Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 9

Sasuke disengaged from the trembling kunoichi, stepping back. Her hands slid down his shoulders slowly.

Sakura smiled weakly, taking him in; he no longer wore the Sound garb. A dark blue cloak with a wide hood covered most of his body, and his hair was still a spiky black, tinged with midnight blue. And those eyes that he tried so much to harden still carried that pride, and yes, warmth. She could see it. Few did. Yes, this is him. Now I remember. There are no substitutes.

"Sakura." She looked up at him, eyes tremulous but no longer weeping. "What are you doing here?"

She tore her eyes away from him. He was there… he knows why I'm here… how could he not know how badly I've wanted to see him, the sacrifices I've made for him… "I… I can't go back," she said roughly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You know why I can't go back, just as you couldn't…" She remembered. When Naruto was dragged back home with a hole in his chest, she couldn't believe what Sasuke had done…

Sakura raised her face to him, her look resolute. "I won't go back. There are some things you can't take back, Sasuke."

Sasuke frowned, looking away, a shadow briefly crossing his obsidian eyes. "Go home, Sakura."

"Home…" she spoke quietly. "Home isn't what it was before, is it?"

The sweet scent of her hair swelled on the morning breeze.

He pivoted quickly, turning his back to her. "You don't belong here. And I don't have time to escort you back to the village."

Sakura's jaw hardened. She angrily wiped away all remaining traces of tears from her cheeks, stepping toward him. "I'm not the same. I'm not the girl you left on that bench years ago."

Sasuke's hands curled into fists. "I am seeking only one thing, Sakura. One man." Turning, he closed the short distance between them, his voice low and deadly. "And I will do it alone. I do not need any distractions. It is not for you, do you understand?"

One man… Sakura's mind was suddenly thrown into turmoil. It was only in that moment that her brain truly formed the synapses that actually connected Sasuke, the boy she'd loved since she was twelve, to Itachi, the real, in-the-flesh man who offered her Sasuke's salvation; the same man who made it necessary in the first place.

They were so similar. The same aloofness, the same intensity… the same eyes that fought so hard to hide the soul behind them, the same words that wounded so badly… it was merely the root of their detachment from the world that differed.

Itachi sought power above all else; but something about him gnawed at her, and she didn't quite believe that he wasn't human under there somewhere. She had to believe he was human, despite his crimes, if there was any hope at all for her own redemption.

And Sasuke had only ever professed to having one goal. Murder. It was strange to think of it that way now. But no matter what Itachi had done, it was still murder. Sakura realized with a start that the only one of the three of them who had not yet committed the most heinous crime may well be Sasuke. But could she say that Itachi did not deserve to pay for his crimes?

If Sasuke is his brother's judge and executioner, why not judge me?

Suddenly Sakura had no idea what she could offer Sasuke. He would not change his lifelong goal. But if she aided him now, it would be an unbelievable hypocrisy. Her mind flashed to Itachi's desperate, needy caresses from the night before… she'd been delirious, and Itachi was so…

…so like his brother. Oh, kami… Sasuke has every right to judge me. And I'll let him do just that.

Her face went blank.

Sasuke watched her struggle with her thoughts. In the end, he'd expected more tears, more forced embraces, something… not this. He'd never seen this before from the soft, pink-haired girl he'd known. It just seemed…wrong. He had to end this now. The comfort of avoidance once again seemed the best solution. "Obviously there's no sense in talking with you. I don't know what you're doing out here, but I have other things to do." With that, he started walking away.

Suddenly he felt a painfully strong grip on his forearm.

He stopped walking and his muscles tensed, reflexively pivoting and withdrawing a kunai with his left hand in one smooth motion, not bothering to disengage his right arm which was still in Sakura's grasp.

His confusion began when the kunai met with empty air where Sakura's neck should have been. Of course he had intended only to scare her, but…

There was an audiblepop as the bunshin disintegrated, and a whiff of that sweet scent again as he turned his head forward, to find Sakura in front of him with the same blank stare.

Tch.

"Fine," Sakura said as he straightened. "If you want me to prove myself, I'm willing. What do you say, Sasuke?"

"What the hell are you talking about, prove yourself? I told you I don't know what you're doing out here, and I don't care. You go your way, I'll go mine."

"I think you docare, Sasuke. And if you don't, you damn well should. I have a debt to pay and I intend to see it done."

Who is this woman?! A deep scowl etched Sasuke's features. "I don't have time for this. Leave me alone, Sakura."

"No."

Sasuke was growing more and more impatient. His hands started to twitch. What is she after? "All right, what do you want from me, Sakura? You want to play stupid games? Fine. What do you want?"

"You say you seek 'one man'." Her eyes narrowed. "Have you ever heard of him being separated from his Akatsuki partner?"

Sasuke was briefly surprised. Apparently she'd been gathering intelligence on them as well. It was an issue he'd often considered, but he'd had no choice but to hope that he would find them separated one day. Or just hope that Itachi wanted Sasuke solo, too.

He mirrored her stance. "What are you getting at?"

"It's simple. I keep Kisame entertained while you deal with Itachi."

Sasuke smirked, a mirthless chuckle simmering below the surface. "Sakura, these are s-class shinobi. You're no match for-"

"Try me."

Sasuke ran his hands through his hair, throwing his head back. This is insane. "Fine, Sakura. But you need to leave me alone after this."

"Not a chance."

Something was definitely very, very wrong with the world when Sasuke Uchiha was speaking in full sentences and Sakura Haruno was monotonous and blank.

Very wrong, indeed.

Sasuke sighed. "Let's go."

It took only a few minutes to get a suitable distance away from the village; though Sasuke didn't expect it to last long, the locals likely wouldn't appreciate the scuffle happening right there in the square.

He turned to look at Sakura; she was carefully scanning the surroundings, her eyes darting rapidly across the landscape, at the ground, the trees, the sky. Finally she turned to Sasuke, her eyes roving his body; he wasn't entirely comfortable with it, but her expression looked more as if she was performing long division in her head than appreciating him. Her gaze paused on the grip of his katana.

She looked at him and raised one finger, as if asking for a moment. He raised an eyebrow.

Sakura reached into a pouch and withdrew a small scroll. Placing it on the ground, she made a fist and slammed it into the scroll's seal; in a puff of smoke, three weapons appeared; sai.

When the hell did she learn how to use those

Tucking them away in the small of her back and on the sides of her belt, she then reached into another pouch, producing a pair of long gloves backed in metal. She pulled these on carefully, ensuring they were secure at the ends by giving them a snap.

At this point Sasuke decided perhaps he should size her up as well.

Besides the obvious new weapons and the gloves (and the longer hair… and the fact that she certainly no longer had a twelve year old's body…) he didn't necessarily detect anything else different or out of the ordinary…

Wait a minute.

He started to count the number of pouches she wore. Typically, one might expect two, possibly three pouches. One for shuriken and wire, one for kunai, and one possibly for exploding tags and other little extras, like smoke bombs, soldier pills or scrolls.

Sakura wore five.

What is she carrying in those?

She regarded him mutely. It appeared she was waiting for him now. He had to admit, he was curious. Maybe even a little excited.

Sakura was distracted for just a moment. She turned to look at her shoulder suddenly, a smile playing at her lips. An emerald dragonfly had landed there, its iridescent wings humming softly. She turned to Sasuke now, her eyes burning, the challenge in them clear.

"All right, Sakura." He smirked. "Go."

He stayed stock still. She did the same.

It's a fool's game to take the first move. Seems we both know that.

A breeze blew across the field.

After a minute or so, Sakura simply shrugged, looked at Sasuke briefly, made a fist, and with a guttural scream, punched the ground.

The earth split with a raging growl, boulders rising from the dirt and a giant fissure speeding toward him.

Shit!

He jumped one moment too late, but managed to grab on to the edge of the rift, hoisting himself up and flipping out of the way of another massive depth charge, this one sending splinters of rock hurtling at him like arrows. His body kept flipping until he fell into a skidding halt, his hands steadying him.

What the fuck?! I've got to hide somewhere… one hit with that and it's over.

He took to the cover of the surrounding trees, perching in the elbow of a large aspen, panting slightly.

Sakura stood below in the middle of the destruction, grinning. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

She began scanning the surroundings; it didn't take long before her gaze fell on the tracks he'd left while retreating. She ran faster than seemed possible to the trail's terminus, her penetrating eyes scrutinizing the canopy.

She's not giving me any breathing room. I'll have to go on the offensive. Fine with me. Two can play this game.

He appeared behind her quickly, fully expecting a replacement this time, so he withdrew his katana from its sheath before he'd even reached the spot, and executed a full 360-degree spin with blade extended the moment his feet caught earth.

She was gone. He smirked viciously.

What goes up…

He dropped to his back, preparing to send her launching back into the air as she fell on him, but what came before her body was a rain of senbon, and after that, all that appeared above him (after he registered the pain in his kneecaps and elbows) was a puff of smoke.

The ground shook for a split second before he realized the ruse, rolling out of the way as Sakura's fist emerged from the earth. This maneuver only caused the needles to sink further into him.

Now he was simply enraged. Sakura saw the change in his demeanor and dropped into a defensive crouch, withdrawing her weapons, evidently content to see what he'd do next.

Sasuke charged her, his katana gleaming. He executed short jabs and slices to test her defenses; she deflected the weapon against her dual sai easily, never seeking to counter.

One of Sasuke's knees gave out, just for a moment.

The senbon… shit, did it hit a nerve? Sasuke's eyes widened.

It was exceedingly poor timing to suddenly realize why she wore five pouches. His sparring matches with Kabuto sprang to mind. Fuck. She's a medic.

Whatever she'd hit, it was enough to slow him, just a little. Enough that she finally took his latest katana attack and turned it into a smooth disarm, running her sai up the blade and twisting, hard, the pointed tsuba catching his weapon and making it fall to the ground with a clatter.

He rolled out of the way as she stabbed the sai in her right hand toward him. It was a clumsy move, but it only served as a front for the real one, which was her throwing the sai in her left at him, the wicked point of it spinning precisely end over end. He was pissed. He ducked quickly and subtly formed hand signs as he rose, taking the opportunity to counter with a ninjutsu, the Uchiha specialty.

"Grand Fireball no jutsu!"

He registered briefly that perhaps it was overkill; a shadow of worry crossed his face as the fireball barreled forward, he stumbled along with it, losing ground to its speed, trying to make sure she didn't catch the full brunt of it…

Suddenly Sakura emerged from the center of the inferno, her hair flying in the heat and her body steaming.

Is she… how did she…

She simply rushed at him now, dodging his incoming kunai like an acrobat, and when he realized that not a one hit the mark, he decided to throw shuriken; her hands flew into several seals, and this time, for some reason, she didn't dodge. Not at all, not one.

Oh, shit, Sakura, what the hell…

When she had closed in, ten strides away from him, she stopped running, and simply walked. Her body was bristling with the blades he'd just thrown, at least ten of them, blood oozing from the wounds. One of them had hit her neck.

"Sakura, what… why didn't you dodge…?"

His eyes widened. With each step she took, the shuriken fell out of her body one by one, tinkling to the ground, and each wound closed itself cleanly, steaming, chakra glowing gently from each sealed bit of flesh.

By the time she reached him, every hole was gone.

Sasuke simply stood gaping.

"Well, Sasuke?" She said, wiping a bit of blood from her lip with the back of her sleeve. "Is that enough?"

Sasuke closed his mouth with a faint but audible snap, narrowing his eyes. "I didn't go all out."

"I know," she replied. Sakura wrapped her hands behind her back and leaned in slightly, whispering. "Neither did I."

YES! DAMN that felt GOOD! Inner Sakura spoke up, for the first time in many years.

Sakura's sideways smile planted itself on her lips as she sat down on the ground in front of Sasuke, examining more carefully any wounds she'd received. She was pleased; everything had healed cleanly, and the fireball hadn't even singed her hair.

He probably thinks that little trick was a medical ninjutsu… hah.

Really, she hadn't used any of the more "impressive" jutsu she knew, the more complex ones that took time and a great deal of chakra to execute. The one that saved her from the fireball was one that simply attracted all nearby moisture to her like a magnet; she'd effectively made herself a human sponge to prevent anything from catching on fire. In Rain Country, there was always plenty of water. She had a wide range of small jutsu like these, mostly practical, for putting out campfires and such. But, extended just a little bit, they could be used in battle.

She looked up at Sasuke, who was still eyeing her. "Here, sit down, let me fix your joints."

For once, he didn't argue, he simply dropped, keeping his knees bent; he probably couldn't have straightened them at that moment if he tried.

She leaned over him carefully, her hands glowing gently with a pale green chakra. As one hand healed him, the other slowly removed the senbon. She had a momentary flash of another fight where Sasuke had fallen, prone and bleeding to these deadly little weapons. She concentrating on restoring the ligaments for the moment, though; her attacks had only been to disable him, so it was reasonably quick work.

She looked up to find Sasuke quietly watching her. She had to check herself, bite back the reflex to leap into him; there was that softness, that she was certain no one else had seen.

But she knew now how foolish she was to think she deserved it.

Maybe that really is all in my head anyway.

"There," she said, sitting back and wrapping her arms around her knees. "You should be back to normal now. Everything moving all right?"

Sasuke experimented with his knees, his elbows. He nodded shortly, leaning back and looking into the sky. "I never promised you I'd go along with your offer, you know," Sasuke stated bluntly.

"I know. But I also promised that I didn't care whether or not you agreed."

"Hn."

That's about as close to an agreement as I can expect.

Sasuke turned to her again. "Is this where you're living?"

Shit. I have to think fast… the truth is utterly unacceptable. "Oh, yeah, I'm just over that-a-way, living with the Akatsuki, making them tea."

Without missing a beat, Sakura replied. "I don't really have a permanent home here. I travel around the area, tending to the farmers and their families when they're sick or injured, and bringing them supplies." Not bad, Haruno. "What about you, Sasuke? What brings you here?"

"I followed an Akatsuki here."

Sakura's heart skipped a beat. She tried to keep her disquiet from showing on her face, in her gestures. "Oh? Which one?"

He glanced at her before replying. "I don't know the name; blonde hair, rides some sort of bird… he got away."

She ground her teeth to keep from gasping… Deidara's words echoed through her head: "The little shit caught up with me! Fuck, Itachi, what's up with the cat and mouse, yeah?"

Sakura managed to simply nod.

"I can't find any clues as to where he might have gone. Everyone acts as if they've never seen or heard of any of them," Sasuke said. He rose to his feet. "At this point I think it's best if I moved on from here." He looked down at her, exasperation showing on his features. "Sakura, you can't be serious about this."

What's Deidara doing luring Sasuke here? Obviously Itachi knows about this too. But… it's easier if I know exactly where Sasuke is, and if he's close; once I get the information I'm waiting for, I won't have to hunt him down… and now that I'm with him, I… damn.

"Sasuke… for today, at least … will you help me ready the supplies? Maybe if you came with me on my route, you'll find some clues?" Great, Haruno, you don't have farmers to take care of. Where the hell are you going to take him? She halted her thoughts. Not as if he's going to accept anyway.

"Hn."

They spent the afternoon wandering the small, slightly dirty market square of the village. The rain had started up again, so they ducked in and out of the shops as the squalls ebbed and flowed, Sasuke insisting on carrying her satchels as they expanded.

Hmph. He did see me blow up rocks, didn't he?

At each stand and store they stopped at, Sasuke would speak quietly to the owner or whoever was manning the shop. Sakura watched them all listen intently and shake their heads, and Sasuke would move in behind her to take up the satchels again.

This is bad. I've been here before… so far it doesn't look like Sasuke's making any reference to me, though.

Evening fell and the air grew cooler, the rain not letting up; Sakura was lacking raingear, her clothes now completely sodden and frigid.

They made their final stop; a small stand that appeared to have the freshest produce available, though that wasn't saying much. Still, it should stand up for a few days…

She heard the hushed tones as Sasuke questioned the older woman who was stocking crates behind the stand.

"Oh, oh yes! I do believe I have seen a young man that looked like that, although he hasn't come regularly for the last couple weeks or so. He used to come every week!"

Sakura dropped back, out of sight, her blood pumping hard as she replaced all the fruit she'd been picking up. She could not be seen by that woman. Sasuke was no doubt describing the Akatsuki robes to them as a means of identifying them… Dammit, who would ever imagine we'd be in the same place at the same time…

Itachi… Deidara… cat and mouse…

Sasuke returned to Sakura's side. "Looks like I've got a lead. Come on. We'll go back to the inn. I've got rooms there," Sasuke intoned, guiding her along the pathways outside to a large, wooden building, three floors high.

The doors squealed open in protest as Sasuke waited for her to enter, closing them behind her and tramping up the stairs. She followed obediently, sighing a little as a tiny bit of warmth seeped into her exposed skin.

They entered his room; no, more a suite of rooms, but very humble. The bedroom was the main area and included a cheery fireplace, directly in front of the open door; there was a small kitchenette off to the right, and a bathroom to the left.

Sasuke dropped the heavy satchels and plodded toward the dressers; pulling out a white t-shirt and a pair of khaki jogging pants, he threw them at Sakura, who caught them, her cheeks flushing a blazing pink. He cocked his head slightly at her for a moment, then walked into the bathroom, taking out a towel and drying his mass of wet, spiky hair.

"Go ahead." He gestured minutely toward the bathroom.

"Thanks," Sakura replied quietly, shuffling rapidly to the bathroom and closing the door. She changed quickly, removing everything she'd been wearing and hanging them over the bathtub's edge. She looked at her waterlogged items for a moment, eventually covering her under things with her shirt.

His clothes were soft and blessedly warm, and too big. Good.

She emerged from his bathroom wringing out her hair and breathing a sigh of relief.

Which was quickly eclipsed by an awkward silence. Sasuke just stood there looking at her, his brows faintly knit.

"Sasuke, are you hungry?"

"I can go get some take out." He started walking to the door. "Wait here, I'll-"

"Wait! Wait, I can just make something. That way no one has to go back out into the rain."

He nodded, following her into the kitchen as she grabbed up one of the satchels full of supplies. As she began putting together the makings for a soup, she glanced over at Sasuke again; he was watching her.

She clenched her jaw. "Is there something wrong, Sasuke?"

"No."

Slice, slice, slice.

"What do you know of Akatsuki, Sakura?"

Slice, slice, slice. To her credit, there was no change in the cadence of her movements as her deft fingers expertly controlled the blade. "I have gathered some information here and there." She paused and looked at him. "But it sounds like you have fresher news."

He leaned against the wall and looked at her impassively. He looked to the ground now, seeming as if he was deciding whether or not to say something. "Where did you learn medical ninjutsu?"

Sakura smiled, pausing for just a moment in her motions. "Tsunade-shishou." My shishou must despise me so much. Her brows sank, and the smile faded.

"The Hokage?" Sasuke's voice held just a hint of surprise.

"Hm."

There was a lull in the conversation; Sakura was bursting with questions, and things she wanted to say to him, but she knew better. Besides, the more she spoke the more likely it was that she'd trip up on the wires of lies she'd laid today.

Oh, kami, my head hurts.

She wiped at her forehead with the back of her hand, and finishing the slicing, dumped it all into the pot with the herbs, and set it to boil.

Turning, she felt a strange burning sensation on her finger. She shook it, finally looking down.

"…Sakura?" Sasuke's voice questioned as he watched her shaking her hand.

Her heart galloped to a full panic. She turned, ready to sprint, trying to unobtrusively cover her ring finger and keep it out of sight. "Oh, shit… I… I have to go…" What does this mean? Does he know I'm here… with Sasuke?

Sasuke's brows knit, and he seized her arm as she tried to sweep past him. "What's going on?"

She halted briefly and looked at him, desperately trying to calm the terror behind her eyes. "It's… one of my patients. I told them to alert me if they took a turn for the worse. I have to go…" She ran to the bathroom, changing back into her wet clothes. It would not be a good idea to show up at the compound in some strangers' clothes.

Exiting the bathroom, she hurriedly took up her satchels and opened the door.

"Sakura." His voice held authority. She stopped but did not turn. "You can't go alone." Sasuke said with finality, pulling on his cloak.

"NO." Now Sakura was just angry; she stared him down. "Sasuke, I've been getting along just fine for a year without your protection. Look, just stay here. Just stay here and follow that lead; I'll be back as soon as I can. If you have to leave, leave word for me here. All right? I'll follow."

He took a step forward, seeming to fight a part of him that still sought retreat. "This is ridiculous, Sakura. I'd just as soon leave you here if I need to go." He meant to wound. His face was hard.

Sakura smiled widely, remembering their sparring match. "I don't believe you," she said sweetly. "I'll be back," and she closed the door and sprang out of the inn and out of the village as quickly as she possibly could.

By the time she reached the complex, it was very late. With the cloud cover she couldn't tell just how late.

The only thing that had remained dry was the waterproof satchels she'd bought for the supplies. Her entire body shook, her lips were frozen and her hair hung in limp pieces over her forehead and shoulders. She was tired, she was cold, and she was scared.

How am I ever going to slip anything past him?

As she approached the doors, she harbored a tiny hope that he might simply consider this a warning and leave her be.

He was not waiting for her there. Good sign. She followed the murky corridors to the kitchen, dropping her satchels with a sigh. She waited a few wary moments, shivering. Exhausted and confused, she began unpacking the groceries.

The next moment her back was pushed against the wall, the wind nearly knocked out of her, not as much from the physical force but the sheer shock and surprise. She was hemmed in, hands on either side of her head, warmth radiating off him in waves.

She was shaking violently. Before she could speak, one of his hands rose to her face, his thumb brushing softly over her trembling lips. He stepped in closer to her, and she couldn't help but breathe in the heat of him.

"You disappeared." He spoke, velvety and quiet.

"I… needed to think."

To this he said nothing, but merely watched her eyes, boring into her heavily.

There is nothing I can hide from this man if he does not wish it hidden.

He stepped back then, slowly, withdrawing his warmth from her. He stood, two feet away, saying nothing.

And then he simply walked away.

Sakura sunk against the wall, hugging her knees. Now what?

A/N: That was a long one. I dunno about you, but I've always dreamed happily about Sakura finally getting to show Sasuke that she doesn't suck. I can't wait for that to happen in the manga… well, OK, if that ever happens :P Hope you dug the fight scene. And before you say "WTF HAXXORS", dude. Srsly. She's been trained by the friggin' Hokage, so yeah, she kicks ass. If any 3 characters in the story have hax, guess what? She's among them.

Anyway, PLEASE show your support for the story, if you dig it at all – PLEASE REVIEW! I'm gettin' dang lonely here.