A/N: Hi Guys! Sorry for taking so long to add up some chapters, but I had a few finals that I was studying hard for so I had to put this off for later. But I will try to post up a couple more chapters, revise a few, and even make a few one fics. I thank all that have been so patient with this fic! Please R&R and lemme know what you guys think! =]]

Chapter 9: Secrets

It was the same dream. Sakura was running down a long corridor, searching for something just like that last time. But there was only one door, white, just like the walls surrounding it. She reached it in no time, catching her breath in the process, and opened it, bracing herself for what she knew was there.

It was pitch black, with nothing visible to the eye.

'Where are you?' she asked herself. She waited for the floor to disappear, for the walls to break. But nothing happened. "Where are you… Sasuke?"

"Where I should be…" A voice hovered over her, making Sakura freeze. She slowly turned around to see him, not realizing that the light was from him. He was giving so much light, comforting Sakura. He walked to her as he covered her with his warmth. This dream was nothing like before; it was far from being a nightmare. No matter how warm it was though, she couldn't get warm to get comfortable. Slowly, but surely, Sakura thought, it was getting colder with every passing minute. Just then she remembered the snake from the old dream, and tried to break away. But Sasuke wouldn't let her go. He gripped her again. It was a trap, he coaxed her into his arms just to grab her. The snake opened its mouth to show its piercing fangs, dripping with venom, ready to strike.

Sakura yelled as she jumped away from where she was sleeping, her kunai ready to pierce any snake that was going to attack her. Sasuke, surprised that she was up, was composing himself as he stood, brushing himself off, puzzled as to why Sakura had a kunai.

"Nightmare?" He asked.

"Yeah." She said

"What about?"

"You…"

"Was I the bad guy?"

"… Sort of." She answered.

"…" He really didn't know what to say to her. That last he wanted was to cause her anymore pain than what he had already done to her.

"What happened? Why are we out here?" Sakura decided to change the subject; it didn't feel right to continue telling him about her nightmare.

"I overreacted to the tea, and threw you out the window."

"Oh… then what?"

"I caught you from hitting that tree." Sasuke pointed at the tree, "And then you knocked out."

Sakura followed his finger and remembered how the healing process was a success. He must have been good as new to have saved her from hitting the tree. She walked up to him, slowly putting down the kunai that she was holding, to make sure that the wound healed up nicely. Sasuke stood still, waiting to see what the prognosis was.

"Looks good. I guess that's it then." Sakura sighed. She began walking further into the forest, until he caught her arm again. "Let go Sasuke. Or else." She warned him.

"Or else what, Sakura?" He asked. Jade clashed again with onyx as she stared him down. She had enough of this.

"I am leaving. I am going back to my village, where I belong. I have to. That's all that you needed me for, and I have done my job. Other people besides the almighty Uchiha prodigy need me. Naruto has the same wound as you did and no one knows how to heal him besides me! I am the only one that studied that forbidden jutsu! Even though Tsunade-sama told me not to, I had to, to save him!" A tear slowly fell off her as she had no other choice but to plead. "Please Sasuke, he's my best friend, he's been there for more far more many times than I have been there for him. It won't be fair to him if I'm not there for him now."

Sasuke was still waiting to see if she still had more to say. She was far from done, now that they were alone; Sakura had to ask about their previous encounter.

"… What happened… between us… that one night that we were alone? Why were you… so close?"

"…I think you know…"

Sasuke loosened his grip on Sakura, who turned to look him straight into his eyes. His hand wiped off her tears, so delicately, as if she were something so fragile. She shivered to his touch, as he rested his palm on her cheek. He raised his other hand to wipe off her other tears as Sakura closed her eyes. Sasuke leaned in to take that unforgettable scent of cherry blossoms and strawberries in his nostrils again. He wanted to capture this moment, knowing that what he was about to do could change everything around him. He leaned in closer to see that if what she smelled like was what she tasted like. His lips pressed lightly on hers, waiting to see the reaction that she had. Sakura felt his cool lips on hers, and she slowly pressed back into the kiss. He pulled back only to be stopped as she wrapped her arms around his neck, locking her gaze on him. Sasuke leaned in as Sakura pressed harder onto him, grabbing his hair in her fists as he began to kiss her deeper. Before he knew it, by sheer force he rammed her up against the tree, kissing every part of her face and back on her mouth again. Sakura kept at it as well, kissing his neck as she was caressing his back.

"Sasuke-kun…" she breathed his name.

Sasuke tensed and broke the passionate moment by pulling back and throwing Sakura on the floor, borrowing a kunai from her pocket to throw into the forest. His sharingan burned through his eyes, trying to see any sudden movements. Sakura, oblivious to what was happening, stayed behind him, breathing heavily and trying to collect herself as to what just happened.

"It's just us." Suigetsu called. "We have been looking for you guys for a while now. You threw her pretty far."

"We're fine." Sasuke called back. "After I caught her she knocked out and so I let her rest in the forest." Sasuke turned back to lift up Sakura, the apology shown through his eyes.

"I'm fine" she whispered to him, as she took his hand to rise from the ground.

"So, now what do we do boss?" Suigetsu asked. "You're all healed now by the looks of it. Are we gonna continue looking for Itachi now or are we simply gonna let you rest for a lil bit more?"

Sasuke looked at Sakura who stared back at him. He knew what she wanted, and he might as well let her have it.

"Sakura and I are going to Konoha. We'll be back in a few days. Tell Karin to start tracing Itachi's chakra." Sasuke sat down and pulled out a piece of paper, drawing a seal on it. "If Juugo acts out use this to suppress him." He handed the seal to Suigetsu, who was still trying to figure out what he said or what he was doing. "Sakura you can go ahead, I'll catch up." She saw Sasuke and noticed that he wasn't lying, and had to say something.

"Whoa, wait a minute. What's going on? You said that you needed me for my abilities, what the hell was that kiss-" but was broken off as Sasuke placed his hand over her mouth, shutting their secret romance from prying ears.

"Go. I'll catch up later." Sasuke let go of Sakura who jumped into the trees and was heading toward her village.

"What the hell are you doing? Why are you going to Konoha when you have unfinished business with your brother?" Suigetsu asked, but the question was pointless as he suspected what had to be true.

"I have to make sure I bring her back. She's going to bring some books and herbs from her house. We'll be back in a couple of days. Tell Karin what I told you. Don't come after me, we'll come back." And with that final instruction was following Sakura to a home he hadn't seen in years.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Naruto slammed his fist hard on the steel table, as clear blue eyes stared upward in disbelief to the people that were sealing his other teammate's fate.

"This is ridiculous! There's no way Sakura-chan would ever betray the village!" he yelled at them. "Tell them granny! Tell them how she has protected this village countless times, putting her life in the line before anything else!"

Tsunade looked at Naruto as sentimental as she could. She knew this was ridiculous, the fact that the Elders were declaring Sakura as a traitor to this village. She knew that was simply not the case.

"Naruto has a point. There is just no way could Sakura betray the village, she cares too much for it. if that were the case she would have left the same night the Uchiha boy did, over 6 years ago! I don't mean to disrespect but you're wrong." She gave them her stern look, the same one that was plastered on Naruto's face.

"There really is no reason for us to be wrong, Tsunade." The elder man announced, "Is she here? Treating his wounds? No. She isn't. From what I heard she is no longer in this village. Didn't you also discuss with us that you were done sending them from missions that involve the Uchiha boy's retrieval?"

Tsunade stood up from where she was sitting and approached them, "Yes, I did. But that's not the point. You both are jumping to conclusions on a student of mine that I know would never dream of hurting this village. There is the possibility that she was kidnapped for her medical jutsu abilities! Haven't you ever considered that theory?"

"Yes we have, but there is no evidence, or was there ever a sign of a struggle. All shinobi know to leave a trail or something to show anything of what happened, whether good or bad. Just as long as the sake of the village is protected. All that we have is that she left the hospital one night and never returned back to the hospital. We have sent ANBU to investigate if she is anywhere near here, and so far no results have showed up. How do you back up something or someone that disappears into thin air?" The elder woman looked at the fifth Hokage, her face never changing, keeping that serious glare of hers.

"Tsunade, we chose you for this position because we know that you love the village, and will do anything to protect it from any harm. Even in this case." The elder man explained; his face apathetic. "You have to realize that we are doing this for the safety of the village." He slowly rose up and gave his hand to the other elder's hand, assisting her up. "From this point forward, we will handle this matter. We will let ANBU know that the search is up, and that she will become a missing-nin, and have them take her out." He told Tsunade, who rose her eyes to meet his with disbelief.

"Wha-What did you say?" She stammered.

"We cannot keep letting people break away from this village. They will give too much of us away. We let go of the Uhciha and tried to bring him back with no success. But he doesn't matter anymore, so we let him go. Sakura on the other hand, holds many special medical techniques that only you yourself could have taught her no? And lets not forget the relationship that she has with the Kyuubi" he nodded in Naruto's direction. "It is simply a risk that we are not going to take."

"You can't do this!" Naruto cried. "She is my best friend! And although I couldn't save one of my best friends, doesn't mean that I'm gonna let the other one go too!" he stood as quick as he could only to fall back down, the strain being too much on his body as he yelled in pain.

"Shizune get him out of here! I'll personally tend to him once he's back in the hospital." Tsunade instructed her other pupil. "As for this matter" she said to the elders "it's far from over. I will handle it my way. I will find her, so stay out of it."

"It's too late for that Tsunade," the elder woman told her, "ANBU has already received the message and is planning to head out, and they probably already did for that matter."

"Call…them…back…" Tsunade huffed.

"If you feel you can, then do it. We will always put the village first before anyone, and everyone. Remember that, or we will give this position to someone else." The elder forewarned.

Tsunade said nothing. What was there to say? She simply bowed as respectfully as she could excusing herself only to smash the doors that was in her way to go outside and breathe the cold night air.