Chapter One : Inner Connections

Sakura

A wisp of hot breath slipped from between Sakura's slightly chapped lips and into the stale, cold winter air. A blush spread over her already reddened cheeks as her hand flew up to cover her Byakugō, where Sasuke's fingers first made their mark before his first departure after the war.

'Sasuke-kun.'

After the Fourth Great War, Sasuke and herself began to slowly rekindle their cracked relationship while making sure to give one another ample time. With that time, they have come to be a little more comfortable with one another and a little more inseparable, albeit the hindrance of Sasuke's travels. He always made a point to visit her when he was in town; the thought brought another blush to her face. She made a silent vow to Sasuke when he first started to open up to her, to never force anything between them. If they were to be together, she needed it to be real.

And it was.

They were, unspokenly, together. The warm chakra swelling and growing within her womb was proof. Her face turned red again. She hadn't had the chance to tell Sasuke yet, as she had only become aware a few days ago. It all happened so fast.

Her tired legs drug her up the metal staircase that led to her apartment door. Her mind was foggy with a lack of chakra from her shift, as well as thoughts of Sasuke. Her right hand grasped the doorknob, the cold temperature of it biting at her skin. The cold nipped at the nape of her neck, her house key jingling in her left hand. Her mind went numb as her senses prickled as if someone or something lurked behind her door. She slowly inserted the key into the lock, realizing it was unlocked as she turned it. Leaving the key in the lock, she turned the handle slowly. The door creaked as she slowly opened it.

Sakura slowly stepped inside, skin prickling with suspense. She felt a pair of sinister eyes on her, a feeling she couldn't connect words to.

In the split of a second, a large cloaked figure was upon her like a predator, swinging at her. Her hand came up, chakra rushing through her forearm and into her hand as her palm collided with his knuckles, catching his violent throw. The force of his throw caused her feet to slide back, which he took advantage of by throwing a second punch with his free hand. Ducking down and dodging his punch, her left fist came barreling at his face from beneath.

She felt his jaw crack under the pressure of her force, as well as bones in his neck. His body flew backward a few feet, his back and the base of his neck crashing into her wall; a sickening crack echoed. Her skin continued to prickle, her eyes scanning the room and landing on a darkened corner. She swore she saw the faintest glint of hungry red eyes staring into her soul, a knot swimming up to her chest and into her throat.

Those eyes. They haunted her, vicious memories of the past swirling within her mind, encompassing her every thought.

She took a step back in retreat, her foot landing on a small seal. She felt her leg become stuck as if her foot had been glued to the floor, and she vaguely wondered how she hadn't noticed it.

A surge of energy shot through her body causing her mind to go blank and causing her eyes to widen. Followed by a force that felt as if it was tearing her body apart from the inside, she felt her chakra draining from her body.

Malicious red eyes narrowed as they swept over her form, zeroing in on her abdomen. A crooked smirk swept over the perpetrator's lips.

A chilling scream rang out into the cold night.

Sasuke

A feeling, or rather an instinct that lay dormant within Sasuke, emerged that night, striking him awake unpleasantly. Jolted awake and into a sitting position, Sasuke shivered as beads of sweat dripped down his chest and back. He let out fast, short breaths of air, calming his racing heart as he stared at the uneven brown brick wall. He climbed out of bed, throwing the small, worn blanket off of him carelessly. The stone floor sent a chill to his feet, causing him to grit his teeth together and tighten his jaw, annoyed.

Something irked him deeply about the situation and the reason in which he awoke so abruptly. He ran his fingers through his thick black hair, taking note of how disheveled it felt, before sighing.

Sasuke was a notably wary ninja, and therefore he might be a light sleeper, but he was never one to become so overly concerned with a bad feeling. He couldn't help but feel that something was very wrong. His mind raced, trying to pinpoint the source of what would cause him such distress and even disturb his sleep.

Nothing came to the forefront of his mind immediately, but he could pinpoint a small voice in the back of his mind. A voice that spoke from the depths of his mind, where he kept what he wished to protect most.

Sasuke walked over to the small desk that sat in the corner of the room before writing out a note and addressing it to Kakashi. He sealed the note before his hands flew through a sequence of symbols, summoning a courier hawk. Attaching the note, he made a few more hand symbols before the hawk disappeared.

He paced back over to his bed, a sigh escaping his lips as he sat down. He would give Kakashi four days from now to reply to his note, which he knew was short, but he had to make sure everything was as he left it. He had to make sure that she was okay.

'Sakura…'

Naruto

Legs frozen in place, bright cyan eyes stared at the apartment door which was ajar slightly. As soon as he realized his dear former-teammates door wasn't locked, his mind and body became aware, guard drawn.

Even as he opened the door, something inside him told him she wasn't here. His heart sinking, he took in the scene of her apartment, a few things sticking out to him. A burn in the floor near the entrance, blood, and three lost teeth scattered a few feet in front of him, and a monstrous crack in the wall right in front of him. A picture frame, cracked and broken, lay near the wall. Picking it up he came face to face with Team 7; Sakura's bright smile, Kakashi's undoubted grin beneath his mask, and Sasuke and himself glaring holes into one another. His hand crutched around the frame.

Picking up the teeth from the ground, he left the apartment, closing the door behind him.

Building to building, he rushed across Konoha towards the Hokage's tower, chakra flowing through the soles of his feet. His chakra became angrier, hungrier, and Kakashi felt him coming from miles away.

Hokage's Tower

Kakashi's mind was already frilled and racing when Naruto busted through the door. The immediate sound of his former student's worried voice filled his ears, yelling something about Sakura being gone, and a ruined apartment.

"Naruto, I need you to slow down. What do you mean Sakura isn't in her home? Did you check the hospital?"

"You don't understand! Her door was ajar, and it looks as if there was a struggle, and I found these!"

Naruto reached into his trousers for the teeth he found, dumping them onto the Hokage's desk.

Kakashi stared at them for a while, taking in the notable edges of the teeth; they were sharp, clearly not belonging to a human. He sighed, eyeing the note that he had just received but half an hour ago from a courier hawk.

Naruto opened his mouth to speak again when Kakashi lifted his hand.

"I am already aware of the situation, Naruto. I received a message from Sasuke today demanding to check on Sakura; I sent Pakkun to check, and have already assembled a team that should be arriving soon to be briefed. What we need in this situation is patience."

"How can you seem unbothered by the fact that Sakura-chan was taken from her house? Don't you ca-"

"Enough! We had no knowledge that she even had a target over her head, we will get her back."

Naruto was cut off once again as a knock resounded on the door.

"Come in."

Naruto, Shikamaru, Hinata, Kiba, and Guy stood in front of the Hokage.

"You are all here because I am assigning you a mission. Haruno Sakura was taken from her apartment last night. We are not sure by who or the reason why, but what we do know is that we have a source in which we can track her."

He scooped up the teeth from his desk, ushering Kiba to take them.

"This is not a mission where you are to engage the target unless the situation prompts it! Your mission is to try to pinpoint a location using Kiba's tracking skills, as well as Hinata's Byakugan. This is an A-ranked mission and will be led by Guy. We have no idea what kind of enemy we are facing. You will be departing immediately and the duration of this mission will last for five days. As always, be careful, stay alert. Dismissed!"

"Sir!" Their voices rang in unison.

Kakashi sighed. He was, for once, stumped. He did not know how to tell the Uchiha of the situation without prompting rage. He knew there would be questions of why and whom, all of which he could not give an answer to yet.

'What a shit show.' He mused.

He opted on calling the Uchiha back to Konoha, hoping he wouldn't rush out on his own and do something reckless. His hope was on Guy's team returning promptly, and with useful information.

A/N: Hello! This story has been swimming around in my head for awhile, so I decided to finally put it to paper (or e-document, if you will). This takes place after the fourth war, however, nothing afterwards will be the same as the actual series. Also, I apologize for any grammatical errors I might have missed while proof reading. Anyways, enjoy! (:

Cheers!

fishily xoxo