I'm glad I recieved positive responses on Sasuke having a nephew! :D! This chapter is going to be more sasuke and sakura rather than team 7!


7: Under the same moon


Sasuke paused as he heard those words. He realised Sakura blamed herself for his exile. Sasuke didn't want her to feel that way. In truth, he had accepted it. He almost saw it coming. However, knowing the truth about his clan, it hurt more to be exiled from Konoha. That was the one disadvantage. If it had been before, Sasuke would have been more than glad to get away. Of course know one knew what truly happened when he cast the mangekyou on Madara. And he planned to keep it that way, as was intended from the beginning.

"There's a lot you need to-"

"Wait," Sasuke told her suddenly, before removing his back from against the wall and walking over to a window. Peering out through the curtain, he noticed movement outside. Glaring, he quickly went to the cot and picked up the baby boy. "Sakura, I need you to take him..."

Sakura widened her eyes. Although being a doctor, that didn't mean she was an expert with children. Sure enough, she had worked with toddlers but when it came to work at the hospital, all her patients had been over the age of 5 years. It almost amused her to think that Sasuke now had more experience with babies than she did.

"I, I have to...w-why, what?" Sakura asked as Sasuke held up the baby securely in front of him.

The litte boy opened up his eyes again. They were wide and the light reflected off them, making his oynx eyes shine. Curling up his fingers into fists, he gave a small scrunched up smile as he looked at Sakura in the eyes.

She could see it now...the resemblance to Itachi. Although he was like Sasuke, the child's hair was lighter like Itachi's and the appearence in general really was Itachi. Of course, that didn't make Sakura dislike the baby. She was just unsure of how she should hold him.

"Sakura, I think there is someone outside and I need you to take the child in my bedroom and hide there," Sasuke told her sternly.

"Why are you being so-" It suddenly dawned on her then. "It's...him...isn't it? They're after him, aren't they?"

"I don't have time for this." Sasuke placed the baby in Sakura's arms before she could react before gently pushing her into his room. Closing the door he slowly went outside of the house to investigate.

Sakura huffed heavily as she sat down on the floor, leaning against the bed. She cradled the baby in her arms, unsure of how else she should settle him. Though, he was calm, but he did seem a little agitated. "Shh..." She said soothingly, lifting up her knees to offer him more support.

'Ok...so he's kinda cute...' She gave him a small smile and at that moment felt responsible for the child. It must have been a natural instinct, which was kicking in. The urge to protect the boy.

The bedroom door opened then and Sakura's head snapped up. Sasuke walked in, closing the door behind him. Sitting down close behind Sakura, he watched the way she cradled him gently.

"False alarm," he said after a moment of silence.

"Oh?" Sakura wasn't listening. She was watching the small child stretch his arms before falling alseep against Sakura's chest, his eyes scrunched up tight.

Sasuke studied Sakura's expression, realising how entranced she was by the boy. "Sakura..."

She raised her head, blinking. "Nani?"

"Just making sure you were still alive," he teased. "I didn't know you got that way with babies."

"I don't...in fact I'm terrible with them," Sakura admitted. "But...there's something about him..." 'Maybe the fact that Sasuke is his guardian therefore you want to get closer to the child?' Sakura shook that thought off. "What's his name?"

Sasuke hesitated. "He didn't have one...so I had to..." He lowered his head. "I've never done it before..."

Sakura understood. The proud Uciha, suddenly with a child and having no idea how to take care of it. She wondered how he even managed? Not only that but he had to try and think of a name! Sasuke with fatherly instincts was highly unusual. He was too young for that.

"Ichiro..." Sasuke answered finally. "Means first son, so I found it quite fitting."

Sakura chuckled. "Are you really that simple minded?"

Sasuke smirked.

"So what's going on Sasuke?" Sakura asked him after a few seconds. She wanted to know the truth about the situation. Were these men attacking the land of ice because they wanted the child? Why else would Sasuke be so eager to hide him whenever he heard a noise from outside?

"The attacks on the village...they're because of me," Sasuke told her. "I know why they are attacking more than once. It's to drive me out of hiding, and make me move again so they can track me. I've been the safest staying in one spot; even if I have to resort to hiding Ichiro whenever there is a sound."

Sakura was surprised that the men hadn't found this place yet. Then again, they had only started attacking about two weeks ago, and this part of the forest was quite remote.

"Why do they want Ichiro?" Sakura asked.

"I can't tell you that," Sasuke answered. He slowly took the baby away from Sakura's arms. "You know too much already..." He turned to leave the room.

"Sasuke!" Sakura said, standing up straight.

He stopped in his tracks.

"You could come back with us! You would be safe, and for whatever reason they're chasing you they certainly won't go up against such a strong village like K-"

"I'm not going back," he said flatly, a stern tone to his voice. "You don't know who you're really dealing with."

Sakura raised her eyes, confused. "My mission was to find out why they're attacking and stop them! I have done the first part, now I need to finish the rest. I'm not backing out on this one! So tell me who I AM dealing with!"

"Telling you would answer too many questions that need to be left unanswered. I need to stay here until they find me," Sasuke replied, his back still facing in front of her.

"They'll keep tracking you!" Sakura said.

"I'll keep running. It's what I've been doing...I'm used to it now. And I'm not going back. If I did, they'd probably kill me."

"No they wouldn't!" Sakura protested. "Because...because..." She thought of the contract. Would it be right to tell Sasuke about it? Wouldn't it raise too many questions as it is? She couldn't make things worse for him. "I'd throw myself in front of any kunai that would come your way!"

Sasuke let out a small breath of surprise, as he widened his eyes slightly. Pursing his lips together, he turned and walked towards her still form. Her head was lowered, her eyes glued to the ground. She didn't want to look up.

He leant forward so that he was level with the side of her face. "Then I'll make sure I get hit," he whispered in her ear. Straightening up, he turned to leave once again. "I'm not risking it."

Sakura raised her head, glaring at him as he left the room. "Sasuke! What am I supposed to do?" She followed him out and back into the lounge, as he set down the child back in the cot.

Taking a seat on the sofa, he rubbed at his temples, already feeling the stress of a woman's loud voice. "It's getting dark. You can have the bed..."

Sakura raised a brow. "Huh?"

"You'll have to stay the night."

Sakura gritted her teeth together, twitching. "I what! N-no I can't! Naruto is probably out there looking for me right n-"

"Naruto is here?!" Sasuke exclaimed, sitting up, with wide eyes. "Why?"

"Duh! He's on my team!" Sakura snapped, folding her arms. "Kakashi and Lee..."

Sasuke made a frustrated groan at the mention of Lee's name.

"Are here too. You don't think I'd go here on my own, do you?" Sakura breathed in heavily. She fell onto the sofa beside him and sat back, her head against the cushion as she looked up at the sealing.

Sasuke turned his head to face her. "You can't tell them about any of this."

Sakura did not react to his words. She was too busy thinking about earlier, when she had accidentally bumped into him when fetching the girl's ball. "Is that why you walked away so fast?"

Sasuke was taken aback by her change on subject. "What do you mean?"

"You realised it was me when I bumped into you," Sakura told him. "If you didn't want any of us finding out, why did you save me in the first place?"

"I got away didn't I? You just found me. I was already on my way when I felt the avalanche and the men were coming down through the forest. Spotting you, they decided to attack you instead. One less shinobi to get in their way," Sasuke explained, his voice quiet. "It shouldn't shock you that I would have chosen to save you rather than protect my identity."

Sakura blushed. "So do you..." She bit her lip nervously.

"Do I what?" He asked breathlessly, turning away from her.

"Never mind." Sakura sat up. "I'll spend the night. But what about tomorrow?"

"We'll decide when tomorrow comes. Right now, we should all sleep. It's late and you need to rebuild your energy," Sasuke told her sternly.

Sakura stood as Sasuke did.

"When you sleep in the bedroom, do you leave Ichiro in here?" Sakura asked him as he tucked in the blankets a second time for his nephew.

"No, he sleeps beside me. He goes everywhere I go. I don't let him out of my site. If I'm cooking, then he'll have to be in the kitchen. If I'm in the shower then he has to be in the bathroom, I just move the cot in there of course to stop him from crawling into the toilet." He smirked at that.

"Isn't that being overly protective?" Sakura asked him, raising a brow.

"It's necessary in my situation," Sasuke said. "There should be a robe in the room that you can use for tonight."

Sakura gave a nod. "Sasuke...I'd rather you...stayed with me tonight."

Sasuke took a step backwards from the cot. "Why?"

"I like your company," Sakura admitted, though she felt embarrassed by saying so.

"I'll move the cot in the bedroom then..."

Sakura smiled in relief. He didn't mind her company. That was something.


Once Sakura was changed, Sasuke moved the cot into the bedroom, before checking to see if Ichiro had woken from the noise. Still sound asleep, he watched him for a few moments as Sakura climbed onto the bed and gazed out of the window.

Sasuke sat on the bed beside her, watching as she looked out in curiosity.

"I envy you for that one reason..." Sakura whispered so as not to wake Ichiro.

"What reason is that?" Sasuke asked her.

"The view out there...it's so beautiful. The snow is falling slowly and the moon is out. The sky is completely clear. It looks so peaceful..." Sakura admired the velevety sky as it stretched across the dim horizon. Tears of snow fell down gracefully like wings.

"Hn...it's just a view..." He lay back on the pillow.

Sakura lay back also. She felt tired. It had been a long day in her opinion. She had been travelling and fighting, both things which tired her out more than anything.

"How long have you been here?" Sasuke asked her.

"Came today," Sakura said with a small chuckle. "The leader is nice. The people are a little paranoid, mind you. You do realise that they think you're strange right?"

Sasuke smikred. "Never hung back long enough to listen to what they say. They are strange themselves."

Sakura felt sorry for Sasuke. Surely he must have felt lonely, despite having Ichiro for company? It must have been hard on his own. She wondered if he felt responsible for the destruction on the land of ice caused by these attackers. He hadn't even said a word about how it affected them. She turned over, pulling the blanket a little closer to her neck.

"Cold?" Sasuke asked, slightly amused. He had grown used to it by now.

"A little..." Sakura admitted, hunching up slightly. She suddenly felt an arm go round her waist, the palm firmly against her stomach. She could feel herself redden as his warm hand heated her up all over her torso. Even if the words couldn't be said...the feelings were still there. She wanted to hold onto him, but she wasn't sure how he would react to that after a year. Sure, his arm was round her, but that wasn't implying anything...was it? Sakura hated herself for questioning everything. She decided to take the risk anyway. She placed her hand on top of his and moved his hand slowly further up so she could put it between her neck and shoulder.

It was nice like this. It reminded her of the time at the hospital. A night she never wanted to forget.


Not as much action in this one but the next chapter, you will recieve one answer to one of the questions ;D, but there's still plenty more left to figure out! Chapter 8 is: Seeing what no one views