"Who's her apprentice?" A wicked grin spread across Lily's red lips. She spread both her hands and chakra jumped between her hands slowly creating a window of chakra. An image of a pink haired, green eyed woman appeared in the chakra. He hissed under his breath. "Sakura, huh?" His old team mate smiled at him. "I doubt she is very lethal." Lily chuckled and waved a hand towards the village dispelling the image.
"Prove it." She smiled taunting him with a look that said she knew more than she would let on. Sasuke turned to head into the village but Lily spoke stopping him. "Oh, and Sasuke, if someone does find out then I shall endeavor to give you a new challenge for you to earn your sword back." Her eyes glittered dangerously and Sasuke was reminded that while Lily held a human form and acted it for the most part, she was far from human. Sasuke nodded once, then leapt forward, and sped off into the village. As he moved through the village and it occurred to him that his face would be well known. He passed a home with clothes drying on a rack he swiped a large cloak off and flung it around him. Once he reached the heart of the village it occurred to him that he had no idea where he should look for Sakura. He glanced toward the sun and found it was late afternoon already. He considered the dilemma for a moment then remembered Lily's words on how Sakura would be a medical ninja so he would check the hospital first. It would be his luck that she would be off on a mission and he'd have to wait. He discarded that thought almost immediately, Lily knew Sakura was here, otherwise she wouldn't have been so smug and assured.
As he moved through the streets he saw a few faces he recognized, but most of them he didn't. They all blurred together after a few minutes until he stood outside the hospital. Just as he was about to walk up the path to the front door, the door swung open. Two women walked out side by side talking to one another. One was a raven haired beauty and the other was his quarry.
"Hinata, I'm so happy for you." Sakura pressed, "You should go! You like him and he likes you." Hinata blushed scarlet.
"But, what if I say or do something stupid?" Sakura smiled gently at the other girl.
"Remember when we were all fighting for our lives?" The other girl nodded gravely. "And who was it that said the words that made him stand? Who stood beside him time and again? Hinata, you are a brave woman, a wise woman, and a good friend. You won't mess up, because you can't." Sakura put a reassuring hand on her friend. "Now go on!" Hinata nodded and ran off down the road only pausing to turn and yell back at Sakura,
"I'll see you later." Sakura nodded "And thank you!"
"Go!" She laughed as the other girl turned a little red and then continued running off. Sakura sighed and continued to walk on. She glanced at the spot Sasuke had been but she made no indication of having seen anyone. Sasuke had thankfully been able to conceal himself in the tree at the end of the path. He watched as Sakura began to walk toward the old training ground that they had practiced on as genin. Smiling to himself, Sasuke followed her, knowing full well that it was far enough on the fringes of the village that no one would sense a fight and if they did, they wouldn't think twice about it. Sakura walked on oblivious to Sasuke's presence behind her. After only a few minutes they reached the familiar spot with three posts stuck into the ground. She stopped in front of them probably reliving their time here. After a moment she sighed and headed towards the river picking up a few a smooth river stones. Standing at the edge of the river she threw the first one. It bounced across the shimmering surface of the river and skidded to a stop on the other bank. Sakura took a deep breath before asking,
"Why have you been following me, Sasuke?" She turned and faced where Sasuke was hiding. There was no mistaking that she had always known he had been following her. Her face twisted in anger and chakra streamed into her fist where she clenched one of the stones. "Quit hiding!" Her arm came back and then snapped forward with a speed that shocked Sasuke, he was only just able to side step the projectile. The rock exploded straight through the tree next to him and shattered into dust once it came through the other side of the tree. Sasuke stepped into view, muscles stiff and ready to move if she decided to throw the last rock she held. "Come to finish the job? Sorry Naruto's not here." Sasuke tilted his head to the side taking his old teammate in. She had a fierce look of anger that seem to burn in her eyes. It almost shocked him that there was no hatred in her, not even a little. He had tried to kill her.
Sakura was a little taller than the last time he had seen her, muscles seemed more defined. Her pink shirt was tight against her body and her skirt didn't quite hide the knife strapped to her thigh. Long black boots made her seem taller and accented her legs perfectly. "Or are you here for revenge?" She spat the last word at him.
"Neither, I've found myself in a position that requires you to come with me, quietly." Sakura snorted and rolled her eyes at him.
"Still the same Uchiha Sasuke, you expect everything to fall in place for you and if it doesn't you do what?" She laughed out right at him with sharp bitterness, "You'll take your revenge in the form of my death, isn't that right, Sasuke-kun? Like you did to your brother?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her, he could feel his temper rising steadily. Sakura watched as he tried to control his temper before saying, "Did I hit a nerve, Sasuke-kun?" She said his name with a sickeningly sweet smile that pushed Sasuke over the edge. He lunged at her, but she back flipped out of the way and in the process kicked Sasuke's chin. The pain made his eyes water but he followed her movements as she continued to move away from him. He saw her hand drop to the knife concealed under her skirt. Drawn she held it in front her, her body tensed ready for him if he lunged again. Sasuke had to think this through carefully because Lily's words still rang in his ear. She expected him to fail and succeed. He needed to hurry. No need to use Sharingan, he reasoned, she wasn't worth the effort and it might draw Kakashi's attention if he was near. However he knew the longer they fought the more likely he'd attract unwanted attention anyway. He drew kunai and charged it with ration chakra and threw it with several other knives. Sakura blocked each with her knife but went rigid when she blocked the chakra charged blade and fell to her knees gasping.
"I sent an electric shock through your body, by now your nerves should be scrambled." He sighed and walked to her and was about to pick her up when the knife in her hand flashed up at his face. He leaped back but he felt the sting of the metal bite his cheek. It was a shallow cut that wouldn't even bleed much. Sakura huffed a laugh as whatever strength she had used to strike him evaporated.
"Looks like I win this one, Sasuke-kun." Sasuke looked at her confused then reached up to touch his cheek. His body was slowly growing numb. Poison, he thought as his eyes started to go burly. "Don't worry, it won't kill you. Just stop you from getting too far." Anger rose in him. She had known to take the hit. She planned it! That anger allowed him to push back the drowsiness and grab Sakura. He ran for the wall and heard someone behind him yell,
"Sakura!" Sasuke pushed himself to run faster swearing under breath as he went. The blackness was spreading across his vision like ink on a photograph. Sakura tried feebly to fight back but he held her still until he reached the wall. He then collapsed at the base his eyes closing. The last thing he was aware of was the soft jingle of an iron bell.
Lily appeared next to him clucking her tongue at him. She laid a hand over Sakura's forehead and sent the girl to sleep. Then she picked Sakura up and carried her under her right arm and throw Sasuke over her left shoulder. Sighing as she leaped up the wall and ran off with the two of them. She didn't stop running until she was only a few hours from the place Sasuke had lived. Only then did she lay the two of them down in the grass of a clearing. They would need to eat soon she knew. She went to work building up a small cooking fire as she debated her husband's words. If he was to be trusted, and she trusted him with her life, then the young woman who lay beside Sasuke was the key to the young Uchiha's soul. She thought about this as she picked her way through the woods to a small stream. This would be interesting, maybe even interesting enough that she wouldn't murder the boy once she was done with him.