So I know that it has been a long time but life happens. Now here is the next chapter. I will be wrapping up the SasuSaku either this chapter or next and be getting to the actual couple that this story is for: ItaSaku. Enjoy.

Chapter 2

Someone was shaking my shoulder. The irritating movement pulling me from the deep sleep that I rarely allowed myself to have. "Sakura," a voice called, trying to bring me to consciousness. "Sakura. You need to wake up."

Suddenly my brain kicked into gear and I knew who it was trying to wake me up. With a groan, I rolled away from him and pulled the covers closer. I desperately wanted to return to that deep sleep that called to me like a soothing mother's lullaby.

"Hey," Sasuke laughed. "Come on. You need to get up and to town so that you can find a gown for tomorrow. I want you to be the most beautiful woman there." He grabbed the covers and tried to pull the covers off of me.

With a breathed curse, I held on tighter to the covers. "Five more minutes," I groaned.

He laughed again. "I can't allow that," he replied.

Without a warning, I was airborne. The soft pillow and bed were gone as I felt his arms pull me up. I smothered the urge to lash out violently, like I normally would, and let him pull me up to his chest. He leaned in and kissed my cheek softly, his breath softly blowing across my skin. I shuttered and quietly glared at the wall. "Fine, I'm awake," I growled, not appreciating the way that he was holding me aloft. "Now can I please be in contact with the ground?" Sasuke laughed and set me down, causing me to curse when my feet came in contact with the cold stone floor. "What are you doing here?" I asked. I wasn't a morning person, something that even other ANBU made note of because I tended to react first and ask questions later.

"Orochimaru wanted me to be cooperative and came wake you up so that we could go to town," he answered with his trade mark smirk.

I sighed. "You go ahead," I said as I walked towards the bathroom. "I'll catch up."

He nodded. "Don't go back to sleep," he reminded me before he kissed my forehead.

"I won't," I replied as I reached the bathroom door. I heard the main door close as I closed the bathroom door. Stripping down, I quickly showered and dressed before heading towards the dinning hall. Once there, I grabbed an apple and walked down the dim halls towards the entrance. I began shifting through what I would like to wear. Wondering at the skills of the seamstresses in town and what they would be capable of creating in less than forty-eight hours. Guess I'll find out, I thought as I caught up with Sasuke and Kabuto.

"Would you please hold still?" the seamstress, Naii, asked in irritation. Kabuto laughed from where he lounged against the wall, his chosen spot to observe the creation of my dress. I sighed and bit back a curse. We had been here for hours and Sasuke had returned to the hideout shortly after we left. I knew that he was probably glad that he didn't have to stick around for this. However, Kabuto seemed thoroughly entertained and was watching what was going on as if he had discovered a new science: the science of shopping. We spent the first few hours shopping for dresses, but everything was borderline scandalous with deep v-cuts, open and low backs, and ridiculously high slits. I was looking for something that covered me but had a subtle sexy side. That was when I found Naii and, after I outlined what I was looking for, she assured me that she could have the dress done by tomorrow afternoon.

"You know, Kabuto," I said in annoyance. "I am sure that the lord needs you more than I do. Why don't you go on head and I return when I am done with Naii."

"I'm sorry, Sakura," he replied with a shake of his head. "The lord doesn't like his new trainees wondering around without an escort."

"I am sure that you mean a guard," I muttered under my breath, thankfully too low for him to here but not low enough to escape Naii's notice. She smiled and continued to pin the dress together on my slender frame.

After a few more minutes, Naii stood with a sigh. "I'm done for now," she said as she stretched. "But I need you to come by in the morning to see if it fits correctly and see if I need to make any adjustments."

I nodded as I stepped down from the stool and walked towards the changing room with Naii following me. She slowly helped me pull the dress off, helping to make sure that the sharp pins didn't stab me. "Thank you so much of doing this," I said as I began to dress.

"Its no problem," she said with a smile. "But you are very welcome."

Once I was dressed, I followed Kabuto as we headed towards the hideout. I took the time to watch the village people as they continued about their day. I wondered if they knew that they lived right next to the snake that would be more then happy to take their bodies for his twisted experiments. A glimmer of steel pulled my thoughts from their dark wondering. Without a word, I turned and walked towards the shop. "Where are you going?" Kabuto asked, irritation and curiosity mixing in his tone.

"I need to get something here," I stated plainly.

"You need weapons?" he asked, stupidly in my opinion.

"Yeah," I replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Really, what shinobi wouldn't need weapons. I walked into the shop and stopped in my tracks. The shop was deceptively large and contained almost every type of weapon imaginable. I spotted a section of katanas in varying shapes and sizes and was drawn to them like a moth to an open flame.

As I looked over the katanas, the owner noticed me and walked over. "Hello," he welcomed warmly. "What can I get for you today?"

I looked up at him. He was tall, around six feet if I had to guess, and solidly built. By his attire and thick biceps, I could tell that he was a blacksmith as well. "Well, I was looking for a pair of katanas," I explained. "Straighter, not really a curved blade, with a slide curve on the tip. Also needs to be very sharp."

He looked at me for a minute in surprise. "All of my blades are sharp enough that you could take them to battle as is," He explained. "But the straighter blade may prove to be more difficult."

"Well I suppose I can look at other shops," I murmured as I turned to walk out.

"Wait a minute," the smith called. "I apologize. I was very rude to you. We just do not get many kunoichi in the area. It is very rare to see one." I nodded my understanding. "So you need a straight pair. Hmm," he rubbed his jaw as he eyed the rows of katanas. Every now and then he would pick up a katana before shaking his head and returning it to the rack. "How about this one?" he asked holding up a katana.

It looked very similar to Sasuke's except it was shorter. I held out my hand and the smith gently placed the hilt in my hand. Pulling it closer, I inspected the blade. It was light, well balanced, and beautifully crafted. I tested the edge of it with my thumb, which was cut with the slightest of pressure. Only an expert could craft a blade like this, one that had a passion for the craft. I smiled at the smith with new appreciation and respect. "It is perfect," I replied. "I'll take the pair."

The smith smiled and happily sold me the pair of blades. I walked out of the shop and sighed as we walked towards the hideout. I really, really didn't want to return to Orochimaru. This mission was pushing the limits of my patience and it had only been about two weeks. "Why did you need to buy those?" Kabuto asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

I shrugged. "I wanted to learn how to use them," I answered flatly. He thankfully took the hint and remained silent the rest of the walk back to the hideout. Once we were there, I returned to my room and locked the door behind me, eager to begin working with my new katanas.

A knock at the door pulled me from my pretend battle as I practiced with my katanas. With a sigh, I sheathed my blades, tossing them on my bed as I glanced at the clock on my nightstand. I quietly cursed as I realized that I had spent the entire afternoon and most of the evening practicing and unlatched the door before opening it. I knew that someone would come find me eventually since I had essentially disappeared for the day but I was enjoying myself too much to really care. "Go away," I called as I stretched my muscles so they wouldn't stiffen after such a long work out.

"I heard that you bought new weapons," Sasuke replied through the door.

I bit back a growl and unlocked the door before pulling it open to reveal Sasuke leaning against the door frame, seeming to be without a care in the world. "I did and no," I said before he could speak as to his reason for being at my door. "I am not hungry."

He tilted his head to the side in confusion. "How did you know that that was why I was here?" he asked curiously.

I shrugged. "Orochimaru is sometimes predictable," I simply stated before turning and walking to my bed to retrieve my katanas. I held one out to him as he followed me into the room with a sigh. "I suppose that you would like to see, correct?"

He simply nodded and took the sheathed blade from my hand. He expertly drew the weapon and examined the beautiful blade that now seemed to shine with a faint glow from within itself. "It is a very fine weapon," he murmured. "I can tell that you can channel chakra through it by the glow. By the way," he started as he sheathed the blade and handed it back. "Can I see your dress?"

I shook my head. "It isn't made yet," was all that I said as I set the katanas on my bed once again.

"Hn," he grunted before, thankfully, returning to the original topic. "We will have to spar with with our swords soon. It should prove to be interesting." I was about to reply when my stomach growled. "Come eat, Sakura," he said before I could speak. "You know that you need to."

I glared at him for a moment before sighing heavily. "Fine," I hissed as I walked out of my room with him walking a few steps behind me. Just a little bit longer, I thought to myself. You only have to do this for a little while, just long enough to figure out where Orochimaru has been hiding all these years. But as I walked down the hall I knew that it was going to take a lot longer than I really wanted it to.

"It is gorgeous, Naii," I said in awe as I looked at my reflection. "I love it. You did a wonderful job for such a short time-line."

"Thank you, Sakura," Naii replied. "I'll go ahead and admit that it wasn't easy but I tried my best to do what you were asking for."

"Believe me," I said as I turned slightly while still watching my reflection. "Your best was more than I expected." Thankfully, Orochimaru let me come alone today to pick up my dress, something about wanting to keep it a surprise, so I didn't have to deal with Kabuto and his strange and off-putting attitude. The dress was made of black satin and a thin layer of see through chiffon. It was strapless with just enough length to pool gracefully on the floor. The chiffon had a draped affect across the neckline with a black crystal resting in the center of it. The empire silhouette was conservative but still seductive, just not in an extremely obvious way. The back was open down to the top of the small of my back, revealing just enough to temp someone. I knew that tonight Sasuke would probably want to change how we interacted with each other. He wanted more and I had to give it to him so that I could bring him back to the village once I had completed my mission. In most seduction missions, one was straight to the point, wearing sexy and revealing clothes that made their meaning clear, but this mission would take more finesse and a far more subtle approach.

"I'm glad that you like it," Naii said, pulling me from my thoughts. "I was a little worried when you initially showed me the design."

I nodded and looked back at the mirror. Something was missing. "Do you have any hair or accessory ideas?" I asked. I didn't really ever have a reason to dress up formally so I never had to worry about it before. Usually, I would have asked Ino but seeing as she wasn't here...

"Of course," Naii replied with a brilliant smile. "I always think of that when I'm working on something. How about you pull the front of your hair back like this." She gently pulled the front of my hair back, leaving a few strands of pink to frame my face. "And wear a simple necklace and some earrings. With you I would say staying simple is the best way to go."

I nodded and changed out of the dress. She smiled and thanked me as I paid for the dress. "Your date will be speechless when he sees you," she said as I left the shop. I shook my head and waved as I made my way over to a jewelry store. Once inside, it didn't take me long to find a simple silver necklace with a teardrop shaped diamond pendent and some simple dangling diamond earrings. Once I was done there, I leisurely made my way back to the compound, taking advantage of the nice day and warm sunlight. The sunlight turned the leaves and grass from their normal colors to brilliant shades of jade and green. Birds flew happily about and small animals scurried across the forest floor as they carried on about their day. It was nice to be outside, in the sun, for a change because Orochimaru never let us out of the compound willingly. It was always sneak out or be beaten in the attempt to simply walk out.

Unfortunately, I reached the compound faster than I wanted to and disappeared into darkness once again. The walk to my room was short and, once there, I hung up my dress and glanced at the clock. I had just enough time to get ready to go for the evening. Growling at what would probably be a long few hours, I walked into the bathroom and began the tedious process of getting ready.

A knock on the door pulled me from the meditative state that I had some how managed to achieve while I was getting ready. I put the last earring in my ear and sighed at my reflection. "Sakura, my dear," Orochimaru called through the door. "Come out and join the party."

"Can you please give me a minute?" I asked as I stared at my reflection.

"Of course," he chuckled with amusement. I rolled my eyes and pulled the last threads of my patience together as I studied my reflection. I had forgotten how much I hated getting ready for formal events. My hair had been a pain before I had managed to get it swept up elegantly with a few strands framing my face. Then my make up hadn't cooperated around my eyes and I had to start over before I got it right. I was satisfied with my looks, elegant with an understated sensual side. With a last glance, I left the bathroom and opened the door. Orochimaru smirked. I had expected either him or Kabuto to bring me to the party but I had honestly been hoping for Kabuto. At least he would have known not to bother me. "Well," Orochimaru said as he inspected me from head to toe. "Don't you look extremely angelic and beautiful this evening."

I smiled politely as I took his offered arm, barely suppressing my cringe at the contact with his cool arm. "Thank you, Orochimaru-sama," I murmured. With a not-so-gentle tug on my arm, Orochimaru lead me down the hallway towards the training hall. The walk didn't take long and he stopped me in the shadows just outside the entrance to the hall. Leaving me in the shadows, he opened the doors and walked inside, allowing light and music to spill into the hallway. A few moments later, he reappeared with Sasuke tailing him.

"My dear," Orochimaru called with amusement lacing his tone. "Why don't you step into the light so that your date can have a look at you?" Steeling myself against what I knew would be another act in the long drama that was this mission, I took a deep breath and stepped forward. Neither Orochimaru nor Sasuke said a word as they stared at me. Sasuke wore a classic tuxedo and I had to grudgingly admit that he did look attractive. His black eyes glimmered as they dropped down to my toes and slowly rose, taking in the length of my body. "I'll give you a moment to yourselves," Orochimaru murmured, his eyes narrowed in calculated maneuvering. I knew that he wanted something more than me simply training with Sasuke but I was doing everything that I could to prevent leading him down that path. However, trying to outsmart Orochimaru was like trying to climb up a steep hill in the rain without chakra. "Don't be too long." Sasuke nodded, his eyes stilled glued to me. With a grin, Orochimaru turned and walked back into the hall.

Sasuke and I stared at each other, the silence dragging on. "You look nice," I broke the silence with a forced smile.

"Sakura," he murmured, a shocked undertone in his voice. "Is that really you?"

I struggled to keep from rolling my eyes but I didn't have the restraint to completely hold back my smart comment. "Who else would I be?" I asked gently once I was sure that I could keep the sarcasm out of my voice. He remained silent, staring at me like he had seen a ghost. When his stare finally became unnerving, I decided to break the silence once again. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine. I just..." he hesitated with a strange look on his face. "I think I'm in shock."

I stifled my full blown laughter at his puzzlement. "Do you want me to leave so that you can recover yourself?" I asked, inwardly rolling my eyes. Maybe Naruto had been onto something with those harem jutsu.

"No," he replied while slowly coming out of his shock. "I'd probably go back into it when you come back, if you did."

"True," I murmured coyly while my inner shook her head in disgust. What kind of shinobi lets a simple dress distract them so much? He slowly, hesitantly, approached me and lifted his hands to frame my face. I held perfectly still, not liking that he could break my neck with one quick twist. He stared at me until I couldn't take it anymore. "What is it?" I asked quietly, really beginning to hate this charade. "I'm still me."

He shook his head in denial. "I feel like you might disappear at any moment," he murmured in reverence.

My inner groaned at the love struck look in his eyes. "I won't disappear," I lied smoothly. Not tonight at least.

"You look angelic," he stated plainly. "You are easily the most beautiful person here. There are plenty of single women in there who have had their eyes on me."

"Really?" I asked with just a little bit of sarcasm. There was the Uchiha arrogance.

He nodded. "But none of them stand a chance now that I have seen you." I bit the side of my tongue to hold back a curse. I knew where this night would end up and I didn't like it. My brain quickly began to work though possible ways to get out of that situation to no avail. "Now I think that we should join the party before Orochimaru comes looking for us."

I nodded in agreement and allowed him to kiss me before I took his offered arm. With a final smile, he lead me into the room. The training hall had been transformed. There were more candles to light the huge room though the walls still couldn't be seen. On one side was a table laden with food and drinks and a dance floor had been set up in the center of the hall with tables surrounding it. On the far side of the room was a long, beautifully decorated table where Orochimaru and Kabuto sat, watching the event with cold eyes. The hall fell silent as we walked in, much to my irritation. I saw many single men and women, all dressed their best and all staring at us. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Orochimaru smile with pleasure while Kabuto glared at Sasuke.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Orochimaru called from his seat. "Our honored guests for the evening have arrived." Slowly, people began to applaud as Sasuke lead me forward.

I inwardly sighed as I knew that I would have to play the part of a smitten girl yet again. "We may have to split up for a while so we can lift the mood," I whispered shyly to Sasuke as I pointed out the glares and crestfallen looks of the crowd.

"Hn," he agreed. "Later though. Dinner is about to be served."

I nodded and let him lead me to the main table. I hated not knowing what was going on but I knew that I had to play the part of a submissive, clueless girl. "Please take your seats. Dinner is served," Orochimaru called. Once we reached the table, Sasuke pulled out my chair and let me sit before taking his own seat to my right. Orochimaru was to Sasuke's right and Kabuto, who began drooling over my appearance after he stopped glaring at Sasuke, was to my left. Without a pause, dinner was placed in front of us and our glasses were fulled with champagne. With a curious glance around the room, I watched as everyone else took a drink before taking a sip of my own. I wouldn't put it past Orochimaru to try and gain some new blood for his experiments tonight. As dinner progressed, Kabuto tried to start several conversations with me but I politely shut him down with precise answers. Careful to keep up with the pretense of being in love with Sasuke, I kept glancing at him and gave him small smiles of encouragement.

After dinner, people began to wander around the room and socialize with others, many taking their drinks with them. "I believe now is the time to begin easing the tension," Sasuke whispered in my ear. "Would you like to dance? He asked where Orochimaru could hear him.

"Of course," I answered with a smile. He took my hand and lead me to the dance floor before pulling me close as a song began. After a few minutes, others began to come and ask for my next dance. With a smile, Sasuke nodded and handed me off. Shaking my head, I turned to my new partner and smiled. This part of missions I loved. Gathering information to keep my loved ones safe. This was the reason that I became ANBU; to take the missions that would protect others. As the night continued to progress, I danced and gathered information with such subtle skill that no one knew what they were giving up. Numbers, guard rotations, supply routes, prisons; it would all go back to ANBU where Tsunade would begin making missions to strike Orochimaru's weaknesses. Sadly though, Sasuke returned and I had to remember my original purpose. Unfortunately, I let a sigh slip.

"What is it?" he asked.

Fuck. "Nothing," I murmured, annoyed that he caught the sigh.

He laughed. "It can't be nothing. Otherwise you wouldn't look annoyed."

I blinked at him in surprise before acknowledging that as we grew up together, he may know how to read me better than others. "I don't like being handed from person to person like an object," I replied smoothly. Though I do like the information that they give up.

"At least the tension is better," He stated as he pulled me closer, leaving a hair's breadth between us.

"I guess," I replied, thinking about how much I'd rather not be so close to him.

"What is it?" He asked as he spun me out and back again.

"I'm surprised that I did not like you dancing with others," I lied with ease.

He laughed. "Jealous?"

I shrugged and looked away. Tsunade always warned me that my eyes could often give me away if I wasn't careful, more so when I was irritated. "Maybe."

"You know," he whispered, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. "You are incredibly beautiful when your jealous."

I glared at him as he smiled in pleasure. Slowly, he leaned down and kissed me. I forced myself to relax and surrender to the kiss. He was soft and gentle, his lips smooth and soft. He was not a bad kisser but there was nothing there. I let him kiss me until he pulled back with a sigh. "I don't think that this is the place to keep doing that," he murmured reluctantly.

"I suppose not," I replied as I glanced at Orochimaru out of the corner of my eye. He was smiling broadly at us. That snake wants something and we are giving it to him, my inner growled and I was inclined to agree.

After a few more songs, Orochimaru called the event to an end and the guests began to slowly leave, a few staying behind with a dazed look in their eyes. I doubted those people would live very long. Sasuke lead me to my room and followed me in, a hungry look in his eyes. I excused myself and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I contemplated the situation that I was in as I took my earrings out and let my hair down. I didn't want to sleep with Sasuke. He was too much of a brother and I couldn't go through it physically. I was the one aspect of seduction missions that I had failed at and only Tsunade knew. I could do everything but sex and I did it well. But something in me just wouldn't allow for me to sleep with others. Sighing, I brushed my hair and subtly gathered chakra. Placing the brush on the counter, I created a clone and settled on the counter. Only Tsunade knew that I did this and I did it with such skill that no one ever knew that it was a clone in the room. Nodding, my clone turned, washed off her makeup, and left the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Closing my eyes, I allowed her perceptions to enter my thoughts.

Sasuke had taken off his jacket and untucked his shirt. He was laying across my bed with his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. Once my clone walked into the room, he looked at her and smiled. "Glad to have the celebration over with?" she asked as she crossed the room. She sat down next to him and took off her heels.

"Yes," he answered, "But not glad that the day is almost over." He sat up and wrapped his arms around her. She sighed and leaned into him. With a low chuckle, he laid back and allowed her to cuddle with him. I was surprised as his guard seemed unusually low for living with Orochimaru. My clone looked up at him in question which caused him to laugh. He ran his hand up and down my back before stopping at the zipper on my dress. My clone stopped him and looked at him. Really? My inner yelled. It takes more than that to get a girl worth her salts into bed. I smothered a laugh and reminded her that this was Sasuke, who always had girls chasing him, begging to sleep with them.

"As a birthday gift?" he asked, pulling me back into my clone's thoughts. Both me and my inner raised our eyebrows at that. Did he really think we were that easy?

"I'm not sure Sasuke," my clone said quietly, almost shyly.

"Please," he breathed as he ran his hand slowly up and down her bare back.

"I don't know," my clone repeated, stringing him along quite nicely.

"Well I am," he whispered before kissing her. He really needs to learn how to take no as an answer, my inner grumbled as Sasuke kissed my clone passionately. "I'll be gentle," he breathed against her lips. My clone struggled against his kiss a little before giving in. She slowly reached for his shirt and unbuttoned it. Knowing the decision that my clone had made, he stood and pulled her with him. As she continued to unbutton his shirt, he unzipped his pants and shoved them off before reaching for her dress. He unzipped it slowly and let it fall to the floor, his eyes never leaving hers. Once they were undressed, he wrapped his arms around her and laid her on the bed before kissing her. As the kisses became more passionate, he rolled over so that she was on top and they made love most of the night before falling asleep.

Waiting long enough to be sure that they were asleep, I snuck back into the room and curled my lip at the heavy smell of sex. Walking silently into the closet, I changed into a set of clean pajamas before settling on the desk to sleep.

I regained consciousness slowly as my clone began to wake up, taking note that she wasn't alone. Sighing, I allowed my body to slip into a meditative state and get the rest that it needed while I let the clone's thoughts filter into my mind.

She lay across Sasuke's chest, her head resting on his heart, and his hand running along the length of her bare back. Looking up, she noticed that his other hand was under his head as he stared at the ceiling, a small smile on his face. "Did you sleep well?" she asked, gaining his attention.

"I slept very well," he replied.

"I'm glad" my clone smiled before snuggling closer to him.

"Orochimaru will be curious when he discovers that I am not in my room," he said off handedly.

"He will know," my clone grumbled as if she didn't want her private life to be known.

"He knew when I kissed you last night and you didn't react violently," Sasuke corrected. "Kabuto is going to be a problem though." His eyes narrowed at the thought.

"Why?"

"He wanted you for himself," Sasuke said. "Its always been a competition between us. If he didn't have a reason to kill me before, he does now. Though now that Orochimaru knows that I have an interest outside of gaining power, he will move his plans forward. He will try and take my body much sooner."

"What is stopping us from leaving right now?" my clone asked in concern.

"He will keep a close eye on us for awhile. If we act like we don't want to leave, he may let up the pressure. But if we act like we want to leave, then he will act accordingly and we will be in trouble."

"Then we don't show interest in leaving," my clone summarized simply. "When he lets up, we can leave then."

"That is probably the best idea. We don't stay in one place more than a month and when we move there is much less security. But where will we go?"

"I think I might have a place," my clone began, slowly planting the seed into his thoughts. "We could go back to the Leaf."

He tensed against my clone, anger and confusion reaching me in the closet. "Why there? You just left there. And why would I go back to that place?"

"Because it is the safest place for you from Orochimaru. The reason that I left was to find you," my clone murmured as she moved closer to him. "If I asked and explained everything to Tsunade-sama, I am sure that they would understand. Besides, Orochimaru would never openly attack the Villiage."

He looked at my clone skeptically before giving in. He was smart enough to know that my logic was correct. "Fine," he grumbled.

"I love you," my clone murmured while looking up at him though her lashed, sealing the deal.

"I love you too," he smiled as he rolled over so that he was on top of her. "Now, I think there is something else we can do with our time until breakfast." With a smile, my clone kissed him and that was all the encouragement that he needed.

"You were right," I murmured as we sat down in the cafeteria together to keep up appearances on my part. "Kabuto does look angry."

Sasuke laughed. We were sitting far enough from Orochimaru that he could not hear us but too close for my comfort level. We ate in silence, an old familiar feeling of camaraderie in the air between us. I had to admit that a part of me was glad to have one of my old teammates back, even knowing that he would most likely hate me later. As we gathered our plates and stood, I remembered him wanting to work on swordsmanship with me. "Would you still like to work on sword play today?" I asked as we placed the trays in the window and walked out of the room.

"Hn," he grunted in reply. "We will have to find somewhere though. We cannot leave and the training hall is not cleared out yet."

"I can think of other places," I replied slyly.

He raised an eyebrow. "And where would that be?"

"I have been practicing in my room but I am sure that there is somewhere else that we could practice," I said simply, eager to find out more about the compound than I had already discovered.

"Your room is too small," he replied coolly. "And I doubt that I could hold myself back with you in proximity to a bed." Without a word, he backed me against the hall wall and kissed me. I shoved down the urge to shove him back but let the kiss go. He wasn't a bad kisser, I thought. But there was definitely no spark or anything. I was pleasant in the way that a warm shower after a long mission was.

" Your point has been made," I surrendered when he pulled back to let me breathe again.

"Sasuke," Kabuto called as he walked towards us causing Sasuke to sigh in irritation. Sasuke pulled back and glared at the smaller man. "Orochimaru wants to see you," Kabuto growled at Sasuke, his cold and calculating gaze switching between me and Sasuke.

Sasuke nodded. With one last glance at me, he activated his sharingan and walked back down the hall with Kabuto following him. Shaking off the negative emotions, I turned and headed back towards my room. I didn't need Sasuke to practice my sword play and without him there I could work on my ANBU sword skills as well. Smiling to myself, I locked the door and picked up my two katanas. Focusing on the balanced weight of the two blades, I preformed a few simple katas to loosen up and held the two swords before me. With precise control, I allowed some of my chakra to leak into the blades and form a thin second sharp edge a few millimeters from the actual blade. Closing my eyes, I sank into my subconscious and let myself imagine a battlefield. Without thought, I launched into the field and began my battle.

A knock pulled me out of my battle several hours later. Sheathing the swords, I opened the door to reveal Orochimaru, Sasuke, and Kabuto. "My dear, we need to speak with you," Orochimaru said pleasantly. "May we come in?" Nodding, I stepped back and allowed them entrance. Sasuke was the last to enter and grabbed my hand as I closed the door behind him and pulled me toeards the bed. I sat down beside him and looked at Orochimaru expectantly, ignoring the glares that Kabuto sent our way.

"I know that you have not been with us long but we do not stay in one place long," Orochimaru started. "It is time for us to move on. You need not worry about your things here as they will be watched. Usually, we bring essentials and the rest is provided when we arrive at our destination."

"I understand, Orochimaru-sama," I answered with a bow. I knew that this would happen and I was eager to really begin my mission on gathering intelligence on Orochimaru and his hiding places.

"I am glad," Orochimaru said with a smile as he eyed my position next to Sasuke with too much pleasure to make me comfortable. "We will leave in the morning so be sure to pack. And please be kind to Kabuto. He does not need anything else to upset him." With a final nod, he and Kabuto walked out of the room.

I sighed once the door was closed again. "Kabuto is getting on my nerves," Sasuke growled. And you are getting on mine, my inner grumbled as I laughed and leaned onto him.

"Mine as well."

"What did you do today?" he asked as his hand began tracing patterns on my arm.

I shrugged. "I worked on my swordsmanship," I replied honestly as I stood and walked towards the closet. I could read his body language like a book. He wanted sex again, like any sex starved man. Changing into pajamas, I silently created a clone and sent her into the room. I settled back on the desk as my clone walked into the room.

"What are you thinking?" she asked as she sat down on the bed and took note of the devious look on his face.

Sasuke laughed. "Kabuto is going to have a very hard time while we are moving," he smirked. "We usually sleep at night and I plan on being next to you."

"You do like irritating him," she noted. "I almost feel bad for him."

"Don't," Sasuke said as he forced her to the bed, trapping her beneath him. "Don't feel sorry for him. It will completely ruin it." My clone nodded as she picked up on the mood that I had already noticed. "Good," he murmured as he started kissing her. Without much encouragement, they twisted around each other and strived for completion before falling asleep in bliss.

The feel of someone shaking my clone's shoulder, trying to wake her, woke me up. Sighing, I let some of her thought's into my mind. Slowly the shaking on her shoulder increased as the person began to speak. "Sakura," Sasuke called. "It is time to get up. Orochimaru will be angry if we are not ready to go."

My clone groaned. "I already packed," she hissed. "I never unpacked so let me sleep."

"You also need to eat," Sasuke said, still shaking her shoulder. "Wake up."

"No I don't," she groaned. "I have plenty of provision pills. Just one of those and I am good for days." She tried to pull the covers closer but Sasuke had already pulled them off of the bed.

With a sigh, Sasuke walked away. Once I heard him enter the bathroom, I quickly dispelled the clone and took her place, sinking into the mattress for a second of enjoyment. Closing my eyes, I feigned sleep as I listened to him fill a glass full of water and walk back to the bedside. "Either you get up or I will get you up," he threatened.

I growled and moved away from him. "You wouldn't dare," I hissed.

"Then get up," he said simply.

I remained where I was but I tensed, ready to attack should he follow through with his attack. He laughed evilly and threw the water on me as he back away. The water was freezing, by far worse than the land of snow, and I was totally soaked. After sleeping on the desk and now being soaked in water, I was pissed. "You are dead," I yelled as I launched myself at him, knocking him to the ground. He tried to pin me down and, when that didn't work, he tried to escape from under me and through the door.

We rolled across the floor, both of us trying to gain the upper hand. Suddenly, there was a knock at my door that went ignored. Sasuke and I continued to wrestle, trying to pin each other down, as Orochimaru and Kabuto walked in and froze at the sight. Suddenly, I was pinned under Orochimaru. Sasuke stood, a smirk on his face, ready encase I managed to get free. Kabuto was faintly amused and surprised at the sight of our fighting.

"Now my dear," Orochimaru said smoothly. "What is the reason for this?"

Sasuke answered instead of me. "She did not want to get up so I threw water on her to make her get up," he chuckled as he relaxed his stance. A dangerous mistake if Orochimaru hadn't been the one pinning me down. I growled and glared at him as I struggled faintly under Orochimaru's hold. Orochimaru was oblivious of the fact that I was struggling, or so he appeared.

"Really?" Orochimaru asked in surprise. Sasuke nodded and suddenly the two of them began laughing. I closed my eyes, realizing that I couldn't get free of Orochimaru without giving up my cover and worked to control my anger at Sasuke. As I began to calm myself, I focused on relaxing my muscles and forcing them to fall limp. Orochimaru felt the change and released me. Kabuto hadn't said anything the entire time he had been in the room and simply stared at me. Sighing, I realized that I had minimal clothes on and swiftly grabbed the blanket from the floor and wrapped it around me. Kabuto blinked and began pulling himself together as Orochimaru and Sasuke stopped laughing. Orochimaru seemed highly amused and Sasuke was glaring at Kabuto with sharingan eyes. Orochimaru cleared his throat and spoke. "We were coming to see of the two of you were awake as you have not been to breakfast yet. As we approached, we heard yelling and a struggle. I am surprised that you were still asleep, Sakura." He smiled at me with a creepy intent. "I would have thought that you would have been up for hours already."

"I would still be asleep if Sasuke hadn't thrown water on me," I replied, glaring at them.

"Well," Orochimaru said. "We will leave you to get dressed. Be sure to pack lightly and wear something that will keep you cool. We will be crossing a desert along the way. Join us in the dining hall when you are ready. We will eat quickly and then leave."

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama," I replied with a bow.

Orochimaru turned and motioned Kabuto with him, before pausing at the door. "Sasuke, why don't you come with us. I have a feeling that Sakura will attack you again if I leave you here."

Sasuke nodded and followed them as they all left the room and closed the door behind them. I finally released my anger now that I was alone. I quickly got dressed and made sure that I had everything I needed, knowing that I would never return, and left for the dining hall. The others were there and already eating. I gathered my food and sat down, eating quietly and quickly. Finally, we all finished eating and we headed out of the compound. We had a few guards with us but that did not slow us as we sprinted at full speed away from the Sound. All I could hope for was that I would never have to return and that I could complete my mission with minimal time needed.

A/N: There is the second chapter and I will be wrapping up the SasuSaku section next chapter. Please review and let me know what you think.