Chapter 8

"Fuck! Why does it have to be so damn hot in Sand?" Naruto moaned as they walked through town.

"Naruto, mind you manners while we're in public," Shikamaru sighed. "Jeez, I know we're pirates but don't go shouting profanities in the air like the average phrase. So troublesome." Naruto stuck his tongue out at his friend and crossed his arms. Sakura sighed and looked around the city; the only other time she had been in Sand was because of her one of her father's business trips. But she couldn't remember it being so hot before.

It had been a week after the whole native/island incident and they had finally arrived at the Sand country, home of the deserts and the thieves. Besides Konoha and Sound, it is considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world where even the bravest pirates dare not to go to. As soon as their ship had crossed into warm waters they could immediately tell they had entered in Sand territory by the intense heat. Sakura was trying to avoid Sasuke as much as possible after their little moment on the deck the past week, which was actually going good. . . .for her anyway. Unfortunately for the captain, things were not going so good; normally when he would be always yelling at someone for doing something wrong, he was staring off into space. That was definitely NOT the Sasuke they all knew and, er, loved.

"Well, at least he has the manners to talk to someone without falling asleep halfway through the conversation," Neji muttered rudely. Shikamaru caught it even though it was quiet and stopped, causing them all to stop and stare at them.

"Hey, Neji," started Shikamaru as he turned to him, his hair shading his face. "How's your little girlfriend doing? Last time I heard she was in the hospital due to a 'pirate raid' or so you say. What was her name again? Ah, TenTen, correct?" With each word Shikamaru uttered Neji grew angrier. Before the crew could do anything, Neji tackled him right in the middle of the street and started beating his face in.

"Shut the fuck up! You know nothing about her and what she went through! I'll kill you, you fucking lazy ass!"

"Then why are you holding back, huh? Prove to me you didn't beat her like everyone is saying you did!" Suddenly, Neji was pulled off of Shikamaru and thrown aside.

"Will you guys cut the crap already?" Sakura screamed. God, your insistent bickering is driving me up the fuckin' wall! Learn to be real men and talk it out instead of disgracing yourselves in public!" Everyone blinked at her as she yelled at them.

"Dude, she's scary when she's angry," Naruto whispered behind his hand to Sakaku. The younger teen nodded his head as he sweat-dropped. Sakura turned to them with a growl and they flinched back in terror. Blood dripped onto the cobblestone road in the empty street from Shikamaru's wounds and he wiped at them, his eyes downcast. He looked up at Sasuke to see what his reaction was, but all the raven-haired teen did was shake his head in disappointment. Shikamaru sighed and stood up, his back turned from them and his head bowed.

"I guess that was a little harsh to say. Sorry, Neji," he murmured. The pale-eyed teen stared up at him in shock before realizing that a hand was being offered to help him up. Shikamaru smirked as he watched Neji grab his hand and haul himself up. Sakura smiled and stared up at Sasuke, a knowing look in her eyes. Sasuke jerked when she stared at him and looked the other way, pretending to be searching for something. She stared up at him in confusion as he started to walk ahead without them.

"Let's go. We have to get the supplies before our ship is found and we're caught."

"But there's no one out here," Sakura inquired while looking around. Sasuke shook his head and continued walking, causing Sakura to frown. Nagato came up to her and put a hand on her shoulder before she went off on him. "Nagato?"

"Give him some time. He's obviously thinking about something judging by the way he's acting. Don't worry; you'll know in good time." Sakura stared up at him for a second then at the retreating back of Sasuke. Sighing, she started walking with Nagato on her heels after everyone who had already started leaving.


"Why are we staying this crappy motel?" Naruto asks, kicking the already cracked bathroom door. They had stopped and found the motel near the harbor so, if necessary, they could make a break for the ship of they were caught. Sakura sighed and stared at the messed up bed and did NOT want to know what the stains that were on it were.

"It was the only thing we could afford, Dobe," Sasuke sighed as he sat in one of the chairs near the window. The three of them were sharing a room while the other crewmembers were sleeping in the next room. Sakura stole a glance at the bed, then at the floor, then to Sasuke. Pointing to the bed, she stated:

"I'm not sleeping on that." Sasuke stared at the bed and noticed the stains on it. He shrugged and turned to her.

"There's nothing wrong with-"

"ARE YOU MENTAL? There could be freakin' diseases on that thing!"

"So you're saying you would rather sleep on the hard wood floor than in a comfortable bed?"

"DAMN STRAIGHT!" Sasuke shrugged again and stood up to stretch.

"Fine with me. Naruto, go get the crew and tell them to go get some food for the night. You go with them." The blonde glanced from around the corner of the bathroom, an eyebrow cocked in confusion. "Why?"

"Because I said so." Naruto groaned and marched from the room and into the other. After a few minutes, groans and yells were heard from the room but footsteps started down the stairs and a door was slammed moments later. Now it was just Sasuke and Sakura. It was silent until Sakura shuffled over to him and stared up at him.

"Why won't you talk to me like you used to?" Sasuke avoided her eyes and turned to sit on the bed. Sakura followed him and sat next to him, putting a hand on his arm. "Sasuke, if I did something wrong, then please tell me so I can do something about it. I don't like being in the dark because I can't do anything to help." He was still quiet, but he turned his head to stare at her with soulless eyes.

"Sakura, about the other day. . . ." Sasuke started, but Sakura didn't need to know anymore than what he just said. But, she listened anyway because she was interested now. "That was something that I didn't want to happen anymore than you did. If HE ever found out or even heard that I loved someone, he would come after the person that I loved and kill them." Sakura heard him emphasize "He" and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion,

"Sasuke, who's 'HE'?" Sasuke jerked when he realized he had just said that and shook his head quickly, his bangs swinging from side to side. Sakura grabbed his shoulders and shook him roughly. "Sasuke, who is 'he'?" Sasuke refused to look at her, which caused her to get frustrated and her grip on his shoulders tightened. Suddenly, she pushed him back onto the bed and jumped on him roughly and he grunted in pain. He looked up at Sakura and noticed that she had her eyes closed and there were tears on her eyelashes, but he could see she was suppressing them.

"Why must you keep everything to yourself?" she choked out. "Why am I always being kept in the dark?" Sobs tore from her throat unchecked and the tears finally slid from her eyes and down her cheeks. They came off her chin and hit his shirt in individual plops, making Sasuke's eyes widen as if he just now realized she was crying. Sakura lowered her head to where it was rested on his chest as she cried her eyes out, her hands curling into fists on his shirt. Sasuke exhaled softly and put a hand on the small of her back and rubbed it gently as she cried. He sat up slowly and folded his legs so that she was in his lap and her head was on the crook of his shoulder.

Sakura jumped slightly when she felt Sasuke shift so that she was in his lap but she didn't cease crying. Instead, she cried harder and put her arms around his neck to steady her. As she cried, Sasuke didn't say a word; he just let her cry it out like he always does. This time she wasn't hitting him but was allowing him to comfort her, which was a new thing for both of them. No matter how many fights they always start with each other, Sasuke had noticed them steadily becoming closer in the past month they had known each other. As he got older, he vowed never to get close to anyone ever since Itachi's arrest unless it was a crewmember, like Naruto or Nagato. But this girl was something he had never dealt with in his seventeen years as a pirate, even escaping from the guillotines clutches more than once.

Finally, Sakura's sobs simmered down to sniffs and she picked her head up to stare at him with shimmering eyes and a red face. Sasuke could feel his face get a little hot from her stare and he averted his gaze from hers. Sakura smiled softly and laid her head on his chest again and closed her eyes peacefully and sighed, making Sasuke snap his head to look down at her. Before he could move to let her get the sleep she desperately needed to get, Sakura latched onto his shirt to hold him steady.

"No. You're getting the sleep that you need as well," Sakura murmured into his shoulder. Sasuke huffed and looked to the other bed.

"You know there's another bed right there?" Sasuke sighed. Sakura shook her head and yawned slightly.

"But you're more comfortable," Sakura whined. Sasuke shook his head and relaxed seeing as how he was going to lose this argument. Sakura sniffed smugly and rested her head on his shoulder once again, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to indicate she was asleep. The heated room was over-bearing for Sasuke and he shifted to where he was facing Sakura. He heard her moan a little at the new position and pushed herself closer to him despite the heat. Shaking his head at her, he unconsciously placed his head on hers and let his eyes drift shut to the sound of the cicadas chirping outside.


"Shut up! You'll wake them, idiot!"

BONK!

"OW!"

Sakura squinted against the bright light that was coming from a candle next to the bed she was in, but stopped when she heard the voices and the footsteps walking around the room. Turning her head to the side a little, she saw the crew walking in with bags of food they probably stole from the market seeing as how they didn't have any money. Naruto was holding his head while Sakaku was shaking his fist at him, Sakaku apparently being the one that had hit him. Sakura looked up at Sasuke who was sound asleep, totally oblivious to the events happening around them. He looked like he did when they were in the native's camp and he had fallen asleep while she had been treating him.

Sasuke mumbled something in his sleep and pulled her closer to him unconsciously. Sakura blushed and was glad the crewmembers were out of the room. 'We are SO going to be busted when we get up,' she thought as she shifted. She smiled and fell back asleep but as soon as she did, Sasuke was awake and alert. 'Someone followed them here,' he thought. He immediately bounced off the bed causing Sakura to jolt awake and jump off the bed quickly.

"What is wrong, Sasuke?" Sakura cried as she ran after him. Sasuke marched to the crews' bedroom and slammed the open with a bang. The crew looked up from what they were doing and gave him a strange look as Naruto spoke up.

"What's up, Teme?"

"Someone followed you here." Everyone in the room jumped up and scrambled around as they searched for their valuables. Sasuke watched them run around as the grabbed the food they had just gotten and pack it up; he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and followed it to the owner. Sakura was staring at him with worried and he shook his head to try and calm her worry. Then, he grabbed the nearest person to him by his shirt collar; it was Sakaku and he look scared for his life.

"Why did you let someone follow you back?" he yelled.

"I swear I didn't know! We just went to the market and grabbed a few things!"

"You call THAT," Sasuke waved his hand at the large pile of food, "a few things? Someone could have seen you guys!"

"Sasuke," Sakura exclaimed. "Calm down! It wasn't their fault! Well, I guess it was, but you can't expect them to go and get food and not get caught."

"That's the thing I want them to do: Not to get caught!"

"They are pirates! What do you expect would happen if they were seen?"

"Hopefully not this!"

"Guys!" The two stopped fighting and they turned to Nagato who was standing at the door. He made a shushing noise and gestured towards the door where footsteps could be heard coming down the hall. There were two sets and they were each heavy, suggesting men and Sasuke suspected they were they ones that had followed them there. Taking out his sword, he pushed Sakura behind and placed his hand on the doorknob, waiting for the right moment for him to strike at the unwanted company. Then, when the footsteps were right at the door and came to a halt, Sasuke yanked open the door and brandished his sword, but only to stop with the sword in the air.


"Jeez, Sasuke," the oldest man said as he sat on one of the couches. "Is that anyway to treat an old friend?"

"I don't think the pirate life changes anyone that fast, Kankuro," Sasuke jested as they sat down. Sakura looked on in awe as she was faced with the Kazekage of the Sand and his right hand man. Kankuro Subaku was a year older than them but was the commander of the Sand Country's military and the older brother of the Kazekage. Gaara was Sakaku's age with red hair and the word "Love" written in Kanji. He sat across from Naruto who fidgeted under the immense pressure in the room; he, out of all the crew including Nagato and Shikamaru, the most politically known genius in the world, was chosen to help Sasuke.

"What brings you to Sand, Uchiha?" Gaara asked. His voice was void of any emotion that sent shivers down Sakura's spine. Sasuke raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"What else do I need from you when I come here?"

"Sasuke, you know our supplies are low, especially with that tyrant that comes here every few months." Sasuke's eyes narrowed dangerously but he didn't press further. "And with the war going on in the Pacific between Sand and Grass, our military rate has gone down very fast because I can't keep producing puppets like I use to. The enemy has caught on to our tricks and take the bodies of our allies and our own. It won't be too long before they get the courage to invade Sand."

"All we need is food and water and more weapons. Simple bread and something to drink and knives, or even a few small katana would be okay. We just need something to keep us going until we reach the next port."

"Wasn't all that food that your men stole from the market enough?" Gaara asked. Sasuke opened his mouth to say something to that question, but closed it when he realized it wouldn't be the smartest thing to say in front of the Kazekage. Sakura looked from him to the men sitting on the couch; finally, she stood up and smiled.

"Why don't I make some tea?" Kankuro grinned at her and nodded appreciatively. When she had left and gone into the room with the rest of the crew, which was alive with noise, Kankuro whistled and grinned at Sasuke.

"Where did you get a woman like her, Sasuke?" The captain looked away from him and turned his gaze to the door. There were a few shouts from the other room that sounded very much like Sakura and it sounded like she was yelling at someone who kept getting in her way. Sasuke smirked and shrugged.

"It is a long story that doesn't need to be repeated."

"Well, I understand you need a REAL place to stay," Gaara said with a smirk similar to Sasuke's. Sasuke looked at him with a surprised look and smirked, showing his teeth in more of a grin.

"That would be amazing if you could do that for us, Gaara!" Naruto exclaimed. The two men got up and walked to the door with the other two following behind them.

"Come to the palace in the morning," Kankuro said as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "And do NOT forget to wear a disguise of some kind. I don't want to arrest my own friend because he didn't heed my advice."

"Wait!" The boys turned to see Sakura holding two to-go cups that were filled with tea. "Don't you guys want your tea?"

"Sure, Miss…?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Sakura Haruno." Kankuro's eyes got wide and he quickly shut the door he had opened and stomped over to Sasuke. Grabbing his arm, he pulled him away from Sakura and Naruto and growled in his ear.

"Sasuke, have you gone completely mad?"

"Look, it was her choice to come with us," Sasuke scoffed. All of a sudden, Kankuro had him pinned to the wall by his collar, earning a surprised gasp from both Sakura and Naruto.

"Knowing you, you probably destroyed the ship she was on and kidnapped her. It was AGAINST her will, wasn't it?"

"Mr. Kankuro, please stop," Sakura pleaded. "It was my choice to stay with him until I could get back home." Kankuro looked at her from over his shoulder and then back to Sasuke.

"Fine." He let go of Sasuke and the captain fell to the ground coughing and rubbing his throat. The older boy sighed and walked up to her, staring down at her in interest.

"Miss Haruno, you know your father is looking for you everywhere, and he's even gone as far as asking other pirates to look for you. The bounty that was originally on this band of pirates has risen to an outrageous amount so can get you back safely. Are you sure you want to stay with them, because I can give your father a letter saying that you're going to stay if you do."

Sakura looked up at him, and then at Sasuke and Naruto. Then she smiled and shook her head.

"No." Kankuro kind of jerked at her answer, as if he was surprised she wanted to stay with them. "I will stay with the crew of the Sharingan. I know they are being hunted down and have a large bounty on their heads, but who is going to take care of them without me having to look after them?"

Kankuro started laughing and ruffled her short hair. "I like your determination, Sakura. You guys are welcome to stay in the palace until you get all your supplies."

"We are also having a ball in remembrance to the fallen soldiers tomorrow," Gaara added as they began to leave. "You are welcome to that, too. It is a masquerade ball, so you have your chance to have some fun while you are here. Good day to you." With that, the door closed, leaving them in silence once again.

"Well, I think that went well," Naruto grinned. Sasuke nodded his head and Naruto left the room to tell the others what had happened and to get some sleep. Sasuke sat on the bed he and Sakura had occupied less than thirty minutes ago and yawned.

"Why don't you get some sleep, Sasuke?" The girl asked. She sat next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder to show how tired SHE was. He smirked and shrugged lightly before falling back with Sakura still sitting up in front of him. Sakura smiled and trailed her arm back until her hand touched his leg, where she started rubbing it in circles and swirls. Sasuke sighed and he closed his eyes as she got up and laid down next to him, and she proceeded to rub his arm gently.

"You know what I need right about now?" Sasuke asked softly.

"Hm?"

"A massage." Sakura stopped rubbing his arm and sat up to look at him, a strange look on her face.

"Are you implying that I be the one to give you a massage?" Sasuke shrugged and yawned again. "You ARE aren't you?"

"So what if I am?" Sakura blushed and mimicked his earlier shrug while looking away. Finally, she huffed and got up, walking to her bed. Sasuke sat up, a disappointed expression on his face. "Is that a no?"

"Bingo, give the man a prize," Sakura muttered as she laid on her side, facing away from him. Sasuke scowled and flopped down on his back again; there was a five minute pause before Sasuke asked:

"Are you sure?"

"Good night, Sasuke."