Sasuke immediately started doing mental calculations.

I am at least two hours away from the Rai Village, which means it would take me 46 hours to get to the Shadow Village. The sensible option would obviously be to take her to Rai Village for treatment.

Sasuke looked down at the unconscious Sakura.

But I don't know her situation…her hair is dyed black, meaning she is obviously hiding from people, and I might be handing her directly to her enemy without even realizing it. Also the fact that she attacked me first and her Konoha headband is no where to be found will immediately raise suspicions from the Rai Villagers

Sasuke wrapped a temporary bandage around Sakura's wound and his own wound to stop the bleeding. He picked up Sakura and began sprinting in the direction of the Shadow Village.

The poison will paralyze her, but it will only kill her after 24 hours. If I sprint non-stop I can make a two day trip into a one day trip. So I should arrive in 22 hours.

23 hours had passed. Sasuke was exhausted. The weight of Sakura seemed to get heavier every passing hour. Sasuke's throat felt dry and raw, but he didn't want to risk the time to find water. He could feel his clothes stick to him from the sweat. His legs felt heavy, and the blood from his wound was soaking the bandage due to the pressure. But Sasuke didn't dare stop. He continuously looked at the sun to estimate the passing time. Sasuke saw the welcoming gate of Shadow Village. It had taken him an hour extra than what he had predicted.

The guards immediately went on alert when they caught sight of an injured Sasuke. They were about to question Sasuke about his condition and the person in his arms when he abruptly shouted,

"OPEN THE GATE NOW!"

The guards were taken aback by his sudden ferocity. The Uchiha Sasuke they knew was always calm and collective, no matter how tight a situation became. They started opening the gate as quick as possible. As soon as the gate was big enough to fit through, Sasuke flew in, ignoring the curious and surprised glances of the other ninjas standing on guard behind the gate. He headed directly for the medic centre. Sasuke burst through the doors, startling some of the nurses and patients. A few medic nins ran to over to help Sasuke. Sasuke's breathing was heavy, but he managed to gasp out the situation.

"Save her…it has already been 23 hours…please.."

The medic nins nodded and took Sakura from his arms and rushed her off for treatment. Sasuke collapsed on a chair, still unable to breathe normally. A nurse headed over to Sasuke with a glass of water and a medical kit. Sasuke took off his mask and gladly accepted the water. He winced inwardly as the nurse proceeded to remove the blood soaked bandages. The nurse was surprised by the size of the wound, and decided to take him to get stitches instead. Sasuke nodded and followed. The doctor pushed Sasuke down onto a patient's bed. As soon as Sasuke closed his eyes, he fell into deep slumber. His stamina and chakra had completely reached its limits.

Sasuke woke to the sound of his name being called. He opened his eyes to see the nurse that had removed his bandages. Sasuke rubbed his forehead and asked, "How long was I out for?"

The nurse smiled and said, "Not long, maybe 4-5 hours."

Sasuke groaned.

"But I came to tell you the condition of the girl. I thought you would want to know."

All drowsiness Sasuke had felt was instantly washed away. He sat up straight and looked at the nurse. "Yeah, how is she?"

"She's doing really well. The medic nin found it hard to believe she had been poisoned for 23 hours. It looked as if it had only been 8 hours."

Sasuke blinked. He had not calculated wrong, but it had clearly been more than 20 hours. The fact that his stamina and chakra was finished is proof. "Is she awake yet?"

The nurse shook her head. "As soon as she's awake I'll let you know."

"Thanks." Sasuke swung his legs over the bed. "Send someone over to my place when you need to inform me of the news." The nurse nodded and left the room.

Sasuke had changed out of his bloody pants, and the hospital had cleaned him up for him. Sasuke hadn't regained his energy completely, so his legs felt weak when he walked. He took a deep breadth, and opened the door to the Kumorikage's office. Jin looked up in surprise, so did Usui.

"Sasuke!" Jun bellowed. "I never expected you to be back so early."

Sasuke headed for the couch, relieved to ease the pressure on his legs. "Didn't the guards tell you I was back?"

"Yeah, but the medic centre told me you were asleep."

"Oh, I just woke up."

"Clearly. And I heard you brought a guest as well?"

Sasuke stiffened. "That's what I came to talk about." He hesitated, and then continued, "I know I shouldn't randomly bring outsiders to Shadow Village, but I know that she's trustworthy. She won't betray us." Sasuke glanced up to see Jin smiling. Sasuke's mind went blank for a split second.

"No problem, she can stay as long as she wants."

"That's it?" Sasuke asked in disbelief.

Jin shrugged his shoulders. "Well, if you trust her, then I would trust her too. Obviously you'll have to organize her accommodation issues yourself, but that's not a big problem."

"She's welcome to stay with me." Usui chirped in.

"No." Sasuke immediately snapped back. And then to Jin, "I doubt they will be any need. She would most likely head back when her wounds are healed. During this time she will have to be a patient in the hospital."

Jin grinned. "But she's welcome to stay you know."

Sasuke hesitated before asking, "Aren't you going to ask about my actions?"

Jin shook his head, "Nah, I'll wait for the time when you can tell me yourself." Sasuke smirked in response. He stood up slowly, "Thank you Kumorikage. I'll be retiring for today then." Sasuke walked out and headed home.

"Is this really okay, Jin?" Usui asked from where he was working. "Normally people who enter Shadow Village shouldn't be allowed to leave in case they spread word of our existence."

Jin smiled and looked thoughtful. "True, but I'm sure it will be fine. I mean, this is the first time Sasuke has actually expressed his own emotional opinions. I am quite surprised to see him in that state."

"Yes, I agree as well." Usui scratched his chin.

Sasuke woke up due to the growling of his stomach. He reached for his bedside clock. It was 8 pm; he had slept for more than 12 hours. He sat up on his bed, ruffled his hair, stretched and got off the bed. He only wore long casual pants that he pulled on before going to sleep, thus revealing his lean and well developed upper body, toned from training. He reached for a nearby t-shirt and threw it over his head. Sasuke headed for his kitchen. There was not much food, because he's often too busy to cook for himself. He grabbed a cup of ramen and boiled the kettle. Once the kettle was boiled, he poured the hot water into his cup. He waited for a few minutes in silence, and then took out his chopsticks and ate in silence.

BANG

Sasuke's table shook slightly. He looked at his kitchen window and saw a white porcelain face staring at him.

'Sasuke…' the face said.

Sasuke sighed. 'What is it Tamaki? The window is open.'

Tamaki opened the window and climbed in. He removed his mask and grinned. 'Did you get a fright?'

'Not at all.' was Sasuke's toneless answer. In actual fact, Sasuke's heart was racing. He had been so lost in thought that he hadn't registered Tamaki's chakra.

'Aw..no fun. I got back a few hours ago. They said you were injured. What happened?' Tamaki pulled out a chair and sat down opposite Sasuke.

Sasuke shrugged, 'Nothing really, I just encountered an old teammate. So I was taken by surprise.'

'Oh ya, about that girl, they told me to come tell you that she's awake.'

'Really?!' Sasuke stood up suddenly.

Tamaki actually leaned back by Sasuke's sudden reaction. He was so surprised, he stuttered out, 'Yes…wel..that's what they said.'

Sasuke immediately left the room. A few seconds later Sasuke returned wearing a coat over his clothes, and his house keys in his hands. 'Close the window properly when you leave.' Then he left the room again. Tamaki heard the sound of Sasuke leaving and lock the door. He silently got up, climbed out the window, closed the window, and began laughing. 'This is the first time I'm seeing such a flustered Sasuke!' Tamaki clutched his stomach as he recalled Sasuke's facial expression upon hearing the news…..

'HAHAHAHA!'

Sasuke ran the whole way to the hospital. He arrived panting, and was welcomed by the nurse. 'Ah, yes, she's awake now. But she refuses to speak a word. So we can't get any details out of her.'

'It's alright, I'll talk to her.' Sasuke straightened himself up and headed towards Sakura's room. His heart was pounding. He couldn't decide whether or not it was from running or from his own nervousness.

A reunion after so many years…I wonder how she will react.

Sasuke didn't know how he himself should act, but he opened the door to her room anyway. Sakura was sitting up in bed, staring at her hands. Her long, black her hair covered her face. She looked up at and whipped her hair back to the sound of the door opening. When she saw him, her face was filled with surprise and recognition. Sasuke felt a wave of emotion wash through him. Relief that she remembers him, happiness that she's alright, and attraction to her womanly developed features.

He breathed out the air he hadn't even realized he had been holding. No words were said as Sasuke walked towards her bed and sat down at a nearby chair. He looked into her green eyes, not sure on how to start.

But it was Sakura who broke the silence, 'Sasuke? Wow, I really didn't expect to see you here….um…How have you been?'

'Good. I've been living here for the past 4 years.' Sasuke paused and studied her. 'I'm sorry about your condition…I was the one that poisoned you.'

Sakura waved her hands in front of her, 'No no, it was my fault, I shouldn't have attacked you so suddenly.' Then more calmly she asked, 'And where do you mean by here?' she looked around the room.

'Right now you're in the hospital of the Shadow Village.' Sasuke explained.

'Shadow Village? I've never heard of it.'

'I'm not surprised. The existence of this village is kept secret. It's a place where people who do not have a village to return to stay. Only the Kages of other villages know about us. We complete assignments that the Kages doesn't want or can't get their own ninjas to do. Basically we work from the shadows.' Sasuke concluded, all the while looking at Sakura.

'Ah, I see.' Sakura nodded her understanding. Sasuke continued to stare until Sakura averted her eyes. 'I suppose you want to ask a few questions. I'll answer them to the best of my abilities.'

'Ok, then I'll start by asking, why were you in the woods alone?'

'I was returning from a solo mission.' Sakura answered obediently.

'Why is your hair black?'

'I had to be undercover, so it was my disguise.'

'Where's your headband?'

'I lost it while I was escaping.'

'From?'

'That's confidential information.' Sakura could feel her palms sweating.

It feels like an interrogation. Sakura thought. With Uchiha Sasuke, the intensity is times 10! Sakura sweat dropped inwardly. Sakura risked a glance at Sasuke. When she saw him still staring she immediately averted her gaze, taking sudden interest to her hands again.

Sasuke sighed and leaned back. 'Are you going to head back to Konoha tomorrow?'

Sasuke saw Sakura's frame stiffen slightly, she asked, 'Tomorrow?'

'Apparently your condition isn't severe for some reason. So you'll most likely be discharged tomorrow.' Sasuke said matter-of-factly.

'Oh, of course. My body is trained to repel poison as much as possible. If not, then it will delay it.' Sakura smiled.

She went silent as she looked as if she was thinking of something. And then she looked at Sasuke with hopeful eyes, 'Sasuke, if possible…I was wandering if I could stay in this village…for a week or so…?'

The question caught Sasuke off guard. 'Why?'

Sakura grinned, too wide a grin for Sasuke's liking. He felt he had seen that same grin on Jin's face quite a few times.

'Well, it's been so long Sasuke-kun! Of course I wouldn't pass the chance to rekindle our relationship.' She looked at Sasuke's surprised face and continued, 'Don't worry; I will not be a hindrance. I can help in the hospital and with missions.'

Sakura waited for Sasuke's response in silence. Her eyes sparkled with so much anticipation that he closed his eyes to block out the brightness.

He clapped a hand to his forehead and asked, 'What about the Hokage? They'll worry if you don't return.'

'I'll just send them a message by bird post.' Sakura answered without hesitation.

Argh, what am I getting myself into. Sasuke thought. After a few seconds of silence he said, 'Yes, you can stay here as long as you want, only if you have no problem staying at my place.'

More silence.

'….Eh?...You mean…' Sakura pointed a finger back and forth between Sasuke and herself. Sasuke nodded. Sakura clapped her hands together, her eyes sparkling again. 'That's just great! I have absolutely no problem with that!' Sakura gave a Lee-imitation-thumbs-up.

Sasuke's jaw nearly dropped. Was Sakura always like this? She was never THIS bold, was she?!

Sasuke rubbed his forehead and looked at the childlike expression on Sakura's face. Life with Haruno Sakura…His lips twitched upwards…This should be interesting.