Chapter Three


I followed him through the winding curves of his cave, each turn lit by the faint glow of his chakra. I tried to count my steps in the beginning, trying in vain to commit it to memory, though in the end I gave up. I heard Sasuke make a sound in front of me – that resembled laughter – and I stared furiously at the back of his head.

He made another sharp turn and this time I anticipated him to keep going yet I bumped into the hard contours of his back. I felt his shoulders sharpen in response and his hands shot out to steady me. I brushed him off and mumbled my thanks. He glanced away. He pulled me inside a room, the archway perfectly sculpted and smooth.

I felt someone close the door behind me.

"Sit," he commanded. I obeyed, my eyes taking in all of the friendly faces from earlier. Tenten. Kiba. Shino. Anko. Kakashi. Genma. Hinata. They all flanked the sides of the Uchiha with the exception of Kakashi and Tenten.

Kakashi was lounging against a wooden table, a small orange rectangular book almost completely stuck to his nose. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. The end of the world was taking place and he could still read cheap porn. It was not Kakashi's disgusting perverted ways that had caught my attention. No.

My keen eyes zeroed in on Tenten who was bent over a stove of some kind, her long brown hair flowing down her back, her usual twin buns gone. There was a fresh sheen of sweat on her brow which was constricted together in concentration. I watched as she pulled forth from the fire some kind of brand.

I thought nothing of it until I saw Hinata's milky eyes flicker to my form nervously and then back to the fire. I glanced at the brand again and noticed how the emblem carved on the front took on the form of an upturned Uchiha fan.

I panicked. I hopped up, my arms flailing clumsily at my sides as I tried to get away. I blinked and five pairs of arms were holding me down. Kakashi remained unmoved from his position by the table, though his black eyes surveyed me from the top of his book. Sasuke frowned at me and Tenten tucked a piece of chocolate hair behind her ear.

"I don't want your stupid tattoo," I seethed from my forced seat. "It's the mark of Infected!"

Sasuke stared at me, his black eyes challenging my own. "It's the mark of protection too. You'll need to go outside every once in awhile and the less human we appear – the better. At first glance, it looks just like the one Madara originally created."

"And what if they get a longer look?" I hissed.

"Hopefully you won't be around long enough to draw attention to yourself," Genma piped up, his senbon resting lazily in the corner of his full lips. I ignored him and watched Sasuke with narrowed eyes.

It was too late I realized as I saw Tenten loom over me. The heat from the brand radiated ever closer and I could feel beads of sweat beginning to dew at the nape of my neck. Her lips formed an apologetic pout as if she regretted very much what she was about to do.

I blinked for a moment but my eye lids had barely shut when they popped open in the next instant. A blistering pain shot through the skin on my right forearm. Tenten removed the brand, and the hands holding me down drew back.

I sucked in air slowly, not really bothered by the pain. I'd suffered worse in my twenty-two years of living. "Ol' Sakura took it like a woman," Kiba joked his eyes lingering on my panting form.

Genma chuckled. "If memory serves – you were blubbering like a baby when you first got it kid."

Kiba frowned and everyone laughed at his affronted face. Anko and Genma slapped hands. "Nice," she commented coyly as everyone laughed even harder when Kiba slouched into the wall.

Sasuke was still staring at the furiously red mark on my forearm. He leaned down and gripped my arm in his rough hands. "It takes about a day to heal-"

He removed his hand to inspect for irritation and my skin was just as smooth as it was before the brand, except the upturned Uchiha fan was impressed in.

His black eyes found mine, their dark depths searching imploringly. "I'm a medic," I explained slowly and harshly.

"Yes, Sasuke, its true. Sakura's one of the best if not the best I've had the honor of being healed by," Kakashi commented, his book still pressed closely to his face.

"We could have used you, seriously," Kiba joked. "Those sons of a bitches hurt like hell for almost two days."

Tenten smiled at me and whispered her apologies. "Sakura some of your healing mojo would have been a great help to us, especially when Sasuke broke his arm awhile back on a raid."

Kiba and Genma snickered together. "Yeah we all know what kind of healing Uchiha needs." The two guffawed and Anko howled in laughter.

Sasuke helped me up and I shrugged him off. "Kakashi I need to talk to you later," he said.

The silver haired copy-nin just nodded. Sasuke shoved me none too gently out of the room. I scarcely had time to ask where we were headed now when a sharp pain, almost like being struck with a pencil, erupted in my neck.

I fell face first into the ground.

***

I awoke - my head spinning. My fingers found the tender skin right at the pressure point in my neck and I winced.

That bastard had knocked me unconscious.

After a few minutes of waiting for the black dots lining my vision to fade away, I noticed that I was sprawled in a fairly normal sized circular bed which was situated in a circular room.

The walls were smooth rock which I could tell had been carved with great care. The floor was smooth as well, at least it appeared to be, and made of the same cavernous rock.

There were no windows but that was due to the fact that I was in some sort of underground cave. The room was bare except for the bed, a huge chest that was pushed to the side, and a large array of weapons lined the far wall.

There was also an archway that was just to the side of the bed. I could see some candle light flickering through the archway and I crept from the bed to observe. I tiptoed into the archway and was met with not only the heat of the candlelight, but with a cloud of moist steam. I coughed and tried to dissipate the steam with my hands so I could see. Once the cloud cleared, I could see that a hot spring of some kind was just a few feet ahead of me. The waters were a murky dark color and that combined with the intimate flicker of the candlight had me stepping back.

I didn't like this atmosphere much…it felt as if I had been intruding on something personal. I backed away and pivoted on my heel, intent on going back to my previous room, when I stepped backwards right into a hard chest.

I knew it was male because I was a medic which meant I knew human anatomy pretty well. "Sorry," I started to say but the words soon died on my tongue. Instead, I narrowed my eyes at Sasuke who was staring down at me with an expression akin to exasperation. "Erm…"My eyes followed the trail of his gleaming chest that was shirtless…..and down to the towel wrapped firmly around his waist.

"Took you long enough," he commented as if I hadn't just bumped into his half naked chest.

"Excuse me?"

He rolled his eyes. I noticed they were black now, it was one of the few times I'd seen them their natural color since I was sixteen. My heart gave an untimed beat. "To wake up."

"Oh," I replied. "What're doing?" He gestured towards the hot spring with a jut of his sculpted chin and I blinked. "Sorry, I'll just go back to my room."

He frowned. "That's my room."

I switched the weight to my other foot. "Yes, well I woke up in that room after you knocked me out."

I saw his lips flicker into the ghost of a smirk. "I was tired of having to lead you around. It was easier to carry you."

"It was easier!?" The nerve of this man.

"You would have never gone willingly."

I ignored him, too tired to argue, and stalked back into the previous room. I felt him follow silently. I sat on the edge of the bed and stared expectantly at him. He raised an eyebrow.

"So what's the deal with you?" I asked. Now that I knew he wasn't an Infected, I needed answers.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He asked. Rudely.

I felt my brow wrinkle in frustration. He was supposed to be a genius last time I checked, though that had been some years ago. He could have dumbed down to have the intellect of Akamaru for all I knew now. "I mean," I answered after an exaggerated huff. "Is what are you playing at? Why are you fighting against Madara he's the only family you have left -"

I immediately cut off when Sasuke looked at me with an expression that threw chills down my spine. For a second I could have sworn my blood had frozen straight into ice. "He is not my family!"

I thought about his words for a second and my memory stirred as I realized the meaning behind his anger. "I heard about what happened, I'm sorry about Itachi."

Rumors had circulated years ago that the youngest Uchiha had completed his quest. His goal. His revenge.

He looked me in the eye. "…I am too."

While he was lost in his silent reverie, I was allowed to study Uchiha Sasuke for the first time in a long time.

The first thing I noticed was that he was indisputably beautiful. Hauntingly so. I had always found him to be extremely good-looking(even to the point of obsession when I was twelve) but this was completely different. He was other worldly now.

The second thing I noticed was that everything about him had been changed to adapt to harsh living conditions. He was very muscular, more so than the average shinobi. His raven hair was no longer in spiky chaos around his head. Instead, it was cut very low and short so that even the longest strands were no longer than an inch. It suited him, making his perfect bone structure pop.

Lastly, I could see no traces of the Sasuke I had fallen in love with. The person in front of me was like a separate entity. Completely foreign. I could tell from his eyes – which used to house so much fire – that he was dead inside.

"You look different," he commented and I snapped to attention. It seemed I wasn't the only one taking in the sights. I scoffed gently and upturned my chin. He sure knew how to manipulate his words judging from the tone in his voice that could have been a compliment, insult, or just a mere statement of honest observation.

I knew I looked different. My body too had adapted to fit my needs. My legs and thighs were more sculpted and toned as well as my arms, though not overly so. My skin, once a very clear shade of porcelain as fine as china, had been darkened from my painful days in the desert sun to a shade right above gold. My hair was unkempt from not being brushed in only God knows how many days and it hung in tangles down to my waist.

"As for your question earlier, I have no choice but to fight Madara. I owe it to my brother."

I bit my lip, nervousness pooling in my gut. "This cure… do you really think we can save the world?"

He looked at me and I watched, transfixed, as his ebony eyes flickered to red ominously.

"I'm no savior."

Sasuke was right, I considered after a moment, he was an avenger.

***

Sasuke had shaken me awake in what seemed like minutes. He had slept on the floor, I realized. On the hard, cold, and unforgiving ground. I almost felt bad for him. He led me down the winding caves and once again I tried in vain to memorize my steps.

He led me to the kitchens area where I could see remnants of an earlier meal. It would seem that we had missed breakfast. An almost stale muffin was tossed at me along with a goopy sort of drink. When I stared a bit too long at my supposed 'breakfast' the Uchiha simply rolled his eyes. "Food is food besides that drink has protein that could have been used to feed someone else. So eat. Now."

I did and we were once again on the move.

This time we entered a moister atmosphere and I could tell that we were nearing more hot springs.

He threw a bundle at me. "You have five minutes so make it count," he commanded and slid outside to wait for me. I glared at the cavern wall, pretty sure that he could somehow feel it, and unwrapped the items in my hands. There was a bar of soap, a rag, a towel, and what appeared to be a soft cotton dress along with underwear.

I wondered how he had come upon womens items when I realized I had wasted two minutes out of my five.

***

It felt good to be clean for once. But my happiness was short lived as Sasuke rudely pushed me onwards down the caves. He'd said that we were late for some sort of meeting and that I was the cause for all of this. Bastard.

We reached a well lit hallway and a lazy half-perched figure awaited us. "Kakashi," Sasuke nodded in assent as we followed him inside the room next to him. "Hello Sasuke," he replied cheerfully. He turned his one visible eye to me. "And Sakura. You clean up nice."

"Why thank you Kakashi," I replied as I followed Sasuke. "Asshole," I added in a whisper as an afterthought. Kakashi merely laughed and started to read his orange book. Kiba, who had probably heard us, sauntered by. "I'd forgotten how much fun you could be Sakura."

I smiled and he returned it, his teeth sharp as fangs. Sasuke grabbed my arm and I was forced to look at him. "So I trust you know everything about the virus Madara has spread."

I swallowed. "Of course. You have Infected, Fallen, Transcended, and Chosen. The four stages of the virus." He nodded in approval. "Everyone sit, we have things to talk about. Such as why there are so many Infected crawling around here."

I was seated next to Sasuke who I could tell was taking Tsunade's warning a little too literally. Anko was eyeing me with sudden interest. I didn't like it. "So tell us, Haruno, what do you know about Infected."

I closed my eyes and tried to remember.

We were running through trees. There seemed to be an endless supply of them. Our breath was ragged and coming out in an uneven fashion. Even still, we kept running. I stumbled on something and instantly strong arms were hoisting me back up.

"We can't stop now, Sakura-chan," Naruto kept repeating. I think he was just saying it for himself.

Behind us, two Infected were gaining. They were stronger than us. Every ability we had – they could execute it better. Even their five senses were ten times stronger. They could smell our chakra.

We were most likely going to die here, in this godforsaken forest. God, why? I didn't want to die here. I at least wanted to die in my home. In Konoha. Not on some failed mission in the middle of what used to be the Sound village. The male Infected was close now. I was running faster unaware that my feet were bleeding. The ground seemed to rise higher than normal and I tripped.

I heard Naruto swear.

I watched in horror as he kicked me. Hard and in my side. I rolled away into a bush from the force of his blow. Blood was pooling in my mouth and I spit it out silently so I could breathe. It dripped down my chin and onto the damp earth.

The two Infect, one female and the other male, grabbed Naruto and forced him into submission. I thought they might turn him but instead they hauled him away into the darkness. We had been trying to flee but they had found us. Madara was going to use Naruto for something special and I was just another human. Naruto knew they would have killed me on sight or probably have turned me.

I lay sprawled on the wet earth, my tears mixing with my blood.

"So they took Naruto," Anko shook her head in sadness.

Everyone hung their heads. I glanced to my left to see that Hinata was crying silently and that Tenten was rubbing her back in comfort. Sasuke had looked away. Kakashi was staring at me though I dared not look at him. "Yes," I answered after a moment. "That was a year ago. I haven't seen him since."

"Why didn't he use Kyuubi's chakra?" Someone asked – maybe Kiba.

I shook my head. "I asked myself that same question for a long time. Why didn't he use his power? Most likely because that much chakra would have attracted tons of Infected and they would have killed me."

Shino spoke for the first time. "He always was clouded by his love for you."

My throat had begun to close in an uncomfortable way and my stomach dropped in on itself. I realized I was about to lose my composure. Sensing this, I narrowed my eyes. "To make a long story short, I have suffered from this first hand. I didn't know much about Infected then seeing as how that was only months after the initial Infection. Since then I've been sent out on the front lines to kill them."

Sasuke cleared his throat. "Let's start with Infected. They are completely brainwashed as you know and fully transformed. They have increased endurance and their senses equal that of five humans. All genjutsu is useless against them except for those created by a real Sharingan. And their eyes are similar to Sharingan when exposed to firelight."

Everyone nodded in agreement. I listened and clentched my fists as Sasuke spoke. "Next are Fallen. They are Infected that have not resurfaced from the transformation. In essence they are in a frozen dream-like state."

Tenten cut in. "Not to mention they are unreasonably gorgeous."

Sasuke ignored her. I thought about this for a moment. I had seen Fallen, those Infected that were not strong enough to overcome the virus, and I had to agree that they were very stunning. I wondered why.

"If a Fallen awakens, they are recognized as Transcended. They are far more powerful than the average Infected, and they are able to become Chosen. And the Chosen are the most dangerous."

I agreed silently.

"Chosen," he continued, his black eyes sweeping over the room. "…are able to be used as hosts. Their bodies have gone through the transformation and they were under it for long enough as Fallen that they are extremely powerful. Madara uses these select few to house whoever he wants. He can even summon the dead and use the Chosen as their hosts."

Those were the four stages of Madara's virus. It was amazing really. He was able to create a whole new species of humans now. We were the sub-race, the minority. If we did not develop this cure soon, then what was left of the human race would be wiped out.

Everyone turned to look at me when Sasuke spoke his next words. "We are going to start the first phases of testing for the cure."


To be continued…


A/N: Okay so I try not to take too long to update this fic but I seriously want this story to be extremely thought out. The plot I've created is extremely complicated, thus I have to take my time in writing to ensure satisfaction, completeness, and contistency. Thanks so much for the support. And a lot of people have compared this to 'The Host' a novel by Stephenie Meyer ( one of my favorite books) but I assure you I do see the resemblance but it won't be anything like that.

For your convenience I have the four stages of the Infect posted below. Feel free to ask questions in your reviews. Thanks so much guys! Also I would like to point out that ff dot net likes to cut out parts of the story so if there seems to be some weird gap in the text that looks like a word should have probably been there, it wasn't my fault. I swear.

Infected- brainwashed, fully transformed. Can smell chakra,enhanced senses, can see all genjutsu except for those created by sharingan. Their sharingan eyes are an extension from madara.

Fallen – are Infected that never resurface from the transformation. They are inhumanely beautiful.

Transcended – Infected/Fallen that has awakened

Chosen – Infected/Transcended/Chosen whose body is able to be made a host for another soul. They must be extremely strong.

Surmise