Author's Notes: I decided, out of my boredom, to start this chapter today. I know I said my updates would be slower and more sporadic, but with all the time I'm finding on my hands I really need to keep myself from thinking about the situation at hand. I'm tired of breaking my heart over and over everyday. So, without further adieu, here is the new chapter.

Sacrifice: Wilted Blossom of Spring

Chapter 10: Self Divulgence

The only sounds the company of four heard were their own racing footsteps across the forest canopy, and the rustling of leaves with each step they took. Sasuke was at the front, leading them onward to a destination that no one other than himself knew. Tsunade had demanded that they leave immediately, and for the team leader to unleash the details of their mission on the way. With the urgency level so high, Sakura hadn't felt as if she had much of a choice in becoming a kunoichi once more. She wasn't going to make the Hokage beg for her services. If she had called Sakura to the tower to ask her to come out of resignation, then Tsunade had a good reason for it. There was no point in questioning her motives, even if they were suspicious at times.

"This is a rescue mission." Sasuke started, his voice slicing through the silent air. "There were sixteen ANBU sent on a classified mission. Only four came back to the village, two of which were immediately sent to the hospital. The other two reported the remaining twelve members as missing in action. It is our mission to find any survivors, and bring them back to the village. There will be confrontation with the enemy, and I do not expect us to leave unscathed."

Now Sakura understood. She was needed for immediate medical treatment on the field; for some ANBU, her help out there would be the deciding factor of their survival. It made sense that Tsunade would require her help for this mission. Out of the twelve members left behind, Sakura estimated there would be two or three dead once they arrived. That would leave nine for her to administer emergency treatment to.

"If there are twelve for us to retrieve, why did Hokage-sama send out only one team of four?" Ino questioned.

Sasuke sighed. "She said she would construct a second group to follow us after they've secured the situation at the hospital. Until then, we will advance in two separate groups. Shikamaru and Ino, you will be in the lead. You both specialize in detaining the enemy; should we run into any trouble, it will be up to you to stop our opponents long enough for Sakura to administer the medical treatment. She and I will be the second team."

"If a full scale battle should occur, that would give us tactical advantage." Shikamaru responded. "We just need to put our pieces in the right places."

"Exactly." He responded. "I'll let you both take the lead now. I know Tsunade already gave you the coordinates."

Heaving once more, Sakura leaned against the tree for support. Her throat was burning as its lining tore each time she heaved and nothing came up. As her knees buckled, she landed against the tree, letting her eyes rest once more on that scene she stumbled upon. It wasn't like she'd never seen a battlefield before—she'd been on many—but this much carnage was too much for her to digest at the moment. She struggled to stand once more, using the tree as leverage to force her body to balance on its own.

The first few steps were the hardest for her; after that, her mind automatically shut down its ability to view the horrific scene before her. As she sidestepped the strewn limbs and skulls, Sakura kept an eye open for a body that wasn't hacked beyond comprehension. Thus far, she had counted six who were obviously dead. The first intact body she came across was at the end of the expansive blood bath. She knelt down beside it, and with shaking fingers checked for a pulse.

"Have you found any survivors?" Sasuke questioned, appearing beside her. His eyes were dark and lowered; he was obviously affected by the scene as well.

She shook her head. "No."

He responded to her with a curt nod. "Then we have accounted for how many members here?"

"Seven."

"I hope Ino and Shikamaru are having more luck."

Standing once more, Sakura's half lidded eyes scanned the battle ground once more, her eyes straining to understand how something like this could have happened. Who possessed the power to kill this many elite ninja? She could almost hear their screams and recreate the ambush. How many were killed before they had a chance to fight? A shudder ran down her spine. Hopefully they wouldn't run into the enemy out here.

"Sasuke…" she stated, not looking to see if he was listening or not. "Do you think we'll run in with whatever did this?"

"I would be surprised if we didn't."

She was silent for a moment, contemplating the situation. If they were to run into this enemy, would she be able to fight? Her fear of freezing, of hesitating… she wasn't sure she would be capable of a battle. Hesitation killed ninjas. Sakura couldn't handle that kind of responsibility at the moment.

"I was afraid you'd say that."

Sasuke turned to face her. She was shaking again. He wasn't sure if it was because of the death that surrounded her, or the fear she was feeling being a kunoichi after she had made up her mind to resign. Having seen how she'd reacted in her last battle, he was surprised she managed to keep herself together as long as she had. The fact that she puked hadn't surprised him; she wasn't used to seeing disemboweled bodies thrown across a lake of blood. He reacted the same the first time he'd seen it.

"I think I know who's behind this." Sasuke remarked, pulling Sakura from her lethargic brooding.

She turned her head toward him, but kept her eyes on the ground. "Orochimaru. No one else could do this."

He didn't need to respond. She knew she was right.

"Sakura! We've found someone!" Ino's voice disrupted the silence of the radio. "He's not in good shape; you need to hurry!"

She stopped on a branch, using her chakra to enforce her balance. It was a he? The shaking started up again. She cursed herself for being so weak. It was her job—her last one as a kunoichi—to save these people who protected her village everyday, male or not. Why did it frighten her to the marrow of her bones to envision healing a man? Sakura knew she had to stop letting what had happened with Nishi hinder her from functioning in normal life.

"We're heading there." Sasuke responded for her.

Obviously, she had missed most of the conversation when she slipped into her thoughts. The irritation on Sasuke's features was enough to tell her that. Sighing, Sakura nodded her acceptance of his leadership, and let him show the way to the injured man. She saw the stiffness in his steps, signaling that something was wrong. There was nothing she could do for him. If Orochimaru was behind this, then it was possible his curse seal was acting up. Tsunade had performed the most complicated series of seals Sakura had ever seen to contain its power; but they had never tested it to see how well it was going to work should he come in contact with the creator again.

The trip was silent except for the racing heartbeat in her ears. She was scared. Sakura knew she was scared; the adrenaline in her body was causing her head to ache. It wasn't safe to keep shoving herself into these situations. Her body was screaming at her to run back and abandon the mission before someone else hurt her; her heart wouldn't let her betray her promise to Tsunade.

Normally, she would have taken comfort in the fact that Sasuke was with her. She'd learnt to rely on him to fill in where she was weakest. The hate she held for herself increased tenfold when he was around; never in her life had she been afraid of him. Now all she felt was utter fright. Her heart sank at the thought; did she really believe Sasuke would hurt her like that?

They finally appeared at the clearing, where Ino knelt next to the man, holding his hand and attempting to comfort him. Shikamaru was off in the distance, standing by two other motionless bodies. In all, they had discovered ten of the twelve missing ANBU, and so far, there was only one survivor. Sasuke motioned for her to treat the man still hidden behind a crow's mask before walking off to investigate the area. The beating of Sakura's heart increased; she could feel the veins thumping in her temples the closer she came to her patient.

Ino looked toward her. "I'm not sure you can really do anything for him, Sakura."

She smiled, trying to cover up her insecurity. "We'll see about that."

He had sustained a devastating injury to his chest; she could see the broken ribs which tore through his muscle and flesh. It was possible one or more had punctured a vital organ, which would spell out his death. His skin was turning to a shade of grey that told her his death was coming, even if it was slow. Despite this, she couldn't get her hands to move over his chest. It was taking every ounce of her energy to force her body to listen.

'I have to help him! Tsunade-shishou is depending on me to perform this mission flawlessly. I have a chance to save someone, and I'm hesitating! Hesitation kills ninjas! This man can't hurt me anyway; even after I heal him, he won't have the strength! Sakura, heal him!'

Her hands slowly edged over his chest, resting mere centimeters above the fatal wound. She spread her hands apart enough so that only her fingers cross at a 90 degree angle, and willed her chakra to enter his wound. She could feel the torn muscles increasing their cell count and begin to regenerate; that was as much as she could do. It was too dangerous to perform a surgery on the field to deal with his ribs at the moment. He would have to last until they could return him to Konoha.

Sweat beaded on her forehead, although she wasn't over exerting herself. She was nervous, scared… so much so that her body was releasing it in other ways. Her hands shook as she focused her being on healing the injury.

"Ino… get the water out of my pack and take his mask off. We need to start filling him with fluid. That will have to do until we can get him to Konoha and start a blood transfusion."

She nodded, pulling the bottle from the sack. She popped off the lid, then turned the mask slightly to uncover the man's mouth. Sakura's eyes widened; his lips were shaped exactly the same as Nishi's. Shaking her head, she turned her gaze back down to his chest. There was no way this was him; she was being silly.

That was when she felt the hand grip her arm.

Her first instinct was to freeze. The chakra ceased flowing from her hands as her eyes made a slow trek up toward his face. His lips were moving, slowly forming words Sakura couldn't make out. Gripping her arm with more force, he pulled her down toward his mouth, where he could whisper into her ear.

"P.. ple.. please…"

Without thinking, Sakura screamed. "Let me go!"

She shook her arm out of his grasp, sending herself flying into Ino. They collided with the forest floor, landing in a puddle of blood. The first to regain her bearing, Sakura started to force herself away, scooting with the force of her feet until she fell again. The blood splashed on her face, drenching her hair and clothes crimson.

"Sakura, what's wrong with you?" Ino chided. "You're acting crazy!"

He gripped her hand, forcing her to come closer to his face. Sakura felt him move her head so his lips grazed against her ear. She shuddered; this wasn't what she wanted, but she had no choice. She had to do it-- her team was depending on her.

"Please…" came his voice. "Please…try not to scream."

Her head slammed against the floor when he let her go. Before she realized what was happening, he started tearing at her clothing. Piece by piece he revealed her body to his wishes.

She started breathing heavily as she held her head.

"Kagemane no jutsu! Shikamaru…." Ino's voice came, obviously overwhelmed with whatever it was that was going on beyond Sakura's body.

"Just get her out of there, Ino." He responded. "I told you women were troublesome; she gave away our position. I'll hold these guys off. Get her somewhere safe and then come back. We're going to need you in this fight."

She nodded, stood up and raced to Sakura's side. Taking a hold of her arm, she forced the girl to stand and started racing off with her. It was irritating that Sakura had put them into such a dire situation, but what was done was done. Catching a glare out of the corner of her eye, Ino flung the girl behind her in a circular motion, using her free hand to take hold of a kunai to deflect the shuriken racing toward her body.

"Sakura! Get a hold of yourself!" Ino shouted, letting the girl go. "I can't protect you!"

She felt the air tense with the incoming enemy. Forcing herself into a position to shield Sakura, Ino began making the seals needed for her technique. At this rate, she didn't have much of a choice; she needed to find out how many people were hidden, and where they were from. Shikamaru had already put himself in a dangerous situation to save their lives; she knew the boy hadn't really thought before racing in. For being a genius, he could do some pretty stupid things at times.

"Catch my body and hide it." She demanded. "I'm counting on you, Sakura! Shintenshin no jutsu!"

As her body went limp, Sakura found herself aware of her surroundings. Everything had happened so fast, she hadn't had time to realize what was going on. Ino landed in her lap, and the person she invaded disappeared into the forest. It was the perfect cover; it looked as if Ino had been killed, meaning no one would think twice about the returning ninja.

It took a moment before Sakura could locate a place to hide herself and Ino. She pushed her way into a hallow beneath a tree, making sure Ino was sitting upright and in a comfortable position. Writing a message into the dirt so the girl knew where was once the jutsu dispelled and she returned, Sakura crawled out and tried to focus on the situation at hand, and not the rape. She'd just placed herself and her friends into a dire predicament because she'd relapsed; if anyone died today, it was her fault.

"Sakura."

She went rigid when the voice infiltrated the air. It was familiar, but the last person she wanted to see. Part of her waited for his ridicule, anticipating a barrage of just complaints and accusations. Steeling herself for the verbal assault, Sakura turned to face him with her eyes planted directly on the ground. The strength she needed to face Sasuke was disappearing quickly.

"Look at me, Sakura." He growled.

The demand caused her to wince, but Sakura found herself lifting her eyes toward Sasuke. She immediately took notice of his hand on his neck; it was covering the curse seal. It was a habit she knew too well; the pain was inscribed in his facial features. When the seal reacted like that, it meant Orochimaru was close. If he was, they were in more trouble than they'd originally anticipated.

Author's Notes: Nope, no SasuSaku goodness in this chapter. I'm pretty sure it will pop up in the next one, though. The scene is already written as it is. Hopefully you all like what I do with it. Remember to read and review everything. Reviews help me get my writing juices flowing!

Love and hugs—

Crystal Renee