Oh I bet you're all wondering who that was last time. Though I'm pretty sure you already guessed so I won't keep you in suspense anymore. Here we go.

Summary: Sakura was born in Kirigakure. She is the daughter of the Mizuikage Mei Terumi. She is destined to end up as the next Mizuikage when she is kidnapped and finds herself on the outskirts of Konohagakure Injured and in need of help having successfully escaped her captors. There she meets Sasuke, Naruto, Kakashi, and Sai. Who are all ANBU and just returning from a mission. They stumble upon Sakura who is delirious by this point and she sees the before passing out. She later wakes up in the hospital and is told where she is and that he mother wants her to stay in Konoha. As war is bearing down on them and traveling would be incredibly dangerous. She meets unlikely people and makes lasting friend ships.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and never have. That is all.

Recap:

"Finally! The village entrance! I thought we'd never get here"! Ino shouted in glee. "Damn it's cold". Suigetsu said rubbing his arms up and down trying to create friction to bring some heat back into his arms. "Shut up Baka! We're all cold"! Karin said from beside him while smacking him on the top of his head. I just shook my head. First chance I get I'm going to go find Sakura-Chan. I haven't seen her in so long. I miss her.

I clutched Hinata's hand tighter in my own and she smiled up at me. Her answering squeeze told me she felt the same way.

Sasuke just said we were all annoying and shoved his hands deeper in his pockets before striding foreword and taking the lead. He didn't see the person walking this way holding a huge stack of files so high we couldn't see their face because of the files. His eyes were closed so he wasn't paying attention. "Wait Sasuke-Sa...".

Hinata had started to say but it was to late. The papers flew everywhere and both of them fell down. Long pink hair flew through the air as the person fell on their back.

Ties That Bind Chapter 14

Naruto's P.O.V.

"Son of a bitch"! A familiar female voice cussed out sounding highly irritated. "Can't you watch where you're fuc..." She cut off as she sat up on her elbows and icy green eyes widened in surprise and utter disbelief.

"Wha.."? She questioned not finishing her sentence. I released Hinata's hand and dashed up to her. Yanking her up from the ground and hugging her tightly. "Sakura-Chan"!

"Naruto put me down". Her voice came out sounding like icy daggers. I shivered as I set her on her feet.

"Her arms crossed over her chest. "What the hell are you all doing here"? She asked gesturing to all of us with a long green painted nail. "You know what? Screw that I don't care you can do whatever the hell you want".

She bent down and began picking up the scattered files. One of them was fluttering by my foot so I picked it up. I walked over and handed it to her. She jerked it out of my hand and muttered a cold thanks. She stood up balancing the stack of files in one hand while pulling out a slip of paper with a sealing symbol on it. She bit her thump and smeared the blood across the center of it before pouring some of her chakra into it. The files disappeared and she tucked it into her pouch. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and turned around. "See you later. Or not". She said in that same icy tone before disappearing in a swirl of white cherry blossoms. I touched one and jerked my hand back. It was freezing cold. The touch actually burned my finger.

Sakura's P.O.V.

I appeared at the base of the tower and smoothed my features over before heading in. The door slammed behind me and made some of the ninjas standing around jump. They immediately cleared a path for me knowing not to screw with me when I'm angry.

I slammed the door to my mothers office open without regard to whoever might have been in the room. My mother long used to me making entrances like this before, just slyly smiled. I narrowed my eyes and glared at her. I stalked over to her desk reached into my pouch and slapped the slip down and smeared my still bloody thumb on it while pouring a bit of the chakra I had left into it. The files spilled out and onto the floor. I shoved down the slight smirk when some of them fell in the floor.

"Feel better"? She asked that sly smile still in place. I narrowed my eyes further till they were just slits. I opened my mouth to ask her what she was up to when a knock sounded on the door. "Come in"! She almost sang at the door before I could stop her. It opened and admitted the group I'd just left five minutes ago. "Ah good you're all here. Safe journey I hope? Sakura don't you dare go anywhere"! She called before I could slip out unnoticed. I growled audibly and released the death grip I had on the door knob. It slammed closed with the force I packed behind the shove. How I wanted to brake something so bad.

Kakashi's P.O.V.

You would have to be blind to not feel the waves of irritation and anger rolling off Sakura. As well as the smugness coming from the Mizukage. She must be up to something. "Sakura what is it you wanted"? She asked. Sakura composed herself and stepped back in front of her mother. She was now in between us and her desk.

"Right, this morning I was called into the hospital two hours before my shift started because all of the nurses were running around like a bunch of fucking morons. The two ANBU teams that came back gravely injured were not being attended to because none of them were doing their damn jobs". "What do you propose to do about it Sakura"? The Mizukage asked folding her hands on top of the desk and leaning back in her chair slightly. She was going to let Sakura handle it, it seems.

"I was thinking give them all a review and make the ones who pass go through training again. I was considering firing all of them but we're already understaffed. That is the best course of action I can see". All was quite now as she thought over Sakura's plan. Sakura on the other hand was rigid. All the muscles in her back were stiff and she was on edge.

It didn't seem like it was that long ago that we'd last seen her but seeing her now I could see that wasn't true. Her hair hung several inches longer. Even being pulled up in a ponytail. The tan she'd acquired while in Konoha was long gone. Her skin was snow white with just the barest hint of peach coloring to it. If you looked closer you could tell she hasn't had proper rest in days. The dark lines under her eyes and sufficient lack of chakra spoke volumes. The fact that she was even standing straight right now amazed me. She should be on the floor.

"I approve this idea of yours Sakura. Well done. Please wait outside for a few minutes. I shall be done shortly. Also please keep me posted on the progress. You're dismissed". Sakura nodded and swiftly left. The door slammed closed behind her, shaking the frames that hung on the walls. The Mizukage didn't seem to perturbed by and simply smirked at the closed door. "Now then. I trust your trip here was uneventful"? She asked directing her attention to us as I placed the sealed box on her desk. She immediately broke the binding seals on it and opened it up.

"For the most part. It's quite cold though". I added nonchalantly. She nodded and started pulling papers and books out of the box. Some of the books were medical tomes. Others bore no marking that hinted to the contents. The last thing she pulled from the box was a small scroll. Another smug look crossed her face as she pulled on one end of the intricately tied ribbon and unrolled it. "Excellent". She said after reading it and redirecting her attention back to us. "Tsunade-San has granted my request. As of right now the thirteen of you are granted two months vacation time from Konoha. That you are to spend here. I have a rather special mission that I required all of you for in mind".

"You may stay in the mansion with me and Sakura. However I've also prepared a hotel in case you aren't comfortable with it. Report back here tomorrow morning for mission details. All except Kakashi, Yamato, and Itachi are dismissed". A collective Hai! Went around the room before the all filed out. Naruto placed the bag on the Mizukage's desk and left shutting the door behind him. "Now I have something rather special I needed you two specifically for". She said before turning around and facing the large window. Small flurries of snow drifted around from the dark clouds hanging in the sky.

Naruto's P.O.V.

"I wonder what kind of mission we'll be doing. And for two months vacation here in Kiri...". Ino drifted off from her sentence as we all caught sight of something that was rather adorable.

Sakura was sitting on the floor with her leg propped up. Her arm lay across that with her head resting atop her arm and turned towards us. Her lips were parted slightly and her cheeks were flushed with a rosy color in sleep. No frown marred her face and for once since our arrival she was completely relaxed. Finally succumbed to her obvious exhaustion. Ino crouched by her slouched form and swiftly tugged the ribbon from her hair allowing the long strands to fall around her face. Her over long bangs fell across her eyes. Suddenly she shifted and we all froze afraid she'd woken up. "Five more minutes, surgery doesn't start for another ten minutes". She mumbled her breath making her bangs flutter. The door behind us opened and Yamato, Kakashi, Itachi, and the Mizukage stepped out. A long winded sigh escaped from the latter as she stooped down in front of Sakura smoothing her hair back before shaking her shoulder.

"Honestly Sakura. Why didn't you tell me you were so tired? You don't need to work so hard". She moved to pick Sakura up when a hand landed on her shoulder. "Allow me". Sasuke said before slipping his arm under her knees and around her back. Her arm slipped from her knee and her head lolled against Sasuke's chest. More unintelligible mumbles escaped Sakura's mouth but she didn't wake up. Sleep had a firm grasp on her. She probably wouldn't wake up till tomorrow afternoon at the earliest.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with that girl. She's going to work herself right into an early grave". The Mizukage sighed as she followed us outside before taking the lead and showing us the way to her house. She pulled a key from her pocket and opened the huge front doors and gestured for Sasuke to enter first. "I'm afraid I can't stay long so I'll show you the rooms I had prepared for your stay and then I must be on my way. Sakura's room is this way upstairs". She said briefly before going up the indicated stairs. We walked down a dim alway. Passing doors until finally we reached one with an intricate symbol around the handle. It was a seal. The Mizukage sighed again before swiftly braking the seal and pushing the door open. A blast of cold air greeted us and I heard muttering. Seems someone left the window open. If the small pile of snow sitting on the floor indicated anything. Little flakes lazily floated in and dropped to the pile below.

The Mizukage marched over to the window and slammed it shut. The glass pane rattling in the frame as she did so. We all jumped even Sakura before she settled down again muttering that an I.V. needed to be set up before the patient went in for surgery.

I briefly wondered what kind of wacky dream she was having to be saying stuff like that. The light switched flicked on and the room was bathed in a golden glow. There wasn't much to say about the room. The walls were a pale green and the furniture was dark cherry wood. There was a single picture in the room of a man with long white hair and sparkling emerald eyes. Two candles stood on either side of the ornate frame and I realized why he was so familiar. I'd seen this guy before. Sakura's father. When the Mizukage caught sight of the picture she offered up a sad smile before speaking. "I don't know why she keeps that picture up. She hasn't looked at it in six years. She even told me once that she couldn't bare the reminder of him not being here anymore, but that taking it down would be even more unbearable".

I offered no response as I kept looking around her room. There were no decorations of any kind and if it hadn't been for the picture I would have thought this was a guest room. The carpet stretched almost completely over the entire floor, save for a small rectangle in front of the window where the snow was currently melting. "Why is her room so plain"? Ino asked more to herself than out loud.

"Hmm? Oh! Well she really wouldn't like it if I told you all this, but you guys are her friends right"? We nodded. "You know Sakura has a temper problem. She always has even when she was a little girl starting out at the academy. Anyways, she was so excited to finally be able to start going. She wanted to make friends and become a great kunoichi, she used to go around saying I'm going to be just like Okaa-San. Well you know how cruel little children can be. They hated her because she was different. They picked on her because of her hair color and her forehead and because she was short. So she became incredibly shy. Hiding her features with her hair and clothes, but when she got home she would just be so angry all the time".

She sighed before continuing. "One day was especially bad. One of the girls from her class pushed her down the steps in the classroom and when she came hoe she didn't say a word to me she went straight to her room and locked the door. Next thing I knew things were being broken and thrown. She broke all the pictures in her room and every single one of the toys she had. By the time I finally managed to get the door open the damage had been done. Since then she hasn't allowed a single thing other than that picture to decorate the room. She told me that if she didn't have things she could brake then nothing would be lost".

A beeping sound filled the room and we kind of jumped a bit, I"'m afraid I have to get back now, let me show you your rooms. Here Sasuke put her in her bed". She pulled back Sakura's bed sheets and blankets before Sasuke laid her down. "Ino would you change her clothes after I'm done here? She hates sleeping in anything other than pajamas". Ino nodded and said she would before we were ushered out the door and shown to rooms in the same hall.

Weather it was coincidence or not, somehow we ended up in a room next to or across from Sakura's Sasuke's was on the right mine the left with Kakashi directly across from her. The others were scattered down the same hall. Ten minutes after the Mizukage left Ino emerged from Sakura's room and closed the door silently behind her. "So what should we do? We haven't exactly been given a warm welcome by Sakura-Chan". I said quietly as we walked down stairs. "I think she just needs time. After all we practically made her leave. What would you do in her situation? She's closed her heart off to us". Shikamaru said after a moment of silence. "Troublesome". He muttered his favorite word while rubbing the back of his head.

Sakura's P.O.V.

I had the feeling that I'd been asleep for a long time. My body was stiff from not moving for so long. The first rays of the sun were beginning to peak through the slightly parted curtains and shining off the snow piled there

I sat up and tossed the blankets back just as my stomach growled loudly. I hadn't eaten anything before my exhausting hospital shift and who knows how long it had been since I'd fallen asleep. A memory tugged at my mind but I shoved it aside and got up. If I'm lucky I can catch my mother before she leaves. She should still be here. With that though I threw my door open and dashed down the hall. I sprinted down the hall and saw her about to open the door. "Okaa-San"! She withdrew her hand from the doorknob and turned to face me. I dashed down the last of the steps and ran to her. I threw my arms around her when I reached her. She stumbled back in surprise before returning my embrace. "Aww look at poor wittle Sakwa! Missing her mama"! Ao said stepping in the now open front door. I looked over and glared at him. "Stop treating me like a child, Oji-San"! He bristled up like an injured puppy. "Teme chisana akachan*"! He said lowly clenching his fist and shaking in rage.

"Please you two stop it. It's way to early for this. Sakura you should know better than to fall for his bait. Ao stop antagonizing her. Lets go. I'll be back late tonight Sakura. You have the next week off, try to relax. No arguing". She kissed the top of my head and walked out the door and closed it behind her. The ring echoed in the silence and I was alone. I walked to the kitchen dejectedly, no longer hungry. I didn't realize I wasn't alone so I didn't look where I was going and walked straight into someone. I fell backwards and my head hit the tile. At the same time someone fell on top of me and my breath left in a woosh. I saw stars and heard a commotion around me as the world blurred in and out of focus around me.

"Sakura! Sakura-Chan? Answer me are you alright"? Someone grasped my shirt and pulled me up before shaking me back and forth. My stomach lurched with the movement and my head throbbed constantly.

BAKA! What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to make her sick? Look her face is turning green"! I heard a smack and then a thud as someone pulled me away from my attackers.

"I don't feel so good". I muttered to the person holding me. I closed my eyes so the room would stop spinning. A soothing sensation swept through the back of my head and the throbbing eased up. Little by little my stomach stopped churning and I was finally able to open my eyes Only to wish I hadn't. I stared straight into pitch black eyes. His face was so close to mine I could see the different shades and distinguish his pupil from the iris. Without thinking I let out a small sheik and shoved him back with all my strength. His back hit the wall and he grunted as the air left his lungs. I scooted back until I hit the counter.I was seeing things, I just had to be. There was no freaking way Sasuke Uchiha was in my kitchen. No way. It just wasn't possible. And yet.. And yet despite the firm denial resting on my mind there he was rubbing the back of his head and looking just a little more than annoyed.

W-what the hell are you doing here"? I stuttered out half to myself and half to him. I must have done some serious damage to my head when I was kno… no fell down. Yeah that's it. I just hallucinated that Sasuke is in my kitchen glaring at me. He isn't really hear I'm imagining it.

Karin's P.O.V.

Normally I would be pretty pissed about being ignored, but this was just too damn funny. That makes two days in a row that Sasuke has run into and knocked Sakura flat on her ass. I had to smother my laughter though. If Sasuke heard me laughing he'd kill me.

Sakura didn't seem to notice us. In fact she looked a little odd. Kind of dizzy… She hit her head harder than I thought. I heard a snort come from beside me and turned my head to see Suigetsu bitting his bottom lip. He saw the humor in this situation too then. But if he keeps doing that I'm gonna lose it. "W-what the hell are you doing here"? Sakura mumbled slightly tripping over her words. She still hadn't seen us. I knew I should have stopped Naruto sooner from shaking her senseless. That and Ino should have hit him harder. Speaking of he is currently sitting in a corner 'licking his wounds' and crying quietly to Hinata about how mean Ino and I are.I finally had enough of the glaring (Sasuke) and the denial (Sakura) war thing they had going on and marched over to Sakura. I bent down in front of her and held up three fingers.

"Sakura how many fingers am I holding up"? I asked. Her eyes moved around a bit before she reached out and grasped my hand. "Quit moving your hand I can't count them all". I raised a brow at that. I hadn't moved my hand at all.

"Nine or ten. I don't know, you won't keep your hand still. Why the hell does that even mat….. Why are there two of you"? She seemed to panic even more and pressed her back further against the wall. This isn't funny anymore. Not one bit.

"Ino she's disoriented. Might have a concussion as well. Naruto shook her silly".

"Just close your eyes Sakura. We're going to take you to your room now". I told her calmly. "But I'm not tired". She whined pitifully. I grasped her forearm and pulled her to her feet. I pulled her arm over my shoulder and turned her to the doorway. Her head dropped onto my shoulder and she let me pull her to her room. She was almost asleep when I laid her down on the bed. She was out before I pulled the blankets over her.

Light danced across the blankets and floor as I walked over to the window to close the curtains firmly. The light wouldn't bother her as the sun rose higher in the sky now. She rolled over on her side and called someone an idiot. It sounded like she said Naruto, but I wasn't entirely sure. I shrugged and closed the door quietly behind me.

Sakura's P.O.V.

When I opened my eyes I was so angry. I don't even know why, or at least I can't remember why. I just felt the uncontrollable need to destroy something. I sat up and threw the blankets off of me and stomped to my bathroom throwing my clothes in the floor as I went.

I yanked the water tempter to scalding and got in. Furiously scrubbing until my skin turned pink. My hair got the same rough treatment but I still didn't feel better. In fact I feel even worse. I left the shower and pulled a towel to dry my body.

Throwing open my closet door I grabbed a red, short sleeved kimono style top and the light green obi that went with it. Then I grabbed a pair of black pants and yanked them on while trying to straighten out the crooked way I'd tied my chest bindings. Finally finished with that I slipped on my shirt and tied the obi

My hair was only slightly damp now so I yanked a brush through until I had smoothed all the tangles out. After I tied my hair up and out of my face I grabbed my weapons pouch and strapped it to my waist. I yanked my boots on and then ran down stairs and out the door. It wasn't snowing at the moment so it's the perfect time to let off some steam. Unfortunately I didn't notice someone was following me.

Uh oh! That can't be a good sign. Or is it? Guess you'll have to find out next chapter. Sorry this one is so late. I met to have it posted the day before Thanksgiving. Unfortunately things don't always go as you plan. Then I got sick. I hope you can forgive me. I will do my best to have another chapter soon. I'm done with school for the rest of this year. Maybe I can even finish it before I start school again. Who knows what will happen? Ja na!

-SasuSaku993 Out-