Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Sorry if their is a lot of grammer issues. I was lucky that I finally finished it, and I feel like I'm back in the grove of writing again.

The fourth Hokage's son staggers into his office, messing with the unruly bed hair to try to get it into something other then a mess, but his blonde locks were betraying him. He settles into his seat, briefly looking at the Hokage's hat that he puts on his head from time to time. Mostly for festivals, or big meetings.

Today, Naruto thought he should wear it so his advisers would not see the amount of sleep that he was getting.

Hinata, who was slowly ending her first trimester (for some reason, ramen still had a hold on the girl's gag reflux) was now mostly up half the night. Usually, it was because she was craving for strange foods, or just to talk about the future of their child. She was always either too cold, or too hot, and she seemed to get mad when Naruto would fall asleep during one of the many conversations of "How soon should we start on the nursery?"

Moving the hat and finally realizing he didn't care to wear it on his head, but rather to put it under his head, to sleep, he noticed a note on his desk. Taking it to the side, he read slowly, then jerked his head in thought. Sighing out an exasperated breath, he jumped up and ran off, deciding to take the hat with him.

Sasuke, after trying to get Ino to tell him something of what Sakura had been doing, left the hospital, with Sai standing outside the front door. Sai hands him a note and smiles, "Lovely day to be running around a hospital." Sasuke squints his eye at his replacement and takes the note from his hand. Upon reading it, he looks up at Sai. Sai shrugs his shoulders, "I'm not sure either." Sasuke shakes off the uneasy feeling, and proceeds to the police station, where he sees lots of high level shinobi gathering.

Several ANBU, ANBU captains and squad captains are gathered all in the lobby. Sasuke notices Yamato talking with Chouji, Shino, and Kiba and goes up to him.

"What is it?" Sasuke asks Yamato, who turns and looks at the Uchiha,

"Shikamaru called all of ANBU and Police over. We aren't too sure what is going on. The note only read that we were to report immediately to the police station.

"Where is he?" as Sasuke looks around.

"He's waiting for Naruto to come." Sasuke turned and looked back at Yamato, who suddenly turned and gestured to the Raikage, as he was running down the road, holding onto his hat.

"Oy! Ok, where is the fire!?" Naruto exclaimed.

Now, Naruto might have been one of the best Hokage that Konoha had seen, besides his father, but even so, his appearances from time to time were far from professional. Shikamaru finally arrives and gestures everyone into a meeting room.

"At noon today, scouts that enter out of the west entrance of Konoha found a young genin, no older than 10, who seemed to be delivering a message to someone that was meeting him on the road toward Amegakure. However, no one would know why the genin would be doing a solo mission to deliver any thing to Amegakure at this time."

"He was a genin? Should he have not been with a team?" Sasuke asked. Shikamaru shook his head, and put one hand on his hip.

"That's just it. We can't find an identity, we have no clue why he wasn't with a team, or if there was any others that were with him."

"So, we should ask him?" Naruto asked. Shikamaru looked over at Naruto and averted his eyes down, "Naruto. The genin was defaced, head severed from the body. All identification was stripped of him."

Naruto sighed inwardly, and looked down. A ten year old? But why?

Sasuke looked toward Naruto, knowing he was sadden to hear someone so young pass on, and turned to look at Shikamaru,

"Was their nothing that could be found?"

Shikamaru looked over at Sasuke and frowned, "The scouts stated that their was no evidence of what looked like an ambush. The only thing that was left with him was a small bag of money."

"So the boy must have had something important for him to be attacked." Naruto said, but watched as Sasuke shook his head.

"No. This sounds planned."

Sai, who had been painting during the meeting, finally spoke up, "It does seem that way. And they weren't looking for money. Maybe he had been tipped off?"

Naruto looked over to Chouji, who had been put on the police task force, "Anything that has been reported stolen from the vaults or from the Konoha archives?"

"No, Hokage. Everything is tact."

"So is all the weapons vaults." Kiba declared. As men started to talk, Shikamaru tried to shush everyone, "It must have been planned, there was no ambush. What if he was delivering something? It's been known that people will send messengers and for them to be killed by a second messenger."

"You said that he was heading west?" Naruto asked, and Sasuke looked toward him. For a moment, he couldn't ponder what Naruto was thinking, and it bugged him.

"Yes. We believe Amegakure." Shikamaru answered, but a questioning gaze lingered on the Hokage.

"What else is west?"

"A lot of places are west of here, Naruto. What else do you think?" Kiba snickered. But suddenly, it dawned on Sasuke. Why Amegakure?

When Kusagakure was also west.

"Kusa. Damnit." Sasuke he smashed a fist onto the table, startling the men around him. Shikamaru looked toward Sasuke for a moment, and shook his head.

"They would have taken the other rode."

"No. That genin was young. He wouldn't of been let out without significant documents showing where he was headed." Naruto answered, fidgeting the hat in his hand.

"Taking the long way would have been not only convenient, but convincing as if he was just a messenger passing something to Mist." Sasuke said.

"He never would of needed to show identification. Probably didn't even have any." Naruto went on. Shikamaru pondered over the two friends, and finally shook his head.

"I don't understand. What does this have to do with this kid?" Shikamaru stated, and looked over at Sasuke.

"I think the messenger was delivering something from Konoha to Grass." Sasuke stated, and Naruto looked over, "Which means..."

"There is a Kusagakure spy in Konoha." Shikamaru whispered. Everyone looked at each other, each starting to whisper names and point blame. Naruto, who was to tired to think straight anymore, stood up,

"The book. Sasuke that book?" Suigetsu, who came in from behind everyone else, and wasn't suppose to be their, murmured, and Sasuke looked over to Suigetsu.

A book about blood. Medics. The blood disease. The boy with the same disease and Sakura who was leading a cause to find a cure.

A man from Kusagakure with the same blood disease.

And a spy in Konoha.

Sasuke looked over at Shikamaru and Naruto, "They have spies on Sakura."

Naruto looked over at Sasuke, and everyone became silent. Naruto rubbed his eyes, sat back down and rested his head on the table.

"Why can't we ever get a break?" He mumbled

After the meeting was closed, presenting that the hospital would have multiple guards and every shinobi that had recently come into town would be questioned, Sasuke had proceeded to the training ground to think.

Now they were after Sakura directly? And for a cure for an illness? This was just getting out of hand and Sasuke wanted nothing more then to just go to Kusagakure, kill Yuu, and go back home.

His mind raced with thoughts and as he turned around a tree, he immediately tensed and forced to the right while a kunai raced by his left ear. He activated his sharingan and looked ahead of him, ready to fight anything in his way.

But then he halted and his eyes returned to normal.

There stood Sakura, tired and weak, huffing as she tried to stand straight. Exhaustion and sleep flooding her face, but determined eyes and concentrated thoughts,

"I'm getting better." she said to him, and plopped down onto the ground.

"Hn." was his only response, as he walked toward her. He overlooked her, and noticed her seal had a slight glow to it.

"Are you injured?" Sasuke asked, examining her for anything that might of given away she was in an encounter.

"Tsk. I wish." Sakura answered fleetingly, and he turned his head to look at her face. It was pale, and her exhaustion only made him realize even more,

"Ino talked to me about what you have been doing. You know you can't give out this much chakra when you have just given a transfusion."

Sakura tched at the last Uchiha and looked away, muttering to herself, "She's not allowed to discuss these things with you."

Sasuke's eyes suddenly narrowed, "Sakura, you are killing yourself!" He shouted at her, "There is no cure for what this boy has."

"And what am I suppose to do, Sasuke!? Let him die!?" she shouted back, tears forming in her eyes.

Sasuke looked at her and frowned, and sat on the forest floor. A chill filled the air as the evening sun set in the horizon. Sakura sat up, wiping at her tears,

"I need to find a cure for this, Sasuke."

"You can't fight death, Sakura." he answered. He should know. He had been trying to fight death for years. But, whether he wanted to admit it or not, this was different.

She shook her head, "Do you really want another Yuu around?"

His eyes narrowed as he looked at her, and she began to speak, "That man. That vile man, because he is literally being controlled by death he has gone delirious with anger at himself. He finds power over others to have some sort of control when he cannot control it himself. He is literally a ticking time bomb, and even though I want him LONG out of my life. He has no one to go to for help."

Sasuke looked at her for a moment, and when he realized what she had said, he wasn't all that surprised.

She had forgiven him the moment he had left.

"You feel sorry for him?" He asked. She looked at him, "How should we feel if we have lost control of our own mortality?"

"And what? So he can come back here and take you again. So he can do those things too you again?"

"No..."

"No. It's not right of him. And yes, he has something killing him but it's not an excuse for his damn actions. People care about the people he hurts. People care about you. They don't want you raped or killed. All because someone is dying."

Sakura sighed and looked up toward the green of the trees, "That's why I need to find a cure. What if I can cure him and he'll stop."

Sasuke searched her eyes for a moment. Was she really saying this to him!? He suddenly chuckled, shaking his head and looking down at the ground,

"You would think of a way to help the enemy."

"You were once the enemy." she spat out, and he suddenly popped his head back up and looked over at her. There eyes met for a brief moment, and she shook her head, "Would you have too? In other circumstances? What if I had come with you. What if you were the one that would have assaulted me? Raped me?"

Visions danced in his mind. Him assaulting her, raping her. He had seen plenty of it at sound, and yet he never ever thought of falling so low to do those things to anyone. But he had assaulted her, almost killed her, all because of his own problems. He had forgotten that once he was the enemy. He looked at her eyes.

"When I left, " He sighed and sucked in a heavy breath, "Did you think I could become this monster?"

She searched his face, and her eyes landed on his black eyes, "I trained, I didn't want to think. I trained harder then I ever had in the past. I dreamt. I dreamt that we would be a team again, Sasuke. I figured if I could only help you, I could stop you."

"And you feel the same about Yuu?" he looked over her. She sighed, averting her gaze toward the grass, "It's not that same degree, but I'm a healer Sasuke. I have to believe in something other then death."

Her pink tresses danced in the breeze and he looked down again, "I didn't want to kill you, Sakura. I was..."

"Angry? Betrayed? These enemies we are always dealing with? They have backgrounds too, Sasuke."

"You're too damn nice for your own good." He stated matter of fact, and she turned to look at him, "If I wasn't, we wouldn't be here talking now, would we?" she turned and looked toward the setting sun then, and he watched her a moment.

He was still angry. But she made her point. But still...

"You have to let others help you, Sakura. You can't do this all by yourself. Find help for this boy."

"That's the thing, Sasuke. I would if I could...but..."

"But?"

She stood suddenly pacing around him for a moment or two. Unsure as to what to say. She finally stopped behind him, talking slowly, to make him try to understand the importance of her and working with the young boy,

"The boy only seemed to respond better with my blood and chakra. The same it was for Yuu." and it dawned on Sasuke,

"That's why..."

"That's why what?" She looked up at him. And he apologized, "The mission..."

"Sasuke-kun?" she whispered, watching his face. He pulled his jaw tight, where she could tell he bit his cheek before looking up at her,

"Sakura, we believe you are being watched at the hospital by a spy." he stated. She searched his face,
"What?"

"A series of events have happened, and we believe you are being watched. Yuu's waiting for you to figure it all out, and when the time comes, he will come and get you."

Sakura took in a sharpness of breath, and Sasuke stood and put his hand over her hand, forcing her to look at him,

"Sakura, me and the police, Naruto, we won't let anything happen to you."

She looked at him. Now she was scared, scared of what could happen to her. Scared of the memories and scared for herself. A slow tear developed in the corner of her eye, and she dragged her hand away from his to rub it away.

Unbeknownst to her, Sasuke wished she hadn't removed her hand. Sakura stood and Sasuke stood as well, the sun now practically gone, leaving bits and pieces of twilight as the stars began to glow.

"We. We should keep training. I want to be prepared for the worse."

Her face was hidden from his view by her pink tresses. His hand brushed them aside, so he could see her eyes. They were fierce with determination, and yet scared.

"I won't let something..." he started to whisper. But the look on her face turned from the determination to necessity.

"Just. Just appease me this time. Please."

And this time, he did appease her.

The stars twinkled brightly in the high sky. Sakura finally laid back on the ground floor. She was getting better, but without enough chakra to feel around her, she couldn't go any further then a few feet.

"Are you free tomorrow morning?" She asked, breathless and uncertain, but was now calmer than it had been at the start of their conversation. Sasuke stood next to a tree, and frowned,

"Sakura one nights sleep..."

"Is all it will take Sasuke, really." She stood finally, walking toward him, "It's funny." She noticed his eyes glance to her for a moment, before looking back down to listen to her,

"When I was a girl, I would be beside myself that the great Uchiha Sasuke was fretting over little old me."

"Sakura..." he pleaded, crossing his arms in front of him. She shook her head and pointed her finger at him.

"No. You are going to listen. Back then I would have been like, "Sasuke-kun! Are you really that worried about me!?" She mocked herself, placing her face in between her hands and acting all dreamy for just a moment.

And for a moment, Sasuke was taken back to those early days, and he couldn't help it. The smallest snicker came out of his mouth, and he rushed to place a hand over it.

But Sakura heard it. She dropped her hands and placed it on his other one,

"It really is ok. To laugh every once in awhile." She smiled at him, and he removed his hand,

"You really are damn annoying, Sakura." and he did smile, a sincere smile, only too her. She marveled it for a moment, then whispered.

"Thank you."

For a moment, a memory flashed of him leaving, and the smile faded. Feeling her hand still over his, he flipped it to take her hand in his. The softness of her flesh feeling of satin, and it dawned on him that they were incredible close. He looked at her tiny fingers in his palm, and then rested his black eyes on her emerald ones.

The same yes that he had envisioned in a daydream, now looking at him with love and sincerity.

For a moment, Sasuke was spellbounded, and neither did Sakura move. The wind rustled the trees around them, when finally Sakura smiled, and retreated her hand.

"I'll catch some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow after rounds, how about that?" She asked him. He had no clue where his voice had went too, and simply nodded.

"Goodnight, Sasuke-kun." and she started to walk away. Finally his voice broke,

"I'll walk you." He said quietly, as if he was still in a trance. But she looked back, and smiled again, "Nah. I'll be fine. You look tired yourself. Get some rest." and she retreated the way they had come in to the training grounds.

For a moment, Sasuke stood watching her figure leave. Finally he turned, tucked in his hands and walked away back to his home.

He didn't want to think of the way she had looked captivating to him in that moment. How it was as if time had suddenly slowed down to really let him look at her face, and let him glimpse those eyes for reality. His hands twitched in his pocket, reminding him of the softness of her skin.

If the Uchiha didn't know any better, he would chalk it all up to chakra exhaustion.

But maybe, just maybe, Sasuke knew deep down the mission was stressing him, and all he was starting to think about was her, and her well being.

But she needed to be protected.

And to be quite honest, Sasuke wondered if he needed to be careful. Because sooner or later...

He might need her to be protected...

from him.

A/N: I apologize for the delay. I know it's annoying to see a chapter for so long and have to go back some to read. But it's been busy, and I finally have ended this chapter. I have vacation next week, and I will hopefully have a chapter out next Saturday.

I do hope you also enjoyed the sweetness of Sasuke and Sakura here...

But really, Sasuke wouldn't do anything to hurt Sakura, would he?