Chapter Six: Nowhere to Belong

Several days passed that were tense for both of them. At one point, Sasuke brushed past her, and completely against her will, she flinched. Both pretended it didn't happen, but they were also both aware that the other one knew it did.

The entire situation was really getting to Sakura. She couldn't stand the strange tension between them now and desperately needed to fix it. She missed how they had been able to talk to each other easily and it wasn't so uncomfortable. Sakura was getting more than a little unnerved at the silence they had fallen into and finally snapped after completing an exam. She had determined Sasuke was very close to being at full health and they would be able to leave soon and there was no way she was going back to Konoha in complete silence.

"You know, Sasuke, I realize this is going to be a rough transition for all of us when you are back in the village, but I know it's all going to work out," she said, breaking the ice.

Sasuke gave her a nonplussed look.

Sakura smiled. "There're a lot of things I always wanted to do."

After a few moments and Sasuke didn't say anything, Sakura was about to give up when he responded.

"Like what?"

Sakura turned back to him sporting a huge grin.

Sasuke continued to watch her and the devious smirk she had plastered on her face. Sasuke couldn't help but smirk back at her briefly as he realized what she meant. Sakura wasn't normally the flirty type, so it had caught him off guard.

"Oh get your mind out of the gutter, Sasuke, I was talking about sparring," she said.

Sasuke didn't play into her little jab at him. Apparently he was aware she was completely truthful about what she had hinted at.

"Sparring? With who?"

Sakura gave him an annoyed look. "With you."

Sasuke stopped packing his bag and looked at her. "No."

Taking a few steps closer, Sakura watched him with the pretense she was only amused when she was actually very irritated.

"Why not?"

Sasuke actually hnned her.

"What? You think it wouldn't be worth your time?" Sakura badgered.

Sasuke looked up at her again, now right in front of him. "I wouldn't want you to get hurt is all, Sakura."

Immediately she was on him, her hands restraining his over his head. Apparently she had infused chakra into her hold because he couldn't break it. He stared up at her and couldn't help but be amused at her temper. It was too bad for her Sasuke could get out of practically any hold. Catching her thigh with his leg, Sasuke hit a pressure point causing her to retract instantly, throwing her backwards onto the other side of the bed and catching her back in her own hold. Only this time, he had his legs twisted around her, bodily restraining her.

Sakura puffed a few strands of hair out of her face and looked up at Sasuke with blatant irritation. Sasuke smirked at her failed attempt to prove she was worthy of being his sparring partner before he laughed lightly at her attitude.

Seeing his good mood over her pride being stomped on Sakura felt herself smiling. He looked like an entirely different person when he laughed… she would even take the smirk whenever she could get it. When he pulled himself off of her and let her go, she couldn't resist from telling him how happy it made her to see him laugh. The comment seemed to sober Sasuke.

"Why can't you just let yourself be happy?"

Sasuke closed his eyes. "Because every time I realize what that feeling is, I realize how much it hurt to lose it. I'd rather be alone than have to feel that pain again."

Sakura felt more than saw the memories of Sasuke's past and suddenly, she understood what he meant and she had nothing to say.

# # #

"Let's go out into the village," Sakura said. She had concluded that Sasuke's vision was as good as it was going to get. She had broken the genjutsu, but for some reason she felt certain that it would somehow set back in given time… but Sasuke didn't need to know that. As long as he was with her, she could take care of it, so what was the point of giving him a potential reason to not go back to the village? She insisted they wait a few more days to travel the long journey back to Konoha though because Sasuke's body was still recovering as the poison lessened under her supervision. Soon he would be back to perfect health, but until then, it wasn't safe to leave the village knowing they might have to face enemies.

"What do you want to do that for?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura's brightened face fell at his tone. "Let's go get lunch. Surely the village is a little less tense now."

Sasuke turned and looked at her. "They are under a military occupation. What makes you think they are any more okay with it than before?"

Sure enough, Sasuke had been right. The people looked even more scared than they did before. Besides quick trips right outside their inn they hadn't been far and didn't really get a feel for what was going on. It was clear now how terrible this war was for the people.

"Hey! Get back here you little runt!"

Sakura turned to look down the side street they were passing and noticed a little boy running for his life. Seeing the armful of vegetables he had, and the guard chasing him, it wasn't difficult to figure out what was going on. The market district seemed to freeze as the guard with the foreign headband snatched him making him drop all of the food. When Sakura saw him raise his hand with a kunai held tight, she couldn't stop herself. Her foot was in the guard's rib cage immediately sending him crashing into a nearby cart. Picking the little boy up, Sakura pulled him closer to her protectively as she saw other ninja approaching.

"Hey bitch with the pink hair! You have no business interfering with our affairs. Now you best let go of that thief before you get caught up in this too," he said.

Sakura glared at the man. "What did this child do? He clearly is starving by the looks of him and it's because of your military operation in this village that these people don't have access to their own food. It's clear you have confiscated it for your movement. Now if you know what's good for you, you'll leave this boy alone and forget it."

The ninja around her drew their weapons and just as Sakura was about prepare to defend her and the boy, four of the five guards collapsed to the ground. Noticing one of them form seals she recognized he was releasing himself from a genjutsu. Sensing his attack, Sakura braced herself but for a blow that never came. In a flash, Sasuke was in front of her, his hand gripping ninja's arm, holding it to tight he was forced to drop the kunai in his hand.

"Unless you wish to die, you will forget this ever happened," Sasuke said, releasing his arm and kicking the man into the mess of the cart the first one was still unconscious amidst.

Sakura stared at the back of Sasuke's head shocked that he had defended her like that. She honestly didn't expect him to care at all from the way he was ignoring the situation from the beginning, but he had surprised her.

"Sasuke…"

"Let's go," he said, turning around and returning to the main street.

Slipping some of her money into the boy's hand, Sakura followed after him.

# # #

The people in the street seemed to be aware of what had happened and when they found place to eat lunch, they refused to let them pay. Sasuke seemed disgruntled by this, but Sakura could only laugh at him.

"You should be happy Sasuke, you did something good today," Sakura chimed.

Sasuke frowned. "We shouldn't interfere here. This isn't our problem."

"But how can you stand idly by and do nothing when someone needs your help? It's not right," Sakura stated.

Sasuke didn't respond but simply watched her out of the corner of his eye. She had certainly become stronger.

"When did you change so much, Sakura?"

Sakura glanced at him giving him a strange look.

"What do you mean?"

"You're different. People change from experience, so what happened to you?" he asked indifferently.

Sakura thought earnestly about what he was saying. "I suppose it was when I fought that Akatsuki member."

Sasuke looked startled.

"His name was Sasori of the Red Sands… a puppet master. I had help, and I would have surely been dead without it, but still, I learned a lot in that fight. I had never been so determined to live while simultaneously thinking I was certainly going to die," she mused.

Sasuke suddenly felt very uncomfortable at the prospect of Sakura having been near death. "Where were Kakashi and Naruto?"

"Oh, they were gone chasing after Gaara," she said. "The whole reason I stayed there was because I wanted information about Orochimaru… it was how we found the hideout you were at back then…"

Sasuke couldn't keep his alarm to himself that time. His eyes widened in shock and he suddenly felt sick. "You almost got killed trying to get information about me?"

"I'm not trying to make you feel guilty, Sasuke," Sakura said begrudgingly.

"You should have never come looking for me then," Sasuke said.

Sakura's eyes narrowed in irritation but she dropped it. Several moments of silence passed before Sasuke asked her another question.

"Why did you insist on looking for me? I know Naruto has this problem with never giving up, but why you? You were the most logical of the three of us… you should have understood I wasn't going back."

Sakura smiled sadly. "But you're coming back now. You wouldn't be if I had given up."

Sasuke was taken aback by her statement and the guilt forced him to change the subject. "But why?"

Sakura's smile faded. "Isn't it obvious? Love blinds people. I didn't see reason or logic when it came to you… and I still don't."

Sasuke was quiet until they reached the edge of the shopping district and they ran out of places to walk.

"Why, Sakura?"

He didn't need to explain himself. She knew what he meant.

"I don't know, Sasuke. But it's always been you and I don't think anything is going to change that," she said.

Sasuke was about to say something when he heard someone shouting. Looking up the first thing he noticed was Sakura's look of surprise.

Feeling a kunai strike her in the leg, Sakura hit her knees before she grabbed the blade and ripped it out of her leg. Trying to force her healing ninjutsu only exhausted her further since she had little chakra. All she could manage was to lessen the bleeding. They were both caught off guard.

Seeing Sakura hit the ground, Sasuke sensed the attacks coming from behind them as everyone in the street ran from the scene. Grabbing the nin's arms and snapping it, Sasuke noticed the rest of them. They had been watching them, planning this.

"Chidori Nagashi!"

The lightning swept out all around him disabling everyone besides Sakura whom looked like she was about to pass out. Grabbing her and pulling her up into his arms, Sasuke ran. He didn't have time to access the situation and even if he did, it was unlike he could protect Sakura in such a tight setting.

"Sakura," Sasuke yelled, gripping her tighter as she slipped. Glancing down at her as he covered ground Sasuke saw she was unconscious. Pulling her head against his chest, he quickened his pace.

After a half hour, Sasuke was convinced he was either far enough ahead to be able to stop, or they hadn't followed. Dropping to the forest floor, Sasuke laid Sakura down finally able to look at her leg. Seeing the blood streaming down her leg he immediately ripped part of his clothing and tied it around the wound as tightly as he could. Taking a piece of rope, he applied it like a tourniquet before he pressed his hand to her throat, feeling how weak her pulse was.

"Damn it," he muttered.

She was pale and extremely cold.

"Sakura, wake up!"

Sasuke shook her gently, and finally she came around but was very disorientated.

"Sasuke? What happened?" Trying to stand, Sakura gasped in pain as she realized how damaged her leg was.

She strained herself to look down at it. "It hit my femoral artery… I clotted it as best I could before I passed out, but it wasn't enough and I have no chakra. It will only take a few hours for me to bleed out."

Sasuke stared at the wound seeing his wrapping already soaked with blood. Tearing another piece he rewrapped it even tighter.

"What do I do, Sakura?"

Sakura strained again to look at the wound. "You have to stitch it up."

Sasuke actually glared at her with frustration. "With what?"

Struggling to reach into her pouch, Sakura pulled out a small summoning scroll and formed a hand seal. Seeing a medical kit, Sasuke grabbed it and dumped out the contents searching for what he needed.

Finding it, Sasuke paused. "Sakura I have no idea how to do this."

Hearing no response, Sasuke glanced up at her to see her breathing had increased and she was sweating.

Sasuke did his best despite having no experience. The only thing that was really bothering him was Sakura's screams of pain.

"Sakura," he said, "I'm going to knock you out."

"No!" she cried. "I need to try to clot the vein, or this is all futile. And besides, you have no idea what you are doing."

Cringing as he closed the wound, Sasuke sensed another presence behind them.

"We have to go, Sakura," he said, lifting her in his arms. "They caught up to us."

Sakura gripped Sasuke's arm as he picked her up and rushed off too fast for her to not be disgruntled about it. However, as she felt how tightly he was gripping her, Sakura suddenly relaxed, trying to allow her chakra to replenish itself. Somehow, she felt like she could trust Sasuke.

AN: Please review!