Hello again! Here's chappy four! I really enjoy this fic, so hope u do too!

Chapter 4: Cherry Blossoms

"Y-yes ma'am!"

Sasuke winced as she said these words. She was now trapped in the spirit world with him. It pained him to keep her here and to force her to lose her name, but it was her only chance for survival. Sure, she could fight people off, but when it came do Yubaba's magic, she was utterly defenseless.

"Well then…" Yubaba said, a malicious look in her bulging eyes. "Sasuke, would you be so kind as to take Kira downstairs?" Frowning, Sasuke stepped out of his corner. He took Sakura's hand and led her out of the room without a word.

Sasuke pulled her slowly down the halls, not wanting to look at her face. In a way, he had betrayed her. He had stolen her name and she would most likely forget it in the next day or so.

Taking his chances, the raven-haired boy stole a glance of his friend. Her eyes were fogged over, and he knew she was still trying to figure things out.

There were several things he still had to figure out too. If his contract hadn't been torn, how did he remember his name and escape? He knew he didn't do it alone… what confused him was what made him remember.

"Sasuke…"

The Uchiha was snapped out of his thoughts as he turned to the young girl. Her eyes were still misted over and she didn't even bother to look at him.

"Sasuke, I'm scared…" She whispered. Sasuke stopped in mid-stride, turning to the pink-haired girl.

"You don't have to worry, Sakura." He told her firmly.

"I'm not Sakura anymore…" She murmured, the grip on Sasuke's hand tightening. "They took my name… it's gone…"

Sakura started to mumble incoherent sentences. Her emerald eyes were glazed over and she started to lose her footing. Sasuke's eyes widened as he caught her just before she fell.

"Sakura…!" Sasuke bit his lip as he lifted her back up into a standing position. Pulling her arm over his shoulder, he half-carried her to the elevator. Pushing a button, he watched with anxious eyes as the elevator doors slid open. Once it had opened, Sasuke stumbled inside, dragging Sakura along with him. The pink-haired shinobi pushed herself away from Sasuke, leaning on the wall for support. Tears that had been held back for who-knows how long, flowed freely down her cheeks.

"Sasuke!" She cried, wrapping her arms around his neck as several more choked sobs escaped her. The elevator shifted downward as Sasuke returned the gesture.

"Sakura… I'm so sorry… it was the only way, I'm afraid…" Sakura pulled back from him and slid down the wall, pulling her knees to her chest once she hit the bottom.

"I feel like such an idiot…" She hiccuped. "If I hadn't gone out to look for you… we wouldn't be… in this mess."

Sasuke gazed down at her with soft, onyx eyes. She looked so vulnerable now… just like when she was little… before she became a shinobi… before he was her teammate. Her now messy hair was strewn across her face. Her emerald eyes were filled with tears, while deeper inside, they had a look of fear and sadness. Her whole body shivered from the crying and many sobs escaped her lips.

Crouching down, Sasuke hushed Sakura and rubbed her back in reassurance.

"It will be okay, Sakura…" He cooed. "We might be here for a few days, so you're going to have to stay strong for me… alright?" Sakura looked up at him with tear-stained eyes and for the second time, his thoughts brought him back to when she was a little girl. He quickly shook the thoughts out of his head.

"Thanks… I'll do that…" She replied, smiling. Sasuke reached a hand out and lifted her up.

"Think you can last the next few days?" Sakura nodded.

& & & & &

"You look great, Kira!"

Sakura and Lin sat on the balcony, wearing their work uniforms. Sakura had been paired up to be Lin's partner, which cheered her up. She would have to thank Sasuke for that later. What impressed her though, was her uniform. These uniforms were beautifully woven kimonos: Lin's was pink with white and red flowers, while Sakura's was light blue with soft pink lilies.

"Wow…" Sakura murmured as she admired the silk. "This is your uniform?" Lin nodded.

"Yeah… I got a promotion a while back. I think I enjoy this job more than scrubbing the tubs." Sakura giggled.

"Well enough about my job." Lin said, changing the subject. "Tell me more about your Sasuke." Sakura's cheeks flushed slightly.

"Oh… h-him? He's just a teammate." She said, smiling slightly. Lin laughed.

"Right." She teased, rolling her eyes. Sakura frowned.

"Hey!" Lin continued to laugh.

"Still. You have it made. Do you know how many girls would die to be in your position right now?" Sakura couldn't help but smile. Now that she thought about it, she really took her position with Sasuke for granted.

"Yeah… Sasuke's a nice guy." She agreed. Lin gave her a knowing look.

"You like him." Sakura blushed once again, but did not argue.

"Do you have any crushes?" Sakura prodded. Lin laughed, trying to hide the blush on her cheeks.

"Me? Nah!" Sakura frowned.

"You do so!" She argued. Smirking, Sakura lowered her voice. "I can tell… and I will find out!" Lin gulped.

"Yeah, but not before I set you and your Sasuke up!"

The two continued to gossip and chat late into the night and eventually went to bed.

& & & & &

Sasuke sat on the balcony, waiting for Sakura to stir. Compared to the rest of these women, she was an early riser.

Letting out a sigh of impatience, the shinobi lightly tapped his foot on the wooden surface. There was a sudden movement in Sakura's futon as she sat up to see where the noise had come from.

"Sasuke?" She mouthed the words, fearing that somebody would wake. Sasuke nodded.

"Meet me at the bridge." He said before vanishing. Sakura looked around to find her uniform. Wrapping the silk around herself, she tied the sash around her waist loosely, making a gentle bow. She quickly brushed her hair back and tied her head-protector on. Not being able to find her wooden sandals, she decided to go barefoot.

Sakura lightly stepped over the other sleeping women, avoiding body parts and letting her feet land on wood instead. She walked over to the door and headed down the hall to the elevators.

Knowing it would be too obvious for her to go out the front door, Sakura went to the underground levels and retraced her steps to the boiler room.

Sliding open the door, Sakura tiptoed past the sleeping Komagi. She opened the door and climbed up the stairs to the courtyard. Once she was sure nobody was watching, she leapt over the fence and ran to the bridge. Sasuke stood at the other side, silently waiting for her.

"You look good." He said quietly, admiring her change. Sakura blushed and smiled.

"Thank you…" She said. "You wanted to see me?" Sasuke nodded.

"Follow me." He instructed, walking down a path to the right. Sakura did as she was told and followed him. As they walked, she noticed that Sasuke was still wearing his other clothes. It was as if Sasuke had read her mind.

"Yubaba doesn't control me. I managed to get my name back a long time ago."

"How?" Sakura asked in interest. Sasuke paused.

"I'm… not really sure…" He admitted. "But for some reason, whenever I think about it, I can always picture you." His cheeks flushed slightly, but since his back was to her, Sakura didn't see. "I don't know why, but you're a part of the reason I remembered my name. I just don't know how…"

"Ah…" Sakura looked around and realized that they were in a massive garden with flower bushes that rose above their heads. It was one of the most beautiful sights she had ever seen.

The two stopped under a cherry blossom tree at the edge of a steep slope. A building sat at the foot of the hill. The squeal of pigs reached Sakura's ears and she gasped.

"Is that… a slaughter house?" Sasuke nodded.

"Sort of." He said. "They used to be humans who trespassed in this realm."

Sakura gazed at the building, horrified to hear this.

"Does anyone else know?" Sasuke shook his head.

"No… if they did, they wouldn't eat it, would they?" Sakura put on a weak smile.

"No… I guess they wouldn't…" Was her choked reply. Sasuke gazed down at the cherry blossom, unsure of what to do.

"Sakura…" The pink-haired girl gave him a puzzled look.

"Sakura… that's my name… right?" Her eyes widened as she backed into the tree, sliding down the trunk and into a sitting position. "Oh my god… I forgot my name! How could I forget it!"

Sasuke glanced up at the tree, watching as the blossoms swayed gently in the wind. Reaching up to the closest branch, he plucked one of the soft, pink flowers and placed it in Sakura's hair.

"Use this to remember your name." He said softly. Sakura smiled.

"Thank you." She whispered. Taking her chances, Sakura reached up and kissed Sasuke on the cheek. The raven-haired boy's eyes went wide and his cheeks flushed. Sakura pulled back, averting her gaze, fearing that Sasuke would reject her. There was silence afterwards. The only sound was the splashing of water in the distance and the twittering birds up in the cherry blossom trees.

"…You'd better get back…" Sasuke stated, staring off in the direction of the building. Sakura glanced up at him and smiled when she noticed the faint hint of pink that still lingered on his cheeks. She knew that he would later deny it, but in her mind, it would remain a Kodak moment.

"Okay." She said, standing up. "Thanks again!" She called before running through the flowers. Sasuke nodded, watching as she disappeared through the flowers.

& & & & &

"Kira! There you are!"

Sakura turned to see Lin rush up to her. She held two large rice-balls eagerly in her hands. "Where were you? I got us some breakfast." She said, handing her one of the tasty treats.

"Sorry." Sakura replied, smiling. She took a bite of the rice-ball, savoring the taste of the wonderful jam in the center. "Mmm… I haven't had one of these in forever!" She exclaimed. Lin smiled.

"I knew you'd like it." Lin laughed, taking a bite of her own. "Now, c'mon, We have to go serve some customers. Sakura raised an eyebrow in interest.

"Oh, so we're waitresses?" Lin shrugged.

"Sort of." She said, laughing. "We serve the food, but we also do a lot of other things."

"Okay. Let's go!" The pink-haired girl said eagerly, running up to the elevator. Lin let out a cry of protest as she caught up with her new friend. Lin closed the elevator door behind her and pulled the lever. Turning back to Sakura, she studied her face.

"Hmm… sorry, Kira, but the headband's got to go. It's uniform protocol." Nodding sadly, Sakura pulled it off, letting her short, pink hair fall down gently. "The flower can stay though." She added sweetly. "It looks nice on you."

Smiling, Sakura bowed in thanks as the elevator doors opened once again. It was the second floor from the top, making it that much closer to Yubaba and Sasuke.

The two walked down the hall, listening through the paper walls at the many conversations the spirits were having while eating their breakfast. They turned and opened a door to their left, which led to a giant banquet hall. Right then, she spirits were being served many wonderful breakfast dishes; some of them that Sakura had never seen before.

"Kira! This way!" Lin called, ushering her to a smaller room on the opposite side. Sakura followed quickly.

"Here. Take this food and put it at the far end over there." Lin instructed, pointing to the table. "Take the empty dish and bring it back here so they can clean it. Alright?" Sakura nodded. This job wasn't as bad as she thought.

Taking the tray, Sakura walked over to the far side of the table, picking up the old dish and replacing it with a new one full of food. As she did this, a particularly handsome spirit eyed her from a few seats down. He had long silver hair tied back and piercing red eyes. His body was well toned and his face was flawless in every way. He wore a beautiful black kimono and at his side was a katana. Sakura, who hadn't noticed his presence took the dish and hurried back to the kitchen.

"You there." The man said as he caught Lin's arm. The maid turned to him in question. "That young woman… the one with the pink hair… what is her name?" Lin gave him a puzzled look, but replied.

"Oh, her? That's Kira. Why do you ask?" The man smiled.

"No reason." He replied, looking over at the other side of the table where the young girl had just filled a glass of water for a different spirit.

"Hmm… Kira, huh?" The man turned back to Lin. "Please inform Yubaba that I wish to speak with her."

Nodding quickly, Lin ran out of the room to the top floor.

TBC…

Yeah, so there's chappy four. Hope u enjoyed it!

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