Sasuke didn't look angry, per se, but there was something about his demeanor that made Sakura want to stay out of his way. The tomoe of his Sharingan were frighteningly still, but she knew it was only a matter of time before they started to spin.

Those red eyes were locked onto Kabuto, who had yet to turn around and face the completion of their trio.

"I thought you were finished with her, Kabuto," Sasuke said, his tone darker, his expression darker.

"This doesn't concern you, Sasuke," Kabuto said, not bothering to turn and look at him. His words were sure and steady. Kabuto didn't look away from Sakura. He was still fuming, but Sakura could see a new note of hesitancy in his eyes. He was afraid of Sasuke.

And he should be, Sakura thought, because it looked like Sasuke planned to kill him. Sakura watched him draw a katana from its sheath – the same one he had used to kill Orochimaru. Kabuto still didn't turn to face him. He was avoiding Sasuke's gaze, the inevitable death that awaited him should he slip up and look into the estranged Uchiha's eyes.

"Sakura, go wait back at the inn," Sasuke said. He didn't look at her.

"Sasuke, don't," Sakura said, trying to make her voice sound as steady as Kabuto's. It didn't come anywhere close. At the sound of the waver in her voice, Sasuke looked up at her. She could see the disgust plain on his face. He thought she was weak.

Sasuke seemed to find a new resolve. He looked back at Kabuto and a second later was in close enough distance to cleave Kabuto's body in two with one fell swoop.

Sakura wouldn't allow it. She moved with as much speed as she could muster, her body acting without her permission. Her mind was racing, unable to keep up with her movements. Before she knew it, she held Sasuke's wrist in her hands, preventing the swing of his katana.

"There's no reason to kill him, Sasuke," she practically begged. "He's not working for Orochimaru anymore and the ANBU will be off his tail by tonight. Please, just let him go."

"I don't need you to defend me, you bitch," Kabuto bit out.

Sakura whipped around to glare at him, giving Sasuke the opportunity to rip his arm from her grasp. "This is troublesome," he said, giving both Kabuto and Sakura wary looks. "Sakura, we need to get going now."

"Okay, okay," she said hastily. Sasuke's hand still gripped his katana tightly, but he lowered his arm and gave Sakura a withering look. "Can we bring Kabuto with us?" she asked, not daring to let hope creep into her tone.

Sasuke gave her another look of disgust and shook his head. "I'm already reconsidering whether I want to take you," he said accusingly.

Sakura pursed her lips, annoyed that she was going to have to argue on Kabuto's behalf. It wasn't like she wanted to marry him. She only wanted Sasuke to spare his life.

"Trust me, you're better off without her," Kabuto snapped.

"Fine," she snapped. "Kill him. I don't care."

Kabuto lunged toward Sakura with a kunai clenched tightly in his fists. Sakura tensed, ready to fend off his attacks. Instead, though, she found her eyes drawn toward Sasuke. He made no move to intervene and his expression was severe. In her distraction, Sakura was a second too late to dodge Kabuto's vicious attack. It was clear from the unfettered energy behind his attack that it was pure rage motivating him. There was no rhyme or reason to the wild punches he threw.

Sakura attempted to block each blow, absorb each punch. It wasn't until he slashed her right arm from her elbow to her wrist that she got angry. The cut was deep and it stung. Blood welled up immediately and Sakura knew that if she didn't tend to it within a few minutes that she would bleed out and die.

It was then that Sasuke chose to intervene. He took a step toward Kabuto. That was all the warning Kabuto needed. With one last heated glare in Sakura's direction, Kabuto leapt off through the trees.

Clutching her bloody arm, Sakura took a few ambling steps after him. "Get back here, you fucking bastard!" she screeched.

She huffed and panted, grunting against the pain in her arm as she watched Kabuto's form fade into the horizon. She teetered on a strange island of emotion with Kabuto – she was torn between hating him and pitying him and wanting to fuck him for whatever unearthly reason. She scowled deeper, confused and seething.

After a moment she felt Sasuke's eyes on her. She turned to meet his gaze and instantly looked away from the judgment and curiosity he found there.

"Aren't you going to go after him and kill him?" she asked heatedly, already pumping healing chakra into her arm.

Sasuke grunted, which was neither a confirmation nor a rejection. Sakura looked back up at his eyes again, a little too angry to be intimidated by him now. In return, she saw a glimmer of something she hadn't seen in years. The corner of Sasuke's mouth tipped up for the briefest of seconds – just long enough for her to see the genuine mirth on his features before it disappeared into the void of emotion that was Sasuke's face.

Sakura couldn't imagine what about this situation made him want to smile. A smile from anyone else – Kabuto, Naruto, whoever – would have bolstered her anger. This time, it deflated her.

"We'll let the man live for now," he said, every trace of emotion gone again. "We need to get moving anyway."

"But he's going to try to kill me again," she argued. "He followed us here. He could still be following us."

Sasuke took a step toward her, and though Sakura didn't sense any hostility in him, she took a step back anyway. "Sakura, you can be as much trouble as you want to be after I've killed Itachi. Until then, just stay close to me and be quiet."

Sakura let out an indignant scoff, but she already knew she wasn't kidding anybody. What was she going to do – go after Kabuto herself and leave Sasuke behind? No, she'd obediently follow Sasuke anywhere he asked her to. She didn't feel free to make the choice otherwise. What if Itachi killed Sasuke? What if this was her last chance to see him, to spend any time with him? Sasuke would go with or without her, so she had to make sure it was with her.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he took another step toward her. This time she didn't back up.

"Fine," she muttered, glaring up at him through her lashes.

/

By that afternoon, Sakura and Sasuke had made quick ground back into Fire Country. With a brand new tent on her back and a warm winter cloak, Sakura felt the reality of what she was doing as pressing as the weight of her pack against her back.

She was practically abandoning Konoha. She had sent her message, of course, but what if something intercepted it? What if Tsunade never got it? Naruto would think she left him. Everyone would think she defected. And if Kabuto managed to get back to Konoha in one piece, he would surely tell everyone of what happened with Sasuke. He would do her no favors – Sakura was absolutely certain of that.

"Will you tell me where we're going now?" she asked Sasuke, who walked a few steps ahead of her. She sorely hoped he would be even a little bit talkative. He had hardly spoken a word to her since that morning. It made her feel lonely in spite of his constant presence.

"Orochimaru has another bunker in this area," Sasuke explained. "It's buried under a snow bank."

"What do we need from Orochimaru's bunker?" she asked.

Sasuke paused for a second, glancing at her over his shoulder as if asking her if 'we' was really the pronoun she meant to use. Sakura refused to look away from his gaze and admit defeat, so she gritted her teeth as she stared back.

"I need to recruit one other person," he replied, turning back away from her. "Then I'll be ready to kill Itachi."

Sakura frowned, but she didn't say anything else. She didn't know what the point of recruiting another person was. Sasuke was going to fight Itachi alone – she knew that for a fact. He wouldn't want to concede that his victory had been by anything but his own power. Of course, the victory would be a little bittersweet if he died afterward because of an injury, so she understood her own role in Sasuke's plan. So why did they need a third?

They ambled on in silence still, Sakura trudging behind Sasuke with a permanent glower on her face. She was cold and still angry with Kabuto. She was worried about Sasuke and the prospect of him fighting his brother. She was concerned for Naruto and Tsunade and Ino and Kakashi, who would be worrying about her back at home should her message not have been received.

And she was still exhausted. She felt like she was in a permanent state of playing catch up on her sleep. If she ever made it back to Konoha, she decided she would take a nice little 'staycation' and just sleep for a week straight.

The grass beneath their feet gave way to icy sludge as they continued to walk. Sakura was glad for their slower pace, but she wondered why Sasuke didn't want them to be running instead. Perhaps timing was important in his plan, but either way, Sakura was grateful. She didn't think she could run quickly enough to keep up with Sasuke, and she certainly didn't want to run in the cold. Her cheeks and nose already felt wind-chapped.

Eventually the icy sludge became powdery snow, which was deep enough that Sakura had to use chakra to avoid sinking into it.

"There's a small cave up ahead," Sasuke said, breaking the still, tense silence that had settled over them. "We can rest there for the night. We should reach the bunker by tomorrow afternoon."

Sakura didn't argue even though she was less than excited about the prospect of sleeping out in the cold. But at least they would have a cave instead of their stupid tents.

When they reached the cave, Sakura began to gather what firewood she could from the trees that were scattered around them while Sasuke checked and cleared the cave. This time the silence wasn't so unbearable and Sakura felt an awful lot like she was back on a mission with Team 7.

She missed Naruto. She glanced up at Sasuke as she shifted herself into a sitting position against the cave wall. He started the fire with a quick jutsu and then crossed the cave to sit on the opposite side of the fire. Sakura peered at him through the flames, hoping to catch another glimpse of that contentedness he had shown earlier.

She wasn't as lucky this time. He was stony and silent, his eyes glued to the fire. She didn't avert her gaze, though. Even though she had been with Sasuke for a couple of days now, and even though she had dreamt about him all throughout her adolescence, Sakura felt like she'd never really gotten a proper look at him until now.

The firelight flickered shadows across his face. He was just as handsome as she always remembered, always dreamed he was. He was older now, and little more hardened to the world if that were even possible. The lines of life experience were beginning to show on his face. He had crow's feet now. Any deeper and he would begin to more starkly resemble the brother he hated so much. The coal black of his eyes seemed darker, less like coffee and more like ash. All of the warmth, all of the humanity she used to find in his face was gone.

It made her sad.

Would killing Itachi put him back together again? Or would it only shatter him further?

"This thing with you and Kabuto," Sasuke drawled, drawing her eyes from his mouth, where she didn't even realize they had settled, back up to his eyes. He was watching her now. He didn't appear to be judging her like he had last time, though her blatant staring must have been obvious. "Is it a lover's spat?" he asked.

Sakura grimaced with disgust, but it was mostly for show. She wasn't really all that disgusted by the idea of Kabuto anymore, but Sasuke didn't need to know that.

"Ew, no," she said. "I don't want to talk about Kabuto."

Sasuke was silent for a moment, regarding her with cool, but not unfriendly eyes. "You're a lot different, you know," he said.

"I am?"

Sasuke was silent again. Sakura was beginning to see that Sasuke said as much with his silence as he did with his words. His eyes were still locked onto hers. They dipped down to her chest and then her lap before back up to her face.

"Naruto's changed, too," Sakura offered, willing herself not to blush under his gaze. "He's more mature now – well, for the most part. He would love this, I bet. He would love to have Team 7 whole again, even if it's just for a little while."

Sasuke's brow furrowed. She couldn't tell whether it was from concern or anger or sadness. He turned his face away from her.

They didn't speak to one another for the rest of the night.

/

In spite of how exhausted she was, Sakura tossed and turned all night. She was cold. Sasuke had put out the fire, claiming that it would draw unnecessary attention to themselves. Sakura didn't disagree, but her wisdom didn't help to warm her up.

The cave was quite small – small enough that Sakura could reach out and touch Sasuke's sleeping body if she wanted to. Of course she wanted to. She'd wanted to since she was twelve years old, but that was a separate issue. She wanted to leech his warmth like she had done Kabuto's. If she could have the confidence to press herself up against Kabuto, then why did the thought of sidling up to Sasuke freak her out so much?

She watched his chest rise and fall. Even in his sleep he still managed to look bitter. There was something about the set of his mouth that indicated less than pleasant dreams. Sakura could understand that. He was probably nervous about having to fight his brother soon.

Sakura glanced toward the mouth of the cave. She couldn't sense any chakra out there. She hoped Kabuto wasn't around anywhere, lurking and preparing to strike. The weird conglomeration of guilt and affection and hatred she felt toward Kabuto translated into a feeling of nausea, which Sakura had hoped she wouldn't have to feel for a long time.

If she thought hard enough about it (and she had to because if she didn't, the cold would bother her), what she felt for Kabuto wasn't all that different than what she felt for Sasuke. So why couldn't she just scoot over and slip underneath Sasuke's bedroll?

She knew. She had never feared Kabuto's rejection. His opinion didn't matter. Sasuke's did, and that's why she couldn't bring herself to be put in a position where he could reject her. She already knew how much that hurt and she didn't need to feel it again. Not now while things were looking up for him.

She continued to watch his even breaths, the way they made his chest ride and fall. She couldn't help but wonder if going after Itachi was a suicide mission for him. Even if it wasn't, Sakura knew it wouldn't cure his heartache. Sasuke was hurting and she didn't think she could ever fix that. She wished there were some way she could force him to understand how loved he really was. No, she and Naruto could never replace the family he lost, but they could do their damnedest to try.

A crease formed between Sasuke's brow. His dark hair fell across his brow as he shifted slightly. She wondered what he was dreaming of. She stared at his lashes, which were thick and dark and long, resting on his cheeks.

Then she was staring at red eyes. Sasuke blinked, though he didn't appear to need to shake himself out of sleep. His eyes were already sharply focused on her the moment they opened up.

Sakura made a tiny noise of surprise with the back of her throat, nestling deeper into her bedroll. It didn't warm her, but the hot blush on her cheeks did.

"You're awake," Sasuke drawled, his voice bored like that was nothing more than an observation.

"I'm too cold to sleep," she explained, averting her gaze like that would prevent him from seeing her blush.

Sasuke sat up, pushing his bedroll down to his lap. "I'm cold, too," he said. "Come here. It will be warmer if we put our bedrolls together."

Inner Sakura, who real Sakura had done a significant amount of therapy to get rid of, came back to life to squeal with delight. Real Sakura pushed her deep down back into the recesses of her mind.

Was he serious? Was she dreaming? She glanced around the cave, reaching out with her chakra to see if she was trapped in some sort of genjutsu. Kabuto knew her weakness. He would know the way to get her to drop her guard. She was certain that this had to be a trick because there was no way Sasuke would ever suggest something like that.

"Umm, no, that's okay," Sakura said weakly. "I can manage."

The surprised that flittered across Sasuke's face was unmistakable. It made her glad to think she was capable of doing that. She wondered if it felt like a rejection to him, or if he was even really cold.

"Sakura, the temperature is well below freezing," he countered, which was enough of a surprise in itself, but he also sounded a little annoyed. "Get over here."

Sakura gritted her teeth to keep them from chattering. Sasuke was right and she was cold and this was what she had always wanted, so why did she feel compelled to say no to him? It could still be a trap or some kind of cruel trick he was playing on her. She didn't know. But she did know that she would choose her battles wisely when it came to Sasuke. She didn't want to argue with him now. All she wanted was warmth and sleep.

So begrudgingly, she gathered her bedroll in her arms and marched over to where he sat. He helped her arrange her bedroll to overlap his. She avoided his gaze, even when their fingers accidentally touched. When she had finally burrowed herself back underneath the bedroll's warmth, she sighed, but didn't feel all too content.

She could feel Sasuke's body beside hers, though they weren't touching. They were close enough that she could feel his heat. She closed her eyes and listened to his steady breaths. While it was unsettling to be so close to him, she couldn't help but feel a little safer at his side. If Kabuto was lurking out there somewhere, he'd have to go through Sasuke to get to her. She didn't want to admit that she found peace of mind in that fact.

And now that she was warmer and safer, her eyelids felt heavier. She turned over onto her side, facing away from Sasuke.

"I didn't think you'd ever change," Sasuke said. His voice was so quiet it was almost like he didn't want her to hear, like he thought she was already asleep. Sakura wasn't daft enough to believe that, though.

"Now I don't even know you," he said.

If he thought she had been asleep before, he would have known she wasn't the second her heart started racing. She didn't know why those words made her heartbeat increase. It wasn't like he was admitting he loved her or anything. Still, it was something – maybe even defeat, if his tone was anything to judge by.

Sakura didn't know what to say, so she said nothing.

But it was all she could think about until sleep finally took her.

/

The next morning Sakura and Sasuke made their way to Orochimaru's bunker with little ceremony. Sasuke was obviously very familiar with the bunker, not needing directions for every twisting turn he led Sakura through. She wondered just how long he had spent in that particular place, how accustomed he had become to the cold. He had lived an entirely separate life here, and now that Sakura could see the tangible details of it, she was curious.

Further driving her curiosity, Sasuke was able to greet the other people in the bunker by name. Some of them were prisoners, which he freed and informed of the news that Orochimaru was dead. Others were clearly working for Orochimaru willingly. Sasuke was cordial, if a little detached as he shared the news with everyone. Sakura couldn't help but stare in awe at him, silent as the trotted along behind him.

Everyone else also seemed to be in awe of him, like they hadn't expected to ever see him again. Some ever wondered aloud whether or not it was Sasuke or Orochimaru occupying that body.

Sasuke didn't answer those questions. He hardly engaged in any conversation at all. That was until they approached a single 'patient' room with nothing but a large water tank with a suspiciously human shaped form floating in it.

Sakura gasped in shock at the sight of the motionless body. Sasuke flipped on the lights and she couldn't help but reel back at the strange sight of the man in the tank. He had white hair and was deathly pale. Though his mouth was closed, she could see a sharp tooth poking through his lips.

Hesitantly, she approached the tank and placed her hand against the glass. Instantly, the man's eyes flew open. For a moment, his startlingly purple eyes bore straight into hers before he disappeared, his body fading into the water.

"What the fuck?" Sakura muttered to herself, cocking her head in curiosity. Was this what Kabuto had been doing for Orochimaru this whole time? Capturing and experimenting on people like this?

"Move out of the way, Sakura," she heard Sasuke say behind her.

Obediently, Sakura stepped away from the tank and watched as Sasuke climbed the ladder and opened the hatch on the top.

A deluge of water splurged from the top of the tank, splashing onto the ground behind Sasuke before reforming itself into the white-haired man again.

"Sasuke," he said, cocking his head and giving the Uchiha and infuriating grin. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Suigetsu," Sasuke said, eyeing the man with his usual amount of stoicism.

"Suigetsu," Sakura repeated, tucking the name away for future reference.

The man, Suigetsu, turned to look at her and raised a curious brow. He opened his mouth to speak to her, but Sasuke spoke first.

"I've killed Orochimaru," he began.

"So what?" Suigetsu asked before Sasuke could continue. "I could've killed that bastard, too. You were just closer."

Sasuke grunted, but made no argument.

"So you think I owe you something?" Suigetsu demanded. "Why else would you free me?"

"Hey, he freed everyone else here, too," Sakura argued on Sasuke's behalf. Sasuke shot her a look, but it was unreadable so it had little effect on Sakura.

Suigetsu turned to face Sakura, his eyes curious but also amused rather than annoyed like she'd been expected.

"I'm forming a team to kill my brother," Sasuke said, drawing Suigetsu's gaze away from Sakura.

"And you want me to be on it?" he asked, though it didn't sound much like a question. "Why would I want to help you?"

"You want to collect all the original seven blades of the Swordsmen of the Mist, don't you?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura blinked in surprise, remembering all those years ago when they had fought Zabuza. The memory felt so strong in her gut, she could envision the Mist-nin's sword so easily in her mind.

"Yeah…" Suigetsu drawled.

"My brother's partner is Kisame Hoshigaki," Sasuke replied. "I believe he has a sword you want – Samehada. Come with me to kill Itachi, and I'll help you get that sword."

Sakura's eyes flickered between Suigetsu and Sasuke, watching the strange exchange. The two didn't seem to like one another very much, but there wasn't any disdain there either.

"Deal," Suigetsu said, hardly taking a moment to think it over first. He extended a hand to Sasuke, who looked a little irritated, but held out his hand nonetheless. The pair shook hands before Suigetsu turned back to look at Sakura over his shoulder. His eyes were brighter, warmer now.

Perhaps she had misjudged him initially. He seemed prickly, but he had been locked in Orochimaru's bunker as nothing more than a human experiment for gods knew how long. She could understand his mistrust of Sasuke, his slow acquiescence to his newfound freedom.

"So who's your hot friend?"

AN: I know there's not a whole lotta Kabuto in this chapter, and I know, I know, this seems suspiciously SasuSaku, but don't you guys worry. Sasuke's role in this fic will diminish eventually. I just gotta address Sasuke, ya know? Poor guy out here just tryna avenge his family. :/