Part 13

I kept telling myself to stay calm, but that was impossible. I tried to move slightly, but the sharp pressure on my neck increased.

"Enough," said Kabuto coldly, pressing the kunai closer to my neck. "I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you don't cooperate."

I turned my head towards him, though that put dangerous pressure on my neck. Hinata lay in a heap nearby, barely able to catch her breath. I was surprised to see she didn't look too bad; I would've thought Kabuto would kill her for her interference. "I'm not giving you my daughter."

"We're not asking you to give her to us," said Kabuto. "But we'll be taking her with us anyways. You're welcome to care for her with us. After all, it'd be cruel to separate a baby from its mother."

I turned back around to look at Sasuke. He was preoccupying himself with checking over my fallen comrades, not even looking in our direction. "And what makes you think I'd agree to that?"

"I already told you it's not your decision. We're here for Tsubaki. Your particular role in this depends solely upon you."

"…How so?"

"We're leaving here with Tsubaki whether you like it or not. But like I said, Orochimaru is incredibly merciful when it comes to your case. He's giving you a few options in this. One; you can voluntarily give us Tsubaki and we'll be on our way, never to bother you again."

"That's not going to happen!!!!"

"We figured as much. Two is what I've been saying all along, that you come with us and care for her in our territory."

I hugged Tsubaki closer to me. "…And what's number three?"

"I take this kunai pressed against your common carotid artery and tear through it, thus releasing the oxygenated blood that's flowing through your neck and head as we speak and you die a…not so pleasant death. And then we take Tsubaki anyways. But would you rather leave her to us, alone?"

It was becoming even harder to stay calm. I'd rather die than hand Tsubaki over to them. But if I did die and they took her, she would be completely in their hands. If I went with them, I could formulate a plan and protect her from these psychos.

But I didn't want to go with them…

I slowly closed my eyes and started to concentrate. "You don't scare me. You think just because I did mostly background work behind Naruto and Sasuke-kun that I'm useless in a fight?"

"What do you—oh shit!!!!!!!"

Luckily for me, Kabuto realized my intention too late. I quickly ducked my head to avoid the kunai and kicked at him with my right leg. He managed to dodge, but I tore through his clothes and cut his arm pretty deep. He jumped back and cradled his wounded arm.

"Should've known," he gasped, gritting his teeth. "You ARE a student of Tsunade, after all."

I rushed at him as fast as I could, the power of my chakra in my feet making giant holes in the floor. I held onto Tsubaki as tightly as I could, only able to attack with my legs. I didn't want to risk hurting her before, but now I was in a desperate fight for our survival.

It helped that Tsubaki was Sound's main goal. Kabuto wasn't exactly trigger-happy with me since I still held her in my arms. But his attempts at disarming me were half-hearted and it was easy to rush in and attack. A quick plan began forming in my head. If I could disable Kabuto long enough…then maybe I could run for it and hide until Sunagakure arrived with support.

This was a pretty good plan…if Kabuto had been alone.

As I continued my attacks, a hand grabbed my back collar and jerked me backwards. I stumbled, losing my concentration and thus the immense chakra in my legs, leaving them extremely sore.

"Sakura." My heart stopped when I heard Sasuke's voice, his lips at my ear. "You attack with our daughter in your arms? Using her as a ploy to defeat your opponent?"

I closed my eyes, unable to utilize my chakra a second time. "Let me go, Sasuke-kun."

"I won't. Don't you think this has gone on long enough? If you come with us quietly, then we will withdraw from Konoha."

I felt tears begin to build up again. I opened my eyes and turned towards him. "Why are you doing this? Why would you give Tsubaki to Orochimaru? She's OUR daughter, not his!!!"

Sasuke said nothing, and I knew he wouldn't give me an answer.

Kabuto came over to us, brushing some dirt from his clothes. "I'm very impressed. I think she's even better at maintaining her chakra than Tsunade is. I can see why you chose her, Sasuke."

My throat tightened. What did that mean, he 'chose' me?!

"Let's go," Sasuke said roughly. It was clear whatever Kabuto meant made Sasuke upset. "I don't think she'll fight us anymore. Will you, Sakura?"

I couldn't talk. Everything was happening too quickly. How could I just deliver my daughter into Orochimaru's hands? I didn't know what to do!!!

"…Perhaps we wasted our time trying to explain things to her," said Kabuto. "If she still doesn't get it, then she's in our way."

"I-I-I…" I clenched my eyes shut. I needed to make a decision NOW. And the only one I could make was very hurtful. "A-All right. I'll go with you guys to Sound."

"Excellent," said Kabuto cheerfully. "I'm glad you finally see things our way!! Will you come with us on your own, or will we have to bind you so you won't escape?"

"Th…That's not necessary."

"All right then." Kabuto looked beyond me to Sasuke. "Our mission is complete. Let's report to Orochimaru."

"…Right." Sasuke didn't sound too happy about this victory. Or maybe that was wishful thinking on my part.

Kabuto led the way towards the gaping hole in the wall where the door use to be. Sasuke followed close behind me. I couldn't believe this was happening. It felt like I was an outsider looking in on this mess.

"W-W-Wait!!!!!"

I quickly turned my head. Naruto was painfully climbing to his feet, his face full of anger and hate. He was out of breath and struggling to keep his eyes open.

"Do you think…I'll let you all just walk out of here with Sakura-chan and Tsubaki-chan?! You'll have to go through…me first!!!!!"

Kabuto sighed in exasperation. "I don't desire a fight with you, Naruto. But if that's what it takes—"

"Naruto," I interrupted.

Everyone stopped and looked at me. I ducked my head, unable to look at anyone, even Tsubaki. "Naruto…let me go this time. You're injured now, along with many others. Rest and come save us at full strength."

"Sakura-chan!!!!"

"Save us when it won't be a futile battle. I…I don't want you to die."

"I…" I could hear the pain in Naruto's voice. I could only imagine how difficult this was for him. "I can't do that!!! I can't leave you two out there at his mercy—"

"I'll take care of Tsubaki. I won't let Orochimaru do anything to her. Just…come for us quickly. Please, very quickly."

"Sakura-chan—"

"Come on, before the others arrive," said Kabuto, grabbing my arm.

I pulled it out of his reach. "I said I can walk on my own so I'll do it!!!"

"Then do it." He headed on his way.

"Sakura, please," said Sasuke quietly. I jerked my head in a nod and started walking again.

Naruto followed my words because he didn't attack us. But I knew it still hurt him.

"You fucking bastard, Sasuke!!! I'll NEVER forgive you for this!!!! When you come back to our side I'll beat the shit out of you!!!!!!"

It warmed my heart that Naruto still wanted Sasuke to come back to us. Deep down I wanted him to, despite everything he did to me.

But now…

We walked out of the sealed room into the crisp night air. Tsubaki began to whimper again, and I tried to console her. I didn't know how to though, with my own insides as twisted as they were.

Help me…

I glanced all around us. But there was nobody around. And there was no more shouting; just silence.

Somebody please help me…

We walked through the village as though nothing was out of the ordinary. We passed empty houses and empty stores; the people must've been evacuated to the shelters.

Somebody…anybody…

We met with none of the Konoha ninja on the way. Where were they? Were they all dead, or something?

I don't want to do this…

I prayed that there were ANBU watching us, ready to ambush us when we reached the front gate. That prayer became a desperate plea as we drew nearer, and no one intervened.

Oh God…it's really happening…

I kept scrubbing at my face to get rid of the tears. I didn't want Orochimaru to see them. But more and more kept coming out as we reached the gate. Soon we were at the gate. Then through it. And then beyond it. Through that whole time nobody tried to help me, if they could.

I saw a large number of Sound ninja gathered in the outskirts of Konoha. It was as though Orochimaru had uprooted his whole village for this siege. As we came closer, they all stepped aside and made way for us. Each one of them clamored close to get a look at Tsubaki.

"An Uchiha—"

"A girl though—"

"Orochimaru-sama doesn't mind—"

"Perfect—"

Orochimaru was standing in the center. When I saw him, I stopped in my tracks and involuntarily took a few steps back, bumping right into Sasuke. Kabuto shook his head and grabbed my arm, pulling me towards Orochimaru. I dug my heels into the dirt, but that did nothing to stop us.

"And here she is," said Orochimaru with amusement. His slimy voice washed over me, making my skin crawl. "Nicely done, Kabuto, Sasuke." He fixed his eyes on Tsubaki. "I wonder if Konoha goes to this much trouble for every baby kidnapped, or because this is an Uchiha heir. There wasn't much of an uproar when I kidnapped babies for my…tests."

I hugged Tsubaki closer to me, my heart ramming against the wall of my chest. Orochimaru laughed at my actions. "Don't be so worried, Sakura-chan. I plan to take very good care of Tsubaki."

"That leaves me very assured," I snapped sarcastically, glaring at him. But my defiance only gained me laughter amongst the other ninja, including Orochimaru.

"You have spirit, I'll give you that," said Orochimaru. His eyes narrowed, though the sick smile never left his face. "As you might see, my arms are only partially healed." He held them up for me to see. Whereas before they were black, dead limbs that were paralyzed, now they were more of a tan color and he could move them. Somewhat. "I still do not have functions over my fingers. But I would like to…hold her. Give her to me."

"NO!!!!!" I felt even more frightened in that instant. "I agreed to come and take care of her, but I'm not letting you put your filthy hands on her!!!!!"

Orochimaru threw back his head and laughed. "My oh my!!!! Quite a spirit, acting as though you are in a position to make demands!!!!" He laughed even harder and louder, making me irritated but more so even more frightened.

Finally, he calmed down and held out his arms to me. "I will enjoy crushing your spirit—and your body if I feel fit to. But, please no more humor at the moment. Give her to me now."

I didn't and I glared at the ninja closing in around us. Tsubaki began to cry, most likely from how tight I was holding.

"Now look what you did. How sad to make you own child cry. Sasuke." He motioned to him. "Take your daughter and give her to me."

"…I thought this would be only after we return," said Sasuke quietly.

"I don't plan on doing it here, of all places. I just want to hold her." Now his face looked dangerous. "That is my right, after all."

"…All right." Sasuke walked over and faced me. "Give me Tsubaki, Sakura."

"You bastard," I hissed, not even loosening my hold. "You make me come out here defenseless and want to give her over to him?!"

"Nothing will happen. He just wants to hold her."

I shook my head and backed away, though there was nowhere for me to go. "I won't do it!!!"

Sasuke let out a soft sigh. Before I could react, his fingers darted out and struck me in the crook of my arms. To my horror my arms immediately numbed and I was unable to keep hold of Tsubaki. She slipped from my arms, but Sasuke quickly caught her and brought her over to Orochimaru.

"You…" my elbows remained bent, but I couldn't move my arms. "What did you do?!"

"You'll be fine in a moment, Sakura," said Sasuke evenly. "I just hit a few pressure points." He stood in front of Orochimaru. "Here's my daughter, Tsubaki." Very carefully, he placed her in Orochimaru's arms.

Having no real use of his hands, he could only hold her awkwardly. Either way, it disturbed me on many levels.

"Yes, yes…this is indeed your daughter, Sasuke," said Orochimaru. Tsubaki only seemed to cry harder in his arms, though it didn't bother Orochimaru. "All right, I'm satisfied. Take her back to her worrying mother."

Sasuke said nothing as he took her back. I was beyond relieved Orochimaru didn't do anything to her. But whatever was going to be done when we got to Sound's hideout…I couldn't let it happen.

Tsubaki was still crying, but Sasuke quietly hushed her as he brought her back to me. Somehow she calmed down enough, which stunned me. Not only was Sasuke comforting her, but she accepted the comfort?

"Here," he said, handing her back to me. The feeling had returned to my arms and I immediately snatched her back.

"All right, we have what I sought," announced Orochimaru. "There's no use dawdling here anymore.

"But…just to make sure Konoha doesn't come after us right away, I'm going to leave them a present."

I didn't like the sound of that. Suddenly, smoke filled the area and to my horror a giant snake rose up towards the sky. My fear began to escalate when I saw how the Sound ninja reacted to it. It only intensified when the snake let out a loud roar and began devouring any ninja standing too close to it. Both Sasuke and Kabuto grabbed my arms and pulled me far away from it. A few other ninja surrounded us, acting as human shields.

"Manda, must you devour my ninja the minute I summon you?" asked Orochimaru in exasperation, though it sounded like he didn't seem too confident.

The snake—Manda—quickly turned towards Orochimaru. "You dare to summon me again after the disgraceful battle last time, and without my 100 sacrifices?! I told you there would be ramifications. Be only happy I did not seek your life the moment I appeared."

"I thought of giving you a gift," said Orochimaru. He motioned in Konoha's direction. "There's a village there full of people ready to be eaten. Think of this as an apology for last time."

This caught Manda's interest. He looked towards Konoha. "Many powerful ones reside there. But…I do not want to face disgrace again!!! If that toad or that slug—"

"I incapacitate Tsunade and Jiraiya isn't even here. They're all for the picking, I say."

"Please don't do it!!!" I screamed.

Sasuke slapped a hand over my mouth. "Idiot!!! This isn't a compliant summon!!! He'll kill you if you cross him!!!!!"

Manda looked towards us and some of the ninja surrounding us winced. Even Kabuto started paling.

"Looks like you've got a strong one there," he hissed at Orochimaru. "If a great deal of your numbers shield her from me."

I whimpered and shut my eyes.

Orochimaru laughed off-handedly. "Hardly. She's just a hostage I'll dispose of soon enough. Besides, she's just had a child. Not a very tasty morsel, believe me."

Manda didn't answer him for a long moment, his giant eyes still on me. Finally he said, "…If you say so. I'll reserve myself for the village then. But." He moved close to Orochimaru until they were face-to-face. Several Sound ninja shifted uneasily. "I still want retribution. And you will pay for what you did last time."

Without another word, Manda slithering towards Konoha. Each of the ninja around me let out sighs of relief and Sasuke released me.

"RUN!!!!!!!!" I screamed at the village. "There's a killer snake!!!!!! RUN!!!!!!!!!!"

"There's nothing you can do," said Kabuto. "Surely they might fight him off and maybe kill him, but Manda will take a few lives tonight."

"…You said you didn't seek bloodshed. You said Tsubaki was your only target. You FUCKING LIAR!!!!!!!" I lunged at Kabuto, but Sasuke held me back.

"We have to get going," he said, nodding his head towards Orochimaru. Blood was everywhere and body parts were strewn all over the grass. But Orochimaru paid this no heed and started off anyways. "Come on, Sakura."

"I hate you," I hissed to him, my head hanging.

His grip on my arm loosened briefly, but then tightened again as Kabuto and him pulled me along. Please please PLEASE somebody stop that thing!!!

As Konoha faded from my sight, I saw another poof of smoke and a dark shadow lump upon the snake. It filled me with some measure of hope.

---

We walked straight through the night and into morning, not stopping even for a break. I hadn't slept any and I hadn't really eaten so my movements were sluggish. Tsubaki slept fitfully in my arms, hardly waking up during the walk.

Sasuke and Kabuto had left my side to join Orochimaru towards the front. A flank of ninja surrounded me just a few feet behind them, each one of them watching me with cold eyes. They laughed whenever I tried to shake off sleep or when I stumbled in my steps.

By midday, holding onto Tsubaki was becoming unbearable. She'd used her diaper and was quite uncomfortable.

"Does…does anyone have a diaper?" I asked hesitantly. I was ignored. "Please, anyone?" No one said anything to me.

Part of me feared they didn't have baby supplies. Wouldn't they bring something if they planned on taking Tsubaki?

But we walked. Tsubaki's diaper started to smell awful and since we couldn't stop and I couldn't change, we both started to smell. The other ninja paid this no heed, though they put some distance between us.

I was more than relieved when night fell and Orochimaru called for camp. Kabuto approached and pulled me over to a specific rest area between two trees where a blanket was stretched out, and made me sit down. "You'll rest here."

"Can I have a diaper?" I asked for the thousandth time.

"Here." he tossed a bag at me. "Be quick about it. We'll bring you food shortly.

I was more than relieved to finally change her. The bag was full of diapers to give her, but I didn't know how much use they would be if I would only be allowed to change her once a day.

After I was finished, I watched her crawl around the blanket. My heart started to ache. I'd sworn to myself I wouldn't let anything happen to her. And now look; we were in Orochimaru's grasp. I knew the others would try to come quickly, but there was also the damage Manda was doing to Konoha. How was everyone? Were they all alive?"

"Please be all right," I mumbled, reaching out to pull Tsubaki into my lap.

"Enjoy." A random ninja threw a container of food at me that I caught reflexively.

I examined the contents, just simple rations. "Wait." The ninja had started away. "I can't use this."

"It's food, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but I can't give my baby this."

The ninja threw up his hands. "You eat it then and breast-feed her." Then he walked off.

Breast-feed? I looked around us to see many ninja watching us. I hardly ever breast-fed Tsubaki. It always hurt after I did it and I always felt more comfortable with the baby formula.

But she hadn't been fed all day. And breast-feeding her hadn't occurred to me during the walk.

Now I had to do it with all these people watching.

I chewed on my food as though it were gravel, silently hoping some of those eyes would turn away. Unfortunately they didn't. But I knew she had to be starving and I felt horribly guilty.

I hate this…I picked her up and turned away from those eyes as best as I could. I tried to be as quick as I could with this, hoping it would be over fast. Don't look at anyone, don't look at anyone…

It took a few minutes, but it felt like forever. She looked a lot better afterwards, but I had the sinking feeling I'd have to be doing this even while we walked.

She was cradled in my lap when it happened. My entire body felt paralyzed and I fell back hard on the blanket. Tsubaki was still lying across my lap. What was happening?

"This is a security measure," said Kabuto good-naturedly, smiling down at me. "So you don't get any bright ideas in the middle of the night."

"Y-You…" I gritted my teeth. I couldn't move at all. It was all too reminiscent of the Forest of Death, when Orochimaru cursed Sasuke…

"I would've done my Nehan Shōja no Jutsu, but Orochimaru-sama said we need you wide awake tomorrow. So it's just a temporary paralysis that'll last until morning. Good night." With that, Kabuto walked away.

"You…fucking…" I struggled with all my might, but I couldn't do anything. Meanwhile, Tsubaki was still sitting in my lap and she began to fuss. How was I suppose to help her? Were they just going to let her lay there all night?!

I felt her be lifted off me and I immediately panicked. That alleviated somewhat when I saw who was holding.

"Here." Sasuke knelt down next to me and placed her on the blanket next to my head. "This should be more comfortable."

"I…" My head had fallen on its side when I landed, so I was looking straight at her. But I couldn't touch her, not even as she fell asleep. "Sasuke-kun…"

"You'll be all right," he said emotionlessly. "Orochimaru will leave you alone until we get back."

"Then what will happen?"

He didn't say anything. He didn't even look at me; his eyes were on Tsubaki.

"It'll be a long day tomorrow. Get some rest." He paused before he spoke again. "I'm sorry. I don't use it often, but believe me when I say it." He got up and walked away.

"Sakura. I'm sorry."

He was right. Even under Orochimaru's thumb something was bothering him. Bothering him enough to apologize. Was it the kidnapping? Or Tsubaki? Or this whole mess?

"I can see why you chose her, Sasuke."

I don't understand anything. Sasuke said he acted under Orochimaru's orders, but Kabuto said he "chose" me.

I hated this, not having a clue. And nobody was telling me anything. Did I really even want to know?

Of course I do!!! A child was created from this mess!!! MY child!!! I HAVE to know why!!!

It was so painful, having her so close and not be able to touch her. I hated it so much!!! Why was any of this happening?!