Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own NARUTO or any of its characters. All original characters belong to me.

"Why…?"

The pink-haired kunoichi, once fearless and strong, now stood scared and trembling.

"To protect you…"

There was a soft squishing sound, then the splatter of liquid on the ground. Sai pulled the small chokuto out of her, staring straight into her eyes as he did. Sakura fell to her knees and put her hand over the gaping wound, trying to stop the blood from pouring out. She reached out to him with no avail. She gasped before falling over on her face.

"S-Sai…"

He couldn't will himself to look back at her. Sai faced the shrouded figures before him and bowed with respect.

"You promised that you'd take her far from this place… keep your end of the bargain, and I'll keep mine: your freedom in exchange for her safety."

"Of course, sir. I always keep my promises…"

The figure smirked and glanced at Sakura's crumpled figure in the tall grass.

"… but may I ask, what's her crime?"

Sai's eyes were looked cold, but held some warmth to them as he whispered her transgression.

"She loved him,"

Another figure appeared beside the other and frowned, shaking its head.

"Tsk… and such a beautiful girl too. Well, I won't ask anymore. I got this place set up for her somewhere in the Land of Lightning. You don't gotta worry 'bout her bein' found anytime soon!"

"… Good."

A guttural groan caused Sai to cringe. The figure sighed and sauntered lazily over to Sakura's side, putting a hand on her head and closing her eyes.

"Sleep little kunoichi, you have a long journey ahead of you."

"Urgh…"

A soft moan was the only sound other than that of a small fire crackling and rain hitting the rooftop of the small, ruddy shack. Two men, one poking the fire and the other drinking from a large bottle, sat closest to the miniscule flame.

"Damn, it's cold!"

"Hn… you should wear heavier clothes. It is a very long way to the city."

The drunkard laughed and took another gulp of the bitter-looking liquid.

"Humph, you think I don't know that? We gotta travel with this dumb broad for three days, so I wasn't gonna pack a whole bunch of shit on top of carryin' her fat ass for that long!"

He offered the bottle to his companion, who kindly refused it.

"Akasui, perhaps you should stop drinking for a bit…"

"Come on Jizai, lighten up and drink a little! Good ale and a feisty wench could go a long way, my friend!"

Jizai put a finger to his lips and pointed in the direction of the figure on the floor. Akasui glanced over and sighed angrily, slamming his empty hand on the ground.

"Wake up, you dumb bitch!"

Sakura shifted uncomfortably and moaned again, her hand instinctively clutching her stomach before rolling over.

"Ah… oh… what--?

She sat up, the sheet that covered her body falling lazily around her. Jizai looked away and poked the fire again, trying to keep the room warm. Akasui sneered and held the bottle up to his lips.

"So Sleepin' Beauty awakes, eh? How fares you?"

Sakura's eyes opened quickly, taking in the surroundings. The small shack was homely and dusty, even her body was covered in fine particles of soot. Sakura's eyebrows furrowed as she glanced angrily in Akasui's direction.

"Fine thank you… now who the hell are you?"

"That's rude to ask, especially in your position…" Jizai muttered, refusing to look at her. Sakura squinted at him.

"My position," she looked down at herself and gasped.

"Where am I?!"

Sakura glanced around frantically, clutching the sheet to her bare chest.

"All I can tell ya' sweet is that you ain't in Konoha no more, and you ain't nowhere near the Land of Fire… oh, and Toto won't be comin' home!"

The dirty-faced man laughed loudly before taking another swig of ale. Jizai stared at her and sighed.

"Don't worry Miss; you'll be safe… for the time being."

"As if being completely naked, surrounded by two strange men, smack dab in the middle of nowhere makes me feel safe!" Sakura grunted under her breath. She attempted to stand up, but fell back down suddenly. A sharp and searing pain shot through her body and everything had grown hazy in her line of sight.

"Ooh… what's this—"

Sakura collapsed, causing Akasui to laugh and Jizai to sigh again. He stood up went to her side, touching her burning forehead.

"Sleep well, and when you wake we'll tell you everything…"

A few hours ago…

"Sai? Where are you? Gosh, it's rude to keep a lady waiting you know!"

Sakura crossed her arms, pouting as she did. After a few minutes however, her angry façade reverted to an impatient one. She shuddered violently and rubbed her arms, looking around in the morning mist.

"You call a lady out here in the middle of the morning… you're late but you don't even warn me… what is Kakashi teaching you, geez?!"

"I'm sorry, were you waiting long?"

Sakura gasped loudly and jumped in fear. The figure in mist held his hands up defensively, chuckling.

"Sorry Sakura, something… came up suddenly… I was going to tell you not to come, but this is important…"

"Oh really, huh? I was about to leave you know, but I felt bad so I decided to stay. I'm tired, Sai! Our last mission really took its toll on me!"

Sai bowed apologetically and sighed "Forgive me" before approaching her. Sakura turned away from him with fake anger, crossing her arms again. A sharp intake of air was all that was heard next. Sai grabbed her hand and pulled her fiercely into his arms, his mouth landing tightly on hers. Sakura's eyes widened before she relaxed into his squeeze.

"… S-Sai? Are you feeling alright?"

"No, I'm not… I'm utterly distressed and displeased…"

Sakura looked up at him in confusion. His facial expression had changed from sincere and kind to stern and cold. She put a soft hand on his cheek, tilting his head towards hers.

"Why is that? Is it because… of me?"

Sai closed his eyes and sighed, shaking his head slowly.

"No, no… not you… something else."

"Then what is it? Tell me why you seem so… different."

"Different?"

Sai pushed her hand away and looked in her eyes, his look becoming less cold and more concerned. Sakura turned away from him and took a few paces forward.

"You seem… perturbed by something… what's wrong? You said you had something important to say to me but what? With that sudden kiss—"

"You didn't like it?"

Sakura blushed and clasped her hands behind her back before spinning to face him.

"N-No, that's not it! It's just… weird. You called me out so early to kiss me?"

"I felt like seeing you. Is that so odd?"

"When it's concerning you, everything seems odd!"

After an awkward silence, the pair laughed—something they hadn't done together in what felt like ages. Sai watched her admiringly, taking in the sight of her chest moving up and down, her soft laughter and brilliant smile—he hoped she wouldn't lose it in the days to come. The war had taken its toll on everyone, including Sakura. After that fateful day at the Kage's Summit, Sakura had changed dramatically. Sai bitterly remembered the look on her face when Sasuke appeared before her, fully ready to kill her. She was inches away from death, his blade right between her eyes, when he said, "I guess I still can't abandon these feelings… so on a whim, I'll let you live." What he meant by "those feelings," Sai didn't exactly know but he thought that maybe he meant the feeling of friendship—only to find that what he truly meant was his former feelings for Sakura. He had given Sakura two answers to her confession before he left the village: that he HAD loved her and that he would continue to refuse her. Sakura proclaimed shortly after that that she would live for the creation of the future rather than attempting to heal their broken past. She refused to openly admit her heart's feelings for three years… that was, until he had confessed. It was the day they had returned from a reconnaissance mission. Both were so heavily injured and Sai had confessed in a slightly drug-induced haze. After losing so much blood during their retreat, Sai was dying slowly and painfully by her side. She coaxed him and tried to heal him with tears in her eyes. She had showed compassion and caring eyes to him, and he was thankful for the fact that she had taught him how to live. After secretly betraying Root, Sai decided that he would keep up an act so that he could stay close to his friends. Now that act would come to an end.

"Sakura… there's something else I need to say…"

"What is it, Sai-kun?"

He bit his lip at the sound of the honorific rolling off her tongue. She said it so easily, and he almost felt as if she had been using it with his name the whole time. He closed his eyes and put one hand into his cropped jacket, grasping the content hidden inside. Sakura cocked her head to the side, confused.

"I'm sorry,"

Within seconds, he had her back in an almost loving embrace. As the scent of blood wafted into the air, Sai felt her tears hit his shoulders.

"… Why?"

"To protect you… I would even kill you…"

He shrugged her off and pulled the concealed sword out of her stomach, a grimace apparent on his face. Sakura's vision became clouded as her knees buckled beneath her. Two figures approached calmly, as if the scene seemed normal to them. All sounds became muffled as her body grew heavy. Sai's eyes were cold and disconcerting. Had he betrayed her again?

'Sai… I won't forgive you, I never will…'

He closed his eyes again, as if he had heard her thoughts.

"Sai…"

She stretched her arms out, trying to hold on to one of his legs. She muttered a soft curse, groaned, and stopped her futile attempt to halt him. And then… it was dark.

"Sai… Sai… SAI!"

Sakura eyes opened up suddenly, sweat pouring down her face. She glanced around, attempting to find her bearings once more.

"The sky… is moving…?"

"No, idiot, you're moving…"

Sakura looked to her left, only to find Akasui sitting beside her. She gasped and sat up, looking around. They were in a moving horse-drawn cart, heading in a direction unknown to her. Jizai sat on the horse, too busy steering to look back at her. Sakura felt her head then she quickly patted her clothing. She was drenched in sweat, and the outfit she was wearing was clean, albeit the light red stains in the center were still there. She parted the open shirt timidly, not wanting to further expose herself to the strange men. Her stomach was bandaged well and she was clean. Clean…

"Excuse me, but which one of you freaks took off my clothes?!"

Jizai glanced over his shoulder and smiled.

"So you're alright, I take it? Don't worry; there wasn't much to look at."

Sakura scoffed disbelievingly. Not only were these men strange, but they were rude too!

"Can one of you explain what's going on? Where am I, who are you, and where are we going? In fact, why am I with you in the first place?!"

"We were hired by your friend to 'kidnap' you." Jizai said in a nonchalant manner. Sakura blinked, confused. Akasui laughed and held up a bottle.

"Drink up, you'll need the energy if you want to hear the story!"

Sakura looked at him and grimaced before snatching the bottle and drinking the unsavory liquid. Her eyes bulged before she spat it out in his face, tossing the bottle out of the moving cart. Akasui jumped after it and wailed.

"You dumb broad! What the hell is wrong wit' you?! That was… the last bottle!"

"It's gross! Note to self: don't take strange water from strange people!"

Jizai smirked and hit the reins a bit harder, forcing the horse to move faster.

"That's no water, it is alcohol. I guess you aren't a good drinker? In any case, looks like you've truly woken up from your fever. It's been two days since you collapsed again. I thought we'd have to find a doctor…"

"I was asleep for three days? Wait—before you say anything else, explain this."

"Like my buddy said girly, we were paid to take you away from your village. Guy said you were gonna' get killed for something and told us to abduct you and protect you until we find a good place for you to stay safe. The name's Akasui—"

"Funny name, it suits your drinking preference!"

"Bitch… Jizai, can't this thing go any faster?! I wanna get to the city and drop Pinky off where I won't see her again!"

Jizai stayed silent, refusing to enter the argument. Sakura grunted before punching Akasui in the chest, knocking him straight out of the back of the cart and out of sight. They pulled the cart over and Jizai got out to look for him—but he tied up Sakura before he left. Sakura was surprised that he apprehended her so quickly. He moved in an instant, appearing behind her without a sound and pulling out a tachi blade.

"Don't move. Make any sudden movement and I'll kill you."

Strange enough, she didn't move. She couldn't move. The malice in his voice was enough to stop her. After he dragged Akasui back, Jizai laid his companion down and sighed.

"I heard you were strong, girl, but that was a little more than I bargained for. Good thing that the place we're going to will stop you from doing that again. Until we get there, you'll stay like that unless you start to behave like a proper lady again."

"Ji-chan, you're looking very pretty today! Come give daddy a big smoooo—"

Jizai stuck the scabbard of his sword into Akasui's mouth, stopping him from making what would have been a big mistake. Sakura stifled a giggle before looking out of the back of the cabin. It was all forest, with a small winding path behind them. No mountains, nothing that looked familiar to her at all.

"Where are we? Please, at least tell me that much…"

Jizai looked up at her and closed his eyes, thinking of how to put his words as not to startle her.

"We're in the Land of Lightning… I don't know how else to put it except for 'You're not home anymore,' or something that Akasui would say…"

Sakura's mouth dropped and her eyes were as big as the wheels of the wagon they sat in.

"Land of Lightning…"

As Jizai took the reins and started on their journey once more, Sakura watched as the trees began to vanish and the coastline took their place. The tall grass, the high sun, the glittering seas—this definitely was not the Land of Fire.

'I pray that I did the right thing… Sakura…'

Sai's thoughts echoed throughout his mind. Lying on his bed, surrounded by countless paintings, Sai felt a wave of unease as he thought about the kunoichi.

"She's strong, she can handle herself… soon she'll see why I had to do this to her."

The numerous paintings were haunting him. They were all of Sakura, all in different hues and sizes. She had become his obsession during the three years she had turned emotionless. Her expression in each portrait was the same. Her eyes were sad, cold, unhappy, and dead.

"I trust Jizai… I know he can get the job done. Akasui, I'm not so sure of… but I'm sure Jizai will transport her somewhere safe."

Sai's turmoil was interrupted by a loud knock on the door to his apartment. He jumped up and swallowed, uncertain of what to do. The look of guilt and horror on his face was even more apparent when he opened the door and saw who was there.

"Yo Sai, what's up?!"

"… Naruto-kun."

NEXT CHAPTER: Welcome to Hanamachi

"So this is the new girl?"

Sakura bowed stiffly, staring only at her feet. The old woman in the elaborate kimono looked her over and scoffed.

"Look at me girl,"

She hit her cane against the floor, causing Sakura to jump in surprise. She looked up hesitatingly.

"I will refer to you as Girl from this day forward. Nobody here has a name unless they are making me money and making my house proud! When I call you, you will come. You will not be late. You will not be tired. You will not be hungry. You will come, with no complaints. You will clean the floors, make the food, and sew the clothing. You will sleep at three-fifteen in the morning, fifteen minutes before to clean yourself, and you will wake at seven-fifteen promptly to begin work again. Understand?"

Sakura blinked, unable to say a word. The young woman beside the elderly one looked at her with look of disgust on her face.

"I said, do you UNDERSTAND?!"

"Y-Yes ma'am, I understand."

Sakura suddenly found herself on the floor, her cheek searing with hot pain. The cane had came out of nowhere and struck her against her face. As her mouth began to bleed, the old woman frowned at her and stomped her cane on the ground once more.

"Good. Also, you will not refer to me as 'ma'am'; you will call me Madame Oki. Now stand up wipe that mess off of your face. While you are working here, you will look appropriate for your position. Get changed and report to the Servant's Quarters when you are."

Sakura nodded fast, standing up and wiping her mouth on her sleeve. As Madame Oki walked off with her personal attendants beside her, the other woman smirked at Sakura before following.

"Welcome to Hanamachi, little one."


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