A/N: Hi guys, I know this update is a little soon, maybe its because I just really want to finish this. Hope you enjoy this one and as always, please review! Means a lot to me!

He got off Gamabunta and tied his reins to a tree, running his fingers through his silky mane before rewarding him with an apple. "Good boy." While Gamabunta wasn't as fast as Manda, his speed was still impressive, and got Naruto in Shiro in just over an hour.

As he leaned across the tree behind him, contemplating his next move, his blue eyes flickered to the building in front of him. It wasn't hard to find Sakura's whereabouts once he reached Shiro. The town was small enough that everyone knew everyone and each other's business, and all he had to do was visit a local bar and ask about Yuki. Naruto turned over his conversation with the barman in his mind. He was sure Yuki was Sakura. Her pink hair and green eyes were a dead giveaway, and the timing of her appearance and how nobody seemed to know much about her except for her singing talent further cemented the fact. She worked at the local brothel, not as a courtesan, he had been told, and at this, a weight he didn't know he had been carrying for the past hour lifted; but as a singer, and if you were lucky enough, an escort. His fists clenched and unclenched as he thought about how scared she must have been when she first set foot here.

Hiro, he had found out, was once a traveller, who had settled down in Shiro five years ago and built a life for himself here. Naruto was relieved to hear that he was a kind and honest man, and even though he didn't agree with the kind of business he ran, he would have to thank him for saving Sakura. He knew she wouldn't have survived a night in the forest alone. Naruto's lips pulled downwards in a frown, thinking about his next steps. As kind as Hiro seemed, he was also a businessman. Would he consent to Naruto taking Sakura away from him? He had heard about how his business had boomed since she started singing at the brothel, and he doubted that Hiro would let her go without a price.

He smacked his head when the thought of her singing came into his mind. This was also what he was here to investigate. Her singing. He pushed himself off the tree, pulled his hood over his head and walked into the brothel.

He coughed as soon as he step foot into the building, the dimly lit room filled with dry ice smoking in swirls in an array of blues, greens, pinks and gold. There was the distinct smell of alcohol and smoke and he was instantly approached by a man whose appearance matched the description he was given for Hiro.

"Good evening, sir. How may I be of assistance tonight?"

"I'm here for Yuki. I'd like to have her for the night."

Brown eyes met blue and Hiro smiled politely. "Ah, the ever famous Yuki. I'm sorry to disappoint but she's not a courtesan. You could have her as an escort, but not tonight. However she is singing tonight, something I'd highly recommend you stay for. Surely you must have heard of her voice if you've heard of her beauty."

Naruto snorted as his hand reached for a pouch strapped to his waist and lifted it up for Hiro to see. "How much do you want for her? Just name your price."

Instead of watching Hiro's eyes light up at the sound of unlimited funds, Naruto was pleasantly surprised to see his cheerful smile turn into a frown.

"I'm sorry sir, but she's not a courtesan. If I cannot assist you in finding someone equally as beautiful to suit your needs, or if you're not interested in any of our other services, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

He lifted his hands in defeat, and no longer able to hide his relief, he beamed at Hiro.

"No, it's okay. I'd like to hear this voice of hers."

Hiro led him through another dimly lit corridor, the effects of the dry ice gradually fading until they entered the bar. In the middle of the room sat a stage with a few poles, currently perused by two scantily clad women. He wrinkled his nose in distaste. He watched as they moved around the poles, sliding and twirling, watched as the men cheered and threw money at them. Naruto was seated at a table in the middle of the room, here he had full view of what was going on at the stage, but was far enough so that he would blend in with the rest of the crowd. All the waitresses were topless and flirty, and he felt his heart fill with worry again. Although Sakura wasn't working as a courtesan, it didn't mean that she was different to the rest of the women working here. He wondered if she was made to work in flimsy clothing and flirt with men, and the thought made his stomach sick with nausea. Hiro's hand on his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts.

"First drink's on me. An apology, if you will, for Yuki. She'll be on again shortly, so I hope you enjoy the show."

She stopped dead in her tracks and her humming died in her throat. She followed the hand on her wrist up the length of his arm until she reached his blue eyes, and she was suddenly overwhelmed, not knowing if she should jump for joy or scream in distress.

"Sakura-chan." His voice, although soft, carried the same warmth she had remembered. His eyes conveyed everything he was feeling – guilt, sympathy, relief. Her lower lip quivered slightly before she forced it into a thin line.

"I'm sorry," she said, gently removing his hand from hers. "But I think you've got the wrong person. My name is Yuki."

His gaze was hard, unwavering, and she suddenly found her shoes very interesting to look at.

"You don't have to hide from me, Sakura-chan."

He watched as she slowly lifted her head to meet his gaze, and watched as they went from anxious, to guarded, to defeated. His name left her lips in a whisper, but he heard it. He heard her hurt and her loneliness and he didn't think he had ever been so angry at Sasuke in the twenty five years that he had known him. Her trembling hand on his was enough to douse his anger, and he let her lead him away from the brothel. They walked in silence until they neared the forest, walking deeper into it, and soon he could smell the briny aroma of the ocean.

Moonlight shone on the still ocean like a pale band of silver, the rocks were moon-bleached, and he couldn't help but think that under the light of the moon, Sakura looked more ethereal than he had ever seen her. She let go of his hand, removed her shoes and he watched as she closed her eyes when her feet hit the soft sand. He followed her wearily, watching as she sat on the edge of a rock and dipped her feet into the water.

"Were you watching me all night?"

Naruto sighed. "No. I only managed to catch your last song."

"Was I good?"

"Yes Sakura-chan. You were."

She hummed in appreciation, and he took his shoes off, rolled his pants up to his knees and joined her by the rock. Sasuke had it all wrong. He reached out and gently touched her wrist. "Come back to Konoha with me."

Sakura's eyes opened a little wider at his request. He knew what her answer would be, he could see the apprehension in her eyes and he didn't miss the way her shoulders tensed slightly. "I…I can't." he looked at her sad, sagging posture, and he wanted so much to take her into his arms. He had grown to love Sakura as the sister he never had. They had bonded instantly, she was attracted to the happy energy he seemed to exude no matter what the circumstance and he loved that she loved.

"I can help you work it out with Sasuke. Itachi, Obito, Shisui and I have been looking for you everywhere. Everyone's been really worried about you, Sakura-chan."

She turned to face him when he squeezed her wrist a little, and he watched as tears gathered in her eyes. He watched as one droplet hung, heavy and luminous in the moonlight, from a lash. She slipped her hand from his grasp and wiped it away before it fell.

"I can't, Naruto," she said, drawing a shaky breath, collecting herself. "There's no place for me in Konoha." She dabbed her eyes and nose with the sleeves of her kimono. She held her hands tightly in her lap, staring at them as she let out a quivering sigh.

"I appreciate that you were looking for me. I really do. But I have a life here. I have a home and I have a job and I –"

"Bullshit, Sakura. You had a home in Konoha. Still have, if you come back."

And without warning, he watched as the tears he had been trying to avoid spill from her eyes, and her shoulders shook uncontrollably as she cried, raw and full of anguish. He put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his arms, and as she cried into his shirt, he wished he could take his words back. He had never meant to make her cry.

"Sasuke-kun doesn't love me, but I love him so much it hurts."

The nausea swirled unrestrained in his stomach. Denial roared through him. Despite Sasuke's cool exterior and cruel words, he was Naruto's best friend. Naruto had known him his whole life, and he was sure he knew what was in Sasuke's heart, no matter what the bastard said. "Sakura-chan, that's not true. He's just a little lost right now, but if you give him a chance –"

"I'm fading, Naruto."

His face pinched in confusion.

"What?"

She removed herself from his arms, using her sleeves to wipe away the remnants of her tears before she looked up into the night sky.

"I…I'm not sure what's happening to me, but I haven't been right. For a long time. I have these headaches, almost every day now, and when they come I'm helpless to do anything. My yin seal is fading…it has powers in it, my family's strength, and I haven't been able to harness it since I got legs. And I'm always so, so tired. All the time. But somehow, being here, near the ocean, it helps."

Naruto's eyes flew to the rhombus on her forehead, and he frowned when he realised it was a lot paler than it he remembered. He mulled over her words in his mind. He was no expert on her kind, nor did he have any knowledge on the trick Orochimaru used on her, but it wouldn't be difficult to get the snake talking. He thought about all the other mermen and the last mermaid they had captured, all never living past a year, and a sudden realisation hung over him like a black cloud. She couldn't live without the sea. He cursed in his head. They had been so caught up in teaching Sakura how to be human, they had forgotten that she wasn't really one. He knew that she wouldn't be able to live on land for long, her soul was too intertwined with the ocean.

"Why don't you go back to the ocean then?"

"Promise me you won't tell them. Especially Sasuke-kun. I'm happy here…I really am."

Blue eyes stared into her green ones, and even though he could see through her lie, he agreed.

"Okay."

A breath.

"My legs…they're irreversible."

Mikoto sighed irritably as she watched Sasuke sulk, stirring his now watery tomato soup mindlessly as he looked out the window. Naruto was looking at Sasuke as if he wanted to pummel him to the ground, and she had no doubt that if she wasn't here, she would later hear about her dining hall's destruction. Naruto had walked in on her and Sasuke having breakfast, face red from rage, and they had listened as he recounted what he had learnt from his trip to Shiro last night.

"Teme, have you got nothing to say?"

Sasuke hadn't felt this weighed down in years. He continued to stir his soup in favour of ignoring Naruto, as he tried to envision Sakura performing in a brothel, of all places, to survive. He ground his teeth as his grip tightened on the spoon, bending it, thinking that he was really the worst. If he hadn't overreacted like the stupid, immature moron he was, she would be here, next to him, having breakfast and smiling and laughing, eyes shining with warmth. She would slide her hands into his, her touch soft and warm. He was suddenly overcome by a wave of nostalgia and for a moment, he felt light and happy again, burdened only by his need to protect her.

The reality of his actions came crashing back when he felt a tap on his head. Stiffly, he forced himself to let go of his spoon. The burning in his eyes and the tightness in his chest was enough for him to admit that his guilt was percolating, and he wanted to explode. He looked up to see his mother, eyes full of disappointment and shame, and he had to force himself to look away.

"Sasuke," Mikoto's voice was stern, and instantly he was brought back to a time when he was six and he had fought with Itachi and his cousins over who got to eat the last piece of dango, which had naturally ended up in scraped knees and bruises and tears, and Mikoto had pulled on their ears as she gave them a lecture on sharing.

"I didn't raise you to be an irresponsible coward."

His eyes widened as he turned to face her. "I could tell you the truth behind Sakura-chan's singing, but I won't. Because she deserves to know why you drove her away, and you owe it to her to listen to what she has to say in response." Her eyes softened as she placed a hand on his head, gently ruffling his hair.

"If you think she's the one you want to be with, fight for her. How can you claim to be an Uchiha if you can't love?"

Naruto slapped him on the back, smiling wickedly at him. "C'mon Sasu-chan. We need to iron things out with Orochimaru first." And then, looking hopeful, "And then we can go get Sakura-chan back?"

How many times since Sakura left had he asked himself this same question? How many times had his heart cried out for her, and how many times had he stubbornly refused? He wasn't sure; it had been too many times, but today, Sasuke didn't have it in him to say no. Perhaps it was because of his mother's words, or maybe it was because he finally knew where Sakura was, and that she was safe and alive, or maybe it was because in Naruto's encouragement, in his too bright smile Sasuke saw that Sakura would forgive him in a heartbeat.

"Hn."

Sasuke stepped into the shower and turned the taps on full blast. Lathering up his hands, he elbowed the hot water faucet higher until the heat seared across his back, as if the scalding heat was in some way penance for his actions. The room began to fill with swirling curls of steam, and he scrubbed and scoured his skin until it was pink, his weary thoughts drifting to soft pink and emerald green.

Lathering up shampoo, he washed his hair, nails scraping roughly across his scalp. Here he was, an Uchiha, second in line to the throne, one of the most revered warriors in the Uchiha army, getting mixed up in false accusations. Disgust loomed as he thought about how he had so easily listened to Karin, how he had so easily trusted Orochimaru's little act, how he had ignored Naruto's advice of just asking.

A stinging sensation across his chest halted his movements. He had moved back to his body without even realising, and he'd scrubbed himself raw. Snapping off the tap, he stepped out of the shower and wiped the haze from the mirror to see that his skin was deeply flushed from the heat. Exhausted, he closed his eyes for a second, and suddenly, all he could see was pale pink and shining green and broken sobs. He slammed his fist down on the polished marble of the vanity, hot anger surging through him. Why had he chased her away without giving her a chance? What kind of monster was he, that he could treat someone he loved – no, loves – with such disdain? One of his most precious people.

Sasuke looked down at the red welts he'd scratched into his skin and ran his hands down his face and exhaled. Enough of being a pathetic coward.