. Her death would be cited as inevitable, and the Hidden Mist would demand recompense for her presence in their country and duty to having to take her down.

Fleeing, Sakura knew they were close to her and she was severely outnumbered. The four of them against her injured was no match. She would surely be killed.

That's when she caught it.

Sasuke.

His presence flickered to the west, far away from her, perhaps half a day's travel, but he was there. Her breath caught in her throat as she instinctively changed course.

The choice was a deadly mistake.

Feeling a hand wrap around her foot, Sakura cursed as she realized they were closer than she thought. They drug her down and she crashed into the ground, feeling her ribs split further. Casting a gen-jutsu, Sakura hid herself from their sight, but they knew what she had done even if she had gained a slight advantage. She could barely move and they would find her any moment.

The forest floor was wet and felt good despite the sticks poking her back.

Her chakra was fading after a long days travel and hunt for Sasuke, and her gen-jutsu was fading too.

This was it.

Dusk had fallen, and so had she.

Her last conscious thought was noting that Sasuke's chakra signature had left her range.

She had lost him again.

And then she felt something else.

Someone's presence she did not recognize. Forcing her eyes open, Sakura saw the silver blade of a kunai with sparkling red drops of blood on it. Then she heard a body hit the ground. Turning around, her savior stood before her, his eyes burning red with the Sharingan.

Nothing had been processed.

# # #

When Sakura awoke, she could tell someone had set her ribs and her chest had been bandaged. Her wounds were still great, but she was stable. The dim light in the room was coming from two large bay windows across the room. As she tore her eyes open, she saw someone standing there that she did not recognize.

Slowly, he turned around to assess her.

"You," her voice cracked. "You saved me."

"Humph."

Sakura stared at him, not sure what to think.

"When your chakra is restored, you will be able to heal yourself. You are safe here for a few days," he said, lifting a black cloak from the chair.

Sakura's eyes widened. "You aren't leaving, are you?"

He gazed at her unresponsively.

"Yes."

Sakura swallowed hard as she stared at him.

As he moved towards the door, Sakura felt her heart begin to beat rapidly.

"Wait!"

As he remained, waiting for her to speak, Sakura felt her mind racing.

"I know who you are."

She met his gaze, and she noticed the slightest hint of surprise on his face.

"And I have something I want to discuss with you- Itachi Uchiha."