Thanks to my lovely reviewers:

Demented Angie

Sakuraangel1327

kattylin

Itachigirl101

monzieslilneji

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, but the plot.

Day 2

A slight groan could be heard. 'Would someone turn off that damn light.' Eyes flew open. "Shit!" Sakura innocently looked over at the distraught Haru. "Where the hell are we?"

"Interstate 70. We just got into Kansas." She stated looking back to the road.

His hands were latched to the seat belt buckle, ready to press the button to unbuckle himself. He pause, the words finally sinking in. "Wait… What?" He looked over to her and raised one eyebrow.

"Were on Interstate 70, and we have just gotten into Kansas."

He turned back to look out the window, all while keeping his hands on the seat buckle. Looking for a sign, still not believing her. Sasuke didn't have to wait long. 'She didn't turn around, and seeing as were still in the van and not at a police station, she didn't go get help. I don't get it. She is my hostage, so why in the world would she continue driving after I fell asleep. It makes more sense for her to run away' "Why?" Sasuke turned to look at her.

"Why what?" She didn't look at him, but he could see the confused look on her face.

"Why did you keep on going? You could have gotten out when I fell asleep, gotten help, and you would be free right now."

"Oh.. Yeah, I could have, but we had a deal right?" Sakura looked over, with hope shining in her eyes. Searching his eyes quickly for any hint that she had done the right thing. What she saw, relief and disbelief. Her eyes returned to the road.

"You didn't turn me in because we have a deal. I don't believe it. I can't. Why? You could have been long gone, free, and I would be in jail right now. You could have gone back to Los Angeles, and never have seen me again.-"

"But then my father would be dead, right? Or, I would be dead." She looked over briefly. "Right?"

He couldn't look her in the eyes, but asked quietly. "How did you know?"

Sakura's face showed no emotion. Staring at the forever continuing road. "Look, I'm not an idiot. I have brains, and I figured that, since, if my dad didn't follow rules, I would be killed, that if I escaped or got help, they would kill my dad or they would come after me. Maybe even both. I was right, wasn't I?"

Sasuke paused in contemplation, a deep thoughtful look on his face, deciding weither or not to tell her. After a few moments, he decided. "Yeah…"

She suddenly smiled, getting a twinkle in her eyes, showing her jest. "Anyways, I couldn't have you suddenly waking up and ruining any of those plans." Sakura paused to laugh. The emotion draining from her face once again. "But either way, the consequences would have been greater if I tried escaping-"

Sasuke had about enough. Hearing her joking on the matter didn't help. He snapped. "How do you know that we aren't driving to your death, or even if I'm going to keep up my end of the deal. Everything I have told could be a complete lie, you know, just to get you to cooperate." Sasuke could restrain the anger he felt.

"I've thought about that too, and call it insanity, or crazy, or whatever you wanna call it, but I think right now, even though I'm your hostage, I'm probably safer with you, then to be under the protection of the police. I mean, I don't know how many people are in this gang your in, but I'm assuming a lot of people, since you are doing business half way around the world. Who knows, if I escaped, they could send so many people that eventually there wouldn't be enough police to protect me. Then I would be dead anyways, and they would probably-"

Ring… Ring…

"Stay quiet" His command came out harsher then he had meant, but it served its purpose well. He flipped the cell phone open. "Hello"

"Well, little brother, it seems that she hasn't killed you yet. You must have had enough sense to tie her up."

"Why are you calling me?" Already being angry at Sakura, added to his annoyance with his brother calling in the middle of a mission, gave Sasuke a tone in his voice that was threatening Itachi to make him in an even worse mood.

"Can't I just phone to say hello every once in a while?"

Sasuke took a deep breath in, and slowly let it out. So as not to yell his next words out at the mouth piece of the phone. "If you just phoned to say hello, you would have started with saying the word hello, before saying anything else. What do you want?" He finished off saying the words through his clenched teeth.

"What makes you think-"

"Just get to the point." Sasuke's one hand was gripping the arm rest hard enough to turn all of his knuckles white.

"Alright." Itachi seemed to finally get the message that Sasuke was not in the mood for humour. "I have sent a little help for you. Mind you it's only until you get to Bloomsburg, but I think that will be sufficient enough."

"I don't need help with this." This had gotten Sakura's attention, as he could see that she had visibly tensed and drew in a quick, deep breath.

"Maybe not, but you have to go pick her up anyways. It's too late to set up different transportation for her, anyways your already going that way. You might as well. You'll get better company out of it. It can't be that much fun talking to someone who just yells everything back at you, or is she one of those people that won't talk to you at all?"

Acceptance seeping into his voice, as realization hit him hard. "You've turned this into part of the mission too, haven't you?"

"What would make you think that?" Sasuke could just imagine the smirk Itachi would have on his face at this moment. Wanting nothing more at this moment, then to wipe this said smirk off his face.

"You never call anyone in the middle of a mission, except to change plans for the mission." Sasuke said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Then you already know what I am going to say next. That-"

Cutting him off, Sasuke had answered monotonously. "That if I don't go and pick her up that you'll send someone after me and kill me, right?"

"I see your learning. Anyways, I need you to go to Goodland to pick her up. She's at the Holiday Inn." Then adding sarcasm to his voice, "I hope it's not to much trouble." The line went dead.

Sasuke was so angry at this moment that Sakura swore that if it was possible, he would have steam pouring off of him. She waited a few minutes for him to calm down, at least slightly, before she started talking with him again.

"What was that about? Was that them phoning you to kill me?"

"No. Pull over here." Sasuke was thoroughly enraged, it showed through his voice, but not on his blank face. Sakura slowed down and pulled over. She looked over and saw him clenching the arm rest. The cell phone now strewn on the floor. "We have to pick someone up at Goodland." He paused for a few moments. Looking Sakura in the eyes, "I'm going to have to put you in the back and tie you up."

"What? Why?" Fear struck Sakura. Suddenly not sure weither she had made the right choice to stay.

"Wasn't it you just a few minutes ago that said you weren't an idiot?" He could see her getting angry at that comment. Cutting her off just as she was starting to speak, "Don't you think it would be suspicious if we go to pick up one of the people from my gang, and they were to see you driving, or even just sitting there. Not doing anything about trying to escape at all."

"Oh… Yeah, I guess it would be." A thought struck Sakura and the horror this thought brought showed on her face. "What if you get a phone call to kill me?"

Sasuke looked away, solemnly saying, "I don't know."

"Okay well now escaping last night looks like a much better choice. Damn." Sakura said more to herself. Hitting her hand against the steering wheel.

Trying to ease her thoughts. "Don't worry about it too much. She's only staying with us until Bloomsburg, so it'll only be a few days. Not the whole trip, but you will have to be tied up the whole time. Oh, and I should probably gag you.-"

She interrupted him. Her eye brows scrunching together. "Gag me? Why?"

"Because then you won't get yourself into anymore trouble by talking. Whoever we are picking up probably won't have any problems about beating you into submission." Seeing a disbelieving look on her face he furthered by saying, "You definitely had it easy with me being the kidnapper. Most people in the gang would have beat you senseless by now, or at least tied you up in the back, and left you alone. Without food, water, or washroom breaks." He got an 'ewe' and a disgusted look out of her for that one. "We should probably be going soon, and I still have to tie you up. So, do anything you need to do, cause your going to be back there for a while."

Sakura undid her seat belt and got out, and said a quick 'I'll be back in a minute'. Getting out of the van she went into the ditch. 'Oh this is just fantastic. I can't believe my luck. I know that it's not good at all to be kidnapped in the first place, but at least Haru was nice to me. He doesn't even seem like the dangerous type at all… Well, he did knock me out, but that's besides the point. At least I didn't have to be tied up in the back. Now with this new person…' Sakura let out a frustrated groan, before she finished going to the washroom and headed back to the van.

She got in the driver's door and went into the back. Sakura saw that Haru was ready with the rope. A look of indifference on his face.

"Put your hands behind your back." Sakura winced at the harsh tone.

"Why can't they be tied in the front?"

"Because we are told to put them behind the back, so that there is more discomfort and it is less likely that the hostage can get out of it." She didn't say another word after that, as her hands were tied, she was lain down, and her feet were tied. Sakura also had a cloth tied snug around her mouth.

Sasuke got back into the front and started driving.

Lunch At School

'I don't know how they expect Tenten and I to just sit back, and not do anything about this. Sakura's one of our best friends, and she's been kidnapped. Her parents aren't doing anything about it. They are just waiting for two weeks to be up, and their going to just hand over the money-'

"Ino, hello? Earth to Ino. Wow what's with you lately. You have actually been quiet, for once." Naruto had snapped her out of her daze. "Oh, I know. It's because of Sakura right? Yeah I know it's a bummer that she had to go to Canada on that scholars trip, but she'll be back in two weeks."

Tenten sent Ino a knowing look. 'He has no idea. None of them do. Just how dangerous this is. Sakura could be dead this very minute. Who ever took her could have killed her the moment they left with her.. Whoa… Hold on there girl. I don't want to even go there… think happy thoughts… Think happy thoughts… Who am I kidding? That's not going to work and it's not going to bring Sakura back any quicker.' She looked over at the people at their table. 'Having fun, laughing. Why did I have to know what really happened. I wish that I could be as blissfully ignorant as they are. Oh I just wish none of this had happened. Why Sakura of all people. She's nice, has no enemies. Well, except for Sasuke, but of that I'm not even so sure of. He did save her, but does that mean that he stopped hating her? Did he even hate her to begin with?… Okay, well now I'm just being silly, of coarse he hated her. Especially with the phone call we pulled on him.' She glanced over to the clock. There was about five more minutes until the bell would ring.

She stood abruptly, and put her garbage in the near-by garbage can. "I'm going to my next class. I'll see you guys later."

Ino stood up to leave as well. "Yeah I'm going to go too. See ya."

Neji leaned over to Shikamaru. He spoke in a low voice, so as not to alert the others. "What's up with those two?"

"No idea, but as much as I hate to say it, I think Naruto was right. It has to have something to do with Sakura."

"I agree, but what could it be? Sakura's gone away before, but they never acted like this."

"It's probably just a girl thing, and they'll be back to themselves in a couple of days."

"Your probably right."

Goodland, Kansas

'I know that he is just doing this to torture me. Why? Of all the people it could have been, why did it have to be Karin?'

"You miss me, darling?" The black haired girl had gotten in, immediately after Sasuke had arrived with the van. She was now in the passenger seat, with Sasuke pulling out of the parking lot. Giving her best come hither look.

Sasuke gave a sharp stare. "No."

"Oh, Honey. I love when you play hard to get." She looked behind her, back to the pink haired girl tied up on the floor. "Hmm…. I heard you had a hostage. I didn't know it was a girl though." She stood up and clambered into the back. Karin walked over to Sakura and crouched over her.

Sakura's eyes followed her form, watching since she had arrived. Trying to assess anything about how she would be treated by her. A defiant glare crossed her face as her head was lifted harshly up.

"A pretty one isn't she… But of coarse I look better." Karin suddenly dropped Sakura's head. Instead she moved her hand to Sakura's neck, pinching the nerve that causes a person to fall unconscious. Karin then moved into the front seat.

Her tone suddenly serious, "Sasuke-"

"Dammit Karin. Don't you see my disguise. You just blew my cover. Didn't they tell you anything, my alias was Haru, but-"

"I knocked her unconscious. Don't worry. Anyways, Itachi gave me this to give to you." Karin held out a package wrapped in brown paper.

"What is it?" He held out his hand and grabbed the package.

"I don't know. I wasn't supposed to look at it. But, as far as I can tell, there should be a bunch of extra money in there." Karin leaned back in the seat, after getting comfy she spoke. "You know what? This is going to be the best mission of our lives. Guess why? Oh I'll tell you. We get to spend a lot of time together over the next few days. All alone. Ah it's going to be the life."

"We aren't alone, or have you forgotten of Sakura already."

"She's nothing but a hostage. As far as I'm concerned she's not even here." She pulled the sunglasses off of her head. Flipping down the sun visor, she fixed her glasses, her hair, and continually looked at the image presented back in the mirror.

An: I hope you enjoyed this chapter...