When Sakura reached the end of the main street, the din of the festival revelry quieted. Turning back momentarily to take a glance at what she had left, Sakura became weighed down with emotion. Her conversation with Lee was fresh on her mind and the drying tears chilled her face in the cool night air.

The danger of her journey was real now, and it scared her. Despite having thought about it throughout that day and the day before, she suddenly felt very aware of being alone. Clutching her jacket closer to her body, Sakura sighed and walked toward the Hokage's building.

She climbed the stairs to the glass doors and pressed a finger to the scanner, unlocking the door. Although all chuunin and jounin Konoha shinobi could get into the government building, each individual door inside was locked for restricted access and guarded on most occasions. Tonight there were apparently no guards on duty on the first floor, which gave Sakura a bit of hope.

As she descended the stairs to the basement with quick and light steps, her heart started pounding faster. In her mind she could see the antidote room, the familiar doors and the jounin guard in front of it.

Before she rounded the last corner, Sakura blushed uncomfortably as she straightened her dress and hair. Taking a deep breath, she turned and prepared herself mentally to talk her way into getting the antidote. She would have to be damn convincing for him to allow her to run off with something to cure an S-class criminal.

However, when she started down the hallway, she noticed no one was there. Her heart skipped a beat. Was she lucky enough that the Hokage had not assigned anyone to guard the antidotes that night?

Sakura started running, no longer caring about the sound of her shoes squeaking against the floor. Then something came into view; it was lying on the ground. She nearly tripped over herself when she discovered that it was a body lying face down, right outside the door of the room she wanted to get into.

Her pace slowed to a walk as she cautiously made her way toward the body. She knelt down beside it and took note of the jounin vest on the back.

So there had been a guard tonight...

Sakura struggled to turn the shinobi face up. She didn't recognize him, but he had a Konoha forehead protector. Her heart started to race but she tried to concentrate and feel his neck for a pulse.

She sighed with relief when she found one. Examining his body, she noted that there were no visible physical wounds. He was just unconscious and would probably wake up in a few hours. Sakura was a bit curious as to why he fell over, but there were many potential reasons. Maybe he drank too much before his shift, or maybe he was just tired.

Sakura stood up and wondered at her luck as she stepped over the body and punched in the combination for the door.

Sure enough, the door open and she felt a jolt of excitement. Her mission had been successful so far. Now that the guard was taken care of, she could sneak out a few bottles without signing them out and without the Hokage noticing. At least until they checked inventory in a week.

With a turn of the timer light switch, the fluorescents flickered on and Sakura found herself in a large room with aisles and aisles of bottles. She swallowed hard as she started following the signs.

Her fingers brushed across the labels of countless bottles before reaching for the ones she needed. Her mind was completely focused as she pulled a few from where they rested. She didn't need that many, just the antidote, maybe a few blood clotting pills, and something for the pain.

I'll also need a lot of gauze...

Sakura was reading the pain medication instructions while walking down an aisle on the way toward the door that led to the medical supplies closet. She put it away in her purse and was about to open the door to the closet when she noticed it was already open.

Sakura stopped dead in her tracks and felt a crippling sense of dread come over her.

Somebody's here...

She searched her mind for an excuse, but couldn't find a good reason why she would have to come to the basement during the festival. If it was another jounin guard, this would most likely be the end of her journey.

Gathering her courage, she stammered, "Is...is anyone h...here?" Her voice sounded harsh against the silence.

Maybe it's no one...maybe they forgot to close the door... Sakura thought hopefully.

As she moved closer to the closet, she heard heavy breathing and her hopes fell. Somebody was here.

He hasn't seen me yet...I can still run...

Sakura was about to bolt out of the basement when she heard a pained groan. She stopped in her tracks and the expression on her face became conflicted. After some hesitation, her sense of duty as a medical ninja got the better of her.

It sounds like someone's hurt...

Sakura took a deep breath and walked steadily until she was a foot away from the door. She hesitated. Then she told herself that maybe this injured person could help her identify what had caused the guard outside to collapse.

Her shaking hand grabbed the knob and swung it open quickly so the person was in full view.

Seeing the identity of the injured person made it instantly clear why there was an unconscious jounin lying outside.

Sakura stumbled a few steps back. Her breath quickened and she felt herself getting dizzy. There was no mistaking it.

"Sasuke..." she whispered.

He lay curled on the floor, deathly pale, and she could see that it took him all of what remained of his power to keep himself from screaming. His clothes were filthy and his face was screwed up in pain, one hand clutching his other forearm which was bleeding profusely.

Sakura had hoped to see him eventually, but not now, not here, and definitely not like this. A million thoughts ran through her head as she realized how much this changed things.

She forced herself to calm down and deal with things one at a time. Now was not the moment to reminisce about their past meetings. First, she had to do something about the pain.

Sakura walked into the modestly sized closet and sat down next to where his head was twisted and pressed against the ground. He was biting his lip so hard that it was bleeding as well.

"Sasuke," she said, her voice cracking. "Sasuke, it's me, Sakura. I'm going to help you."

He didn't respond; she wondered if he even knew someone else was here with him. Sakura turned his face away from the ground. His eyes opened now, slightly, but there was no sign of recognition, only crippling pain.

Sakura's shivering hands twisted off the cap of the pain medication forcefully and shook out two large, white pills. Then she bent over and tried to prop him up with her arm.

His mouth was clenched shut and his whole body was trembling.

"Sasuke...here's something for the pain," Sakura whispered. When he didn't respond, she tried to push the pills though his lips. His mouth still wouldn't open.

"Sasuke...please take these pills. They will help you," Sakura pleaded. Suddenly the sight of him in such torture made her eyes start to water again. "Come on, you can do it," Sakura choked out.

She used her hand to try to pry open his jaw. It finally opened, releasing a piercing cry, and Sakura dropped the pills into his mouth. Then she pushed her hand against his mouth and forced him to swallow. She closed her eyes, feeling his pain in the pit of her stomach while his body convulsed in her arms.

After a few minutes, Sasuke relaxed slightly and Sakura opened her wet eyes. He was sweaty, bloody, and breathing heavily, but the pills seemed to give him some relief. His mouth was dry and he couldn't speak.

Sakura's face tightened into a slight smile as she looked into his face, and then she proceeded to examine the arm.

She noticed he had tried to open the wound but not had done it right, just as the ANBU captain had predicted. The gash was fresh and blood was leaking out at an alarming pace.

Sakura stood up momentarily to grab some gauze and towels out of some boxes. Then she proceeded to clean and dress the wound. As she was wrapping it up, she heard him call her name.

"Sakura..."

His voice was weak. She was glad he recognized her and had a countless number of questions to ask him, but now wasn't the time.

"Shhh...we have to get out of here before anyone sees us."

After she finished dressing the wound and cleaning the blood on the floor, Sakura helped him up to a sitting position. Now the question remained, where should they go? She couldn't take him far in his condition, so into the woods in the direction of his place was out of the question. It was dangerous, but she had to take him back to her apartment. There was no other way.

"Sasuke," she whispered quietly while putting a hand on his stomach, "I'm taking you to my apartment. You need to lie down."

He was helpless in his condition, so he couldn't refuse.

Slowly, she lifted him up into a standing position. She put an arm around his waist and supported his arm over her shoulder with her hand. They hobbled out of the closet and Sakura kicked the door shut behind her.

Slowly, they made their way out of the basement and the Hokage building. The night air was just as chilly as before. Sakura could see the lights of the festival about a mile away.

Her grip tightened around him as she concentrated chakra to her feet.

"We're taking the rooftops," Sakura said softly.

A moment later, a barely conscious Sasuke felt himself lifted into the air, traveling quickly towards Sakura's apartment.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When they got to her door, Sakura became aware that this situation was very bad. Sasuke had come to Konoha for the antidote instead of letting it come to him, and not being able to leave, he would have to do everything possible to avoid being seen.

Well, things could always be worse. Luckily the festival tonight had distracted everyone and kept him out of view for now.

She hurriedly unlocked the door and dragged their bodies inside.

Sasuke's body suddenly went limp, perhaps from relief that he was finally out of the streets. Sakura had to use all her strength to guide him to her bedroom. When they got there he fell onto the bed heavily and winced in pain. Sakura took off his shoes and placed them to the side. Then she sat on the edge of the bed.

Now that their bodies had stopped moving, there was an awkward silence. The initial surprise and rush of adrenaline was over and Sakura began realizing what she had done. She was hiding an S-class criminal in her apartment, and he was lying on her bed.

"Sakura..."

She turned her face to his, noticing for the first time that it was incredibly dirty. She furrowed her brows. "Let me get something to clean you up...and a glass of water." This at least would give her something to do and help them avoid any uncomfortable silences.

Sakura left and reappeared holding a shallow tub with a towel in it and the cup of water. She put the tub on the nightstand and put an arm under his neck to prop him up to drink the water. He took a few sips silently before tilting his head back again.

Sasuke cleared his throat and stared at the ceiling while Sakura reached for the towel in the tub and wrung out the excess warm water.

"Hold still," she said quietly. Sasuke felt the towel rub gently against his face, first on his forehead, and eventually down to the clotted blood on his lips.

As she rubbed the dirt off of his face, Sasuke kept his eyes focused on Sakura. She seemed concentrated on her task; if she was nervous she didn't show it.

When she finished wiping his face, Sakura turned to rinse the towel again and started on his neck. Suddenly she felt his hand grip her wrist, stopping her. His grasp was surprisingly strong considering his injuries.

"You don't have to," Sasuke said firmly. "You didn't have to do any of this."

Sakura pressed her lips together and smiled slightly. "I don't want you to get my bed dirty."

"I'll sleep on the couch," he replied.

"How are you going to get there?"

"I..." Sasuke sighed. The reality was he could barely move and was under her total control. The pain medication had numbed his body. It had taken him all his strength to grip her wrist just then. He closed his eyes soberly, frustrated with his own disability.

"How long is it going to take?" he said, wondering when he would be back to normal again.

Sakura sighed as she resumed wiping the dirt off his arms. "A few days...maybe even a week."

"I can't wait that long."

Sakura remained silent, summoning all her self control not to stroke the hand that she was cleaning. She wanted to be with him when he needed her, but she didn't know how long they could go on without being found out. A week seemed like a long time to her as well.

"I can't speed up the process," she said as she set the towel in the tub again. "But we can start tonight. First I'm going to try to send the poison out of your main body."

Sakura took off her jacket and threw it to the side. She also removed her kunai holster from her leg and placed it on the floor.

Sakura got on to the bed and straddled his thighs, purposefully avoiding his hips. Whether or not he was surprised she didn't know; she kept her gaze on his chest. Sakura blushed slightly, suddenly very aware that she was still wearing a dress.

"This may feel a little strange at first and you may get lightheaded," she warned before placing two hands over his chest and stealing a glance at his face. "Are you ready?"

Sasuke nodded and closed his eyes again while Sakura started concentrating a blue chakra to her hands.

After a few minutes into the process, Sakura found herself tired and out of breath. She barely held on long enough to finish, realizing midway then that she was not used to healing such a high level ninja. He required much more chakra than she recalled using on others. When she completed the session, Sakura moved her legs to one side and collapsed down on the bed with her back to him.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke asked a little roughly.

Sakura panted. For a moment she couldn't even speak. Eventually she said between gasps, "Yes...I just need a moment."

"I didn't mean to drain all your chakra."

"I know."

Their tired bodies lay still for a few minutes.

Sasuke's voice broke the silence. "What were you doing in the basement?"

"It isn't obvious?" Sakura whispered. Sasuke didn't answer for awhile.

"I thought---" He stopped abruptly, deciding against touching on the subject of their last meeting.

Sakura knew what he was going to say and didn't want to talk about it. After a few more minutes, she sat up slowly again and said quietly, "I'm going to change and go to sleep."

She slid off the bed, grabbed some things from her dresser, and proceeded to the bathroom. When she passed by her window she drew the blinds. Before turning off the lights to the bedroom, she asked him as casually as she could, "Do you want me to sleep on the couch?"

Sasuke looked at the ceiling. It didn't seem right to kick her out of her own bed.

"It's up to you."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Hmm...I wonder which one she chose...