Disclaimer: Still not mine, Naruto that is. This crazy story unfortunately, is all me.

Rated: T, language only

Notes: For what it's worth, these next three chapters will be a little different, and a bit shorter. And I had no spell or grammar check this time around, so there may be some mistakes. I'll do my best to check it again when I get the chance.

This happens a couple weeks after the last meeting.

And thanks to koriaena who gave me two, wait three (!) reviews and for pointing out that mistake. Stupid grammar check! It should be fixed now.

Blessed Be Those Who Mourn

It's OK, Sakura

Right before the Leaf Shinobi mounted their attack on Orochimaru's compound, Sakura struck a deal with Naruto. They were not going to allow themselves to get distracted this time, not make any more stupid mistakes. Because that's exactly what happened on their previous encounters with their errant teammate. Had they been thinking straight, staying in the present instead of reverting to the past, they might not find themselves in such grim circumstances as they did now.

They shouldn't have fought with him, they shouldn't have missed the genjutsu, they shouldn't have ended up looking like first year genins.

And she wasn't about to let it happen again. She was determined they stayed focused, regardless of what they found.

The only thing they could do was expect the worst and hope for the best.

There would be no more chances.

So she made Naruto promise to not be pulled in, even when Sasuke tried to open up still raw wounds, rubbing in salt, trying to divert them from the real task at hand. The blonde would have to be the more mature of the two, if that's how things turned out. She couldn't handle the both of them, so he was just going to have to swallow his pride and ignore whatever insults or challenges that might be thrown his way.

They were not going to let their old friend deny it anymore, no matter what.

It seemed clear to her now that that's what he was doing; trying to deny his own reality by pulling them into his distraction.

And she wouldn't let it go that way again. It didn't matter if she understood him, didn't matter if he tried to shut her out. She refused to just sit back and take that for one more second. The three of them would be reunited and that was the end of it. There would be plenty of time to work through all their various issues later, once they were back in Konoha.

She wasn't going to waste any more precious time with that nonsense this time around.

And so she'd made her pact with Naruto.

She just hoped he'd keep to it.

Through the halls of the Sound compound, their meager group of six had quickly dwindled to two, the others staying behind to tackle individual enemies that they'd encountered along the way. She'd rather have still been working with a full group, but was honestly glad that it was Naruto who remained. He was someone she trusted and knew well, and the one with the best chance, besides herself, to convince Sasuke, should he choose to put up a fight.

She hoped it wouldn't come to that, especially with her reasons to hope against it, but it was always best to be prepared.

The two Leaf ninjas nearly sprinted through the eerily empty corridors of the snake's lair. But Naruto had a lot more stamina than she and it was becoming harder for her to keep up with his merciless pace. She was winded and a little preoccupied with trying not to lag, but not so much so as to let the distinct strangeness go unnoticed. They hadn't come across any resistance in quite a while now. Of course, most of the Sound-nins were being handled by the Konoha forces and the battle was so turbulent that their original group had been able to take easy advantage and sneak in. Nearly all shinobi of any importance had already made their appearance when Leaf first began their assault, even Kabuto. The only one missing was the big snake.

In all the chaos and carnage, he had yet to show, and that did not bode well for the would-be rescuers. Not at all. And the deeper into the fortress they went without incident, the more worried she grew. There were no signs of Orochimaru, but neither were there signs of Sasuke or any life at all for that matter. It felt like they'd been circling a void, making no progress, and soon they will have exhausted any and all possibilities. Anything could have happened and that was a discouraging thought. She bit back her fears and followed along quickly behind a racing Naruto.

She watched as he dashed frantically from room to room, throwing open doors and cursing when each time he found nothing. Deeper and deeper they went, until at last they reached the lowest levels, dark, damp, and cold, meeting only walls and floors of stone.

It was there in the bleak emptiness that she finally caught a slight impression from the one they'd been seeking.

"Naruto, this way!" Taking the lead, the kunoichi traced the very faintest of flickers of the someone they'd once known.

The lack of resistance still unnerved her, but the extreme weakness of the chakra concerned her much more, so she let all other worries slide away for the moment. If someone jumped out to attack them, they'd deal with it, but until such time, forget it.

When they finally reached the last cell, Naruto flung open the door to see inside. And in the otherwise barren room a raven-haired boy lay sprawled as though thrown away, crumpled to the floor, head lolled forward with his hair hiding his face, completely immobile. He looked nothing like the boy from years ago or even weeks ago, but like some empty shell meant to resemble him. Sakura bit her bottom lip in an attempt to calm herself. There was something very wrong with this situation besides the obvious. Sasuke was clearly in no condition to run away, but still, it made no sense to leave him alone. After all the work Orochimaru had put in to claiming his supposed prize, there should have been someone standing guard, but there was no one. There had to be a reason, and it was sure to be a bad one. But she disregarded such things for the moment, needing to check on Sasuke now. Overlooking the sudden clench in her chest the prospect caused, Sakura moved forward.

The medic-nin made a quick inspection while Naruto quickly kneeled across from her, concern etching his face. The unconscious teen had welts on his wrists as if he had once been shackled, but there were no chains to be found. Clearly, he'd been moved, and probably sometime recently, but why? And why had been locked up to begin with?

What crime had he committed?

Then she suddenly remembered when last they met and what Kabuto had said and implied. And despite the morbid circumstances, she was comforted. Because in essence, this proved her hopes were valid. With this in mind, she leaned over, taking a closer look at their former teammate.

His breathing was light and shallow and his face held a deathly pallor that made him look more like a corpse than a human. His pulse dangerously weak but still there. She forced herself to calm down, to not think about what terrible state he was in and just concentrate on her task. On further examination, she saw another, a different, seal on his pale skin that made her hands shake and her heart skip a beat. This did not look good. Her abilities only went so far-she was still in training!-and this was well out of her league. She swallowed nervously.

"Well, what are you waiting for? What's wrong?" The blond genin interrupted irritably.

Ignoring him, the kunoichi placed her hands on the patient and they glowed softly with chakra as she fed him what strength she could spare, what small amount he could take. Slowly, the little color he had to begin with returned and his breathing became a touch more normal. She let out a sigh, and noticed Naruto visibly relax and lean back, heaving a sigh of his own. Unfortunately, she knew she was going to have to break that relief with some bad news.

"He should wake up in a little bit," she stated quietly. Then she took a deep breath, readying herself for what she'd have to stay next. "But there's a problem. There's another seal, some kind of jutsu that's draining his energy and preventing him from using any chakra. I've never seen anything like this before." She glanced to her teammate anxiously, not knowing how much to say. Even the chakra she'd just given was already being depleted as they spoke. His condition was worse than she'd let on, but with her still limited knowledge, she wasn't sure exactly what it was. And not wanting to worry Naruto more than necessary, she fought to keep the tremble from her voice. "We'll need to get him to Tsunade-shishou, she's the only one who'll know what to do."

"Then what the hell are we sticking around here for?" Naruto nearly jumped to his feet, draping a thin arm around his shoulder, and his eyes widened momentarily before he furrowed his brow. Then he absently readjusted his friend's weight and started to walk out with an uneasy gait. "Let's get going."

Just as she was wondering whether the blond's behavior meant he suspected something, Sasuke spoke, shocking them both.

"Don't go out there."

The pink-haired girl turned to him, relieved that he was awake, but still painfully aware of their precarious position. "We have to, Sasuke-kun, you need help."

"Stop fighting us." Snapped Naruto unexpectedly. "I'm not letting you trick me into getting involved in your damn drama. You're coming home right now, whether you like it or not."

The raven-haired teen shook his head weakly. "You can't tell me what to do."

He sounded so much like his old self, only more bitter, as though he already knew his refusal was futile. It was fairly obvious he couldn't back it up.

After a moment though, he mumbled angrily under his breath. "Doesn't matter now anyway."

"What is your problem?" Naruto spat out, giving a satisfied sneer at the way the raven-haired boy flinched.

But then something unforeseen happened. Sasuke looked up. And glancing up from his vantage point at his friend's shoulder in his weakened state, he forgot to put on his mask. And he just looked so conflicted, so defeated, so like a little lost child that Sakura's breath caught in her throat. Even Naruto was struck mute when he saw the boy's expression. Sakura had never seen him so open before, and that only made her worry more. This was not the Sasuke they knew.

What exactly had happened to him here?

"Why did you even bother coming?" The black-eyed gaze quickly re-established its impassivity and then turned to the emptiness before them. "Just leave me and go."

That apparently shocked the silence right out of Naruto. "What do you mean 'why'd we bother coming'? Idiot! We came to get you, so there's no way we're just gonna leave you here now. And why are you acting so damn weird anyway? Did you get hit in the head or something?"

"I didn't get hit in the head, you moron! I'm just saying I won't be able to help you. And he's been waiting for this. Don't you see?" He shook his head and pursed his lips in frustration. "You'll be better off without me."

"Well, guess what? We don't need your help! And we didn't come all this way to save your sorry ass just to leave you behind! We can handle things on our own, you know! So just shut up!" Naruto shouted in spite, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

But Sakura knew better, her friend was just frustrated and confused. Sasuke's strange behavior was putting them both ill at ease. It was almost sad, the way it looked like he'd just given up, willing to throw his life away. She bit back the tears that lingered on her lashes. She needed to be strong, to be sure in her actions and desicions.

And so she took a pale hand in her own, surprised at how light and frail it felt but quickly hid the surprise from her face. "Just accept it, Sasuke-kun. We're not leaving you here this time, no matter what." She smiled reassuringly. "It's time you came home." And as she looked into his eyes, his expression became unreadable before he shifted his gaze aside.

"Do what you want." The raven-haired boy grumbled in resignation. Sakura smiled. And she inwardly congratulated herself on their one small victory.

Naruto brightened almost immediately and bore a huge grin as he looked over to her. The kunoichi nodded in agreement and the lifted one of Sasuke's arms over her shoulder, to support him between the two of them. She felt a bit unsteady, walking out to the hall relatively unprotected, but it was the only way out. There really were no other choices, and even though she could feel impending doom waiting for them just outside the door, she steeled her nerves and tried to prepare for whatever was to come.

The hall was ominously quiet when they entered, as yet unaffected by the battle that raged above. And it felt, for all intents and purposes, like a tomb to her.

She unwittingly took a step back. Sasuke was right. Something was wrong here, someone was waiting. They shouldn't have come this way.

She was just about to say so when she felt him panic and suddenly grip her arm tightly.

And then there was a sharp jolt on her side as he shoved her away, a large section of the ceiling tumbling down where they had just been and the hall turning to chaos. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the two boys crash against the opposite wall, Naruto flipping them so he took the brunt of the impact. While she was busy dodging a barrage of falling rocks, a huge blast erupted causing further confusion, but she couldn't identify the source. And even though she'd been expecting it, she was still hit, not by the attack, but the aftershock. Then she felt a powerfully unexpected strike against her stomach, throwing her through the wall, breaking it down and somehow landing her back in the room from which they started.

Covered in dust and debris, she faintly heard Naruto cry her name before she passed out.

And in the dreamy stages of unconsciousness, she heard her name again and again like some strange prayer. She wanted so badly to answer, needed so strongly to go to its caller. And so she waged a battle within herself, her mind fighting her body until she finally managed to force herself awake.

"Naruto?" She uttered weakly, clutching her head. But she received no response and numbly realized he probably hadn't even heard her.

Shakily getting to her feet, she tried to regain control of her senses, tried to regain her bearings, reacquaint herself with her surroundings. But all she heard was the rushing in her ears, all she saw was rock and stone. Where once there was a wall, there now was only rubble.

Then she heard it again, her name being called with more desperation this time and she suddenly became desperate herself to find a way out. Looking around, she quickly assessed the best way to escape her fragile confines without causing a worse cave-in. The balance of the area was fragile, one false move could spell disaster. That was just her luck. So stone by stone, rock by rock, she dug a passage through to them, anxious but careful.

Then she heard her name again and she could no longer bring herself to care about the consequences. Mustering up her inhuman strength, she recklessly yanked away the last of the obstruction, causing gravel and dust to fly everywhere. Coughing through the haze, she called out louder this time. "Naruto?"

And once the dust had settled and her eyes blinked out their blurriness, she saw them. The whole of the former hall was in shambles with debris everywhere, but in the center were two boys, silent but for Naruto's broken breathing; the blonde on his knees, the brunette in his lap.

And her instincts told her something had gone irrevocably wrong.

Her heart leapt into her throat, as the possibilties flew through her mind. She didn't know anything, not yet, and until she did, everything was alright. That's what she told herself.

But the brutal reality was, she didn't believe that. And she had to know.

The kunoichi lurched forward, no longer thinking, no longer caring, acting only on her need. Her feet wouldn't move right, her body wouldn't listen, and she tripped and stumbled along the way.

But before she even reached them, Naruto slowly turned his face to her, tears streaming down his whiskered cheeks and a gentle, warm smile on his lips as he spoke quietly.

"It's OK, Sakura," he said.

Tilting her head in confusion, the girl held a questioning but slightly hopeful expression in her soft green eyes. With very hesitant steps, she walked forward until she stood in front of the two.

And then she just looked down.

Poor Sakura. She's missed everything and doesn't know what happened. Yet. Sorry, but the way these three chapters are meant to go, it had to be that way.
Moving on . . .