The hospital room was eerily silent as they passed the news to Sakura. They could not think of anything to say to her, and much less look at her grief stricken face as she found out her children were indeed missing. Nothing could take that look off her face, not even the joy of seeing Sasuke by her side, as he should have been.
"What do you mean, gone?" She spoke.
"We don't know Sakura-chan, but they aren't anywhere in the village. Your door was wide open when I saw it, and then I brought you here and went back to find Akemi and Daichi. I checked both of their beds and neither of them shown any struggle of any kind. And when I went to go check your room to see if they were in there I found this dobe by your window. So we came back to see if you were all right." Naruto gave his testimony aloud as he saw her expressions change from sadness, into a deep despair.
"ANBU is still investigating this Sakura." Tsunade explained, hoping to cheer her up. "But you are the only one who can tell us of what you remember before you were under this genjutsu. Maybe it can lead us to some clues or hints as to where to start looking for your children."
Sakura thought hard of what she saw, and wanted to distinguish the truth from the illusion she was put under. It was a strong genjutsu, one that hit right after the other, she suspected, and impossible to break, she assumed. She knew that her children were alive, whether they were safe was the only problem. She also knew that Sasuke did not murder them, for he was right here beside her, and he loved his children. He would never do anything to harm them. And finally, she believed she knew who actually had them.
"Madara Uchiha." She began. "I remember seeing him and I thought I fought him. Then Akemi and Daichi came down to see what happened. But I still don't know if that was part of the genjutsu or not."
Tsunade rested her hand on her shoulder, "Just tell us what you can remember, genjutsu or not it should lead us to some clues."
So sakura began telling them, her fight with Madara, the children with their crimson sharingan eyes, until finally when she thought it was Sasuke that pierced her in her heart. She noticed how attentive they all were, especially Sasuke, who seemed to grow even more and more impatient standing there when he should be out there searching for his children. After she was done, Tsunade left the room leaving Team 7 to discuss what they should do.
"Well what do you think we should do?" Naruto began. Sasuke looked from him to his cherry blossom on the hospital bed, still recovering, still a bit weak and stood up.
"I have to go. Maybe I can reach him and stop him with Team Hawk." Sasuke announced. Naruto stood up as well.
"I'll take a team and go the other way to scout the surrounding area. I'm sure Kiba and Neji can come along with me. If anything is near, Kiba and Akamaru can sniff them out in an instant." And with that, Naruto shot Sakura a hopeful look and launched himself out the window to begin his search.
"What about me?" Sakura asked.
Sasuke turned to her, "Stay in bed and heal. That's all I'll ask of you. When you get better you can catch up."
"The hell I will." She remarked. "These are my children. I am going with you two or by myself, but you won't leave me here helplessly waiting for you to return my children." She slowly arose from the bed, only to be pushed back by Sasuke. "Sasuke you can't possibly believe that I will stay here resting when I know that I am capable of going with my own search party to look for them." When she saw that he would not listen, she was close to the point of acting hysterical. "Sasuke these are my children!" She cried.
"Sakura, I am not asking you to stay, I am telling you. You are not fit to even walk, that genjutsu was strong, and the after affects will surely return since you are still weak from being broken from the first one. You can possibly go insane if Tsunade does not treat you." He explained to her. Sakura was still pushing a bit back before looking in his eyes did she finally admit defeat. She pulled away from him and turned to her side, trying her hardest to not show the tears that were threatening to fall down her cheeks. She felt more useless now than ever before, for she would not be there to see if her children were fine. She would have to wait until they were brought back into her arms. That was more than Sakura could stand for. She wanted to see them before any of them, so she could hold them against her, cupping their tiny faces in the palms of her hands, smelling their scents of dirt and summer rain. They were all she was; they were the essence of her sole happiness when Sasuke was not around. And now the other one person that could give her happiness was taking it away from her as he told her to stay in bed to rest.
When she heard the door closed behind her, Sakura could not lay still in the bed. Akemi and Daichi's faces were invading her mind. Was this the after effects that Sasuke was talking about? Or was it simply her mind playing these foul tricks. She decided it was better not to find out. What she really wanted to do was get up and run after whomever it was that took her children. She pulled herself up from the bed to see if she could even stand.
"You shouldn't move Ms. Haruno." A voice talked behind her. Sakura turned to see a nurse come inside the room.
"I have to go find my children. They have already began preparations for search parties and I have to go with them to find them." She replied.
"Tsunade-sama insists that you stay here. I can't let you leave Ms. Haruno. You need further examination so if you could lie back down and at the very least stay the night- Ms. Haruno!"
Sakura was not paying attention at all to the nurse. When she could stand without tilting she tried walking a bit. She saw that she was fine, and Sasuke was wrong. She could stand, she could walk, she could see, she was capable of doing everything Sasuke said she could not do. Convincing herself she quickly dashed out the window and headed to her first destination: her home. She had to be quick before that nurse would go tell Tsunade or even Sasuke.
As she made a dash toward her house she moved so swiftly people had no notice of her, only a pink blur that moved too fast. Within seconds she arrived, her home eerily peaceful just as she left it. As she went to turn the door and swing it open she expected to have this all as a bad dream in the back of her head, with her children awaiting at the door, wondering why their mother left them all alone in the night. But the minute she opened the door, she knew that it was all in her mind. Her children were in fact gone, and there was nothing she could do about it at this exact moment.
She wasted no time. As she entered the door her first destination was to her room, and getting everything ready as if she were to depart on a mission. She flung open her closet and changed swiftly out her clothes that were stained with blood. She packed all she could into her bag, medicines, kunai, shuriken, extra clothes, preparing herself for long nights ahead, for she vowed that she would not return until she brought her children back.
"You never listen do you Sakura?" A voice spoke from the window.
"You honestly thought I was going to stay in bed?" She replied, zipping up her bag in the process.
"I would have thought you would have listened to what I tell you at least." Sasuke answered. He jumped off the window and into the room.
"Not when it comes to the matter of my children. If they are in trouble, I will risk my own life for them. Not that you would ever know. Seeing as you have never been around."
"You know why I left."
"And what I don't know is why you never came back, until now."
"Tracking him down has not been easy. He has some ability to make us track him down only to lose him. Karin has been constantly working to reach him, and at the first sign that he was on his way here I came as fast as I could."
"Not fast enough." She softly spoke. She slowly brought her hands up to her face to stop herself from crying in front of Sasuke. She wanted to show him that she was strong enough to go with him. "Please Sasuke," she pleaded, looking up at him, her green eyes glistening under the moonlight, "you can't leave me here, you've done it so many times, but this is when it really matters. I raised them all by myself, saw them walk, heard them talk, everything in their lives that has been important to them I have seen. And for you, their father, to tell me that I can't go with you to save them…" She couldn't finish her sentence. It was too much for Sakura to be told that she would be left behind, like she always has. Her tears slowly trickled down her cheeks that she didn't care anymore. She didn't care if he saw her crying, because all she wanted was what he was denying her. It was all in his hands.
Sasuke slowly approached her and cradled her in his arms just as he wanted to for so long. He slowly breathed in her scent of cherry blossoms and realized there was nothing he could do to stop her because this was no small deal to her. She was serious when she said that her children were indeed her everything. And to him, nothing mattered more than to make sure his family was safe.
"It doesn't seem I can stop you from going." He sighed, admitting defeat, just this once. Sakura looked up to him and saw his hard gaze soften, his eyes showing her that little piece of himself that he never shows anyone else. She pressed herself against him once more before going back to packing her things.
"Let's move." He announced. Sakura nodded in approval.
They departed swiftly from Sakura's home. She was glad that no one was noticing what was going on. Everyone would always look at her with compassion and kindness, for she all knew what they were all saying. Birthing the Uchiha's bastard children, and raising them all alone went with her everywhere she went in the village. She didn't mind, for it was all done because she wanted it. She wanted a family with the person she loved, and with her friends being supportive, nothing else mattered. She did not care at all what the village would say about her because she knew that there would come the time when she would be happy. But did she not expect that she would have to be suffering any more pain. But nonetheless, she would overcome this and so much more, as long as Sasuke was by her side.
As they approached the gates of Konoha, Sakura saw Naruto, Kiba, Neji, Tsunade and the three teammates of Sasuke's team Hawk, Karin, Suigetsu, and Juugo, all waiting for them.
"Looks like you owe me some money Naruto." Kiba smirked. Naruto paid no attention to Kiba as he saw that Sasuke was indeed bringing Sakura along.
"Sakura-chan! You should be in the hospital!" He chastised her.
"I am going with Sasuke to help any way I can."
"Teme, what are you thinking? Bringing her with you? She needs rest!" He yelled.
"She wouldn't stay dobe, so I brought her with me." He answered.
"Before she goes I have to give her a quick examination." Tsunade said, taking her to the side of the gate and began examination. "Honestly Sakura, you really need to learn to listen to nurses."
"You know what they mean to me Tsunade-sama." She explained.
Tsunade smiled at her, for she had a point. She would never understand the relationship that came became a child and their parents, but what she could understand was the lengths a woman like Sakura would do for those that she deeply loved. "Well, it seems as though you are fine to travel. I hereby give you my consent that you are capable of going on this mission." She announced. Sakura recollected herself and went to stay by Sasuke's side.
"This is what we are going to do. Neji, Kiba, and Naruto will circulate the area. Sakura, team Hawk and I will go toward the west. If you wish to join us after, any of you, we will be keeping post with Tsunade, so check with her."
Naruto stood in front of Sasuke. "Neji and Kiba can scout the area by themselves. I'm going with you guys. Team 7 all over again!" He said with the regular amount of enthusiasm he always displayed when they would depart for missions.
"Then its better to split two groups to three groups Sasuke." Sakura advised.
"No!" Karin blurted out. "I mean- you won't know where to go without my sense of direction Sasuke and you know that."
Karin had a point. The only person that had any chance of tracing Madara Uchiha's was her.
"Then it seems we will have a group of six going in the west. Neji and Kiba, you will be alright without this idiot?" Sasuke asked.
"Can't help but say we night be better off." Kiba snorted. Both Sakura and Sasuke had to suppress their smiles.
"Then lets go." Sasuke ordered and with that order, the search for Akemi and Daichi Uchiha began.
A/N: Okay... It has been beyond too long that I have not updated this ff. I am having serious writer's block that it is just annoying me. To top it off, school has been killer. So my writing in general has been put in the back burner. But I am slowly going back into my fanfics and at the moment I got another story underway so come on back in a few weeks. I'll try to keep updating this one to finish it off.
Ta Ta!- Kat :)