Night was approaching and the moisture in the air was strong with the smell of moss and bark. Deep within the southern woods of Fire Country, the smell of a warm fire was emanating from a small cave that sat hidden by bushes. As the wind blew by it whipped the branches of the bushes, and sounds of tiny sneezes could be heard from within the cave's shelter every time it did.

Alone in the cave sat Sakura. Next to her was a bed made of branches and leaves, covered by a thick blanket. In the dampness of the cave she sat by the fire with her knees tucked into her chest with her eyes gazing into the flames. She knew that it had been over a month since she had left Konoha, but she was gone so long that she had already lost track of exactly how many days had gone by.

Shortly after leaving Konoha, Sakura had gone north but then cut south to confuse anyone who would look for her after the rain had passed. She thought it best to atleast stay within the borders of Fire Country, just in case something should happen and she needed to see Neji to get medical attention. So far she had dealt with wounds, poisons, and medical ailments, but she had practically no experience in the needs of a pregnant woman.

Being alone, memories of Itachi flooded her thoughts every moment of every day, and more and more, Sakura's heart was slowly breaking at the thought of having been left behind yet again. Squeezing her legs closer to herself, Sakura turned her head to let it rest upon her knees. Tears began to slip down her arm as she silently wept in loneliness. She didn't know if Naruto was still looking for her, nor did she know if Itachi was too.

Unlikely... thought Sakura.

Realistically, things didn't happen like in the movies, and Sakura knew in her heart that Itachi would not come for her this time. It just wasn't written in the stars, she felt. Itachi had obligations to Akatsuki, and she was left with only pieces of their love that once flourished. In the silence of the woods, Sakura had never felt more lonely in all her life.

Silent tears soon turned to sobs as Sakura remembered that she was pregnant. She knew that her mother would have been there to take care of her, but that was not what she wanted. The child that she carrying was so much more than just her baby, it was the last of the Uchihas, and in a way, a commodity of the shinobi world. If anyone found out, they just might try to claim it for themselves. What was to stop them from atleast trying? Sakura would not be able to bear it if the one thing she had left of Itachi's love was ripped away from her.

Sakura sheltered her head in her arms. She had had enough of being chased after. She was already the victim of a dillusional Orochimaru, and that in itself was too much to handle. Atleast this way, Sakura was making her own destiny and not having to always anticipate Orochimaru's next move. Being alone for over a month was nothing compared to living in constant fear of attack. As long as Orochimaru did not know where she was, she and everyone else would be safe. Though, there were things that she would miss.

I wonder if Naruto knows how to handle babies?... Sakura giggled to herself.

The thought of Naruto and her newborn was so tempting! She could see him completely bewildered as to how to handle a little baby. What words of wisdom would Naruto have to impart on her child, she could only guess, but Sakura knew in her heart that having an uncle like Naruto would have been such a blessing.

Hmph, my baby would turn out to be a wild child if it hung out with Naruto too much, or it'd grow up using Harem-no-juitsu as it's main attack, she chuckled. Nevertheless, I think it would come out with a heart of gold if it did.

Sighing and wiping away her tears that had become routine, she looked out at the sky and saw that rain clouds were coming her way.

I'd better collect firewood and some food, she thought, standing up.

Pushing her way past the bushes, Sakura walked out to where the woods were thickest and where a river went by. When she reached the river's edge, she was surprised to see that the level had risen three times its normal level, and was now rushing past quickly.

There must have been a big storm up in the mountains... thought Sakura as she looked towards the mountains in the distance.

Inching her way down the river bank, Sakura pulled out an explosion note, wrapped it around a rock and threw it out into the center of the river, timing it just right so that it detonated just above the surface of the water. As the note exploded, it blew a small crater into the water's surface, scaring some fish out of the water as it swam by. Within a blink of an eye, Sakura threw her kunai and pinned the fish to a tree on the opposite bank. She had become quite good at it.

Suddenly the water surged and a flash flood hit Sakura, knocking her into the river's rush.

The water wasn't as rough as it was the time Sasuke dropped her into some rapids, but nevertheless, it was a struggle. Up ahead Sakura could see that there was a branch set nicely out for her to grab. Treading water, she bided her time before reaching out to take hold of her savior. However, there was something that she wasn't expecting.

When Sakura grabbed the branch, she tried to pull herself up but suddenly felt a sharp pain in her side. She was still suffering from a cracked rib, and couldn't really heal it properly because she couldn't reach it well. The sudden shock of the pain made her let go of the branch, causing her to fall back and hit her head on a sharp rock.

As an unconcious Sakura was swept down the stream, she was lucky enough to have landed in a backfloat position so that she didn't take in water. That luck however was about to run out as she approached an oncoming waterfall. The closer she came to the fall, the faster the current picked up, but just as she was about to get sucked into the falls a young man reached out from the side of the river and snatched the collar of her shirt.

Pulling with all his strength, he did his best to bring her in with one arm as the other clutched a rock. He didn't stop until he had brought her all the way to his waist. As the weight of her body and the river's current pressed against him, he managed to keep a solid stance long enough to let go of the rock and grab her beneath the arms. He waded inch by inch to the edge of the embankment, and managed to bring half her body to rest on dry land. Climbing out, he fell down exhausted from the short battle.

"What... a catch!" gasped the young man, lying sprawled on the ground. "That had to have been my biggest pull ever!"

Lifting his head up to peek over at Sakura, he dropped it back down again and heaved a heavy breath of air. Moaning, the young man rolled onto his side and sat up to take a look at the girl he saved.

"Hmph, pink hair, who-da-thought," he said. "Well, let's see what the catch of the day is..."

Brushing back her hair, he took one look at Sakura and was instantly taken aback by her beauty.

"Whoah... What's a pretty girl like you doing floating down the stream?"

The young man stood up and looked around. He couldn't see anyone or anything nearby indicating that she was with anybody.

"Well, I can't just leave you here. I guess I'll just take you back to the boat," he said. "Alright, up we go..."

Picking Sakura up, he cradled her in his arms and began walking with ease, following his way down the river's edge. After a couple of minutes, he came to the mouth of the river and stood before the ocean. Looking side to side, he spotted a little vessel parked not far from the coast. Nodding over to it, an old man standing on it waved back.

"What's that you've got there!" yelled the old man to him.

"I'm not really sure! I found it floating down the river!"

"Is she cute!?" yelled the old man, chuckling after he asked.

The young man laughed, shrugged to get a better grip, and continued on until he reached the area of beach closest to the vessel.

Laying Sakura down, he held her head gently in his hand before placing it on the sand. As he moved his hand away, he found that there was blood on it.

"Uh-oh," he said, turning her head to the side to see the gash. "Oi! Ojiisan! Can you throw me the medical kit!?"

"Is she hurt!?"

"Yupp!"

The old man scrambled aboard the vessel and found a tiny little kit. Throwing it as far as he could, the young man compensated for the distance and caught it just before it hit the ground.

Opening the kit, he pulled out a bottle of alcohol and a gauze. Soaking the gauze with alcohol he went to put it on the wound.

The sudden sting of the alcohol immediately woke Sakura up. Not knowing what was going on, her instincts were to punch first and ask questions later.

POW!!

Sakura socked him right in the eye, sending him flying back onto the sand. Sitting up, she turned to see the medical kit opened beside her.

"Oh my god. Gomen!!" she yelled, immediately going over to look at the damage.

"By the grace of the Jizo statues! What the hell kinda woman are you!?" he yelled with his hand over his left eye.

"Gomen! I didn't know! I thought you were trying to hurt me!"

The young man sat up and crossed his legs.

"Well that teaches me to never rescue anyone floating down the river to their death!!"

"Gomen... I didn't know..."

"Ugh, it's ok... You didn't do it on purpose, so I forgive you," he said, removing his hand to poke at the area around his eye.

"Wow! That was some punch little miss!" yelled the old man from the boat. "I haven't seen moves like that since my wife passed away!"

"Gomenasai! Is this your son!?"

"Grandson! Are you alright!? I heard you were hurt!"

Sakura put her hand to her head and brought it back down to see the blood. Concentrating chakra on her hand, she lifted it back up to heal the wound.

"So, you're a medical-nin, huh?" asked the young man. "My name's Takeru. May I ask the name of my abuser?"

"Uh... Sakura-desu."

"Well Sakura, do you have anyone in the area looking for you, or are you lost?"

"I'm not lost... I just..."

Sakura went silent and looked down. She didn't know what to say.

"Well, whatever's your business is your business. If you want, you can hitch a ride with us."

"Where are you headed?"

"South-west. We're from Wind Country. You?"

"I'm from here, though I'm not quite sure where I'm headed at the moment..."

"Well, you can hop in if you want."

Sakura thought for a second. She was originally going to stay in her own country, but now that she thought about it, perhaps there was more danger staying here than in another country. Should anyone find out, this would be the area that they would first look for her.

"Anyone there in need of medical skills?" Sakura asked.

"We have a small hospital. It's dinky but I think they could use help."

"Ok, I guess I should try my luck there then."

As Takeru turned to walk away, Sakura stopped him.

"Wait! Are there any shinobi in that village?"

"Nope. We're a simple fishing village, though every now and then we make trips to Sunagakure, the Village Hidden in the Sand, to sell fish. You can stay with us... for a price..."

Sakura stopped dead in her tracks and gave him a look that said, "lecher."

"No, no, no, no, no! That's not what I meant! I meant that you have to atleast help us out with the cooking because my grandfather and I suck. My mother and father passed away when I was young, so it's just me and him. Sorry to say it, but we really do suck."

Sakura giggled. "Well, I'm not so good either, but I'll try. Thanks."

As Takeru waded through the water, Sakura walked on the water over to the vessel, dusting the sand off of her as she went.

"That's some trick!" said the old man as she came aboard.

After Takeru explained the situation, the old man readily agreed to the prospect of having a nice meal to come home to.

"Welcome aboard! My name is Taro, but you can just call me Ojiisan. I respond to that more quickly."

Sakura felt happier instantly. Having two to take care of suddenly gave her something to do. She was no longer waiting and no longer alone.

"Oh!" said Sakura. "There's just one thing that I think I should mention, being as you would find out soon enough."

The old man and Takeru opened their eyes wide as to what it could be.

"I'm bringing aboard two," said Sakura, rubbing her belly. "If that's ok with you..."

The old man and Takeru smiled. The prospect of having their all male home filled with the presence of a woman and her child would soften the atmosphere, something they had not had in a long time.

"Wonderful!" Ojiisan chanted. "I can teach him how to fish!"

"Do you mind if I go and collect my belongings?" asked Sakura.

"Sure, we still need to pull up our nets anyway. See you soon?" said Takeru.

"Mmm!" nodded Sakura, jumping over the ship's bow to go back to the cave.

When Sakura returned the nets were in and all was well. As the vessel set out to sea with their new members of the crew, Sakura looked back towards Konoha to say her goodbye.

Perhaps... she thought. Perhaps this is good for me...

"Uuuh... Sakura-chan..." hiccuped Lee.

Sitting at a table in a restaurant in Konoha was TenTen, Neji, and Lee.

"Lee, just face it. She was never going to be yours!" said TenTen. "So, stop dwelling on it!"

"Neji, how could you..." went on Lee. "How could you not tell me!!"

Neji shook his head. "You know she made me promise."

"But you told Tsunade-sama!" whined Lee, pointing a finger at Neji.

"Yes, but that's different. If it means the welfare of the village, Tsunade-sama has to know. Besides, I didn't decide to tell her until after I found out that she meant not to follow Sakura..."

Hick!

"Lee, I can't believe that you're like this after only one drop of sake..." said TenTen, looking at him in bewilderment.

"Well, I have to get going, but I'm glad you found some kind of an outlet to take away your pain," said Neji, standing up. "It's better than you crying uncontrollably. Come'on, let's go."

The three of them stood up and made their way out of the restaurant. After saying their goodbyes, Neji and TenTen left Lee to walk home by himself so that he had time to reflect. That decision, though it seemed harmless, proved to be the making of a disaster as Lee made his way past some ramen stands that skirted the outside of town.

As Lee swerved close to one, he bumped into the post of one of the stands, catching the attention of the shinobi sitting there eating. Falling onto his knees, Lee began to lament.

"Sakura-chan... my beloved, why? How could you have never given me the chance but fallen in love with the enemy, and become pregnant! An Uchiha, no less!! Uhhuhuhuhuh..." muttered Lee, beginning to cry. "And now you've left the village to be on your own... how lonely you must be... come back, Sakura-chan. I'll take care of you...please..."

Getting back up, Lee stumbled off down the road, holding his hands over his heart and crying as he went. Any onlookers would have cried along with him, seeing how pitiful he was as he did so.

As Lee stumbled out of view from the ramen stands, three shinobi who had paused in their eating began to eat again.

"So!" said the man behind the counter. "Why are you shinobi here in Konoha?"

"We're here as a delegation to the Hokage, to discuss the relations of the different shinobi villages. Happens every year..." said the first shinobi.

"Oh, so then where are you all from?" the man asked, unable to spot the symbols of their villages.

"I'm a shinobi from Kirigakure," said the first shinobi.

The second shinobi looked up at the man and smiled. "I'm from Amegakure."

The third shinobi didn't look up. In a deep voice he just said, "Kumogakure."

"Wow, Mist, Rain, and Cloud...you've all come pretty far!" said the man, suddenly stammering in his words. Though he tried, he could not hide the fact that he was a little bit threatened by some of Konoha's worst enemies. Immediately finding something to tend to, the man skirted away from further conversation.

As the three shinobi walked away from the stand, a fourth shinobi sitting at the end of the counter finished her drink and thanked the man for her meal. Getting up, Temari grabbed her fan that was leaning against the wall, strapped it to her back, and walked down the path to the front gate.

So... thought Temari as she prepared for her journey back to the Sand Village. Sakura is pregnant with an Uchiha... which Uchiha, I wonder...