Chapter 4: Unstuck from the genjutsu—but stuck with Hebi

(The title was too long to fit into the little select chapter thingy at the top right, so in there, it's just "Stuck with Hebi")

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

AN: Thanks for the reviews, everyone! :D Unto Chapter 4!

Sakura opened her eyes slowly to a rocking motion. Am I moving? She wondered groggily. Then, she realized she was slung over like a bag of potatoes on Sasuke's back.

He was carrying her! What happened? She frantically tried to recall as she slammed her fists on his back. "You bastard! Let me go or I'll kill you!"

He stayed silent.

"Now!"

She smacked his back with her palm furiously.

He grimaced as her hand hit the small needle wound that had been bothering him for days, but otherwise remained silent.

Thankfully, Sakura soon gave up trying. "Wait. Where's Katin?" She asked suddenly. "And honestly, what part of 'let me go or I'll kill you' don't you understand?!"

"Suigetsu's carrying the kid." Sasuke finally answered bluntly. "Shut up."

"Then why are you carrying me?" She asked tentatively, utterly confused. "You could've just killed me back there."

"Back there was where you were three days ago. We are approaching here now." He replied as he nimbly leapt unto another branch. Sakura could feel the wind rushing by.

"You've been carrying me for three days?" She shrieked. "While I was being drugged in your stupid genjutsu? You—"

"Calm down, cherry blossom. We kept going straight for the past three days. Nothing happened. Your Konoha med-nins probably already found the ANBU and took them back, we kept on going, and we will be there soon." Another voice said smoothly from behind her.

Craning her neck upwards, she could see a ninja with white hair and pale skin and carrying a large sword, grinning at her with very sharp teeth. He had the unconscious little boy slung over his shoulder.

"I think I skipped your introduction." She growled up at him. "And you are?"

"Suigetsu." He made a little bow while leaping from another branch. "And you're the famous Sakura. Pleased to meet you."

"I'm not." She grunted, feeling melancholy at her vulnerable position.

"We're here." Sasuke's voice said from beside her waist.

"Oh, joy." Sakura said sarcastically, trying to wave her arms behind Sasuke's back. "Just wonderful. I'll be introduced to the rest of your criminal friends now."

"Criminal friends? Ouch, I'm hurt." Suigetsu drawled mockingly.

She did not see Sasuke's frown as they hopped down from the branches into the outskirts of a small town, it seemed. A roadway opened up to them out of the forest path.

"You'll have to walk now. It'd be suspicious if I carried you here." Sasuke said as he unceremoniously dumped her down on the ground.

Sakura picked herself up with as much dignity as she could muster and leapt into a crouch with her fists in front of her, ignoring her numb muscles. "Why didn't you kill me? What happened? And…" Her eyes widened as she noticed the large, bloody cuts that covered his non-sword arm in addition to the two she had inflicted on his bare chest. She stared at Sasuke wordlessly, worry washing over her irritation. "What happened to you?"

He looked at her warily for a moment, before carefully tucking his wounded arm in his large sleeve and replying. "I didn't kill you because I needed you as a hostage. They didn't know the boy, and you were conveniently trapped in the genjutsu. I used you to back them off."

She slowly took a moment to take all this in. She frowned. "You used me to back off Konoha ninja?" She summarised. "But kept me for the whole journey back to your lair? What the hell do you want?"

"I would've thought it was obvious." Suigetsu declared from the back with a wicked grin, looking Sakura up and down.

Sasuke frowned. "Somehow, I liked you better when you were trapped inside a container, Suigetsu." He paused. "My reason was that we could use a medical nin for a while."

"Give me a break," Suigetsu said, still grinning, "Medical nin, same thing. It just depends where you want her to check up—whoa, calm, cherry blossom!"

Sakura, now her fury towering three stories above her, advanced threateningly towards the pale ninja. He gulped and the jesting smile vanished.

"What did you just say?!" She raised a fist, expecting it to glow with chakra. Instead, it remained flesh coloured. She turned her lethal gaze to Sasuke. "What exactly did you do, you emo bastard?" She asked calmly and quietly.

That same deadly voice Tsunade used before the time she nearly killed Jiraiya.

Sasuke crossed his arms, unaffected by the obvious threat. "My genjutsu sucked your chakra dry. You won't get it back in two days. Therefore, you can't escape."

Sakura dropped her arm and her lower mouth.

Two days! She was in the presence of two at least A-ranked missing nins, both male, and she is deprived of her chakra, the essence of all her jutsus?

"So…how am I supposed to, I don't know, heal you?" She asked loudly as she felt the fury that had been building up releasing. "Or defend myself against ugly men like you two?! What if we get attacked? I get to sit around while you people desert me with your speedy chakra getaways! What the hell were you thinking, Sasuke?!"

"It will only be for a short while. Maybe even a day in your case. You can use your taijutsu." He stared back with a levelled gaze. "Now shut up."

"Define short." She snapped, as she glared at him. Then, her gaze roamed to his injuries again, and her green eyes filled with concern. "And how did you get your injuries?"

"It's getting late. We should hurry. Are you going to make a decision?"

Sakura turned her gaze to the ground. "I don't have much of a choice here, do I?" She pointed out softly, meeting his eyes even though she was a good foot shorter.

"No." He agreed.

"Your mysterious injuries will need someone to tend to, after all, and a med nin's responsibility is anyone that needs medical attention, regardless of their village backgrounds." She said carefully. "Or if they're a bastard or not. I'll see when I can get my chakra back."

"Good choice." Sasuke replied coldly. "Your alternative was not pleasant."

She frowned hard at the two nins for a silent moment, and then broke the gaze to glance at the bustling, small town.

"Is there no way I can convince you to go back?" She asked bitterly, still staring at the town.

There was a long pause.

"No."

A longer pause.

Sakura sighed, turning to the town to hide her tear filled eyes. "Nothing else I can do then. But think about what you're doing. To us. You're a coward, and it's about time someone told you." She said coldly, turning, using her forearm to quickly wipe away her tears. She started numbly into the busy, bustling town. After a few steps, she felt no one behind her. Her eyes were now safely dry again. She whirled around in confusion.

Suigetsu and Sasuke were both frozen at the opening of the village. The white haired ninja was looking between her and Sasuke with what looked like surprise and more confusion. Sasuke himself was staring at her, his onyx, gaze level but seemed to be filled with some sort of inner emotion she couldn't quite identify. Was it regret? Or anger? She wondered absently.

Abruptly, Sasuke seemed to shake himself out of his mental trance and frowned as he walked towards the town. Suigetsu followed a few steps after, looking bewildered.

He made a mental note to ask Sakura about this the first chance he's got with her, since he figured asking Sasuke would be like asking a piece of sharp metal. It would not answer his questions and instead would jump up and slice him in half.

"That's our stop." Suigetsu introduced the grand hotel situated in the middle of the town.

"Where are we?" Sakura asked because she was sure she had never seen this town before.

"At the hotel." Sasuke answered. "That's all you need to know."

Sakura clutched her fists together tightly. "All I need to know? So I'm a prisoner now?" She snapped.

Sasuke didn't answer as he led the way into the tall, red building.

"He's like a freaking piece of metal sometimes, isn't he?!" Sakura asked Suigetsu angrily as they watched the teenager talk to the secretary at the front desk. His sentences were short and blunt, but Sakura noticed a hint of blush on the woman's cheeks.

The other nodded in agreement. "The ones that cut you if you pick it up."

They knowingly exchanged a look of understanding, Sakura forgetting, for a moment, that she apparently despised the white haired ninja.

"Sakura-neechan?" A voice said blearily.

She turned to find Katin half-awake and struggling on Suigetsu's back. "Don't let the white haired monster get me!" He screamed in his sleep randomly.

The people in the lobby stared at the boy quizzically.

The only white haired person close within hearing range winced. "Ouch. You Leaf Village ninjas are a hurtful bunch." Suigetsu muttered as he adjusted the little boy on his shoulder. He glanced at Sakura ruefully. "Do you want to carry him? He seems to really want to stick to you. But then again, that could be something all males have in common."

Sakura rolled her eyes as she accepted a now quiet Katin, who had drifted back to sleep. She decided maybe Suigetsu didn't mean to offend anyone, but that was probably his usual talking style. "You know, you remind me of someone I know." She said thoughtfully with a slightly smile. "But I can't quite put my finger on who."

"Someone who's good-looking, I hope. And good with women." He wiggled his pale eyebrows comically.

She sniggered. "Oh, yeah. Now I remember. Jiraiya."

-0O0-

AN: Oh, yeah, by the way, Karin's big entrance is going to be in the next chapter. Hehe. There will be a sort of low degree of a catfight, I guess. Will try to update soon, people. Thanks for reading! :D (And review if you like/don't like this chapter/story. Tell me about it! :D )