Chapter Twenty-Five: Sickness and Commitments

Ancient Greece:

Athens was everything and more than she had imagined. The food, the culture, the life, it was far above what her tiny little island had ever offered her. After a week of travel, she had arrived safely with her uncle into the warm embrace of her aunt. Since then, her aunt had seen to it that she experienced everything the city had to offer. However, as exciting and entertaining life had been for the past month, Sakura had found herself missing the quiet and peaceful solitude that the low population of her home island provided.

Her aunt had suggested she visit the local Laconia as a remedy for this. And her aunt had been right. The steamy and quiet solitude that the bath house provided seemed to sooth her highly stimulated mind as she soaked in the warmth of the water and rubbed the calming peppermint oil across her skin. But even as she breathed in the fresh scent, she still felt a yearning need for something else. A particular thing that had been absent in her life since she had come here. That thing was Sasuke.

It had been a month since she had seen Sasuke and she was missing him in every way. Taking in a deep breath, she slowly let it out as she sank lower into water, letting her head fall back onto the edge of the pool.

He had said he would find her no matter where she went, that no matter what, they would be together, that he would find a way. She had believed him and she still did. At least she wanted to because the alternative was unbearable. She missed him terribly and the thought of never seeing him, never being with him again, was undesired. She missed his presence. His quiet attitude and commanding, but so easily swayed authority. And she missed the feel of his body against hers. It didn't matter if it was a single finger, his breath, or his entire body, she just missed the connection, the bond that they had established over their time together.

She missed the way he would trace her features as if memorizing the feel of her skin was the most important knowledge to possess. And the way his hands would eventually wander to her locks and soothingly comb the tangles from her scalp after their times of intimacy. Even now as she lay back she could imagine the way his nails would dig into her scalp before running the length of her hair with a soft gentleness so not to pull on a tangle too hard. He would do this until her locks were perfectly smooth and flowing before placing a soft kiss on her–

The pressure against her forehead caused her eyes to snap open with alarm. For a moment she stared up in disbelief. She must have been in the heated bath for too long and was experiencing some fatigue, for surely it was the only explanation for the phantasm that she was seeing.

A perfect image of Sasuke hovered over her. His face upside down from her perspective. His dark eyes shined like obsidian stone. She recalled the earlier pressure on her forehead and took note of the sensation that was lingering on her skin and made a realization. You could not feel a phantom's touch, therefore this image was not an image, it was real. Sasuke was here.

As the delayed realization caught up, her body went into a sudden reaction. Water sloshed around as she twisted around from the edge and sank deeper into the pool. As she turned back to face him, she stared wide eyed at his smirking face.

"You're...you're really here!" She whispered as she hugged her arms against her naked chest. "What are you doing here?"

Sasuke's eyes moved from her face and ran down her submerged body before moving back up to meet her reddening face. "Since when did you become so modest?" Sasuke inquired. "And isn't this a public bath house," he asked as he stood up slowly. "I thought anyone was welcome?"

"Ye-yes but this section is not open to men," she stuttered out.

Sasuke smirked and brought his hands to the hem of his shirt. With slow and smooth movements, he slowly lifted his shirt up his torso. Sakura took in the tight muscles and defined lines with every inch that he revealed. As soon as it was over his head he let it drop to the floor by his feet and stared down at her.

"Is it now?" he asked with mocking innocence. "...but I am in such dear need of a bath," he added as his thumbs went to the waistband of his trousers, lowering them just enough to reveal the defined shape his transverse muscles made.

Sakura licked her lips hungrily as she stared with a heated gaze. It was only when he paused in the removal that she raised her gaze to his face.

"Unless maybe you have some objections...Sakura?"

The way he said her name sent a surge of exhilaration through her body. It was full of promising allure that her body immediately reacted at the thought of receiving such promises. Unable to look away from his eyes, she silently shook her head from side to side.

Sasuke's mouth curled even farther and he proceeded to undress himself fully. All the while Sakura watched motionless and quiet as he tossed his clothes onto the floor and stepped into the pool, slowly submerging himself farther and farther until he was waist deep and standing right before her.

He brought his hands to her crossed arms and pulled them free of her chest. Wrapping them around his neck, he pulled her closer until she was in his lap with her legs wrapped around his torso. He ran a hand down her wet spine which caused her legs to squeeze him tighter, pushing a satisfied groan from him as she pressed closer to him.

"We shouldn't be doing this," she said quietly as his head bent forward and began to nuzzle her neck. "What if someone comes and finds us?"

"Then they will be blessed by the gods to witness such a thing."

She let out a sound of disagreement that turned into encouragement as he found the sensitive part of her neck.

"However do not worry, no one will disturb us," Sasuke assured.

He emitted an influence to the surrounding area to anyone near to have a desire for something else than a bath. As much as he would love to see what she would do if someone were to find them, it had been too long and he was not about to let their time together be disturbed. He had been so busy over the month that he had not been able to find time between finding favor in Madara and getting a chance to approach her.

He leaned back slightly and let her hands fall down to rest on his chest beneath the water. "So what do you think of the mainland?"

At the question her eyes brightened and she began to tell him of everything she had done and seen in the past month. Her words of description came out awed and dazzled as she described the temples and theaters she had been to, as well as the arts themselves that she had witnessed. All the while, Sasuke imagined what it would be like when she saw his world. If just a large mortal city brought about this much joy, it was hard to imagine what she would think of his home. Would she even be able to handle it? There were so many things he wanted to show her he didn't know where he would begin. The underground lake, the lava tubes, the glowing caverns, or the gardens of plants that no mortal had ever seen?

As she happily spoke, Sasuke found his hands wandering up to her face. With her head cupped in his palms, he finally grabbed her attention and her gushing of the city fell quiet. "You truly amaze me," he said quietly. "Your fascination for even the smallest of things...is there anything that does not impress you?"

She tilted her head as she looked at him in confusion, unsure of how to answer his question. The absence of an answer seemed to amuse him as his mouth curled. He gave her cheek a quick peck with his lips then leaned back, pulling her to him as he wrapped his arms around her. Her head came to rest in the crook of his neck as he lounged back, his fingers idly running circles against her skin beneath the water.

"I wonder in the years to come if we shall finally find something that won't astound you. Once you live in my world long enough, surely you will find some dullness in the mortal world. Then again, after enough years you see new civilizations rise one after another. Mortals always surprise me with the new things they come up with."

As Sakura listened to him talk as she lay in his arms, a wane smile spread across her lips. She loved this, loved being in his arms, and loved hearing him talk of them in the future. It was comforting to know he was planning a 'them' in his future. But despite this, she was still worried about just how long it would last. Sasuke spoke of them in terms of eternity. It was poetic and lovely, but Sakura was not stupid. She knew her life was limited, and as much as Sasuke promised her, she could not bring herself to breach the subject, afraid of what else Sasuke would promise her. Would he search out to extend her life? Was that even a possibility? The idea was certainly thrilling but surely if that was not possible, Sasuke or even Naruto would have mentioned it by now.

She had never feared death, and she still did not. But she did fear growing old and Sasuke growing tired of her. Yes, he spoke of them together in the future, but it was easy to speak of such things when in the here and now.

But at the moment, as they coupled together, as Sasuke pulled her head up and began to kiss her passionately while his hands began to move across her body and draw out vocals of the bliss she felt, she realized she did not care. She would take as much time as she was given. And should she find herself an old spinster with no Sasuke at her side, she would take it, so long as she had him here and now. She would cherish the years, months, or even just days she had left with him.

There was a sickness going around, and it was spreading like wildfire across the city. It was like nothing that Sakura had ever seen. It started like a simple head cold. Slight pain and pressure in the head with the occasional sore throat. But by the third day, things rapidly changed. A burning fever would take over, causing the ill to become nearly delusional and bedridden. Those that did not break the fever quick enough began to hemorrhage, which caused those inflicted to bleed from the lungs, nose and ears. The mortality rate was high, even for those who were in prime health seemed to have difficulty surviving the comatose fever.

When the husband of her aunt's neighbor had fallen sick, Sakura could not find it in herself to sit idly by. She had done everything in her power to try and save the man. Every medicine, every technique, she had tried and still, it had not been enough. He had slipped away in the late evening, leaving his wife and two sons behind. The eldest was just barely thirteen years of age and was now left with the responsibility of running the estate.

With heavy footsteps, she dragged herself home. Silent tears ran down her face as she stared down at the ground. She had taken the route from their home to her aunts so many times in the past week she didn't need to pay attention to where she was going. And so it was not until another body crossed her path and she ran straight into it, that she even became aware of her surroundings.

Looking up and opening her mouth to emit an apology, Sakura failed to speak when she looked up into the pinched face of Sasuke.

"What are you doing out here," he said in an irritated tone. "It's dark and you are in the city," he chastised harshly as he grabbed onto her shoulders and gave her a slight shake. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that is! This isn't your peaceful little island where nothing happens. You have been here for three months. You should know better by now! Has your aunt not warned you? Have you no regard for your safety? I have been looking everywhere for you! Where the hell have you been!"

His rant stopped when he saw the sad and vacant expression in her face. Her eyes were glazed over as she stared at his chest, telling him that not a single word of his reprimand had been acknowledged by her. His brow crumpled when he finally noticed the wet tear tracks that lined her face and all of his earlier worry and annoyance turned to concern.

Sakura stared at his chest as his angry rant entered one ear and immediately went out the other. Not a single word registered as she found herself unable to focus on anything but the throbbing in her head that seemed to radiate down the rest of the body, making her muscles ache with soreness. She was so exhausted from the past week of late nights and restless sleep that she suddenly lost all cares. She just wanted to close her eyes and forget.

She wanted to forget the grief in the woman's wails that had escaped her as she realized her husband was gone. She wanted to forget the overwhelmed look in the man's eldest son as the responsibility of a grown man was thrust upon him. And she wanted to forget the wet, gasping breaths that had escaped the man's throat as he struggled to hold onto life and fail to gasp it tightly enough. Gripping onto Sasuke's shirt, Sakura pressed herself harder into him when his arms snaked around her and held her trembling shoulders tightly.

"Sakura," he said gently. "What's wrong?"

His questions seemed to break her as her silence broke and a sob escaped her lips. She fell forward and buried her head deeper into his chest. As she wept, the feel of his arms around her, holding her so gently but still tight caused a dawning to fall upon her. It was not the first time she had cried in front of him but it was certainly the first time he had ever seemed to comfort her with such a tender embrace. Sasuke did not show affection often and after the tormenting last few days, the tenderness only made her cry harder as inaudible words began to fall from her lips. She told him of the man, told him of everything she had tried, what should have happened, and finally, what had happened instead.

Sasuke was at a loss for words to say and lacked the knowledge of what to do. He didn't like Sakura crying, for many reasons. The first being that he did not like her to be upset. He wanted her happy, he wanted everything to be what she wanted. The second reason he did not like it, was because he did not know what to do. And Sasuke despised being ignorant. No one had ever taught him. Very rarely did he find comfort from someone when he was upset, mostly because within his world, you did not show emotions. If expressed, it was done behind closed doors where no one could see your shame.

However Sakura was different, she had been raised with an opposing stance. She allowed every emotion to be seen by the world. Which was why, despite his lack of knowledge, he had to try. He did what felt more natural and he held her. Held her tightly to his chest and imagined that he could absorb her sorrow the way his shirt absorbed her wet tears. However, when she began to blame herself for the tragedy that had just happened, he could no longer comfort her. He would not condone such belittlement of herself.

Pushing her back slightly so to put some space between them, he looked down at her. Her eyes were puffy and red while her face was flushed and wet from her tears. "Stop it," he said with a slightly hard tone. She took in several staccatoed breaths and hiccuped. He gave her a small shake which caused her to look up at him. "It is not your fault," he said firmly. "You cannot save everyone, do you understand? You have no control over who dies and who lives, that is for the gods."

She hiccuped again but managed to give a small nod as she looked down at her feet. Sasuke's hand rested softly on her shoulders but when her body slackened he quickly moved forward and tightened his grip. He caught her in his arms as her own jerked up to grab a hold of him. She looked up at him with wide eyes, surprised by the sudden fatigue.

She blinked a few times then did her best to support herself. "Sorry," she said quietly. "I guess I am more exhausted than I thought." She began to take a few steps to start back home. "I should go home and get some sleep–"

She was cut off when her own body began to sway as a spell of dizziness rushed over her. As soon as it subsided her world was swirling again, but this time it was because she really was moving. Sasuke had snatched her up into his arms and had begun to walk down the vacant street.

"You should not have exhausted yourself so much," he muttered under his breath. "You need to take care of yourself as well, not just others. You cannot just disregard your well-being...it's annoying."

Sakura gave out a small hum, too tired to open her mouth. Instead she snuggled into the warmth of his shoulder and let out a heavy sigh as she tried to ignore the throbbing in her head. It felt good to close her eyes. They had felt strained all day to the point that it hurt to have them open. She was not sure how it happened but at some point she opened her eyes and found herself being set down on the bed in her room.

Sasuke situated her body into a comfortable position then let his hand fall on her hair. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of the sweat that was beading along her forehead. Shifting his hand from her hair he pressed it against her forehead. Instantly he pulled his hand away. She was burning up.

"Sakura," he said, causing her to crack her eyes open. "How long have you been feeling like this?"

She mumbled something inaudible and he repeated his question. With a tired effort she shrugged her shoulders. "A few days," she sighed. "It's nothing, I'm just tired. I have not been sleeping well."

Sasuke looked over her worriedly, taking in the heavy bags beneath her eyes and the flush of her skin from the excessive body heat. He was no healer or doctor, but he was certainly not ignorant to what had been happening in this region of the mortal realm. There was a sickness, and while he had been absent for the past couple of weeks, he knew exactly what Sakura had been up to. Taking care of others and disregarding her own safety was an annoying habit of hers that he had yet to break her from.

He narrowed his eyes, unsure of who to be angry with. Her, her patients, or himself for not having checked in on her earlier. He gave the top of her head a few strokes before placing a kiss on the crown of her head and pulled away.

"Get some sleep," he said quietly. She nodded and closed her eyes. "I will come back tomorrow."

She let out a sound that he was unsure if it was a hum of acknowledgement to him or just a sound of her slipping into sleep. Standing up he went to the window that he had entered in. Pausing at the ledge he gave one last look at her before disappearing into the night.

He had come to lighten the heaviness of everything but now he felt even more weighted. As he soared out of the city, he set his mind straight. It was nothing. She was just exhausted. He would come back the next day and she would be fine. She would be well. She would survive.

She wasn't getting better. It had been five days and Sakura had only gotten worse. It was long past midnight, the only time he could sneak through her window and see her as her aunt was always at her side, tending uselessly. It had been a whole day since Sakura had even opened her eyes. Twenty-four long hours since he was privileged with the two emeralds that he relished the attention of.

Standing by her bed, not daring to go any nearer, he watched her restlessly fidget beneath the coverings of her bedding. Sweat soaked her nightgown as the fever raged within her body. And her hair was a knotted tangle, the roots dampened at her scalp from her feverish perspiration.

She began to mutter something inaudible, her words growing louder the more restless she became. Automatically his hand moved to reach out to her in an attempt to sooth her, but the sound of someone stirring in another part of the house caused him to pause. Before he could even manage to try and brush his fingers reassuringly against her heated skin, the approaching footsteps from down the hall caused him to quickly move to the ledge beneath the window.

Using the overhang of the manor, he crouched next to the windows opening. He watched as her aunt entered the room with a small oil lamp. Crossing the space between the door and bed, she set the lamp down by the small table and sat at the edge of the bed. With a pale hand, she felt Sakura's sweaty head, frowned, then pulled a cloth from the pan of water on the same small table as the lamp. Wringing out the excess water, she laid it on her forehead as she whispered out a quiet prayer. Sasuke barely heard the woman's pleas as she called out for Asclepius to bless her niece.

The words of her prayer went unregistered but the tone was noted. It was desperate and worried. Sasuke was suddenly hit with the reality of just how fragile Sakura was. From the beginning he had always found things about her that he proclaimed superior than her fellow mortals. He wasn't sure when, but somewhere down the line, he had convinced himself that this was exactly what she was. Something higher, less susceptible. Like the Demi gods of her faith. But in this moment that false security that she was better, stronger, more resilient, seeped away from him. The illusion of her being ethereal was shattered as reality set in. Sakura was not an exception. She was just as frail and susceptible as any other mortal. She could recover, she could get over this and things would be as they were. But, she also couldn't. She could get sicker, she could die, and then she would be gone forever.

The rush in his ears caused him to be rendered temporarily deaf as he stared forward unseeingly as what if's flooded his mind. Unaware of his surroundings, he failed to notice the shadowy presence behind him.

"Again," came the low instruction of his uncle.

Sasuke smoothly withdrew the katana from the scabbard, his fingers readjusted as he familiarized himself with the crisscrossed fabric that was woven as the grip. Even as his fingers moved around to find a grip that felt right, he knew that there would be no point. His form had been off all day. No matter how many times he had done this previously, and no matter how many times he had messed up and corrected himself today, he seemed doomed to fail each time. He knew it, and given the look on Madara's hard face, he knew it too.

"Something bothering you boy?"

Sasuke winced at the tone of the term. It was just how his father said it, which in his case, was not favorable to him. He needed Madara to see him as a proficient fighter not as a mistake riddled child. But he couldn't seem to focus. His mind was too preoccupied with thoughts of Sakura. It had been a week and she had still not gotten better and if she did not get better soon, it would only be a matter of time before…

Sasuke looked up to Madara. "What exactly happens to a soul after it has been collected?" he asked. "How does the tree and statue work? Are the souls transformed into something else? Is their existence of what that person was just erased? Or Is it like a hidden cache of souls that could be broken into? If souls go in? Can they also be taken out?"

Madara looked at him curiously. "Given your volume of wondering, it seems you have thought long about this," Madara commented. Sasuke shrugged and Madara eyed him more closely, taking in his stance and forced casualness, contemplating on if he would divulge in Sasuke's inquiries. Madara let out a deep hum before shifting and beginning to take a turn around the training room. He paused every once in a while to inspect a weapon here and there as he paced. "And why, may I ask, are you so curious?" he asked, almost too casually.

Sasuke paused for a moment before answering, choosing his words carefully. "Our entire existence seems to revolve around the collection of souls," Sasuke answered, "I was just curious as to why our work is so important. And what exactly comes from it?"

Madara seemed to consider this for a moment before speaking. "And if it were the latter, what would you do with the souls if you could break in?"

His tone was something Sasuke was unsure of. There was a warning but also...curiosity. As if the thought of it had never crossed his mind.

"I don't know," Sasuke replied.

Madara's mouth turned up into a thin smile. "All that thinking and you never once imagined what you could do? What you wished to do?" Madara's brow rose expectantly as he caught a glimmer in Sauke's eye. A glimmer that told him Sasuke had thought plenty of what he would do. "Humor me Sasuke, say you could do anything, what would you wish possible?"

Sasuke chewed his lip, uncertain of what his answer would summon from his uncle. "Revive the soul?" His answer came out sounding more like a question than a statement.

"And why would you want to bring back a mortal from death when there are already more than enough in their realm," Madara remarked.

Sasuke thought for a moment on how to phrase such a thing that would be intriguing to Madara. "Why not?" he said with a shrug. "To be a master of life and death...it would be godlike would it not?"

There was a glint in Madara's eyes. After a long moment of silence, he let out a bellowing laugh that unnerved Sasuke but he gave a small smirk and played along as if sharing Madara's amusement. As his uncle settled down he walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I knew I chose well when I decided to train you personally," Madara remarked. "You have a gift, Sasuke and an advantageous mind. I need followers like you if we are to rule more than just our realm. But while I admire your imagination, I must be the unfortunate informer that you are limited in reality. As far as I know, there is no way to bring back the dead. Mortal or seraph. If there were a way...do you not think I would have already tried?"

Sasuke shifted slightly under the weight of Madara's hand but more so from his stare. It was rare that Madara spoke if his brother and no one ever dared bring him up on their own accord. There would be no telling what would happen and no one was willing to trigger him to find out. However, this rare opportunity to speak of his deceased and unfamiliar uncle was lost to Sasuke as he was too distracted by the unwanted truth of Madara's words.

Madara was right, if there was a way to bring someone back from the dead, Madara would have done it by now. Sasuke never met Izuna, his death preceding Sasuke's birth, but he had heard of the bond Izuna and Madara shared, it went beyond brotherhood and blood. If he could have, Madara would have brought him back. Which meant there was no way to bring anyone back, which also meant, if Sakura died...there would be no bringing her back. A cold chill ran down his spine at the thought. She needed to get better, he needed her to get better.

He looked to Madara. "I have something to attend to," he announced, drawing Madara's vacant thoughts to him. He nodded, giving permission for him to go.

As soon as he was excused, Sasuke was making his way to the portal, not bothering to change. He needed to check on her, he needed to make sure she got better.

He lept up onto the overhang beneath her window but froze the moment he saw Suigetsu leaning against the wall beneath it. The moment his purple eyes fell upon Sasuke he shot him a sharp grin.

Sasuke did not allow it to linger for long.

In a blur he had the smaller seraph's neck in his hand as his eyes bled red. "I thought I told you to stay away from her," he said darkly, his eyes flickering to the opening of the window to check on a slumbering Sakura. He did not like to see her restlessly moving around in a fevered slumber, but in this moment, he found comfort in it, it meant she was still alive, still fighting.

Suigetsu raised his hands in defense. "Easy, easy," he said in an all too easy tone. "I didn't touch her, and besides, you told me to stay away from the island...not the girl."

Sasuke bared his teeth in a snarl. "I think my meaning was quite clear."

Suigetsu rolled his eyes. "Relax, Uchiha. I didn't come here for her," he said. "I was looking for you. I came with a message...an offer."

Sasuke stared back at the rouge for a long moment, his grip neither tightening, nor loosening as he considered. Finally, after a long thought, he moved, dragging Suigetsu down to the alleyway outside of the manor before releasing him with a shove. Suigetsu bounced against the mortar wall and stumbled for a moment as he recovered from the manhandling he had been put through.

Sasuke heard him mutter something about not getting paid enough to deal with certain shit but he ignored it. "I've already told your master a thousand times," he growled. "I am not interested in working for him."

Suigetsu stood up and made a show of tugging on his shirt, readjusting the baldric over his chest, and finally grinning at him. "He just wants to meet with you once."

Sasuke frowned. "So I've been told."

"Your little mortal is not doing well," he commented. "She's a fighter, lasted longer than others but I heard the older woman talking, seems the hemorrhaging has begun this afternoon…"

Sasuke stilled. His mouth went suddenly dry and he struggled to swallow. "She will be fine," he strained to say. "Like you said, she's a fighter, she will survive."

Suigetsu raised a brow. "Are you willing to bet on tha–."

Sasuke had him pinned against the wall before he could even finish. "Is that a threat?"

Suigetsu chuckled. "So it's true, this mortal really does mean that much to you."

Sasuke shoved him hard against the stone in warning and Suigetsu let out a grunt. "Easy man, you're gonna leave a bruise."

"I will do more than that," Sasuke growled.

Suigetsu let out a snort. "I don't think it's very smart of you to threaten someone who can save her."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

Suigetsu dug into his pocket then brought a small object up to the small space between them, displaying a small vial of glass with a discolored liquid inside. "Orochimaru sent a little present," he explained. "An antidote that will cure your little mortal of what ails her."

Sasuke moved to grab the vile but Suigetsu had anticipated it. Taking advantage of Sasuke's delay, he managed to free himself, holding the vial away from him as he held out a finger and waggled it in Sasuke's face.

"Ah ah, tut tut, Sasuke," he said with a reproaching tone. "You know how Orochimaru works. Nothing is ever for free. You agree to meet with him, and I give you the antidote. That's the deal."

Sasuke glowered. "And what if it's not what you say? What if it's poison?"

Suigetsu rolled his eyes and rested his hand on his hip in annoyance. "Come on, do you really think Orochimaru is that foolish. He wants you on his side, not against him."

Sasuke glared at the toothy seraph, his eyes occasionally glancing towards the vial or up to the window that led into Sakura's room. He heard a violent cough sound. It sounded labored and wet, meaning there was blood in that cough.

Sasuke gnawed at the inside of his cheek. Suigetsu was right, she was not getting better. "So I agree to meet with him and you give me the medicine," he clarified. "Nothing else. I just meet with him?"

Suigetsu nodded.

Sasuke glanced one more time at the vial then to Sakura's window. "Very well," he held out his hand, "give it to me."

Suigetsu stepped forward and handed it to him. Sasuke moved to pull it from his grip but paused when Suigetsu's hold tightened. "Half now, half later," he said as he surrendered the vial and stepped back. "I suggest you don't take too long, that there will only delay her death, the other one will cure her."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and moved forward but Suigetsu was already taking flight. "You didn't think Orochimaru wouldn't ensure you would come?" he called down as he began to flap away. He circled around once. "I suggest you don't dawdle. Orochimaru does not like to be kept waiting. And if that is not enough to hasten you, remember, that only buys her so much time."

Sasuke's hand gripped the bottle so tightly it threatened to break. When he realized this, he forced his hand to let up. Only when a violent cough sounded again did he manage to move. Jumping up into the lower roof before crawling through the window.

Sasuke flew through the air as fast as he could. The morning twilight was fading far too quickly for his liking. In his hand he clasped the cure, or at least what Orochimaru claimed was the cure. As the morning dared to begin, his anxiety escalated with every powerful flap of his wings that brought him closer. His muscles ached and were beginning to cramp from the swift strain but he powered through. Suigetsu said the medicine he had given earlier would only delay her death. How close she had been to death he did not know. I could have a week, days, or just hours. Whichever time frame he had, Sasuke had no desire to find out. Which was why he was racing full throttle to the manor.

Just as the sun's rays were beginning to reach up like fingers reaching up to pull the sun above the horizon, Sasuke maneuvered through the open window. In his urgency he had failed to make sure no one else was in the room. but he lucked out as he alighted onto the floor and found only Sakura laying in her bed.

He quietly crept to her side and laid a hand in her head. She looked more restful than when he left her after giving her the first dose, a good sign that the medicine was in fact a medicine and not one, of the many, sinister potions that Orochumaru had in his macabre of a collection. She stirred slightly at his touch and he gently pulled her into his arms.

Cradling her upper half he brought the vial to her lips. Like before she did not respond and he had to manually open her mouth and pour the liquid in. He watched with gratitude as her throat bobbed up and down as she swallowed it on her own accord. Earlier he had to force her body to swallow and it had not been a pleasant ordeal.

He set the vial down at the bedside table and shifted her so that he could sit in her bed with his back against the wall as she leaned on his chest. There he sat and waited, waited for the burning fever to fad, waited for her to open her eyes, and waited for her to live. For hours he held onto her, his arms wrapped around her as he rested his chin on the top of her head. Every once in a while he would move, but only to tighten his hold again as it loosened when he found himself nodding off.

He sensed her aunt moving about several times to come and check on Sakura, but everytime he sent her away with an impulse as he was not willing to let Sakura go. He would remain here until she was better, no matter how long he would wait. And when she did, he would send her home, back to the island and away from the city.

He had been foolish in thinking she should see the world without realizing just how fragile she was. It was time he found a way to keep her safe forever. Madara's plan would soon come into play, a plan Sasuke had still yet to fully commit to. Fully committing would be going against the blessed, which meant going against Naruto and Kakashi. However, it would also win him Madara's favor. And with that, he could get permission to bring Sakura to his realm. In his realm the existence of time was moot. There was no need for it in a world where nothing aged. If Sakura were to dwell in such a place she herself would not age, her age would be temporarily frozen; if she remained there, she could potentially live forever so long as no unnatural cause of death came to her. And he would not let anyone inflict such a thing on her.

Sasuke bowed his head and took in a deep breath. The floral scent that came from her bathing oils and soaps was faded but he could still detect the faintest hint of the familiar smell. It brought him peace as he hugged her closer and relaxed with her in his arms. Yes, he would commit to Madara's cause and in exchange, he would bring Sakura to his home. Then, and only then would Sakura be safe and his forever.

So I have been suffering from a bad case of writers block hence the slow posting. For some reason this chapter and the next I have been struggling with. The ideas for this chapter were one of the first I had thought of but that was a year ago and the notes I had written were a little vague on how I was initially wanting it. Special thanks to uchiha sarada1 for checking in on me and getting me motivated to do a read through with some tweakingand getting around to posting. I think (and hope) I was just overthinking this chapter. Hope you liked it!

Stay happy and healthy both physically and mentally! As always please do me a favor and take care of yourselves. Reach out to others who may be having a hard time and for sure if you yourself is struggling reach out to anyone. Until next time thank you all for the well wishes and comments, a big welcome to new readers, and a huge thank you to those who have been supporting from the beginning! You are all excellent!

Next chapter present day.

tatutu: hope this made your day again and you have been having a good one!

valspe9462: to answer your question yes Sakura will eventually get her memories back. However, it will be a little while longer before that happens. We have some much bigger things to come before that.

uchihasarada1: Yes Sasori is in the picture and will be there a lot in our next chapter. As for SASUSAKU moments I am sorry, hopefully this chapter satisfied a little. But fear not, you will certainly have many more before the final drama (just bare with me). This story is far from over and will have plenty later. At the moment the next couple chapters will be more focused on shifting the plot and then we will have a lot of Sasusaku interactions ;)