Standard disclaimer applied.

Written by Vesper chan

Chapter

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ReCaP

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Eventually they drifted off to their sleeping quarters and slept. Sasori and Kakuzu came out the next day and said all she needed was some more sleep and plenty of rest because her chakra was recovering fast enough to heal the injuries. They wouldn't say anything more but set up a surveillance team in case another attack. No one was allowed to disturbe Sakura but after too much fighting Kakuzu finally gave in and said he didn't care if Fuyuki visited her or waited at her bedside so long as he didn't screw up their work.

Of course Fuyuki had to sleep himself, so when his shift ended one of the other males would watch over her. Itachi, Sasori, and Deidara seemed to most eager to volunteer their time. Even Tobi wanted to do it. The others were fine with ignoring that duty or passing it over.

Sakura slept for eight days straight.

She woke nine days later.

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The moment she tried to move she wished she didn't.

Her body was sore all over and deathly stiff. The cot she had been sleeping on was standard issue, but not the most pleasant thing in the world to go more than a day on. Too bad for her, she had spent nine days on it, give or take a few hours. She tried moving her fingers first, and when that seemed okay, she flexed her wrist. The insides of her arms were sore, but she wasn't the kind of person to let that stop her. She had stuff to do and people to help. There was also the issue of mail, she was going to have to-

"Shit! What the hell do you want me to do, I don't know how to fucking cook!"

"What do you think I am, a culinary protégé, un?"

"You look like a woman,you should be able to fucking cook like one."

"What the hell kind of logic is that?"

"I don't fucking wanna cook, damn it!"

There was more crashing and banging and Sakura groaned recognizing the sound of her pots on tile. When she got up there it would be a huge mess, and everyone would be pissed at everyone else. That was just what she wanted to wake up to.

She closed her eyes and tried to think back to what was going on. She didn't feel very afraid of the Akatsukie members in her home, and that made her question her sense of intuition, or it would have if she hadn't remembered the rest of her situation. She had found the Pein body in the rain and unintentionally brought back all the dead members of the once notorious organization.

'Even Sasori!'

He hadn't been with the others, but she could guess as to why that was, as well as how he had finally come about. It was sort of silly to think about it now, but Sakura had salvaged the pierced heart of the ill fated puppeteer form Suna. Lifeless and useless, she preserved it with care to both study and admire. It was more of a trophy than anything else, but there were some aspects of it she had been interested in at one point.

She braced herself and tried to sit up. It felt like lifting weights with her chest, but it wasn't bad enough that she couldn't push herself. However, it was a lot more painful than she expected it to be.

She looked down and saw her clothing was minimal. Her shirt had been sewn back together quite awkwardly with thick black cord, and underneath it, she saw the faint scars of a chakra-less surgery. No wonder she was so sore. she whistled low in awe at her luck. She knew the chances of a hurt person coming off the battle field, as well as a chakra-less surgery, was slim at best. The chances were even slimmer when you're being operated on by people who once wanted to kill you.

"I guess there isn't any point in not trusting them now. They saved my life," she mused aloud.

'But isn't that only because they would have died without you?'

More banging from upstairs cut her thoughts short, thankfully. She was still too tired and sore to be thinking about the deeper meanings to why those men did what they did and what it had to do with her.

She pulled her shirt and it fell in ribbons around her feet. Mostly naked, she pulled out a oversized tee-shirt from her emergency stash, and slipped into that. It took her three times as long to get her arms through the sleeves, and when she did she had tears caught in her lashes. And on top of that, she was still cold. The blanket form her cot was all she had, so she wrapped that around herself and made her way over to the stairs. One by one she climbed till finally she was at the top where the noises were so much louder.

"Shit, I don't want soup again."

"Shut up, you'll eat it if I make it! I don't see you doing anything to help."

"Oh God, stop bitching, Hidan. At least it's something, un."

Sakura peeked out to see Hidan, Deidara and Fuyuki in the kitchen, with the former Pein body being the one who was filling up a pot with water. Hidan just slouched around and Deidara sat on the counter, watching with what looked like a cook book in his hands. None of the other members were around or anywhere to be seen.

"Kisame said he would bring back some meat, so you'll both be fine. It's not raman anymore, at least," Fuyuki huffed, lifting the pot out of the sink and onto the stove, turning it on.

Hidan cursed again and started to complain about how he wanted plain meat without the water with his usual language, making Sakura's head throb. It wasn't an unusual thing to hear men in her profession curse, it was actually more surprising to find a guy who didn't, (they were soldiers,) but he just took it too far. Sakura cursed a pretty word every now and then, but she wasn't constantly at it. The past month had been an exception with all the stress. She thought she had a right to blow off some steam at least.

"It's good to see you're up again," a new voice commented from behind her.

Sakura jerked in surprise and fell on her but, loosing the support of the wall. Behind her stood Sasori, and a little farther back, Ren.

Hearing the commotion, the men in the kitchen looked up and saw for themselves what Sasori was talking about. Fuyuki was the first to drop what he was doing and rush to her side to help her up.

"Sakura," he breathed, holding her around the arms in almost disbelief. "Sakura, you're awake. Are you alright?"

She shook her head. "Sorry, what...?"

Sasori frowned and reached forward to touch her but was stopped by a glare from Fuyuki. He almost smirked, but Sasori didn't smirk at things like that. "Get her on the couch. Deidara, get a glass of water, room temperature if you can."

"Come on," Fuyuki whispered, pulling her towards his chest and lifting her with ease. She had lost enough weight form so many days of not eating that it was a little scary. He helped her into her seat and sat down next to her. "You've been out for eight-no, nine days. We thought you might not wake up."

"Nine days," she mumble mumbled to herself. "What happen while I was asleep?"

"Nothing worth mentioning," he replied, still holding her around the shoulders. "Are you still cold?"

"A bit." She looked up and glanced around, seeing Hidan, Ren, and Sasori still close by. "Where are the others? Did something happen to them or are they hanging around?"

"You can ask about that later. Kisame, Zetsu, and Kakuzu are out hunting, Itachi is in a room by himself and I don't know where Tobi is," Sasori answered, watching as Deidara returned with the glass of water Sakura needed.

She looked up at the blond artists and saw a stiff form of worry in his movements. "Thank you," she whispered, trying to wrap her fingers around the glass. She was having trouble holding it so Deidara tipped to to her lips for her, letting her take a sip or two before pulling it away. She mumbled an apology and blushed lightly.

Licking her lips she looked up at Sasori who had taken a seat across from her, lounging as casually as if he were in his own home. "You wanted to hear about the Leaf ninja or something else?" he asked.

"Please, start with them."

The red head nodded. "Well, we didn't leave any alive, but I'm sure that's what you didn't want to hear. I'm sorry, but sending out individuals with no chakra to trail kids like those in hopes of finding your friend..." he paused to gauge her expression. "Well, it wouldn't have been wise, and nothing would have come from it. I'm sorry."

Sakura closed her eyes and thought of Naruto, feeling the pain of loss all over her body once again. "Did you hear anything about where he might have...?"

"No, we didn't. Nor should we have expected to."

Sakura stared at him for a moment, narrowing her eyes. "How long have you been walking around. I'll assume you assembled yourself while I was awake since you were well enough to defend yourself when you first showed up."

"My heart came back to life the same moment the rest of the members were revived, I just didn't have a body. That was provided for thanks to Kakuzu and yourself." Sasori held out a hand and pulled back the sleeve to show off his wrist. There were no obvious puppet joints, and the more he moved it the more Sakura saw it to be real flesh.

With new eyes she looked up and studied her one time enemy. He had the same face, only slightly altered with a hint of growth here and there. His hair was certainly longer, brushing past his shoulders in obedient waves and crinkles that Sakura felt like envying. He was taller than she remembered as well. Before, he had only possessed the body of a sixteen year old boy, but now he was a man who could carry her in his arms without issue. Broad shoulders and a well shaped chest showed through the fabric of his long-sleeved shirt.

He was different, but he was still the same.

"Is that a real body?" she asked.

"It only took two days to grow. I'm sorry if you experienced any discomfort due to the strain my revival might have put on your body. I was one of the first members added to the list so my retrieval method was still in the planning stages when penned down. I had to draw chakra from you additionaly to complete the growth."

So that's where the nose bleds were coming from. "Impressive."

Sasori smirked this time, and it was so much like the look he had given her during their first and last fight. "Thank you, I'd like to think so too."

The younng woman looked down at her own hands and the marks along her arms from their fight. And while she didn't lift of her shirt to glance at the wounds all down her chest and stomach, she remembered the markings there all the same. "I'm even more surprised to know you were able too keep me alive after only just being formed. With such a body I can't imagine you were completely comfortable in it."

"No, in fact, I was very comfortable. I had been awake and conscious without a form for a while, so it felt like the most natural thing to move about once agin. Your operation was... interesting, but nothing we couldn't handle."

"You sound sure of yourself."

"Shouldn't I be?"

Sakura nodded and turned to Fuyuki, who was still holding her. "Have we had any visitors, or was it uneventful while I was asleep?"

The white haired man smiled at her, but shook his head. "Only the delivery Ox, and that was a while ago. We've been trying to stay away from any of the good food hat required preparation so you wouldn't miss out. Some complained a bit, but most were in agreement it was only fair to wait."

Sakura made a face at the thought of food. She was empty, but the thought of eating made her stomach do flips. "I don't feel like having anything."

Sasori frowned. "You shouldn't be feeling like that. You need to nurse yourself with something light. We'll be having soup tonight for you, but I don't want you eating the meat yet."

Sakura couldn't help but laugh with mirth. "I'm the doctor here, I thought. I know what I should be doing, you don't have to tell me."

The red heard smirked some more before standing. "Of course then, please, do as you see fit. I will be attending to the green house Zetsu found during your conscious absence if you need anything more."

"I think I'll survive," Sakura mumbled leaning back into the couch while Sasori got up to leave.

In his absence the figure of a man hiding behind him came into focus for her. Ren caught her looking and sneered a bit, but didn't leave. That was probably an improvement. Before she had come back, he would have left the room with a scowl to mind his own business, now at least he stuck around to see if she was okay. Or maybe he was just bored. Either way, it was a change from before.

"You said you were making soup, Fuyuki. Do you need help finding anything?"

He chuckled. "No, I think we all know where everything in your house is at this point. It's not very big when you have so many men in it and we were all really bored. It's not like there is all that much for us to do here."

She could only close her eyes and try to forget the idea that her house might have things in it she didn't want a bunch of strange guys going through. Photo albums, yearbooks, diaries-kami no-underwear drawers...the list went on. She didn't even dare to hope her supply of sake was still intact.

"When you're done, could you make me a bowl, please," she said, closing her eyes and leaning her head back. Her neck, all the way down her spine to her hips, felt like it had been pulled and burned and was only now just recovering. Nine days should have been more than enough for her, but it wasn't because of the lack of chakra.

"Of course, Sakura," he answered, pulling his arm away. "I can make some broth now and give it to you before they add the meat. Wait just a moment." He left her side and passed Deidara without a backwards glance, hurrying to get Sakura what she wanted.

Out of the other man's earshot, Sakura saw Ren shake his head and frown. "Freak would have gladly killed over for you, it's so sick. I can't take any more of it."

"Hey, just shut up, un," Deidara interjected, coming up to stand between Sakura and Ren. "Some of us don't mind being human every once and a while, esspecially when we own someone. Stop trying to make it into something it's not."

Ren shook his head with a half laugh, mimicking the blond. "Some of us don't mind being human-what bull! I'll call it when I see it and that freak has got some attachment issues." Ren looked down at Sakura, making sure she heard him before turning away and leaving the room.

Deidara rubbed the back of his head and turned back around to look at Sakura. "Don't let what that dick said get to you. He's just sort of PMSing right now. He's been like that the whole time you were gone, picking on everyone and making trouble." For some reason Deidara felt obliged to interject and keep Sakura from thinking that Fuyuki had any feelings for her that passed beyond simply friendship and duty. It wasn't because he knew she had been married (or was still). But for reasons he just couldn't explain, he didn't want her to know about another man's feelings for her.

"The whole time?" Sakura asked, tilting her head to the side and staring off to where Ren had left.

"Yeah, well he was always the most harsh on Pei-I mean Fuyuki. Whatever. I think he's just being young if you ask me. He looks like a kid you know?" Deidara looked back down the hall at what she was staring at and then back at her. "I hope you're at least feeling a little better."

"Hmmm, try asking me again in a few days. My chakra stores are up again, so I'll be able to patch up what was left over, but I'm still so tired. I don't think I can look forward to a lot of peace and quiet, can I?"

The blond artists made a face. "Sorry, un. We're all a little stir crazy and tend to get in each other's faces a lot. But with you awake I think some of the stress will ease up."

Sakura blinked. "Stress?"

Deidara almost blushed and rubbed the back of his head again. "Um yeah, well, you know...we...when you first got back it looked real bad and we didn't know if you were going to make it and if you didn't that meant none of us would make it as well. And Itachi and Zetsu were beat up coming back too, so we thought there might be another attack. And without our chakra it's..." he stopped to look down at her, appearing a bit flustered. It was cute. "Am I making any sense?"

"Yeah, I think so. Don't get worked up over it." She tried to sit up a bit in her seat, but fell right back down again with a frustrated breath. "I don't have a lot to do here in the winter, aside from watching my plants and make pills. I don't know what to do with you all."

"That shouldn't be your problem," Fuyuki interjected, coming up with a mug of warm soup for her to drink down. Steam clung to the surface and wafted up her nose, making her smile. "We will find ways to amuse ourself as well as make ourselves useful. You know Kisame was thinking about building an addition to the house, maybe adding on a few rooms."

Sakura raised her brows. "Building with what? And how? I didn't know he knew how to build."

"There is plenty of natural wood he could use. He found tools and supplies somewhere so all he really needs is permission," Fuyuki said sitting down next to her and resting an arm on the back of the couch she was leaning against.

Sakura nodded, sipping more of the soup with warm pleasure. "If he can and wants to, I think an addition would be a great idea. Just don't let him botch what I already have for a house."

"I'll make sure he knows that, un," Deidara said , turning and walking away, leaving just the two of them alone.

Sakura licked her lips and tasted the broth there before turning to look at the male sitting beside her. "Do you know why Ren is still here? I thought he would have left by now. Neither of you really need to stay, or you aren't forced to stay at least. If he's so negative why doesn't he leave?"

Fuyuki shrugged. "Where would he go? His clan moves around so much he wouldn't be able to find them even if he tried. And besides, he's been a host body for a long time, so there is a chance his family isn't around anymore...or his friends if he had any. It's the same with me. I don't have a place to go to, really. If you wanted me to leave, I would, but...I wouldn't know what to do with myself. I feel better here, and I think that is the same with Ren. He complains a lot but, that is just his nature. He doesn't want to leave."

Sakura finished her soup and put the mug down. "I won't chase you out, don't worry about that, but I don't want you feeling confined here. You don't owe me anything."

Fuyuki looked down, trying to rationalize what he was hearing. He knew Sakura was just trying to be nice and sound caring, but by the time her words got to his ears it sounded like she wanted him gone so she could have a home for her husband to come to. Yes, that had been bugging him for a while, but he didn't want to admit it out loud.

He really liked Sakura, like, really, really liked Sakura. And the notion that she had been married before, or was still married, was eating him up inside. He had grown to care for her more than any other human alive, and while that wasn't very hard considering how few humans he actually liked, it was important to him to love someone more than one's self. It felt like she kept him alive. What did that mean when the husband finally came home? Would it kill him?

"Fuyuki," she called, touching his arm and snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Y-yes?"

"Can you carry me to my bed if it isn't being used. I want to sleep somewhere comfortable, or at least rest. I can walk but still..."

"I'd be happy to," he replied with a smile that showed genuine joy.

Holding her to his chest, he lifted her frail frame off of the couch and carried her into her room just like she asked. Pulling her covers back, he slid her in and tucked her tight before propping her pillows. She thanked him again and then turned her back to him and began to drift away. But he still didn't leave. He stayed at her bedside watching her, enjoying this time more then when he had to watch her struggle to breath in the basement. That had been painful.

Foot steeps behind him caused the ex Pein body to look up and frown. Itachi was standing in the doorway. Fuyuki scowled even thought he know the other male couldn't see it. His anger pulsed loud enough to hear.

"Is she...better?" Itachi asked, in a hushed tone.

"She's just fine, thank you," Fuyuki hissed under his breath, looking away.

Itachi took a step forward and Fuyuki snapped his neck to glare at the Uchiha with a deep loathing even a blind man could feel. Primal fury well up around the white haired man, and Itachi could feel it well enough.

'Don't take another step,' it seemed to say.

Itachi stopped where he stood and stared into nothingness, seeing with his other senses. "I will come back at another time then, if she is sleeping."

"Don't bother, I don't think she would want to see you at all."

Itachi frowned, and lifted his head a bit, but didn't speak. After a while he turned and stepped out of the room, but stopped in the doorway just long enough to whisper something. "Maybe so, but, nevertheless, I'll still check up on her again."

Fuyuki growled at the words, but made sure to keep his tone in check so as not to disturb Sakura and possibly wake her. Knowing her, she really wouldn't be opposed to seeing the Uchiha because she wasn't the type of person to hold it against someone when they accidently abandon you. No, she wouldn't hold it against him, but that wasn't the only reason Fuyuki was on bad terms with Itachi.

It had happened after the seventh day of Sakura's sleep. It had been long enough and Sasori was starting to suspect something more might be wrong. She had more than enough time to sleep it off, so her continued slumber had them all confused and agitated. It wasn't said out loud, but plenty of them were suspecting the same thing; that she might sleep forever or die away in her sleep.

Itachi was on duty that night, watching her. He had been one of the few most eager to keep an 'eye' on her for the rest of the group, and no one thought that a problem. Only when Fuyuki walked in that one day, he was a bit too quiet and a bit too early. Itachi stood over Sakura with his face against hers, lips brushing against the skin of her face. His hand was in her hair and he looked like he was in pain as he pulled away and rested his head on her shoulder.

Fuyuki was too shocked to move for more than three full minutes. But somehow, Itachi knew he was there.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"..." Itachi said nothing.

"She has a fucking husband, you know," Fuyuki hissed out, angry beyond words.

"I don't care," was all the Uchiha replied with.

"She doesn't love you, she married someone else, damn it!"

Itachi glared at the wall behind the ex Pein host and glared. Even in blindness he was slightly terrifying. "I. Don't. Care." He then laid his head back down on her shoulder and closed his eyes.

He didn't get up for another hour, in spite of the shift schedule, much to the other man's displeasure. That was the last time anyone really kept watch over Sakura. After that, it was only in frequent visits that anyone checked on her.

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AN:/ This chapter was pretty boring to write until I got to the end. Then I felt good about it and decided it was worth publishing. Be happy, I gave up half my morning to write this out.

And I know you haven't seen a lot of me around, have you? I didn't mean for that to happen. In all honesty, I tried to leave, but it didn't work. I couldn't...at least not yet. I still have love here and stuff I need to finish. I get frustrated easily and give up a lot, but I want to stick this one out to the end at least. I'll stop my bitching here before I go on anymore cause I know if I wanted to I could whine and complain till the cows come home.

Please enjoy the chapter.