It would have been a lie for Sasuke to say he hadn't considered the option himself. Taking off and leaving the base behind. Although, not necessarily for the same reasons as Sakura. Glancing over at his supposed mentor, who was now spacing off, Sasuke could, and not for the first time, notice the beads of sweat forming on the Sannin's skin, and the slight strain in his posture the longer he was on his feet. The reality of the situation was that Orochimaru's body was starting to fail him. Pathetic, thought Sasuke, thinking of all the people Orochimaru had sacrificed to sustain himself just a little longer, and it never took more then two short years for him to grow weak once again. That thought, on its own, was a reason to leave. Sasuke Uchiha would not settle for a mentor who was weaker than him, and currently, the person he'd sought out to teach him was too busy falling apart to help him improve any longer. It was hard to think of another way to improve as fast as he had here, but that fast growth had now stagnated, and it was time to move on.

Orochimaru noticed Sasuke's intense gaze and, straightening himself up, smiled menacingly. To his credit, Orochimaru still had that air about him, radiating power and blood lust. It served well when it came to weakening an opponent by using intimidation, but Sasuke had felt worse fear. He hardly noticed the aura anymore, let alone feel scared by it. The missing nin was about to say something when both him and Sasuke felt two chakra pulses coming towards the exit of the base. Sakura's warm signal was the first one Sasuke felt, followed closely by Kabuto's erratic one. By the looks of it, they were disposing of another body, and it wasn't even midday yet.

A troubled, yet brief, look appeared on Orochimaru's face, replaced by false confidence as the medics made their way towards the training ground.

"How disappointing," spoke Orochimaru, eyeing Kabuto intently.

"I'm sure we will find a cure eventually, Orochimaru-sama. We are working hard on it."

Sakura gave Sasuke a meaningful look, and he had to stop himself from raising an eyebrow. Kabuto cleared his throat nervously and stepped beside his master, waiting for him to speak.

"Now that we are all gathered here, I would like to know, Sasuke-kun, what exactly were you doing talking to that traitor earlier?" Orochimaru asked in a tone that was both cool and threatening.

Hoping that little expedition had not been discovered, Sasuke hadn't thought of a detailed explanation. Though amazingly enough it was Sakura who confidently spoke, offering up an excuse Sasuke was not expecting at all.

"Sasuke-kun told me he might know who the girl was, after we saw her being brought in." Her tone was cold, posture stiff and looked convincingly like she was about to make a shameful admission. "I became jealous and wanted to know more about her. "

The arrogance Orochimaru sometimes displayed was one of his weaknesses. He still thought so lowly of Sakura that clearly he believed the petty excuse. His immediate response was a mocking laugh, though Kabuto, who was stood right beside him, didn't seem that convinced. Never giving much thought to how much time Sakura had to spend with the other medic, Sasuke realized that at the very least he'd know Sakura better by now. But, to his dismay, he did not know if Kabuto was more aware of Sakura's empathic side, or the side that cared about Sasuke as much as it did.

"Well, you did follow him here like a puppy, didn't you? Stay away from my prisoners unless you have my permission. But, to put your mind at ease, I doubt you have any reasons for jealously, child, seeing as the girl won't be around for much longer. I have a better medic right here."

It was a twisted kind of compliment. The kind only Orochimaru would offer, to tell someone they are the more talented subject, therefore making the other disposable. Sakura offered up a smile, pretending the compliment affected her positively. All Sasuke could think of was the second weakness that was now clear about his mentor. He underestimated even those he kept around for being talented. That would certainly be useful.

Under the pretense that he had to make preparations for the next day's experiment, Orochimaru ordered Kabuto to come with him and make arrangements for who the next subject would be, adding a joke about his sudden preference for red hair. As soon as they were gone, Sakura threw a chakra enhanced punch at a dummy placed near their position, shattering it into so many pieces Sasuke could hardly identify them anymore. Her breathing was heavy and she had tears in her eyes. Placing a hand on her shoulder, Sasuke cocked his head to the side, waiting for her to explain what she was thinking.

"Didn't you pay attention, Sasuke-kun? He said he doesn't need her, because there's a better medic here already. I'm not letting anyone die because of me!"

Her perspective wasn't necessarily right. Sasuke was sure Orochimaru had merely thrown in the comment to present a weak excuse for killing the girl. It was simply the kind of game he liked playing. But, Sasuke knew how easy it was for Sakura to take it personally, how desperate she'd be to save a life she thought she was now responsible for. Despite what she was doing with Kabuto, Sasuke had never considered Sakura a murderer. Perhaps it was his own ego and arrogance speaking, excusing her behaviour with the determination he knew she had to help him. Killing, in a way, loses much of its meaning when you plan your whole life around a murder. Although, Sasuke was reluctant to call the killing of a filthy traitor such as his brother murder. Alas, he did not hold anything against Sakura, knowing the people would have been killed either way.

"You said it yourself, we're taking her with us. We could do it tonight, or any night. We can leave at any time."

His agreement to leave still baffled Sakura, though she did not voice the thought out loud. She was even less incline to protest about it now that she herself was so eager to leave.

Looking to lighten the mood, now that their departure was inevitable, Sasuke turned the topic to something he was genuinely curious about. A small part of him felt pleasure at the thought Sakura could be jealous of Karin, though he doubted that was truly on her mind. It was hard to remember exactly when he realized that teasing Sakura was oddly fun, and seeing her reactions to simple words of his made him feel light and warm. It was a wonder, most days, that he was capable of such emotions. Harsh, cold avenger. Deserter. No doubt soon to become a criminal. Yet here he was, feeling a great, big, pile of confusing something for his childhood friend and companion. Some days he doubted that was an accurate description of exactly what they were, but it would have to do until he figured everything out.

"Was there any truth to that, Sakura?" he asked, pulling on a strand of her hair.

"To what?" she asked, following his fingers with her eyes.

"You being jealous."

It was hard not to smile at the incredulous look on Sakura's face. It was ridiculous, even bringing it up, under the circumstances, but he couldn't help himself. He did laugh out loud when she puffed her cheeks and gave him a dirty look.

"Of all things to wonder about, Sasuke Uchiha, you choose that!"

She hadn't answered, which was interesting. He took a step closer to her, forcing her to bend her head upwards to continue looking him in the eye.

"Well, were you?" he asked, leaning in closer.

The slightest part of her lips, the way her breath stuck in her throat, body leaning forward just a little as if to meet him halfway. Forgetting about revenge was impossible, but briefly getting lost in Sakura's presence, that was entirely probable, and even more than that, it was common.

"Not jealous, no." Biting her lip, she suddenly looked away. "Orochimaru collects rare talents, doesn't he? Well, I couldn't help but think, after you told me about her, that she might be better as a medic..."

The amusement was almost entirely gone from the situation. Though not moving away, Sasuke's expression turned serious. Sakura was, in this regard, the opposite of him. While always harsh on himself, Sakuke could acknowledge he was a powerful shinobi. Sakura, on the other hand, seemed to crumble before the possibility that she still had things to learn. She underestimated herself, and that in turn made her fall behind even though she hated that.

"Can you say you're as weak as you were two years ago?" Sasuke asked.

She shook her head, eyes moving back up towards his.

"Then two years from now, you'll get to say the same thing. That's the point here, Sakura. You get stronger for what you have to do. You don't stop in your tracks if someone might be better. You surpass them. "

The Uchiha had never been good with words, or voicing his feelings, but this was something he'd had to learn the hard way. Confronting Itachi, realizing all he'd worked for was not for nothing, but still not enough, that was the defining point. Every time he took a step forward, he had to learn how to take ten more and stop counting the ones behind him. He hoped Sakura could eventually learn that as well. And at the very least, she looked much more at ease by the end of his little speech.

"I used to tell myself that I loved you because I couldn't cope with being here for any other reason," she changed the subject abruptly.

Sasuke was confused by the sudden admission, though waited for her to continue before asking anything.

"I don't want to say that I didn't mean it back in the village, that I wanted to come with you. That I didn't want to lose you," she paused, "but for a long time, I clung to the idea that it was because I loved you too much to leave you behind, because otherwise, I was stuck here, in this place, doing god knows what horrible things, for no good reason."

It was a perfect parallel to Sasuke's own motive. His hatred guided him through life, controlled every single turn he took, every movement he made. Sakura, she followed the same path as him out of love, and he never understood how that could be. And so it made sense, this admission, that she had merely used it as a coping mechanism for the choice she made rashly. It hurt, to think about it. It was a hollow in Sasuke's stomach, not knowing if this confession was going to turn bad.

"But," and this time she looked straight at him, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt,"I think a while ago it stopped being an excuse. I learned to live with my circumstances. I also learned that I love you beyond just using you as the last piece of home I had."

Hands moving without Sakue really guiding them, they came to rest on either side of Sakura's neck, his thumbs moving gently across her jaw. Hearing the loving words she had for him when they were thirteen was special, Sasuke did not deny it even in that particular moment when he wished she hadn't spoken them. But now, years later, when both of them have had to grow so fast, in such circumstances, it took a whole new meaning. Sakura Haruno had chosen Sasuke, not as a comfort to a life she was unsure of, but to love in a life she was prepared to continue living. He'd kissed her before, spontaneously, not understanding the particular meaning behind it. But now, he kissed her with purpose. He kissed her so that his lips could silently say thank you for giving him something more than darkness. He kissed her because he finally realized he'd found a home in her as much as she'd found one in him.

Unlike the other erratic kisses, this one allowed him to think. With every movement of his mouth, and his hands caressing her skin, he wanted to let her know that he'd chosen her as well. On impulse, all those years ago. Out of comfort, throughout their stay here. And now he was finally choosing her fully aware of what it meant. He was choosing a life of darkness, and pain, and yet his life included Sakura because inevitably, she had already become part of it.

Breaking away from him, though looking as if it was the last thing she wanted to do, Sakura placed her hands on top of Sasuke's and spoke:

"We need to plan, Sasuke-kun. If we're doing it tonight, we need to know how."

The base seemed unguarded for the most part. Sasuke wondered if that was carelessness or arrogance on Orochimaru's part, or it it simply meant he had ways of finding out about things without them noticing. He did, after all, know about them taking to Karin, and though they weren't particularly stealthy, Sasuke did not know the exact thing that gave them away. The most obvious way, for now, was to simply try to walk out during the night time, break Karin out as quietly as possible, and deal with whatever resistance as it came along. He said as much to Sakura, and though it seemed like uncertain territory to tread, she couldn't come out with something better either. All that was left now was for them to pack whatever belongings they could take with them, and wait for night fall to come, hopefully without any surprises.