Chapter 10 – We Won't Hurt You

The next couple of days were long.

As Sakura had expected, Sasuke was not pleased about the new temporary addition to their team, but also as she expected, he said very little about it. It was simply in the way he held himself and the air he gave off.

Aiko had been unconscious for all of the first day while Sakura worked on her. Not only healing her but also gathering whatever information she could. The child had fairly large chakra reserves, but she was not skilled in using it, meaning she was either beginning to learn the basics or was from a shinobi background. Also, whoever had attacked her had been trying to kill her, meaning it was definitely not somebody trying to use her as some sort of spy. Sakura had made it just in time to save her.

Thankfully, there was a spare mattress due to Neji and Tenten sharing a bed, so after Tenzo had created another frame, Sakura set up the spare bed for Aiko, grateful that it was close to her own. The young girl, even in sleep, seemed terrified. And during the night Sakura had had to use a genjutsu to calm Aiko's mind, to stop her nightmares.

And then on the second day, Aiko woke up.

She panicked at first, thrashing around and crying out, but Sakura had managed to calm her down after a short while, helping her through breathing exercises that usually worked to calm her patients. Naruto had left when she first woke up to go and get the team (including Aiko) some breakfast, while Sasuke sat awkwardly on his bed, unsure of what to do. He was fresh from the shower, his brother having helped him to and from the shower area earlier that morning when the rest of the camp were all sleeping.

"Aiko-chan," Sakura spoke softly, brushing the hair out of her eyes, "you're okay. Remember me? My name's Sakura. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

There was careful hope in Aiko's eyes, a desperation that made her insides ache. "W-Who's he?"

Glancing over her shoulder, Sakura asked, "Who? Him?" Aiko nodded. "Oh, he's just my teammate." Sasuke huffed with annoyance. "And I suppose he's one of my best friends. He won't hurt you either, not only because I can be scary when I want to be, but also because he's not a bad guy."

Something about Sasuke seemed to have caught Aiko's attention as she shakily sat up, her body trembling with the effort. "What's wrong with your eyes?"

It didn't surprise either of them. After all, it would be kind of strange to see somebody staring down at the bed, but obviously not seeing what was in front of them. However Sakura knew that the question bothered Sasuke, as he gritted his teeth and scowled at the far wall. "He hurt his eyes, Aiko-chan." She gave the girl a certain look, silently telling her not to continue asking questions and, seeing his reaction, the blonde slowly nodded. "But I'm going to take care of both of you."

"Why?"

Sakura smiled softly. "I'm a medic, Aiko-chan. It's my duty to protect and heal."

Not too long after her words, Naruto returned with Itachi behind him, the pair of them carrying food.

"Here you go, Aiko-chan," Naruto exclaimed, handing the girl a tray filled with food while Itachi handed a tray to Sasuke. "And here's yours, Sakura-chan!"

When he leaned down, Sakura gripped his face tightly with one hand. "Don't even think about kissing me, Naruto."

Aiko giggled, but those giggles turned into laughter at the sight of Naruto's face. The way Sakura was squeezing it caused his face to look extremely odd. And in response to her laughter, the pink haired woman smiled brightly, looking down at her with warm eyes.

Sasuke inwardly sighed as he sensed Sakura's emotions. That instinct in Sakura, the one that made her want to help everyone, was going to be her downfall. Even though she had no children of her own, she still had a maternal streak and always, always, did everything she possibly could to help children, to heal them or even just to see them smile. But then again, that was what made her Sakura. If she didn't have that edge to her, that maternal instinct, she wouldn't care as much as she did. Kakashi had once called her the mother hen of their team, now that Sasuke thought about it. He just hoped Sakura didn't get too attached to Aiko.

"Aiko-chan, after breakfast I want to examine you fully, okay?" The girl paused mid–bite, looking confused. "Don't worry, I've healed the serious wounds, but I thought it best to wait until you wake up before I examine you further."

"She is a child, Sakura. Just get it over with and–"

"Shut up, Sasuke-kun," Sakura snapped, her eyes narrowing dangerously. Her anger stunned him. It stunned them all. She was like a lioness protecting her cub. It wasn't entirely his fault, though, so Sakura forced herself to calm down. He couldn't see the fear on Aiko's face, couldn't see that she was scared of being examined. "Listen, Aiko-chan. In order to make sure you're one hundred percent healed, I need to examine you fully. How old are you?"

Her hands were shaking. "E-Eleven." Their stunned silence must have caught her attention, as her eyes widened. "Did I… Did I do something…?"

"No, no," Sakura told her quietly. "You're just very small for your age, is all. I honestly believed you were only seven or eight when we found you. Now, I'm more determined to fully examine you, Aiko-chan. Yesterday I learned that you're malnourished, meaning you haven't been eating properly or eating enough for a growing girl your age. I promise that I'll take care of you. You can trust me. I simply want your permission before I examine you."

Brown eyes gazed around the room, landing on Sasuke first, then Naruto, then Itachi and finally, Sakura. "Do they have to be here?"

An understanding look flooded Sakura's features. "I'm sorry, but Itachi does have to be here. While we're here, he's in charge of us and we must do everything he says. As for Sasuke-kun, he's on strict bed rest. I can kick Naruto out because he'll only get in the way, anyway."

"Oi!"

Like she had been hoping, Aiko giggled again. "Itachi isn't going to judge you or hurt you, Aiko-chan. He's here so that he can help me. And remember, Sasuke-kun hurt his eyes, so he won't be able to see anything for a short while. And I'm definitely not going to judge you." Another understanding smile graced her lips. "Just so you know, I'm small for my age, too. I always have been. And because of that, I've had many of these examinations just to make sure that I'm healthy and at a safe weight for my age."

Aiko's brows wrinkled. "Safe weight?"

"You look a little underweight, Aiko-chan," Sakura murmured, reaching out and carefully placing her hand onto the girl's ribcage. "See this? I shouldn't be able to feel your ribcage like this. Yes, it's normal for it to show when you're breathing in, but not like this. This is not safe weight." Gently taking Aiko's hand, she placed it onto the lower half of her ribcage. It wasn't the right way to explain it, but it was simpler for a child to understand. "Now, feel this. You can't feel my ribs as easily as you can feel yours, can you?"

Slowly, she pulled back her hand and shook her head. "So… You're at a safe weight now, Sakura-sama?"

Sakura chuckled. "Just call me Sakura, Aiko-chan. And yes, I am. My team wouldn't have it any other way." She shot a darkening look over to the two men. "…Will you, boys?"

Instantly, Naruto paled and gulped loudly. "N-No… Sakura-chan!"

Sasuke merely grunted.

"You'll come to understand our Sasuke-kun." Sakura smirked down at Aiko, who was now staring up at her with wide, awe filled eyes. "He's not a man of many words. This-" she gestured to Itachi, "-is Sasuke-kun's older brother, Itachi. He's also not a man of many words. However," Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the however, "they're both men you can trust. I know I'm repeating myself, but I just want you to know that. Nobody here will hurt you."

"That's because they're all scared of you, Sakura-chan," Naruto grumbled.

Her dark look was back. "What was that, Naruto?"

"N-Nothing!"

"Idiot." Sasuke shook his head with annoyance.

Eventually, after eating their breakfast, Aiko agreed to the examination, although asked if Naruto could leave the room. She understood that Itachi had to be there and that Sasuke could not see, but there was no reason for the blond to be there. Naruto didn't mind and went to go and spar with Shisui again, saying with a growl that he had to get the Uchiha back for their last spar. Also, over breakfast, Aiko became much more comfortable with them, opening up a little bit more. Itachi was near silent, though, watching the young girl out of the corner of his eyes. It aggravated Sakura how closely he was watching her, but she understood that he was thinking of everybody's safety. Sakura was simply grateful that he didn't show how closely he was watching Aiko, how he spoke with her quietly when she spoke to him directly.

"I'll be back in a moment, Aiko-chan," Sakura told her. "I just need to go to the storage cabin and get a few things."

The moment she left, Aiko glanced around herself warily, biting her lower lip. Itachi could tell by the look in her eyes that she was nervous. It seemed that, even though Sakura had healed her earlier, she was still afraid. That was no surprise, for the girl had been unconscious while being healed, meaning she wouldn't know entirely what to expect.

"I had a friend who couldn't see out of one of his eyes before," Aiko suddenly told Sasuke, placing her hand over her left eye until she remembered he couldn't see her. He grunted. "Do they hurt?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because my medic numbed them."

She nodded. "Oh." There was a brief pause before she spoke again, her voice a little nervous. "Is Sakura-sama your medic?"

"Yes."

"Does she heal good?"

"Well, Aiko-chan," Itachi murmured. "It is 'does she heal well', not good."

Aiko pouted as she glanced up at Itachi, her nervousness causing her to ramble. "Why is your hair so long? Has nobody ever cut it for you?" When he merely stared at her blankly, her pout grew more pronounced. "It's longer than mine. And nearly Sakura-sama's too and her hair is really long."

Sasuke couldn't help but smirk and even though he couldn't see, he could just imagine the type of look that would be on Itachi's face. That made it more fun, really. Imagining his brother looking pissed off or offended, because knowing him, he wouldn't even show his reaction.

Suddenly her attention was back onto Sasuke. "Why can't you see?"

He sighed. "Why are you so annoying?"

"Sasuke," Itachi chided, going back to looking over his scroll and watching Aiko out of the corner of his eye. "It is not polite to pick on little children."

"I'm not a little kid," Aiko snapped and glared over at the older Uchiha. It seemed she had already forgotten what Sakura had told her about being small for her age, he noted. "My friend said that I'm a big girl. And a good girl! I bet you couldn't do anything at my age because you're just a boy. A mean, smelly boy with girl hair."

His smirk faltered for a second, his features twitched before Sasuke laughed. Not just a chuckle or a grunt, but an actual laugh. The girl had guts! Nobody had ever dared to talk to Itachi in such a way before. Oh Gods, Sasuke wished he could see his brother's face. "Yeah, Nii–san." Sasuke smirked. "I bet–"

"Sakura-sama!"

And once again, they had lost her attention.

She reminded them of Naruto. He had the same attention span.

"Itachi-sama is picking on me!"

Sakura shut the cabin door behind her and raised an eyebrow at Itachi. "You're picking on a child, Itachi?"

"Not at all," he replied smoothly. "Aiko-chan–"

"He called me little!" She pouted.

"And what did you call me in return, Aiko-chan?"

She couldn't help but laugh at Itachi. "What did you call him?"

A blush painted over Aiko's features, but it was Sasuke who replied, sounding incredibly amused, "A mean, smelly boy with girl hair."

It was from knowing Sasuke that Sakura caught the frustrated look that flashed in Itachi's eyes. Apparently he and Sasuke were more alike than either cared to admit and didn't appreciate being mocked. "I like his hair, Aiko-chan." It was Sakura who was pouting this time, even though Itachi could tell that it was a playful one. "Not a lot of men in my village take care of their appearance the way he does."

His eyes narrowed a fraction. "Sakura, are you insinuating that I–"

"Not at all, Itachi." She smirked impishly. "I'm merely saying you take care of your appearance, which is a good thing. You don't have to worry about seeming feminine. Sasuke-kun is just as bad."

Sasuke's smirk faltered. "Sakura–"

"Yeah, I remember one time, back when it was just the two of us on a mission, he spent nearly as much time as I did in front of the mirror."

His fists clenched and he gritted his teeth. "That was part of the mission. We had to be well-groomed and tidy looking. If not, then he would have refused to pay."

She sighed and pouted. "I suppose so."

"Mission?" Aiko repeated, her voice going quiet. "You're shinobi?"

Hearing the pain in her voice, the growing fear, had Sakura turning to face the young girl and sitting on the edge of her bed, giving her an understanding look. "We are. And I know that not a lot of people agree with our profession, they think of us as bad people, say we're evil, but that's not the case. Everybody here in this camp is trying to prevent bad things from happening." The fear still had not left her features. Shit, had she lost progress? "I understand if you feel uncomfortable around us, or if you fear us, but please know, Aiko-chan, I would never hurt you or allow you to be hurt."

Part of Itachi, a part he hadn't even known existed, ached at the beg in Sakura's voice. Why was she trying so hard to protect the child? Why did she look down at Aiko with such warm eyes, yet eyes filled with fear? Not just any fear, but the fear of rejection. Why was Sakura afraid of suddenly being rejected by Aiko?

"Every shinobi has a ninja way," Itachi told Aiko, the words falling from his lips without permission. It was simply too painful hearing Sakura begging the girl to trust her. "Sakura's is to protect her precious people, to save as many people as she can. She is not like other shinobi – she is a medic, a healer. If you cannot trust myself or Sasuke, you can trust her."

Sasuke was stunned to say the least. Unable to think of anything to say, he stayed silent.

"A-And what's yours, Itachi-sama?" Aiko asked quietly, her eyes nervously going from Sakura's to Itachi's. "Your ninja way?"

"Is to do what I must to protect my village and those who are a part of it."

"Sasuke-sama, what–"

"It is the same as my brother's, as Sakura's."

She bit her lip worriedly. "Is Naruto-sama's the same?"

Sakura gave a small, teasing smirk. "Don't let him hear you calling him that, it'll go to his head!" Then, she grew serious. "Naruto's ninja way is to not run away and never go back on his word. It's inspired a lot of people, now that I think about it."

Aiko shifted uncomfortably, her eyes falling to the bed. "I-I thought… that shinobi were b-bad people…"

With obvious hesitancy, Sakura moved further onto the bed, but immediately paused when the young girl flinched and instead of pushing any further, she stayed where she was and folded her legs beneath her, keeping her hands on her legs to prove to Aiko that she meant no harm. "Not all shinobi are bad people. Sometimes, they just make bad choices. All of my friends, despite what they do, are not bad people. We do what we have to, to make sure those who live in our village are safe, that they can live in peace and feel safe."

"Your village?"

"Konoha," Sakura said slowly, watching the reaction that played on Aiko's features. Her eyes had widened, but there was thankfully no fear in her eyes. "Right now, we're not on good terms with Iwa, which is why we're out here right now instead of back home. We're out here so that those in our village don't have to worry about a war starting."

It made her chest ache when Aiko's bottom lip began to tremble. "I-Iwa… Iwa-nin. They… T-They killed them…"

There was nothing Sakura wanted more than to grab Aiko and pull her into a comforting embrace, but the girl was still scared, she was still trembling and now, she was crying, too. Sasuke was silent, his eyebrows knitting together and Itachi was just as quiet, although now it was obvious he was no longer suspicious of Aiko. No child could put on such an act and there was no henge to make her seem younger. He would have sensed it immediately. But why had they not heard anything? Why had they not seen or even smelled the fire that had burnt the house to the ground? It just didn't make any sense unless something had gone wrong in the seal around camp. Itachi made a mental note to discuss it with the other captains later.

"Who, Aiko-chan?" she asked softly. "Can you tell us what happened?"

"Mama…" Aiko sobbed loudly. "Papa… They… Iwa-nin… They broke into our home and hurt them. I could hear mama c-crying and screaming… Papa wasn't moving…" She trembled once more. "She yelled at me to run a-and don't stop! I couldn't stop! But they c-caught me… with their weapons. They were laughing and t-then… M-My home… it was gone! And they were laughing. I tried… I tried to fight them, but… I couldn't."

And when the dam broke, when Aiko began wailing with the loss of her family, Sakura couldn't help but move forward and hold her tightly, whispering soft words into her ear, rubbing her back soothingly. Her eyes locked with Itachi's when she looked over Aiko's shoulder and he was stunned by the amount of emotion in them, by her tears. A second later and Sakura was closing her eyes and tightening her hold on the young girl.

"Aiko-chan," she murmured softly when the sobs began to quieten, "please allow me to examine you. I want to make sure you're going to make a full recovery." Pulling back, Sakura wiped Aiko's cheeks softly, wiping away the tears. "And when my role here at the camp is over and they no longer need me, I'm going to take you back to Konoha with me."

A hopeful smile pulled at her lips. "W-With you?"

Sakura nodded but quickly added, "If that's what you want."

"Sakura, you can't–"

"Don't, Sasuke-kun." She sighed, glancing over her shoulder at him. "This is my decision. I want to give Aiko-chan whatever I can to make her happy. It's the least she deserves. If I can take care of her, if I can make her feel safe and happy…" Sakura trailed off and turned back to Aiko, giving her a smile. "What do you say?"

Her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were tear stained. "I…" She turned her head away, biting her lip. "I don't want to become a shinobi."

Smiling softly, Sakura reached out and cupped Aiko's cheek, turning her face so that she was looking at her. "Then don't be one! There are so many other things that you can do in the village. Right now, however, you're at the age to go to civilian school."

Aiko groaned. "Do I really have to go?"

"Yes!" Sakura grinned. "Until you're sixteen."

Sasuke blinked in surprise. "I didn't know that."

"That is because you never pay attention to civilians, Sasuke," Itachi murmured. "While those at the academy stay there until they are twelve – or in other cases, until they have graduated – it is different for civilians. They stay in school until they are sixteen. No exceptions or early graduation."

The young girl watched Itachi for a moment before glancing up at Sakura. "…Maybe I should just be a shinobi. That way, I don't have to go to boring school!"

Sakura ruffled the girl's hair and stood up, going over to the supplies she had left on the dresser. "School isn't that boring, you know. I actually kind of liked it." Noticing Aiko's look of confusion, she shrugged. "I'm from a civilian background, so up until I was of age to enter the academy, I went to civilian school. It's honestly not so bad. Being at the academy was a lot harder." And traumatising, if she was thinking about those who had bullied her. "Look, we'll let you settle down in the village before making any decisions, okay?"

"You still live at home with your parents."

"Then I'll find my own place, Sasuke-kun." She had been meaning to anyway, just never found the right time. Now, the time had come.

"And what makes you so sure you can look after a child? You're a kunoichi. Not only that, but you're the Hokage's apprentice, one of the best healers Konoha has. You can't just give all that up," he argued, trying to make her see sense. Sakura had a habit of acting without thinking, acting on impulse and in the end, it nearly always got her hurt. She was an impulsive person. Had she even thought this through? Thought about the stress of bringing a child up? A child that wasn't even her own? Or… Was Sakura doing this because she wanted children? Sasuke knew she wanted children of her own, so was she doing this because of that want? "Sakura–"

"I've thought this through," she replied with a sigh, once more sitting on Aiko's bed. The blonde was watching her silently, watching to see her reaction. "I want to bring up Aiko-chan."

Just as Sasuke was about to say more, Itachi cut him off. "Allow her this, Sasuke. If Sakura wishes to take care of Aiko-chan then it is her choice. She is nineteen years old, meaning she is no longer a child."

"Lay on your back for me, Aiko-chan," Sakura murmured after sending Itachi a grateful smile. Slowly, unsurely, the young girl did so, her eyes a fraction wider than usual as she watched Sakura. She smiled. "Don't worry. Examinations don't hurt. It'll feel a little weird at first, because you'll be able to feel my chakra, but it's not so bad. I've been told my chakra has a comforting feeling to it."

"It tingles," Sasuke grunted, sensing that the kid hadn't calmed in the slightest. "The first time. It almost feels like pins and needles, only not as painful as they can be."

Itachi smirked. He had noticed that, too. Whereas Tsunade's chakra had a bitter feeling to it (due to how much she drank), Sakura's, the first time she had examined and treated him, had felt a little like pins and needles. That was only for the first twenty seconds or so, however. After it felt rather comforting. Her chakra, despite her rather vicious temper, was calm and relaxing. After you got through the pins and needles feeling, of course.

Moving to the side of Aiko, Sakura gave her another smile before summoning her chakra, her palms glowing green, and placing them over her body. She didn't miss the startled, scared look from Aiko, but thankfully the blonde didn't squirm or try to get away. Doing so while having chakra invading your body was extremely dangerous, depending on how badly you're injured or what part of the body the medic was working on.

She closed her eyes and concentrated hard. The reason why Sakura had asked permission before fully examining Aiko, was because the young girl had been showing a few signs of being sexually assaulted. Oh Gods, she hoped that wasn't the case! Starting with her chest, Sakura examined Aiko's heart and lungs closely, focusing entirely on them for a moment. The stab wound had been right around that area, had punctured her lung. Well, one of the stab wounds had. Altogether there had been around five of them, although a couple were not as serious as the rest. One could barely be counted as a stab wound.

Happy that Aiko was healing well, Sakura smiled to herself and moved upwards, checking for any possible head injuries that she could have missed. There were none. And after going over her spinal chord (despite having done so when healing her), Sakura moved back down, becoming more careful and hesitant as she did so. The wound on her side was almost one hundred percent healed, but it would be sore for a while, especially if she had suffered wounds such as these before. She numbed the pain for Aiko and beneath her, the girl grew more relaxed, letting out a quiet sigh of relief.

Sakura opened her eyes and looked down at Aiko's features. She had closed her eyes, looking as though she could be sleeping. Utterly relaxed. Her eyebrows knitted together. What if she found evidence, found wounds or anything else that showed Aiko had been sexually assaulted? It broke her heart just thinking about it. The girl was only eleven. But some monsters just didn't care how old their victims were.

"Sakura," Itachi murmured when he noticed she had slowly come to a stop in her examination. He knew because her hands had stopped moving and the green glow slowly began to fade. "Continue with your examination."

Biting her bottom lip, she nodded quickly, the glow increasing and her hands moving downwards. And finally, she reached her destination, the place that would show her answers.

There was nothing there.

She couldn't even help but smile brightly, truly happy that Aiko hadn't been abused in such a way, despite showing the signs of something such as that happening. Going over the girl's legs, Sakura healed the bruises and scratches on them as well as the grazes from where she had fallen over, before extracting her chakra, her smile still present.

"You're healthy, Aiko-chan," Sakura told her. "And you're healing nicely. I'd say one more healing session and you'll feel no pain at all."

Slowly her eyes opened and she blinked up at Sakura, seeming to absorb the news for a few moments before also smiling brightly. "Thank you, Sakura-sama!"

There was no use in telling her not to call her that. Perhaps over time she would grow out of it. "I have one question though." Aiko nodded. "Were your parents shinobi? Or skilled in using their chakra? You have rather large reserves and it seems like you've been learning how to use your chakra."

It was silent for a short while as Aiko stared down at the bed, remembering the things her parents had taught her. "They were retired," she whispered. "Papa couldn't walk anymore. Something happened to his legs. So me and Mama took care of him. We took turns going into the forest and hunting or getting firewood."

Which was most likely why her mother had been teaching her to use chakra. The forest was filled with many different creatures and not all were the type to just run away from a hungry child. Some were territorial beasts who were just as hungry. Also, her mother would have had to take into account that there could possibly be shinobi around – rogue-nin, too.

Aiko wiped her eyes before her tears could fall, her blonde eyebrows mashing together. "I tried using what… what Mama taught me… to fight the bad guys… b-but they were… they were too strong. They were… They were hurting her and Mama wouldn't stop crying. It hurt hearing her in pain. I didn't like… s-seeing them hurt her."

Showing signs of being a victim of sexual assault, only it hadn't been her who was assaulted. It had been her mother. The traumatised, pale look on her features, the wideness of her brown eyes, said it all. And Itachi knew that too. So did Sasuke even though he couldn't see her. They had both gone silent, although the latter's fists had clenched tightly, his teeth gritting, while Itachi's eyes narrowed a fraction and he took a deep, calming breath through his nose.

"I will contact Hokage-sama," the older Uchiha stated, standing from his seat. "Sakura, perhaps you should take Aiko-chan to use the showers. It is humid today and a shower will cool her off."

That sounded like a good idea. The young girl looked rather warm and was sweating lightly. They all were.

"What do you say, Aiko-chan?" Sakura asked. "Do you want to take a shower?"

She nodded, attempting to calm herself.

"Sasuke, I will come back in a short while and take you down to the facilities."

It aggravated him how he needed help going to the bathroom, like he was nothing but a child, but instead of showing his frustration, he instead nodded to his brother. "Later. I just had one."

Which meant when everybody else was asleep. He didn't like using the showers or the bathroom when the others were awake. If he tripped up or something, they would all see it.

Standing, Sakura made her way over to the dresser, going through it for a couple of moments before she picked out a few items. "These won't fit you, but they're clean. Itachi, if you can will you ask Tsunade-shishou to send a few things for Aiko-chan? I'll get her size for you soon." He nodded once and left, going to begin his report. "These are mine and they're probably the closest to your size than anybody else's."

Aiko frowned as she was helped out of bed and to her feet. "Won't you need them, Sakura-sama?"

"No, I'll be fine. I have several others," she told her, folding the clothes over her arm and holding out her hand to Aiko. The blonde took it after only a few seconds of hesitation. "Besides, if I run out of shirts, I'm sure Sasuke-kun or Naruto won't mind sharing theirs with me."

He scoffed. "You wearing my shirts?"

Sakura pouted playfully even though he couldn't see her. "Naruto's always smell like ramen, Sasuke-kun! Would you really put me through that sort of pain?"

"Yes. The last time you 'borrowed' one of my shirts, you never gave it back. And when I saw it in your home, it was stained with makeup and who knows what else."

She rolled her eyes and glanced down at Aiko. "Sasuke-kun is part of this powerful clan and he thinks that because of this, anything with his clan's emblem on, is sacred. Including his shirts."

Aiko giggled, much to his annoyance.

"Come on, then," Sakura told her, guiding her out of the cabin. "We'll be back soon, Sasuke-kun. Try not to miss us too much!"

This time, it was him who rolled his eyes as he grunted.

A/N - Sasuke explained in this chapter that Sakura has a habit of acting impulsively, especially when it comes to injured children who need help. It'll be further explained in the next few chapters. I hope you all picked up on something in here, too! If not, you'll just have to wait ;-)

I almost forgot that it was Wednesday today, which is update day. And since I'm completely up to date with all my coursework and I'm in an extremely good mood...

The first chapter of Until It Was Too Late is going to be posted. In case you've forgotten, it's the sequel to They Never Knew.

HOPE YOU ENJOYED AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! :-)