She wasn't sure this was a good idea.

No matter how much it would be "good" for her; it just didn't feel like it was a great idea.

She'd never hated anyone as much as she hated Sasuke—honestly. She hated him because for the longest time, she tolerated him. Sakura had put up with his shit time and time again for the sake of a scrap of intimacy, and even then, he didn't even pity her enough to grant her the common decency. He'd sooner whisper sweet nothings into some stripper's ear than kiss the woman who stood by his side loyally for such a long time. Even on the times he ran out on her, she just figured he was someone hurt—someone who needed love and affection to warm his icy heart. As it turns out, he was just an emotionless asshole to the very core. Sakura thought she was rid of him for good after that night in her apartment, but the universe had other shit in mind.

When she stepped out of the room, Sasuke was just a couple feet down the hall where another hallway to the elevators connected horizontally; right in the middle where the halls met. She watched him standing there, rubbing something off of his shoulder and staring expressionless off into the distance. She really hated him. She hated his hair; she hated his face—she hated everything. Seeing him only served to trudge up past emotions and hurtful memories. Nights of crying herself to sleep because he'd go weeks without talking to her—only to call her again after his most recent fling was over. All the times he called her ugly, told her she was getting fat, or made a remark about getting her birthmark removed—even though logically that wasn't a real thing. He'd always compare her to other women; telling her maybe she should get a breast job or a butt lift. Telling her she should work on her appearance more after she'd come home from a 14-hour shift. Never committing to her, despite the fact he expected her to remain tried and true to him. She hated him so much that seeing him made her physically sick—very nearly ruining how good the day had been for her.

Maybe Kakashi was right.
Maybe she needed closure.

After all, if things go south—she can simply walk away, back into Kakashi's arms. The least she could do is tell him what she needed to say, and then shut that door completely. She didn't even want an explanation from the man—she knew it would all be bullshit, anyways. She simply needed to say what she needed to say, and that was it. Even if the fucker didn't hear her, the words would still be leaving her mouth—and hopefully out of her mind, forever. Despite the sick feeling she felt in the pit of her stomach, this would be good for her in the long run.

Sakura marched in his direction, refusing to drop her eyes when he turned his head and watched her near; eyes squinting as he raked her frame over in the same manner he used to do back in the day—judging her. It took everything in her to not charge at him, fists balled ready to break his fucking nose like she did last time.

Sakura stopped five feet away from him, crossing her arms and narrowing her gaze, "I'm here. What do you want?"

Sasuke raised his chin, "Are you really pregnant?"

"Excuse the fuck out of me? Is that any of your business? What's it to you anyways, Sasuke, when you consistently cheated on me day in and day out. If you don't recall, I walked in on you having a threesome in my fucking apartment. The last thing you care about is whether or not I'm pregnant."

Sasuke raised his hands, "I was just asking, Sakura. Congrats if you are, I guess."

"Nice try," Sakura bit harshly.

Sasuke shook his head, chuckling darkly, "You know, I think it's ironic that you still have me down as your emergency contact considering you've apparently got a man."

Sakura started, readjusting her stance and meeting his gaze evenly, "What the fuck are you talking about? Matter of fact, let's start off with how the fuck did you find me?"

Sasuke shrugged stiffly, "Word got around that your mom got into a wreck and she was in the hospital. I just called around the hotels nearby the hospital until I found the one you were at—it wasn't that hard."

"That doesn't even make sense. How did you find out what hospital my mom was in?"

"Are you that dense? Like I said, word gets around. My dad's friend knows a friend of your dad's and it just trickled down. I know you, Sakura-"

Sakura snapped her fingers in the air sharply, cutting him off as she spoke, "You don't know shit about me, Sasuke. Furthermore, I find it really fucking creepy that you just have access to all of this information about me and my family—who you never even cared about to begin with. So, don't give me that shit, because I'm not buying it."

Sasuke sighed, turning his head and glaring down the hall, "Fine. Your boss told me."

Sakura stopped, brow crumpling in confusion, "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"What I'm talking about, Sakura," He turned his head to face her again, his face pure stone as he spoke. "Is that your boss called me."

"Do you really expect me to believe that?"

Sasuke shook his head, "Fucking believe it, I guess. I couldn't believe you still had me down as your emergency contact—after everything. I mean, you told me you were done with me and that's obviously not the case, is it, Sakura?" He took a step forward, irritation flickering across his gaze. "I must say, I am flattered. I wasn't expecting you to get over me that easily. That means your boyfriend—or, husband, I should say—is just a rebound, isn't he?"

Sakura glared at him, not backing down as he tried to near her, "Fuck you, Sasuke. I was over you halfway through our relationship. I just stuck around because I felt bad for you—a daddy's boy with some superiority complex. I think they call that little dick syndrome, don't they? Not to mention, you're not even a quarter of the man Kakashi is. So, suck on that, bitch."

Sasuke scowled deeply, teeth setting briefly before he blew out a breath of air and continued to speak, "What the fuck ever. I don't give a shit, anyways. I'm just here because your boss offered me cash to come and talk to you."

"That doesn't even make sense, Sasuke—why the fuck would my boss, who you've never met a day in your life, call you of all people? Why not my phone? Or even my parents, for that matter? You do realize that's the shittiest lie I've heard from you, yet. I thought you'd be a bit more creative than that."

"Are you going to listen to what the fuck I have to say, or are you going to keep talking shit?" Sasuke snorted, the irritation becoming more apparent on his face. "Your boss called me saying that you had me down as an emergency contact. He said he tried calling you, but couldn't get ahold of you for some reason. He said that I was the only person he was able to get ahold of, and that it was extremely important that you get this message. He told me that he's flying to New York to perform some surgery- I guess for a lesson, or whatever. He told me that he wanted you to help him in the surgery room because you were their top nurse, or whatever, and that it would help you to get promoted in the long run. Is that clear enough for you? Make enough sense?"

Sakura paused, racking her brain as she tried to make sense of what the fuck he was saying.

Why would her boss call Sasuke? Sure, back in the day she had him down as an emergency contact at the other hospitals she interned at, but she changed it to her parents when she moved to Tokyo since she didn't have anyone she knew in Tokyo yet. She knew Tanaka was a renowned surgeon and often flew across the country for one thing or another—but would he really go to this extent just to get her to do it with him? Did he perhaps have her old employee files from the other hospitals and went off of that? Not to mention, wouldn't Himari call her if it was really that important?

It didn't make sense to Sakura; it didn't sit right in her stomach.

Furthermore, wouldn't Tanaka take Himari with him—as he's done before? Why would he pay Sasuke to go out of his way to find her and relay over that message?

Sakura shook her head slowly, scowling deeply, "Sasuke...that literally doesn't make sense. Tanaka would never do that; I think you're just making that up. That sounds like a really bad excuse that took you a lot of time to try and think up."

Sasuke scoffed, "Who the fuck is Tanaka?"

Sakura's eyes widened with agitation, "My boss, Sasuke. My boss's name is Tanaka. He'd never go out of his way to do all of this just to get ahold of me. No doctor would pay some stranger to go find someone to relay over some message about some obscure surgery here in the exact same place I happen to be. Not to mention, I haven't received any missed calls. The last person from work to call me was the lead nurse, Himari. I never put you down as an emergency contact in Tokyo. I put my parents down. You were on old records, sure, but you were never on the Tokyo forms..."

Sasuke paused, confusion flashing across his face briefly, "That's not the name he gave me..."

Suddenly, realization began to dawn on Sakura. Fear tingled down her spine and she felt her chest tighten as she looked upon Sasuke's increasingly confused expression. She fought hard to remain cool as she spoke the next words, "Sasuke...Who did that man say he was...?"

"He said his name was Sota..." Sasuke muttered, brow pinched. "Don't you have more than one boss, anyways?"

Sakura froze, taking a large step back and shaking her head back and forth rapidly. There was no way this was happening. This had to be some fucked up joke Sasuke was pulling; however, the firm expression on his face as he regarded her told her otherwise. This man really believed that her boss did all this just to get ahold of her. He really thought this was something that happened, and he fell right into the trap. Sota played him like a fiddle, and Sasuke led him directly to her.

"Sasuke," Sakura uttered, taking another step back and looking around nervously. "Did...did you tell him where I was at? Did he follow you here?"

Sasuke's head twitched in annoyance, "Well, yeah—he asked me to call him when I found out what hotel you were staying at...No one followed me, Sakura—why are you acting so fucking weird? Was he not supposed to know where you were staying—does he even know you flew here? Tch. That's so like you to just do what the fuck you want without thinking about it first."

"Sasuke, that's not my boss you dumb fuck," Sakura growled, backing away from him even more. "You better just leave. I-I have to go." Sakura whirled on her heel, stepping forward to run away when the sound of a very subtle, quiet pop went off; followed by Sasuke's bellow. She glanced over her shoulder, eyes widening as she saw Sasuke crumbled on the ground, gripping his thigh while blood began to soak his pant leg. Sasuke groaned loudly, fear wrenching itself across his face as three men walked into the hall; guns in their hands. Sakura froze, unable to move as she watched one of them use the blunt end of and ram it hard against Sasuke's temple; knocking him unconscious. The men directed their attention to Sakura, grinning wickedly.

"We've been looking for you, bitch," One man growled, slinking his way towards her.

Without so much as a second thought, Sakura turned; running down the hall at the same time the hotel room door opened and Kakashi stepped out. She watched his expression harden, running up to Sakura to grab her and drag her back as the men advanced on them.

"Don't shoot the bitch," a man barked from behind her. "The boss wants both of them alive!"

The words were cut off as Kakashi tossed her into the room, pointing at her and barking, "Do NOT leave this room until I say so. You stay right here, Sakura—just stay right here." With that he slammed the door, shutting her out before she could say anything. Despite the tremor in her body, despite how fucking scared she was; she couldn't stay in there. Sakura couldn't stand the thought of not doing something while Kakashi could get hurt. She was scared shitless; her heart was beating a thousand beats a minute—but she couldn't stay here.

She had to fight.

Sakura grabbed the handle of the hotel room and swung it open.

Kiba pulled into the parking lot of the club; cutting his Jeep off and hopping out to open the back door Akamaru. The big white dog leapt out with a low grunt, wagging his tail happily as he looked up at Kiba. Kiba grinned, patting the top of the dog's head and jerking his head in the direction of the club, "C'mon, boy. Let's go see what's going on."

It had been a couple days since he'd last talked to Kakashi. The last he heard, him and Sakura had made up and Sakura's mom was set to be woken up in a day or so—good news, he was glad to hear. Kiba considered himself to be one of Kakashi's good friends, if not his best friend. He was glad things were working out and coming together, especially since Neji and Shino had done a good job at finishing their assigned jobs pretty quickly—meaning they could interrogate Hisato, which is what everyone wanted.

When Tsunade prioritized the new wave of jobs over Hisato, he honestly couldn't believe it. Sota had been a job that the team as a whole had been working on for so long—a big cash job, too; which everyone cared about. When she held the meeting to discuss the jobs, he was fucking outraged that she pushed Hisato's interrogation to the side—a dumb fucking thing to do, if you asked him. But what could he do? Tsunade was assigned as leader of their chapter and a fucking Sannin—no one could beat that. Once she made her mind up on something, almost no one could talk her out of it because she always says it's for the "greater good," or whatever the fuck that means. Kiba didn't understand what greater good pushing back an interrogation does, and neither did the detectives. If anything, since they've had Hisato in their basement, they've been getting calls every day from the fucking detectives on what's going on—have they talked to him yet, when are they handing him over, on and on and on. Honestly, he was fucking tired of hearing about it. That's why he took the liberty of talking to Neji, Shino, and Gaara in private—planning to get their jobs done ASAP so that they could sooner interrogate Hisato than later. Because, Kakashi was right—there's no time for fucking around.

While Kiba had finished up one of his last jobs today, Neji, Shino, and Gaara were already ahead of him—they'd started interrogating Hisato 45 minutes ago. Kiba did his best to show up as fast as possible, because, to be honest, he wanted to hear what the fucker had to say. If anyone would spill the beans, it's that slimy fuck. Kiba had no doubt in his mind Hisato would squeal not twenty minutes into it—he was sure they wouldn't even have to use force. As soon as they got what they needed, Kiba planned to call Kakashi and let him know everything they knew—because he knew it would make the man feel better. No one liked for things to be hanging around in the air, but Kakashi was the worst. He was a man of action, moving from one step to the next easily—a feat Kiba both admired and found annoying. When it came to jobs, there was no slacking with that man. So he knew that, for Kakashi, not knowing was pure torture when all the answers are right there.
Again, what the fuck was Tsunade thinking?
More and more she seems off her rocker, in Kiba's opinion.
Then again, it's not like her job is easy, and he supposes he understood that.

Kiba was halfway down the stairs to their safe house when he heard Neji practically shouting at Tsunade.

"- you've got to be a fucking idiot to have let this happen, Tsunade."

"DONT you fucking come for me—I was just merely doing my job, for Ancient of Days as a whole. How could we have possibly known that-"

"We could have known had we talked to him sooner," Gaara's voice cut in. "I get where you're coming from, but doing what you did was a rookie mistake and now people are suffering from it. We've got to take care of this, now."

Kiba came down into the clearing, peering around as everyone was gathered around Tsunade's desk; expressions pulled tight in anger as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Neji, Shino, Gaara, Lee, and Guy were in the room, staring at Tsunade.

"What the fuck is going on?" Kiba spoke up, all gazes diverting to him. "What are we taking care of?"

Neji's jaw twitched, "We've got a problem, Kiba."

"What," Kiba pressed, glancing around. "Is Hisato not talking?"

"No," Gaara shook his head slowly. "He talked, alright. It's what he said that's the problem."

"Well, what'd he say?" Kiba bit, eyebrows pulling down.

"Sakura's mom's wreck was a trap—a means to flush Sakura out. Hisato said that the moment Sota got Sakura's info, her parents were the first he planned to target. Hisato said that he figured she was being protected, so he planned the wreck in the states knowing she'd come out of hiding," Neji explained tensely.

Kiba shook his head, "Are you sure that's not a lie? We all know Sota can't overstep his jurisdiction of the Yakuza—especially in the states."

"That's the thing," Gaara spoke up, arms crossed. "He planned it knowing full and well he was overstepping the Yakuza boss. He told Hisato to funnel cash to a chapter in New York to pay for the job, to pay for the grunts to get her—even had him purchase the ticket for Sota to fly there."

"Could be a lie, Sota is on the radar of the government and American FBI. If he flies, that's like him holding a great big flashing sign advertising who he is and what he does. They'll be on him in no time," Kiba commented with a shake of his head.

"Not likely," Shino challenged darkly. "Sota, though without the support of the Yakuza boss, still has money and a means. That man can easily take off with a fake—no one would look twice."

"So you're telling me that Sota caused the wreck to flush Sakura out and chances on he's on a plane right now heading her way?"

"If he's not already there," Guy muttered coolly.

"Let me call Kakashi," Kiba enunciated, pulling out his phone and pulling up Kakashi's contact. "We'll let him know right away so they can fly back. There's no way Sota can be there already."

"Not likely," Shino grunted. "Hisato told us that this had been planned a week before it happened. Chances are, he's already in the states."

"Doesn't mean he knows where they're at," Kiba remarked, phone to his ear as he listened to the dialing tone.

"Chances are, he does," Gaara replied. "When we pressed Hisato for more information, he said that Sota kept making comments about having something up his sleeve and 'waiting for the right moment' to act. We fucked him up pretty good, and apparently that's all he knows."

"What trick could he possibly have up his sleeve?" Kiba pressed, irritated when the call went to voicemail and dialed Sakura's number.

Guy shook his head, "We don't know, but apparently it was going to lead him straight to Sakura."

The phone rang for a minute before going to voicemail. Kiba swore, dialing up Kakashi's number again and receiving the same thing. "Fuck, neither of them are answering."

Guy turned to Tsunade, "We've got to go. They're in danger and it's just Kakashi over there."

Tsunade sighed heavily, shaking her head, "No. We can't just take off, not with all the jobs we've got to take care of here."

Kiba started, glaring at Tsunade as she shuffled papers around, "Are you fucking high? Did you not just hear what the fuck they said? Did you not just hear me say neither of them are answering their phones?"

"They're probably just busy fucking," Tsunade shrugged, glancing up from her paper to match her gaze with Kiba. "We don't just make rash decisions anyways—we discuss them as a team and then act. That's the way we've always done it, I'm not going to change it now based on hearsay."

"Hearsay?" Kiba echoed, incredulous. "Are you out of your fucking mind, Tsunade? Have you gone off your fucking rocker? We've already wasted time by not interrogating Hisato because you said so, and now you don't want us to take off to help Kakashi because it's not what we usually do?"

"According to Hisato, we're days behind," Shino remarked. "I can guarantee Sota is already in the states, and I can guarantee he's making his move."

"You don't know that," Tsunade bit. "We can't just trust what one Yakuza bitch says. Besides, we have jobs here that need to be finished, we don't know if-"

"FUCK the JOBS," Kiba barked, clapping his hands in the air loudly with each word. "FUCK what we usually do. They're not answering, we're days behind—it all adds up, Tsunade. What the fuck else do you need? Do you need it written in fucking stone to believe it?"

Tsunade slammed her fists down on the desk, the sound of the wood splintering slightly underneath, "DON'T fucking undermine me. I am fully aware of what could possibly be happening-"

"Doesn't sound like it," Guy interrupted, big brows pulled tight in the center. "It sounds like you just don't want to lose bodies here because of the jobs for Ancient of Days. I'm sure the elders will understand why we had to send men off to take care of a big job issue."

Tsunade sighed, shaking her head, "We've got to get their approval to fly to the states first—you know that."

"FUCK their approval," Kiba growled.

Tsunade stood up, "You know what, fine. You're right. Chances are, they are in danger. But you're not going to get funding from Ancient of Days if you take off without discussing it with the elders first. You know that."

"I don't give a fuck," Shino muttered. "I'll spend my money—we never leave a comrade behind and we've fucked Kakashi and Sakura over royally. We'll be lucky if they're alive when we show up."

Tsunade lowered her head, closing her eyes and exhaling deeply, "Alright. I get it. I'm being a fucking idiot...You're right, all of you. Unfortunately, everyone else is on jobs right now. Naruto is still healing and Hinata won't leave his side. It's just going to be you here in this room. I hope you're okay with that."

"About fucking time," Kiba grumbled, turning his attention to Gaara. "We know to fly to New York—but where are we going? Do we even have a lead?"

Gaara nodded, jade eyes narrowing earnestly, "We do. Hisato told us that there's a club called LAVO Nightclub in New York that the Yakuza are known for working out of. He said chances are Sota might take them there, if he has them. The first thing we should do is check out the hotel to-"

"No," Tsunade cut, shaking her head with her fists on her hips. "Shino is right—if we're days behind, then chances are Sota's got them. Kakashi is strong, one of the best, but I wouldn't put it past them to overwhelm him. Plus, even with you all going—you're going to need reinforcements."

Kiba raised his arms up, "You said we'd need the elder's approval? We can't wait for that."

"I know that," Tsunade scowled. "But I can call the agents, and they can call their connects with the American agents. Let me call them. I'll call someone at the airport, too. They work with the agents we work with, so we can get you on a plane ASAP and you should be able to take your weapons. I'll make sure that other agents are waiting for you at the airport in New York, so you don't have to go through security. You all get ready- I'll make the calls."

"Finally, some fucking sense," Kiba growled, pulling out his phone. "There's one other person I want to come with us. I don't care if he's on a job or not- I know we could use him."

Kiba searched up Shikamaru's contact, hoping the man answered his phone. As the phone rang, he felt his stomach do sickening flips. This was a big hole in their fucking plans, and he just hoped they made it there in time.

Kiba never believed in a god, but he found himself praying that Kakashi and Sakura would manage to pull through until they got there; praying they made it in time.

The man gurgled, spit coming up out of his mouth and over his stubbled chin as Kakashi rammed him against the wall. Eyes bulged as she squeezed the man's trachea; left leg coming up to kick the other square in the chest that was charging at him. The man on the right ran up and swung; Kakashi barely dodging it as he tucked to the side, letting go of the man he was choking and leaping back against the wall.

Two men came for him, one fist reaching for his face of which Kakashi caught easily; twisting the wrist and lugging him over into the next man; sending them both tumbling down. The grunt opposite of him pulled out a knife, slashing the air deftly and snarling menacingly. Kakashi easily avoided the stab attempts, catching him by the forearm and decking him hard in the face; sending him stumbling backwards, blood trickling out of his nose. To his left there was the sound of grunting, followed with Sakura's voice. He glanced over, catching sight of Sakura swinging wildly at the man closest to her; knocking him in the head several times heavily. The man crumbled to the ground and she landed one swift kick to his gut, leaping back when the other man swung for her.

In front of him, the grunt stumbled back to his feet; wiping the blood away and shaking his head, "You've done fucked up, boy. You're fucking dead."

Kakashi said nothing as he charged for the man, squatting down low and kicking the grunt's feet out underneath him; causing him to fall back. Quickly Kakashi grabbed him by his collar, pulling him up and shifting behind him; wrapping his arm around his neck and beginning to squeeze tightly. The man began to shudder in his arms, trembling and jerking as he struggled to breathe. Black eyes shot up to see Sakura dancing with the other grunt, landing her own swift hits into the grunt's gut. He watched as the man doubled over, cradling his stomach and groaning loudly. Sakura took a step forward to hit him again when the man pulled out a gun; pointing the barrel directly in the middle of her forehead. He watched Sakura freeze, expression falling as her eyes narrowed on the silver weapon.

The grunt turned his head to the side, "If you want your little bitch to live, let him go."

Sakura shook her head, "Don't listen to him. Sota wants me alive, he won't hurt me."

"SHUT the fuck UP, bitch!" The grunt hissed through gritted teeth. "I'm not talking to you. Just because I can't kill you doesn't mean I won't hurt you. Do you hear me, fucker? I'll shoot this little bitch right now. I'll shoot her in the fucking foot. Do you want that? She'll never be able to walk again. Let him go."

There was no room for deliberation. Even if the grunt was bluffing, the gun was still pointed at her head. Even if Kakashi let go of this man and charged for the other, the chances of reaching him before he pulled the trigger were low—a risk he wasn't willing to take. Kakashi bit the inside of his cheek, releasing his hold; the grunt spluttering and coughing as he sucked in air. The grunt scrambled to his feet, swinging his fist and landing a hit directly across Kakashi's face; causing Sakura to shout.

"I said SHUT the fuck UP!" The grunt with the gun growled. "We don't want to call too much attention to us- do we? Now. Grab this bitch really quick."

The other grunt maneuvered around Kakashi—who remained where he was on his knees. As the man walked, Kakashi was racking his brain on what he could do. He could charge right now, get the fucker with the gun and disarm him. Sakura would get the picture and she'd strike, too. Kakashi made sure to make eye contact with Sakura, ducking his chin down slowly and blinking deliberately to see if she'd catch on. The grunt came behind her, gripping a fistful of her hair and jerking her back hard; causing her to wail. Kakashi was on his feet, charging at the grunt holding the gun; ramming into him, wrapping his left arm around the front of his torso while his right arm jerked the hand that was holding the gun down; squeezing the pressure point on his wrist so that the gun came out of his hand and clambered to the ground. They fell forward, the grunt falling face first and Kakashi straddling his back; squeezing his sides with his knees and picking up his head to drive it hard against the floor. The grunt struggled to get up underneath him, arms flailing in attempts to pull him off or push himself up to no avail. Kakashi punched the back of his head hard, glancing up briefly to see Sakura trying to rip her way against the other grunt's hold.

Kakashi reared his arm back, going to land another punch to the grunt underneath him when his eyes caught a flash of sliver in front of him. He paused, eyes flicking up to see the blade of a knife pressed tight against Sakura's throat; the grunt's head over her shoulder.

"You're out of fucking luck, buddy," The grunt growled, squinting hard at Kakashi. "Make one more move and I'll cut her fucking neck."

"Let her go," Kakashi asserted darkly. "Take me."

The grunt laughed, "Fat fuckin' chance, asshole. This bitch is worth a lot of money—and I get paid if I turn her in. So, you're gonna play real nice, now—I want you to stand the fuck up, and back away from him."

Kakashi said nothing, he simply moved to his feet and stepped away from the grunt that was underneath him; backing into something hard behind him. Several arms came from behind him, gripping him tightly and pulling him back hard; holding him as he struggled to break their hold. More grunts came up from behind him, one walking over to where Sakura was and pulling a syringe out of his pocket.

"Don't you fucking touch her," Kakashi growled, jerking forward and moving two feet before more arms pulled him back; a fist jamming the back of his head hard, making him dizzy.

Sakura wiggled wildly in the grunt's hold, fear apparent across her face as the other man uncapped the needle; a sickening grin pulling at the corner of his mouth, "You're going to feel a little prick, baby."

"I SAID DON'T FUCKING TOUCH HER!" Kakashi barked, pulling forward once more; breaking the hold that was on him and charging.

"Ah, ah ah," the man holding Sakura sang, tightening the blade against her throat. "I'll fuck her up real good. Is that what you want?"

Kakashi froze, silver brows drawn down tight and his heart thrumming. Arms came behind him again, pulling him down to his knees and holding him there. As he watched Sakura squirm, he felt a sharp stinging pain in the side of his throat; deep burning spreading from the spot and slowly making its way throughout his neck. His mouth went dry, his tongue immediately feeling thick as he tried to speak. He tried to move, but in a manner of seconds his limbs felt heavy; as though being weighed down by bags of sand. He lurched forward, slumping and heaving with shortened breaths. Blood pulsed in his ears as he watched the man inject the needle in Sakura's throat; both laughing at her tears. Darkness palpitated the edges of his vision and he fell forward; struggling to pick himself up, watching her grow just as limp. Eyes blinked lethargically as he tried to drag himself closer to her; unwillingly succumbing to the murky depths as he watched her being dragged away.