A/N: Hello! It's been a while, but I have finally updated! I'm ashamed to say par of the reason it took so long was because I was reading manga, have had some crazy busy days with school, and only had a rough sketch of this chapter in my head...But I got through it! :D I've had some very loyal readers and I'm so grateful for their support of this story. Their reviews and comments hav kept me going! It also pleases me to see so many people adding my stories to their favorites list! *bows low* Thank you!

I hope this chapter was worth your wait and I know some of my reviewers have been trying to guess what would happen to our heroine, and oddly enough they were very close to what I was planning. Am I really that predicatable?!? =3= I hope not! Hahaha!

Please comment and review! It's my motivation! ;)


Previously:

Her sight blurred and separate shapes and colors mixed into a whirl of confusion. She stumbled and fought for her consciousness, to be safe for Sasuke, but it was getting harder and harder every minute. That was until she felt a hand hit the nerve on the back of her neck and she felt into darkness.

"Yuu, take her." Akio picked up Sakura's limp form and heaved her onto Yuu's shoulder. The younger ninja grunted as her weight landed on his shoulder. Akio looked over to the ten remaining ninja and nodded the signal to leave. And they did.


Sasuke rolled over in his bed and let out an irritated sigh. This was the third restless night for the prideful Uchiha. He couldn't shake the uneasy feeling he felt. Without Sakura beside him his bed was a vast expanse of emptiness. What had become of him? He had slept countless years alone. He was capable of sleeping through tortures in the night at Orochimaru's, so why couldn't he sleep well in a safe village on a comfortable bed without his wife? He couldn't be that used to sleeping with Sakura. They had only been sleeping together for little over a month. He flipped over again. It was going to be a very long week.


Sakura slowly opened her eyes and her first thought was, Oh, God, I'm blind! But as her eyes adjusted she realized she was in a very dark room. Well, more of a cell actually. Everything hurt. He bones ached and were stiff from fighting and her head throbbed sorely. She took careful breaths as her chest rose and fell; each intake of air painful. She lifted a heavy arm and felt along her body, especially her rib cage. She breathed a sigh of a relief. No broken bones. She didn't have enough charka to heal any bones right now. She knew she was lying down a bed of some sort and tried to prop herself up to make out her surroundings. Half way up she fell back with a painful groan. Well, at least she could see around the room.

She saw that she was in a room the size of your average living room with walls of laid stone. There were no windows except for her iron barred door in which she could only see the light orange glow of a torch somewhere down the hall on her left. The floor was bare stone with only a metal grate in the far corner to mark its surface. A wooden bucket sat in the other corner. That must be my plumbing. I can't wait to use it. Sakura thought sarcastically.

Sakura mustered as much charka in her palm as she could in her exhausted state and unzipped her scarlet vest and squinted trying to see the dark blob-shaped bruises across her breastbone and breasts. Giving up her search with the lack of light she laid her hand over her chest and slowly began healing the bruises. When she put her hand back at her side she panted. Healing never took this much out of her. That was odd. She stared up at the ceiling pondering the means of her fatigue when she faintly heard footsteps coming down the hall. When they came closer she brought her eyes to the door where she saw a silhouette of a man. His charka signature did not feel threatening to her but she could be wrong. She heard the jingling of keys and the low clunk of unlocking of the door and the scrape of metal across stone. She heard the slow footsteps advance to her cot. Feeling a sudden urge to protect herself she flipped out of her cot, ignoring her protesting limbs, and stood in a defensive position. No sooner had she gotten up she fell to her knees momentarily blind and nauseated. When the head rush passed she stared into a pair of grey eyes illuminated by the flickering candle he held.

He had kept his distance but crouched down onto the balls of his feet. Startled, Sakura fell backwards with a gasp and groan as she hit her back against the wall. She felt her shirt dampen with blood as the scabs cracked open and bled where the tree bark had bitten into her skin.

Biting the inside of her cheek she asked, "Who are you?" Her voice croaked out but her face held no expression. She would calmly ask some simple questions to get some information on her predicament instead of becoming frantic and fearful. Plus, she was too tired to be angry or fierce.

"I am Hamasaki Yuu of the Sound. And you?"

Sakura thought it best not to give out her last name quite yet and replied, "Sakura."

Then Yuu said in a calm voice, "You are probably wondering what's going on." He spoke carefully as if not to frighten her. "You are in the private lair of your captor Umio-sama."

"And why am I taken prisoner from an innocent journey to a friend? I see no reason why nor do I even know the Umio you speak of." Her voice croaked again but not as badly.

"I myself do not know his reasons for bringing you here. We were ordered to do so by Umio-sama."

Sakura—still seated on the floor—let his words sink in her slowly working brain. She did so she studied the man before her. With the minimal amount of light she supposed he was around twenty and seven years of age. He had friendly-looking grey eyes and his light orange hair stood up in tufts.

"How long have I been here."

"This is the third day. You've been asleep the whole time." He informed.

"My charka levels are barely above the low mark. Why?"

"Your charka has been suppressed by a seal created from a jutsu." He paused and added. "…As a precaution, of course." Sakura's faced allowed confusion. "You probably haven't seen the seal because you just awoke and it may be difficult to see some of the seal because of its location and this lighting." He almost sounded excited as her told her. "But it starts as a ring around your neck and travels from the middle of the ring down to your stomach where it forms a smaller ring around your navel."

Sakura felt her face heat up in both embarrassment and felt like she was violated and she accused, "You unclothed me?" The accusation came out in more of a hiss.

He nodded making the candle flicker, "No, I'm the one who helped set the seal so I know how it works and we had no need to unclothe you in any manner." He paused looking back to the door. "I must leave for now, but I will be back at dawn with food and light for you."

With that he turned and left; locking and door behind him. Sakura shivered as the darkness enveloped her once again. The blackness of the room felt heavy on Sakura and she was rather bothered by it so she fixed her gaze on the pale glow of a torch reflecting on the wall somewhere down the hall. She was determined to stay sane while she was here. Sakura started to hum until she began to feel nauseous and finally retched on the floor beside her. She spit out the disgusting and sour taste and frowned. It was bad enough that she was captured and held in a gloomy cell, but it seemed worse being sick along with it! She crawled back onto the cot and fell into a light sleep.


Sakura opened her eyes when she heard soft footsteps coming down the hallway. She was relieved when she saw it was Yuu. He set down the tray he was carrying so he could unlock and enter her cell. "It appears you've been sick?" The question was said more as a statement.

"Uh, yeah," She gave him a weak smile as she sat up. She could almost laugh at how happy she was to see him; another human being. With light to boot!

"I'll get that clean up for you. In the meantime, I've brought you food and water. I also brought you some candles, a candle holder, and matches, just as I'd promised." He gave her a slight smile in return. He set the tray of food on the end of her cot and placed her candles and supplies beside it.

"Thank you." It was odd for her to be taken care of when she was always the one taking care of others.

"You're welcome." This time he gave her a genuine smile. "Now, let me go get a mop and bucket around the corner so I can clean up the mess."

When he left once again Sakura grabbed the earthenware mug and drank deeply of it contents as she had been famished with thirst. And she sure wasn't going to complain about dank tasting water. Shortly after finishing the water she groan and her stomach emptied it contents for a second time that morning.

"Sakura-san!" Yuu exclaimed softly. He set down what he was carrying and came over to her as she was wiping bile from her lips and chin then spit the taste from her mouth. Her legs trembled.

"I'm okay." She offered another weak smile. Oh, how she hated throwing up!

"Hm, well I'm going to clean this up now and then I'll examine you. You may be feverish."

The kunoichi put a hand to her forehead and said, "No, I don't seem to have a temperature."

"Are you a medic ninja?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious. I'm a healer myself though I'm probably not as skilled as yourself but I'd still like to examine you."

He silently mopped up the bile and set the mop and bucket in the corner after emptying the contents down the floor grate. When he came over to her she was sitting on the side of her cot; gently swinging her legs. He pulled a thermometer from his vest pocket and handed it to Sakura who obediently put it under her tongue and waited silently.

"You were right, Sakura-san." Sakura smirked at him.

"I'm going to do a once over on your body." He looked into her green eyes. "Is that fine with you?"

Sakura nodded. "If you could treat my back while you're at it that would be helpful. I've already healed the bruises on my chest, but I've felt the scabs on my back break every time I move and I' afraid if it's not treated soon it will become infected if it isn't already."

"Right, I'll start on you back then." Sakura turned so that her back faced Yuu and his brows furrowed. Dark blood stains spotted her already crimson shirt and he began thinking on how he would go about treating her. He would need to have the shirt removed but if she took it off now she would tear off all the scabs and could do horrible damage to her skin leaving permanent scars. He would need to soften the scabs and gently remove or cut the shirt from her back.


A while later Yuu took the wet rags off Sakura's back and set them off to the side. Yuu pulled out a small pair of scissors and began to work, cutting away the back of her shirt he took extreme care in not to cut her skin or damage it more than it already was. She flinched as the cool metal touched her skin and while he gently pulled the cut cloth off her back. After the piece of shirt was removed he examined her back and was relieved to find that most of the scabs were still intact. And the damage wasn't as bad as he had anticipated. Besides the scabs spotting Sakura's pale skin there were large and colorful bruises ranging where the scabs were not. He summoned chakra to his hands and held them over skin.

Yuu watched as the bruises faded to light marks and the scabbed stopped oozing blood. He stopped healing her and left the rest to the God-given healing ability of the body.

"That feels so much better, Yuu-san. Thank you."

"You're welcome!" He smiled. "Now if you would please lie on your back so I can give you the once-over."

She willingly obeyed and lay there quietly. He took out a small notebook from his pocket and flipped it open and took a small pencil out of its binding. "I'm more of a healer than a doctor but I've studied many medical conditions and illnesses."

"It's okay, Yuu. I trust you." Sakura replied sincerely. She gave him a soft smile.

"I guess I'll begin then." He said. And boy, did he get to business! Yuu's calm voice became professional and he began asking questions. "Had you been feeling sick even before your…containment?"

"No. I didn't feel sick until shortly after you left this morning."

Yuu wrote in his notebook. "So you felt fine when I was there and then vomited?"

"Yes, it was rather sudden."

Yuu jotted down the note then paused; pencil held in midair. "Sakura-san?"

"Hm?"

"Are you married by any chance?"

Sakura blinked, "Um, yes. I am." Sakura went to touch the ring on her finger and when she felt nothing there she felt dread wash over her. Had she lost it on the mission? She searched frantically through her mind thinking of where she may have lost it until she realized she had left it in her locked jewelry box at home for safety. She sighed in relief.

Yuu chewed on his bottom lip then asked almost casually, "Have you had any sexual activity in the past month or so?"

"Wha—ah…" The green-eyes kunoichi's face flushed brightly.

"I take that as a 'yes.'" Sakura nodded embarrassed. "Have you been tired or fatigued, or have you had any backaches or delayed menstruation cycle?"


Sasuke shattered the arm of the training dummy as he vented his energy. He had been in a foul mood these past few days. The days seemed endlessly stretched and bare of activity. Sasuke had no missions of his own to go on and didn't have a hobby to keep him busy; unless you counted training as a hobby, and it's not that he enjoy training. There just wasn't anything else that seemed to appeal to him.

Naruto had trained with Sasuke the previous day but had his own mission to go on afterwards. So here he was now throwing some fists at a dummy acting as stoical as usual. The inner-moody Uchiha continued to vent when he heard a surprised feminine voice say, "Oh!" He turned and saw Ten ten and Neji standing there.

"Heh, heh…sorry, Sasuke. We didn't know you were training here." The quirky brunette apologized grinning sheepishly.

"Good afternoon, Uchiha." The Hyuugan heir said formally.

"Hn, hey, Hyuuga." A smirk cracked on Sasuke's face. It was odd to exchange greetings without the old underlying spite.

Ten ten looked curiously at the two men but made no comment.

"Ah, um…how have you been doing lately?" She asked. "It's got to be really weird not having Sakura around. At least that's how I feel."

"Hn." Of course it was! He snapped inwardly to himself. "Yes., it is." He answered coolly.

Ten ten glanced at Neji as if searching his face for something more to say. Sasuke then noticed how the two of them had come over together. He vaguely wondered if they were going out. Not that he really cared but Sakura had talked about it to him one night.

Flashback:

Sakura propped her elbows on the table and rested her head in her palms. "I wonder when Ten ten and Neji will get together." She said absently.

Sasuke stopped chewing a moment and looked at her then turned his attention back to his supper.

"You know she really likes him, right? It's a shame Neji doesn't acknowledge her feelings. They would be such a nice couple." She sighed.

"Why do you say that?" Sasuke asked blandly.

"I think it's because Ten ten balances Neji's cool demeanor with her bright and daring personality. They just kinda fit together like two lost pieces of a puzzle." She said. "Don't you think it would be nice for them to get together?"

"Hn."

End of Flashback.

"Uh, well do you want to watch us train for a while and then grab something to eat in town later?" She offered.

"Sure." Sasuke replied. He—for some unknown reason—thought that hanging out with them would be entertaining. It was better than playing bloody-knuckles with a training dummy from dawn to dusk. And it's not like there was nothing else he had to do; besides wait.

Sasuke settled himself down on the grass a safe distance away from the two dark-haired ninja. They got into their usual position for their training routine that made them work on aim, speed, and accuracy on both their parts.

"Byakugan!" Neji's stared fixated itself on Ten ten's figure.

"Alrighty then! Let's get started." Ten ten laid a scroll on the ground and another beside it. She pulled an inkwell and brush from her pouch and wrote on the scrolls with swift graceful moments of her wrist. Performing hand signs she took up both scrolls and tossed them up into the air. The scrolls wove around and through each other forming a tunnel around the kunoichi. Tenten bit her thumb until she broke the skin and trailed her bleeding finger across the paper rotating around her; weapons appearing along the blood-streaked trail. She wielded a weapon of her choosing in each hand and deftly threw them at the awaiting Hyuuga.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan in order to track the action in front of him and watched as Neji reflected the weapons with concentrated ease. Tenten increased her speed and hurled the murderous looking weapons with superb precision to Neji who matched her talent and deflected the oncoming projectiles. They were in perfect sync with each other and to Sasuke it seemed as if this was their own personal dance.

The two continued like that until Sasuke could see the sweat trickling down their brows.

"Hah, Neji," panted Tenten. "I'm done. I gotta have a break."

"Agreed," replied Neji handing her a water bottle. Ten ten drained the bottle and wiped her lips on the backside of her hand.

"Hey, Sasuke? You ready for some food?"


Sakura sat rigidly on her cot; her stomach felt twisted and sick. "You…think I'm…" Sakura's face was pale and her hands were cold and sweaty.

"I know you are with child. You've displayed several of the signs and symptoms. What I can't understand is why you hadn't found out earlier."

"That can't be." Sakura held her hands to her head, and she tightly gripped her hair. She knew this wasn't a dream but she almost wished it was. "It's not possible. This can't be true." Why is he saying this? Don't do this to me! I don't want to be hurt!

"How can you deny such an obvious thing? You should know this especially when you're a more advanced medic nin than myself." Yuu said.

"No, you don't understand!" Sakura said in a high pitched voice. "You're asking how can I deny it, but how can I not when I was diagnosed as barren when I was sixteen years old!" She cried. "Don't hurt me! Please! I don't want to be hurt. You have no idea how the idea of having a child would make me unimaginably ecstatic. Don't tell me I'm pregnant when I may not be! I'll only shatter! I'll break and it will hurt me so much! I don't want to hurt!" Tears pricked her widened shadowy-green eyes. Her forehead glistened with sweat now and her arms and legs trembled. Don't hurt me! Please, don't hurt me! I can't take it!

Yuu watched the young woman before him. She had seemed so strong when her had met her but seeing her now he realized she could be fragile and vulnerable against her will.

"Sakura-san," Yuu spoke slowly as if speaking to a young child. "I'm sure I'm not mistaken. Something in your body must have changed because you can't be barren and be pregnant at the same time." He explained calmly. Her reaction was nothing like he had ever seen on anyone before. It made him feel rather uneasy. "Too ease your mind I would like to check for sure. Will you allow me?"

Sakura nodded not trusting her voice. Yuu put a steady hand of her naked back to support her and had her sit up straight. "Uncover you abdomen, Sakura-san." Sakura lifted her shirt to expose her pale stomach. She saw the seal mark around her navel through the blur of her tears and grit her teeth. She was losing herself. Everything was too much for her. She would disappear forever.

Sakura shuddered as Yuu's charka enveloped hand touched her. She felt thin fingers of charka enter her body probing inside her. The fingers exited and Yuu hummed softly and said, "I was correct. You have a fetus inside your womb. You've just started your seventh week of pregnancy."

Sakura faintly limply against Yuu. She came around several seconds later and choked on a sob and wrapped her arms around Yuu's chest and began gasping and choking as she sobbed violently on his shoulder. Yuu slowly and carefully placed his hands on her back and rubbed it to comfort her trembling form.

Between a sob she cried, "I want Sasuke-kun!" She gasped. "I miss him so much!" She continued to say his name as if comforting herself.

Yuu froze as recognition set in. Uchiha Sasuke! This was the wife of the infamous Uchiha Sasuke! Everything he had been told made sense to him now. He swore loudly and held Sakura an arm's length away from him with his hands on her shoulders. "Sakura-san, you are the wife of Uchiha Sasuke, aren't you?"

Sakura's face became sheet white. What had she done?!

'A ninja should have no personal emotions on a mission.' Kakashi-sensei's voice resounded through her brain. Her emotional stress got to her and she had leaked vital information. Though, technically I'm not on a mission.

"I swear by my life I will keep this under utter secrecy. You have found a place in my heart and wish no harm to befall you, but you have unfortunately answered my question to your capture." Yuu ran a hand through his tufted orange hair. "Umio-sama was a pupil under a man by the name of Yukushi Kabuto." A wrathful expression surfaced on the kunoichi's pale tear-stained face. Yuu continued, "When he discovered the murderer of his sensei he went into a furious rage and has been hell-bent on revenge."

A chilling sensation crept across Sakura's skin.

"I'm afraid you play an extremely dangerous part in this scheme of Umio-sama's and I fear for both your and the unborn child's life."

"I don't understand where you're going with this, Yuu-san?" Sakura worked to keep the tremor from her voice. It was no longer just her in danger, but her little miracle baby inside her.

"You are here as his hostage." Yuu's face changed into an expression of disgust, "As bait for Sasuke-san."

Sakura's stomach lurched. This person Umio-sama wanted Sasuke to come here so he could kill him. Sakura groaned in dismay. She wanted Sasuke by her side as soon as possible, but if that meant that he would have to face death to do it she wasn't so sure anymore. But Sasuke was strong! If he could take out Orochimaru and Kabuto how hard could this guy be? Of course, Sakura had no information whatsoever on the faceless Umio-sama and could be underestimating him. If she could ensure her own freedom and make her way back to Konoha…she shook the thought away. She couldn't do much with the charka seal still in effect and she could only ask so much of Yuu. She was driving herself in circles!

Her fear from earlier and faded and her new mindset were of strategy and survival; for her and the child within her.


A/N: Sorry if the beginning of the chapter was choppy and/or hard to read. I was having some touble with the dialog...