Author's Note: Oh my gosh FINALLY I'm able to post this chapter! Thank you guys for being so patient with me, it means a lot! Finally here's chapter 3!

Confusion. So much confusion.

That's the only way that Sakura could describe the emotional turmoil that was rushing through her pounding head. Her fingers were entwined in her silky pink tresses, carefully resting on the sides of her head so that they wouldn't come into contact with the bandage that concealed the reason that her memories were taken from her, the gash that took her identity away.

Though were they completely gone? She didn't think so, based on the fact that she had seen- what was it? Could it have been a memory? A dream? No, she didn't think so. It had to be a memory that was shut away, and it somehow managed to squeeze through the lock placed inside her head.

Yes, she agreed with herself, a small event of her past came back to her, and she could now recall that specific event of the past that played through her brain.

It had been the three of them, together for the first time, on their very first survival task.

That's where it began, on those training grounds, with Naruto and Sasuke, together fighting for those damned bells that tauntingly swung from threads on their sensei's -er Kakashi's- hip.

She played the memory over and over again in her head, relishing in the sweet memory she had been graced with, easing some of the frustration she had felt the entire day. She re-watched Naruto's impatience, Sasuke's impassively cool demeanor, her desires, the bells swinging in the breeze.

But that's when the anxiety of her day returned, invading her body causing a dropping sensation in her stomach.

The bells, what had happened with the bells?! Had they been sent back to the academy like Kakashi had told them? Had they been successful? And if they had managed to get the bells then who was left out of the equation? Which of the three of them had been sent back to the academy?

Sakura squeezed her eyes tightly shut, and replayed the vision until the last second..

"Start!" she heard Kakashi pronounce.

At this moment she squeezed her eyes tight, and plunged into her brain and pried it open, forcing out the remainder of the memory.

However after she saw her younger self leap off of the ground, everything went black, and Sakura only saw small hazy flickers of images. A boxed lunch half eaten and discarded on the grass, dark ominous thunder clouds, leaves swirling around in the air like a tornado..

And that was all that she was allowed to see, she was mentally knocked back into the hospital room, her head spinning rapidly. She cursed herself for not having gained anymore essential clues for that day, a day she had been graced with to remember. She tried again, though this time immediate dizziness flooded her senses, forcing her to lay her head against her pillow. She stared up hopelessly at the ceiling, tracing the lines of the tiles with her eyes as if they would lead to answers to her never ending questions. Although she would accept defeat tonight, tomorrow would be a different story. She would get her memories back, even if she had to go to extreme lengths to do so. Yet something was telling her it wouldn't be the last memory she would be given. .


Sasuke had been in the same room in the hospital for hours now, though it seemed more like years. His legs had become to feel numb from being in the same sitting position, though it wasn't like he had a choice. The Hokage had been drilling him with questions all afternoon, and now evening, each question requiring the smallest of details to be dug out and displayed for her knowledge. Sasuke's eyes glanced over at the cursed pendant that rested on her desk, shining tauntingly at him. He wanted nothing more than to set the damned piece of jewelry on fire, to relish in the sight of the flames melting the gold and reflecting against the turquoise stone. All he had to do was to form the hand signs, and fire would be at his disposal..

But that would no longer be considered an option, Sakura hadn't been slashed in the head for him to destroy the reason she was in the hospital. Her efforts would be wasted if he did so.

So he just continued to glare at the stone, while answering any questions that Lady Tsunade had brought his way.

"And Sakura had said the headbands were unfamiliar?" she asked him once again.

"Yes, though she hadn't described the insignia on them, she had already gone on ahead." Sasuke answered.

"Then?"

"We didn't speak. She only spoke to confirm that he had obtained the pendant, and that she was successful." he replied evenly.

"And there were no shinobi guarding the pendant?" she pressed.

"Only those that Sakura had taken out before reaching its location. There must have been some protection on it, but Sakura had to have gotten past it, she had the pendant when she…" Sasuke said, though not being able to complete his sentence.

Tsunade's eyes softened, though only for a split second. Her eyebrows knitted together in thought, and finally sat down in her chair, resting her elbows at her desk. Her eyes danced over the pendant, and finally Sasuke couldn't keep it in any longer.

"You're going to tell me what is so God damn special about this pendant. Now." he demanded.

The hokage looked up at him, and narrowed her eyes.

"You owe me as much, you owe Sakura this. I'm completely positive that she would not be happy to hear that her efforts were wasted over a piece of jewelry that, as far was we were both concerned, gives us no trace of significance for us. So talk. Tell me what Sakura actually risked her life for."

Tsunade's eyes stayed glued to his, each person in the room daring each other to blink first. Finally, she smirked.

"You would think that a shinobi of Konoha would be respectful to the Hokage." she retorted.

"Hmph."

The Hokage smiled at him and closed her eyes, appearing satisfied for some odd reason. Then they opened and all signs of haughtiness vanished. "Very well then."

Sasuke felt a rush of success spread throughout his body, though he didn't show it. He simply just waited for the explanation that he deserved to hear, and that he wished Sakura could hear as well.

"I'm sure that you are aware of the history of Konoha, and its founding members." she began.

Sasuke nodded curtly. As a child, he and the others at the academy had learned the history of Konoha. Iruka had told them that a shinobi should know the history of his own village in order to rightfully be given their title. So they had learned about the beginning of Konoha and its founders; The First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, and the leader of the Uchiha clan at the time, Uchiha Madara. Sasuke's younger self had beamed with pride at the mention of his clan's involvement with the founding of Konoha, heads in the classroom had turned to him whispering and pointing with awe and starstruck eyes.

Sasuske brought his attention back to the Hokage, who had picked up the pendant by its gold chain, and let it hang in front of his eyes.

"And you also have been told that this belonged to the First Hokage's mother, my great grandmother. It was her prized possession, and she gave it to Hashirama around the time that Konohagakure was founded, it was in his possession during the time and it's said to have a certain power that can only be awakened by a member of the Senju clan."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Power?"

She nodded. "It's said to be an ancient power that awakens Senju Hashirama's wood style jutsu. In order to keep balance of his power, he stored some of his chakra and a small amount of his DNA in this crystal, he believed that doing this would enable himself to draw its power whenever he needed it, the longer his chakra stays in the crystal, the more powerful it becomes."

"And his chakra has been inside the crystal for quite some time hasn't it?' Sasuke asked.

The Hokage nodded gravely. "At this point, ninety-five years to be exact."

Ninety-five years. For almost a century Senju chakra and DNA was sealed away inside the crystal, chakra that had gained probably an overwhelming amount of power that could give the wielder unimaginable power, the power of the First Hokage. Sasuke recollected a segment of his time with Orochimaru, and how his old master craved for the possession of Senju chakra, even experimenting with Senju DNA in his past, but Sasuke hadn't been interested in his eccentric experiments then.

Sasuke turned to Tsunade. "And that's why it was stolen."

"Precisely. However, we are still uncertain about who was involved in the theft. I guess all that we can count on is that Sakura will hopefully recollect the info on the headbands of the shinobi she encountered. Though I think that may not be for a while." Tsunade replied.

Sasuke's mood darkened, even more so than before, but he wouldn't show it. Now it wasn't a matter of if Sakura regained her memories, it would be a when she regained them. It had to be, for the sake of Konoha and for her as well.

For the sake of himself..

"I know you're worried." Tsunade said suddenly, breaking Sasuke's thoughts. He turned to her, about to defend himself when she raised her palm, silencing him. "There's no need. You and I both know why you were so cold to her when she woke up today." Sasuke just looked at her, saying nothing, giving no indication that she was correct or incorrect, giving her no ounce of satisfaction. Tsunade smiled and closed her eyes. She placed the pendant in the pocket of her green coat, and neatly folded her hands on her desk. "Well nothing more can be done tonight. I'm going to try to sort some of this out tomorrow. There's a treatment I want to try on Sakura, it's something that I've been saving and practicing, and I couldn't think of a better person or situation to use it on."

Sasuke still said nothing, he only continued to stare blankly into the wood on her desk.

"She'll recover. I'll make sure of that." she said evenly.

At this Sasuke finally raised his head.

"The reports on her brain activity came in, and although I cannot tell you the details of her condition, I can say that it's not severe, and the recovery should be easy." Tsunade sighed. "Alright, I've kept you long enough. Thank you for the information, you may go."

Sasuke rose, and respectfully bowed his head slightly in her direction. He began to turn when a sudden thought flashed through his mind, or more like a certain girl's voice that had been on repeat for the whole day.

"You.."

Sasuke's eyes widened, cringing at the shock he had heard in her voice.

Tsunade raised her head in question, and kept her eyes glued to Sasuke's as he turned towards her once more.

How could he have been so stupid?! How could he have possibly forgotten the one key fact of Sakura's attacker that could quite possibly reveal the person who did this to her?

"The person who did this to her…she knows them." he said suddenly.

Tsunade froze, her expression changing from questionable shock to deep seriousness.

"Are you certain?" she asked gravely.

Sasuke nodded. "It was Sakura who was sure. She sounded extremely sure."

Tsunade said nothing, waiting for him to elaborate. He sighed.

"The pendant was in a tower, Sakura and I were communicating through wireless radios, so we could hear each other's speech. She was about to descent from the tower when she…was pulled away inside. I couldn't see what was happening, but she spoke to the person who grabbed her, and I'm positive that she knew him or her. Then…she was.." Sasuke could barely finish his sentence, though the Hokage seemed to understand completely. She got up from her seat, and walked to the window and began to look out at the moon.

"Then we have no choice. In order to find out who is responsible for this, Sakura will have to tell us, she's the only one who can. And for her to do this, we'll have to ensure that her memories return." she turned to Sasuke. "I know my student, she's practically a daughter to me, and I know that she is just as determined to get her life back. She possesses the will of fire, and it burns bright in her heart."

Sasuke listened to her speak of Sakura, and the entire time he pictured nothing but Sakura in his mind. Her piercing green eyes that glowed when she was happy, and that sparked when she was in a fight. Her nimble body swiftly dodging every attack that threatened to mark her. The complex movements of her hands as they healed and stitched skin back its original luster. Her passion and determination to complete each and every mission assigned to her, even risking her life as she had on her last mission with him, sacrificing her own memories in rode for the mission to be completed. A kunoichi of Konoha should not and will not be given the fate that has been handed to Sakura.

"If there's nothing else to say, you may go." Tsunade said, sitting back down. Once again Sasuke nodded his head, and for the final time turned towards the door. He placed his hand on the knob and twisted it. The knob gave way and the door opened, finally freeing him from the events of the day-

"Arigatō, Uchiha."

Sasuke stopped when he was, his back to Tsunade's words.

"She's lucky to have you."

Although she hadn't seen it, the corners of his mouth rose slightly, and the door closed.


The Uchiha left her alone in her room, and she slumped back in her chair, mentally and physically exhausted. She dug into the drawer of her desk, and pulled out the long awaited bottle of sake that she had been meaning to drink earlier in the day. She popped the cap off, and poured the liquid down her throat, pure gold compared to the stress of the day she had to withstand. She put the bottle on the desk, and watched droplets of alcohol slide down the white bottle. She immersed herself in the droplet, its movement bringing an image to her mind; a thirteen year old Sakura who had grown out her hair once more, and who was collapsed on the ground with sweat pouring down the sides of her face. She was breathing heavily and she looked about ready to faint.

o-o-o-o-o

"Are you done? Is this possibly the best that you can do?" Tsunade had taunted her, standing over Sakura as her body shook. "Maybe you should rest and-"

"NO." Sakura had shouted abruptly, smashing her fist into the ground sending small cracks spidering out around Tsunade's feet. With a shaking body, she slowly pushed off of the ground onto her knees, then managed to slowly stand up, and took a fighting stance.

"There's no way I'd give up now. There's no way I'd give up ever! I am a kunoichi of Konoha, and a disciple of the fifth Hokage. I don't give up. I promised Naruto that we would bring Sasuke back together, and I'm keeping that promise! I'll get stronger and bring him home! I'll get stronger for myself!" she turned to Tsunade. "So don't you DARE count me out, ever!"

Tsunade smiled. She expected as much, especially from Sakura. "Again, then."

o-o-o-o-o

Tsunade continued to stare at the bottle of sake, seeing Sakura's fierce eyes reflecting back at her. Even back in the hospital room the old Sakura still existed. Those same determined eyes stared right back at her, even though to Sakura, Tsunade was a stranger. But regardless, her student was still there, and she has a good team behind her recovery, especially Sasuke.

She's lucky to have him, she thought as she downed the last bit of sake. She's lucky to have all of her friends, each and every-

The idea came to her in an instant, practically bashing her in the head, almost causing her to choke on the alcohol.

Of course! Why hand't she thought of him sooner?! It was a long shot but it could work. It had to work. She lunged for the telephone sitting on her desk and hastily began to dial.


Sasuke judged it to be around midnight, for the halls in the hospital had been quiet and dark. Surely the patients were fast asleep by now, and Sasuke had been meaning to do the same. Whether or not he wanted to admit it to himself, he was exhausted, mentally and physically. He'd get some rest and rise early the next day for some training, and then maybe-

Sasuke suddenly paused. The halls were eerily quiet, though he had the pressing feeling that he was being watched. He felt a small draft blow against the back of his neck, and he calmly closed his eyes and activated his sharingan. He turned swiftly but stopped himself when he saw Sakura peering out the doorway of her room. Sasuke sighed. He hadn't noticed that he was in her hallway, hell he hadn't noticed anything. He was too preoccupied to navigate smoothly and distinguish his surroundings, and he was in a hospital, that shouldn't have been an issue for him.

Sakura had a worried look on her face, and stared at nothing but Sasuke's eyes. She was wearing a red tee-shirt with yellow sleeves and blue shorts, going against the traditional hospital gown attire that the rest of the patients were wearing, though he didn't blame her. She was grasping the doorway with vigor, desperation. Their eyes were fixated on each other's and it took a minute for Sasuke to realize that his sharingan was still active, and it was probably the reason why she was staring at him so intently. He allowed his eyes to flow back to their normal black, yet she still stared at him as if she had something to say, deep desperation was hidden behind her eyes.

"You should be resting. Go back to sleep." he said. He turned away from her and began to walk away from her room, forcing himself to keep moving away from her, otherwise he might launch himself at her and force her to remember everything that she lost. All he could hear were his footsteps echoing-

"What happened to the bells?!" she exclaimed suddenly.

Sasuke froze. His eyes slowly began to widen as his stomach dropped. What did she just say? Slowly, he turned to her, an incredulous look on his face. He stared at her, searching her face for any signs of doubt, though he found none. Her worried look turned into a determined one, and she bravely took a step towards him.

"The bells. Did we…did we get them?" she asked again, wariness in her voice.

Sasuke was completely speechless, he had no words to describe what was happening. How could she know about that? That was so long ago, too long. There was only one explanation.

She waited for his answer.

Sasuke smirked. "Not exactly."

At this he turned, and finally managed to walk away from Sakura, leaving her standing in the hallway.

Sasuke's mind was moving in all directions as he exited the hospital, getting hit with a rush of warm june nighttime air. He stopped for a moment, gathering together all of the events that had just taken place. Then he began to walk silently through the night.

"What happened to the bells?" her words echoed in his mind.

At this he suddenly dashed up into the trees, jumping and flying from branch to branch, releasing the complete relief that he withheld.

She remembered the bells.

She remembered.

Who do you think Tsunade is calling? And aww Sasuke is happy now. Liking it? Review!

P.S. If you're curious about the progress of this story, I have a listing of the stories I'm currently writing on my profile and their progress. I update it frequently, so check it out to see a story's progress sometime! See ya next chapter :)