Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 7: Zero

Slowly, the second chakra he could feel within his grasp evened out until it was a steady flow, differently from what he could feel only moments earlier. His own aura did the same as his body relaxed into a less rigid stance.

She had fallen asleep. Finally.

Konan had already reported to him that their guest did not seem to be sleeping well. The information was unnecessary as he could tell only by feeling her unkempt chakra at that odd time of day. Haruno-san was restless, perhaps perturbed by something that wasn't allowing her mind to rest.

They needed her in full health so she would be able to work at her best. But he was afraid this was something out of his reach.

At this point, she had not shown any signs of fatigue yet. He could always force her to sleep, however; put her under a jutsu that would allow just that…

With that thought, he looked down at his desk abruptly, his eyes closing, and let himself sigh.

"Tired, Yahiko?"

Pein had felt that ominous presence even before he fully teleported in the balcony. Madara, at this point, had turned into a constant in his daily routine, much like Haruno-san, but for completely different reasons.

One would wonder…

Ignoring the statement, he squared his shoulders back up and deliberately started gathering the papers scattered in his desk, his hands moving with precision and self-imposed control. "I trust you heard about Deidara."

His head inclined ever so slightly so he could see behind him, out of the corner of his eyes. Madara was leaning one shoulder against the wall, looking up toward the ceiling in a show of nonchalance. From this angle, Pein could see the red glow of his sharingan.

He chuckled, but the sound lacked humor. "It's hard not to when the only thing he does is complain about it. How is she, by the way?"

Madara was watching him expectantly, he knew. He could feel it at the back of his head. Not for the first time he wondered what was so special about Haruno-san to bring this sudden interest–or perhaps to something related to her, as it was more likely.

She was only special to him, it seemed, considering recent events.

Pein recalled about earlier that day, how he found her outside of the library, and her behavior in his office not too long ago. It felt almost like she was still there, staring at him when she thought he was unaware. Her gaze burned almost as much as a touch to her seal would in key parts of his skin.

"Nervous, which is understandable."

Madara hummed to himself, placing a gloved hand in his mask exactly where his chin would be. "But not too much, I trust? Seeing as she now has an unexpected savior in you."

Pein couldn't stop his jaw from clenching reflexively.

There was nothing unexpected in that situation and he knew it. Perhaps Deidara's punishment had been too harsh in Madara's eyes, but he could not allow such insubordination to take place in his organization. He didn't manage to gather and command the strongest shinobi in all the five nations by passing a fatherly hand over their heads.

The sight Haruno-san's terrified eyes made would be forever imprinted in his mind, along with the flare that coursed through his skin. She hadn't done anything to deserve such treatment in the first place.

What would have happened if he hadn't connected her chakra to his…

"It would not do to have her harmed at this point in time." Was his succinct answer instead. His words were stiff even to his own ears. He interrupted himself, thinking carefully of his next words. "While Itachi's eye treatment is still ongoing."

"Of course."

Madara's tone was matter-of-factly, to the point of almost sounding bored. No particular sentiment over this issue. It was like it didn't matter one way or another to him.

He doubted it was like that at all. Everything seemed to concern him, in any way.

"You will be joining Deidara, then."

"Aa." For a moment, the room stayed silent, only the rain falling outside could be heard. "Not now, though," his companion resumed. "Soon. I have other things to take care of."

Briefly, he wondered what Madara could be doing outside of the organization. But, as it always was with him, it wasn't his place to question.

"You already sent Konan on her mission?" he asked when there was no answer.

Pein nodded once. "And Kisame."

"Good. The time is coming for your mission." A pause. "I wonder how that will turn out to be."

For an inexplicable reason, Haruno-san's bright and hopeful expression filled his mind just then, depicting an innocence Pein knew nothing about for a long time now.

He frowned in thought. Indeed, I wonder.

The next day, Sakura was already sitting on her bed when Pein opened the door.

He was a little late this time. Sakura thought about asking him why, but then she remembered Deidara was supposed to leave for a mission early that exact day as punishment for his doings. He must have been dealing with that.

And it was none of her business what he did or didn't do anyway.

This time, he didn't mind entering. Instead, he just stood by the door like a vigilant shadow, waiting for her. At first, he just looked at her intently, then his eyes shifted, piercing hers almost expectantly. When Sakura realized this, she immediately stood. Pein promptly turned his back on her when she reached him.

"So," Sakura said after rushing to his side. He looked sideways at her and she could swear there was a slight arch to his eyebrow. He was so impassive all the time it was hard to tell reality from her own brain playing tricks on her. "I presume Deidara is already gone, then."

"Not quite yet." This time he was looking at her closely as if waiting to see her reaction. "But he will soon."

Her eyes shifted, avoiding his searching ones. "Oh," Sakura said eventually. They continued on their way silently. She didn't know what her thoughts were on that information. She wanted him far away from her as soon as possible; even better, she wanted to be away from this place and all of these people, but that wasn't an option yet, so she would have to be content with the next best thing.

The last thing Sakura wanted or needed right now was to see that cold blue gaze again, even in the company of Pein or Kisame. Maybe with Pein. She remembered their conversation last night, in Pein's office, how he made sure to remember who was the leader and to whom Deidara should be obeying. That was a surprisingly satisfying moment.

They turned a corner in the staircase and reached the level right below the one her room was located. Pein's light footsteps were the only thing she could hear in the hallway they were now. She looked up at him. His eyes were staring straight ahead, as if there was no one beside him at all. He was so unapproachable all the time it was hard to believe just yesterday he let her lean on him for a moment, even while in an angry staring contest with Deidara. It was like it only happened in her head.

"When will Konan-san come back?" she asked all of a sudden.

Pein continued to look ahead when he answered with another question, "Already tired of me, Haruno-san?"

Sakura felt her lips parting and she was sure she was gapping at him unappealingly. Did he just make a joke?

But his expression was still serious, his body language still stiff, his eyes still too focused. No. This seemed more like a way to throw her off of receiving that kind of information.

Sakura frowned. "Just out of curiosity, that's all." Then she thought better and added, "Not that I would think I have any preference here."

Konan, at least, was cordial when talking to her.

"Aa. You are probably right."

She pressed her lips together irritably. Jerk.

After that, they walked to the kitchen in complete silence. They didn't meet anyone in the hallways, but the kitchen wasn't empty. When they walked in, Tobi's head quickly snapped up, but Deidara kept unmoved, as if he already knew who was coming.

"Pein-sama!" Tobi almost screeched. Sakura couldn't help narrowing her eyes. "Sakura-san! Hello!"

One of her hands curled into a fist at his flamboyant attitude, recalling it was all fake, but she did give him a small, empty smile that didn't reach her eyes. Pein, by her side, didn't say anything to him, but turned his head towards Deidara, who had his face averted from them in his place by the counter. His shoulders were stiff under his cloak.

"It is time, Deidara," Pein said seriously, in an authoritative manner.

Differently from the day prior, Deidara immediately complied and walked quickly to the door, without saying anything. Sakura felt the air change around her when he passed, but she kept her head raised and her eyes firmly ahead. She refused to allow her eyes to follow him in a show of insecurity.

Though the entire time she was trying to ignore Deidara, Tobi's eye kept watching her face intently, in an almost avaliating way that she wasn't used to from him.

It sent shivers across her arms.

When Deidara finally left, Tobi started talking non-stop. Pein didn't seem to mind the excessive chatter, just sat down at the head of the table calmly, quietly as always. With his advice in mind, she started to observe Tobi and compare with what she was told. Tobi is not what he makes himself to be. Like this, now that she knew the truth, his mannerisms seemed a little forced and didn't make sense at all.

What it did do to her was let her feel a strange disappointment. She knew, deep down, that he could be just a fraud; he was still Akatsuki after all, so there was always that possibility. The thing was that she was lounging for help, to not feel so alone in this place, and when Toby seemed to be the one, she foolishly reached for it.

At the very least, she didn't say anything about her plans to him.

Small mercies.

Now Sakura was back at square one. She couldn't trust anyone because they were all enemies. She wondered, not for the first time, if she would be able to do this alone.

Eventually, Tobi left them. Sakura looked at her plate; in her distraction with her thoughts, her breakfast lay completely forgotten on the table. She quickly poured some tea, wishing there was something stronger like coffee available, and took a sip. Her head was starting to hurt and the day had barely started. The earlier meeting had left her with no appetite.

Pein was watching her over the high collar of his cloak. Sakura wondered if he realized anything in that strange moment when Deidara was leaving.

"Do you think he is suspicious of something?" At his raised eyebrow, she explained softly, "Tobi."

"It is possible," he answered with a small tilt of his head. "If you do not want him to know, then you should have more control over your face."

It was Sakura's turn to raise her eyebrows, but in surprise. "Control my face?"

"You are not very keen on concealing your emotions, as us shinobi should. Like this, he will perceive something is different very soon, if he does not already know."

Sakura felt more surprised, and yet it made sense. Why he was telling her all this was another mystery. Pein didn't look like he cared one way or another; it was just for her benefit.

"I wonder why he would think of befriending me in the first place, what was his purpose," she said as he was already indulging her. Why not take advantage of it and know her enemies from their own allies' perspective?

If he realized what she was doing, his face didn't show. He only took a sip of his own tea before answering, "As I said, Tobi is not what he makes himself to be. However, his personal interests are of no concern to me as long as it does not affect my organization."

She didn't believe his words for one minute. It was very dubious that Pein didn't know.

Still, it probably was for the best if Tobi didn't know she knew about him. For what, she wasn't sure yet, but it felt like she was one step ahead of him on this. It could prove useful in the future.

Sakura was acutely aware of Pein still observing her. When she met his eyes again and he didn't make any move to avoid it, his earlier words came back to her. She tried her best not to let it show she was scheming something.

There was a feeling of a challenge on her chest. Her eyebrows weren't creasing anymore and her lips were just a flat, relaxed line. Pein's eyes slowly left her face, however, and Sakura followed their movement to see their hands almost touching on top of the table. Her right palm was up, exposing the inside of her wrist and the kanjis engraved there. Pein's slender fingers with their red nails were just inches away, so close she could even feel their warmth on her skin; warmth from a person she had thought could only be cold.

The fine hairs on that arm were rising and in a hasty movement, Sakura retreated her hand and hid it under the table, on her lap. This time she didn't raise her eyes to his again, just stayed with her head bowed, her short pink hair shielding her face partially, waiting for him to do something. There was a heavy silence in the room, differently from the one before that was comfortable. When she thought he wouldn't do anything, his fingers on the table retreated from her line of sight as he elegantly rose from his seat.

"It is time, Haruno-san," he echoed his earlier words to Deidara and Sakura felt that now there was something different in his voice. That tentative–and momentary–peace created between them just now was gone; now there was a clear line she shouldn't be crossing in its place.

She stood up silently and looked at his face hesitantly. He was still looking back, but to the best of her, she couldn't read what was in those features of his. He turned his back on her and proceeded to the exit. Sakura shivered slightly, unexpectedly, but followed him all the same. There wasn't a choice in the matter anyway.

I ruined this.

When they arrived at the infirmary, the room was empty and cold. The windows were open and rain fell heavily outside.

It was just her luck, really, that when things were more tense than normal between her and Pein, Uchiha Itachi would be late for his appointment. Not that he would intervene in the first place, but at least she would have something to do.

Sakura sighed and approached the desk to lean against it, that moment in the kitchen replaying over and over in her mind. Why did she have to become so nervous and snap her arm away from the table like that? Like Pein needed anymore guarantee of the constant fear she was in. Now he must think she was afraid of him.

Was she afraid of him? Why would I be?

God, she was pathetic. Why does she even care about what he thought of her anyway?

Green eyes found him, leaning in the wall opposite the cot, eyes far away towards the world outside the windows behind her. He was so unattainable, more than even Konan or Itachi, with that thing about being a God, that for a split second, Sakura felt like she was committing a sin by almost touching him. The thought itself was laughable; she didn't want to touch him in the first place and Pein was no God. At least not literally.

Itachi appeared silently on the door at that moment, drawing her eyes to him. It didn't look like something had happened to him, he was his calm and impassive self. That was no guarantee of anything, though.

"Pein-sama," he said with a courteous nod and went to the cot. Sakura only frowned when he passed her with another nod and what looked like a discreet knowing glint in his eyes. But strangely, he seemed to look straight through her.

She didn't answer, as always, and followed him, her arms crossed to abate the cold air, making her way to her place on the head. Itachi took his time laying down, but when he finally did, his eyes were already closed. Sakura felt the distinctive warmth on her wrist that indicated a part of her chakra was free and began her work.

She had just placed her fingers on his temples when she had to bite the urge to draw back again in surprise. Even still, her fingers wavered on his skin and her eyes snapped open to find dark ones already watching her. Her heart was hammering against her ribcage with the knowledge of what she had just seen. Truthfully, she was shocked.

Itachi's eyes were completely damaged again, probably even worse than before, she guessed. The small portion she had healed looked like nothing had touched it in the first place. She scowled deeply.

"Did you use your sharingan?" Sakura asked, not loud enough, but with the deathly silence in the room Pein was certain to have listened from his place close to the door.

Just as soon as the words left her lips, she realized her mistake and tensed. It was at that moment she remembered something crucial.

He could have realized that I–

But before she could do anything, Itachi opened his mouth.

Sakura braced herself for the worst.

"I have," he said calmly, tilting his head and looking at her curiously. He looked ridiculous like that, upside down, but Sakura barely registered it. After a moment of deliberation, where he seemed to be enjoying her irritated/apprehensive state, he spoke again, "I apologize for delaying your work."

Apologi–

Realizing she was still frowning in confusion, she immediately relaxed her face to something she hoped was a neutral expression. He still didn't know. He used his sharingan, damaged his eyes all over again even worse than before and he didn't know she had barely done any substantial healing. She wanted to sigh in relief so bad, but if she did it, then they would be suspicious of something. Instead, Sakura fixed a very fierce scowl on her face.

"Why would you do that?" she demanded in her best bossy tone. Without waiting for an answer, her eyes shifted to Pein in exasperation. "He is undoing my work."

Sakura was surprised with herself since it didn't feel fake at all; in fact, she found that she was genuinely upset with the situation. He might not have figured it out, but he just undid all her work! It wasn't much, but she didn't want to dwell on it in the first place, and doing what he did just forced her to start all over again.

Pein cast narrowed eyes first on her then on Itachi. The expression seemed foreign on his face. "What did you use your sharingan for, Itachi?"

Itachi didn't even bother to get up, just moved his head sideways so he could look at Pein. "On a training session with Kisame."

His answer was so simple it only irritated her further. Just a training session. She passed days with those eyes–even if the healing wasn't that significant, she did heal a part of it after all–just for it to go all to waste because he was training with Kisame. If it even was a life and death situation…

A sudden tired sigh distracted her of her indignation towards Itachi. Sakura looked at Pein again, her eyebrows raised. He ignored her and addressed Itachi instead. "It will take longer. I expect you to be aware of that."

Itachi only nodded and that was it. Sakura was already feeling her temples throb. What did she expect, really?

In the end, she had to start from the beginning. From his vague look before, the damage was already affecting his normal vision again. Sakura spent more time in her healing this time because the amount of damage in his already burned pathways seemed greater than when she first started.

Hours later, when she finally reached a point where she was sure he would be able to at least see better than that unfocused sight she was certain he was having since he used his bloodline limit, Sakura drew back and felt her vision spinning and everything going dark from being bend over Itachi's head for too long, using the little chakra she had. That little chakra now was completely gone and what she felt now was very similar to a chakra depletion–one she very rarely had in the past since managing her chakra levels was her duty as a medic-nin. What she didn't understand was how she was feeling like this if most of her chakra was still guarded inside her body, only sealed away.

But all of these questions didn't matter anymore when everything spinned again. She covered her face with a hand and felt herself swaying backwards seconds before there was

an unexpected pull on her body, suspending her in the air and avoiding her fall. Then a soft hand encircled her bicep, keeping her standing, but barely.

When she opened her eyes it was to find Pein peering down at her with a crease between his eyebrows. When he realized this, his hand let go of her arm as if it had burned him and he took several steps away from the cot. Itachi was now sitting down and observing them with interest, his eyes narrowed to the point of almost being completely closed. It appeared, despite her efforts, his vision wasn't that better than before.

Sakura supported her hands against the mattress and breathed in deeply through her nose and out through her mouth. Her eyes closed and she stayed like that for several minutes. In the meantime, she could hear movement around her; creaking noises–Itachi leaving the cot, probably–and then hushed voices. Distantly, she wondered what they were talking about and if it was about her. A sudden self-conscious feeling started to creep from the recesses of her mind, making her doubt herself and her conclusion about Itachi not knowing her little plan.

Did he really not realize the state of his eyes? Or was he just waiting to expose her to Pein? What would Pein do to her if he found out?

She had no idea how to answer that. She had no idea of anything regarding Pein, besides the fact that he wouldn't let any harm get to her while she was under his care. That uncertainness scared her more than anything they could possibly force her to do. The moment her usefulness ended, what would come of her?

When she finally opened her eyes to the infirmary, Itachi was gone. The light of the room worsened her vision, so she kept her head slightly tilted down. Pein was closer than she had thought initially, exactly in front of her, leaning his hip against the cot. He was staring firmly at her face with a calculating look in his slightly narrowed eyes. His face was tilted down, so she couldn't see the rest of it, hidden by the cloak. When she gave a tired sigh, he straightened.

Sakura thought he was going to leave, just like he had done most of the time before. Just then, his right arm shot up in her direction. Before Sakura could take an unconscious step back, his fingers touched her jaw lightly, almost as if he was asking for permission to touch her. When she didn't protest, his other hand found her other cheek, gently tilting her head up.

"You are pale," he said, his deep voice seeming troubled.

Sakura opened her eyes only slightly to see him frowning while carefully observing her face.

Was he worried? About her?

She closed her eyes again, tightly, as if it would help matters. "I feel nauseated. What's happening?"

Pein hummed, but didn't answer. Instead, his fingers traced a slow line on her neck until one of his hands touched her shoulder in a firm, but gentle grip. Her heart thundered fiercely as an electric current seemed to course through her body. Applying just enough pressure to make her move, he guided her out of the room.

Her head was still heavy and he seemed to know that because her pace was slow and careful and he didn't rush her; on the contrary, his grip on her shoulder was supporting her, so if she were to feel lightheaded suddenly, he could catch her in time.

Sakura did as he wanted without question, but she was afraid of the reason for this uncharacteristic behavior. What if Itachi had told him something and now he was going to take matters into his own hands? If so, what would he do? Punish her? Torture her? Force her to do something? She swallowed dryly. Those thoughts only made her feel worse. Her stomach churned suddenly while he was guiding her up one of the stairs. Sakura gasped when she felt the taste of bile rising to her throat and braced her forearm on the wall closest to them. Pein stopped pushing and she closed her eyes tightly, with her head down. His warm palm on her shoulder kept grounding her through the nausea.

"Breathe, Haruno-san," his deep voice echoed distantly in her mind, but Sakura did what she was told almost immediately, only then realizing she was holding her breath. His other arm came around her collarbones, bringing her a little more straight against him. Unconsciously, her hand gripped his arm and she leaned more into his body, willing the feeling to pass.

At this point, her only wish was to not throw up on him, even though she had nothing but tea on her stomach.

When her eyes opened again, clear and more focused on her surroundings, Pein took this as a sign and started to walk again. His arm was still around her shoulders and Sakura didn't complain because she still wasn't feeling her best to walk on her own. His pace was slow. She could feel his skin warm on hers, his chest rising and falling calmly, with every breath he took. They soon reached his office. There, he placed her on one of the chairs, infinitely more careful than she could ever expect of him.

Even though Pein didn't strike her as the type to just physically mistreat someone in her state or at all.

He retreated to the confines of his desk the moment her eyes started closing. When Sakura was almost falling asleep while sitting down, he appeared in her line of sight again, depositing a glass with cool water in the small center table in front of her. When she made no move to take it, he took the glass and put it close to her face, touching her lips with it. "Drink."

Sakura took the glass and drank the water slowly to not upset her stomach. While she was at it, the situation that had just happened sank in on her, making her face flush even more. She couldn't believe Pein had just half-carried her all the way to his office and was now giving her water. And just earlier she was debating about the wrongness of touching him.

But he touched her. He stopped a certain fall on the infirmary in a way she couldn't explain. He supported her all the way, even when she came very close to throwing up. And now he was treating her in his own way, with what he had at his disposal.

Why?

Why not?

She immediately squashed that small, traitorous voice in her head that felt gratitude towards him.

Once the water was over, she put the glass back on the small table and looked up shyly, through her lashes. Pein was standing a little ways away, considering her with great interest. Sakura looked back half-heartedly, wondering if he was judging her in his mind for the weakness she had just presented. It wasn't lost on her how just a few days ago she rebutted him, saying she wasn't weak. A feeling of shame manifested itself inside her chest, something she couldn't understand why it was affecting her so.

"Are you feeling better?" Pein asked in a low voice. The rain now had weakened, but it still could be heard hitting the balcony outside the glass doors softly.

Sakura wondered if he was waiting to send her on her way. "A little," she said, equally as low.

Pein nodded once, then, surprisingly, turned to the door, as if to leave. "I am needed in another place in the building. You will stay inside this room until I come back." His tone was authoritative like earlier and non-nonsense. He met her eyes over his shoulder, waiting for her compliance.

Sakura wasn't well, not to the point of going walking around, or back to her room even. She nodded slowly.

Pein lingered, seeming uncertain–if there was such a thing. Was he surprised with her easy compliance? He observed her for a long moment and when she didn't give any more signs of getting dizzy or nauseous again, he gave his back to her. He was almost at the door when he turned to her again, his face carefully blank. "Do you want something else?"

She didn't know what exactly had triggered it, but suddenly feeling all the weight of the frustration of being cooped up against her will and being forced to heal an enemy not even knowing if she would be free in case she complied seemed to be more than enough of a reason. She said then, without even thinking, "I want to go home."

Sakura knew immediately it was the wrong thing to say when Pein's face darkened in response to her whispered words, his lips turning down at the edges.

But unlike what she expected (that she didn't even know for sure anyway), he turned completely one more time and quickly stepped outside, his shoulders stiff.

The door closed with a certain finality after him, leaving the room in a deathly silence. Now, alone in his office with only the rain outside for company, Sakura had a sudden awareness of exactly where she was. Her fingers twisted in her lap as she looked attentively around his partly dark office, the stillness almost felt like something would suddenly happen with any sort of move on her part. Her back tensed.

Alone. In Pein's office.

Sakura waited for a few moments, rigidly in her chair. When nothing happened, she stood up gingerly. She was feeling better, but her head was still hurting and her limbs still felt a little shaky. Pein didn't look like he was coming back anytime soon, so perhaps she didn't need to worry.

His desk was completely empty from where she was observing it. It wasn't what she was interested in, though. Sakura walked to the shelves behind her, eyeing them appreciatively. It must have something about seals here, especially about the type of seal placed on her.

About ten minutes later, Sakura supported herself with a hand on the top of the chair, sighing tiredly and rubbing her already clammy forehead with her free one. There were absolutely no books on seals. Worse, there were none of the scrolls he warned her about on sight. It was like he knew she would stay in the room alone at some point after the day before and placed everything of potential importance away.

Smart move.

Sakura walked around the chair and made to sit down.

And then, as a slap on the face, it suddenly came to her. She shouldn't be researching seals, but what makes that particular seal in the first place. Kanjis, Sakura thought, flabbergasted. Of course. She couldn't help herself but truly slap her forehead. And now, she took in the empty office again with a brilliant smile, she had the perfect opportunity.

But mere moments later, after looking on most of the shelves, her hopes came crashing down and she just gave up with a frustrated sigh. There was nothing. That clever man had just anticipated her conclusions while alone in his office.

Her eyes turned around the place again, trying not to feel defeated. His desk was almost empty, except for a water bottle, and there were no drawers.

Still, this wasn't the only place she could look for answers. With that conclusion, and without waiting to see if someone might appear, she walked to the door.

Sakura forced her legs to walk faster as she came outside again, staying close to one of the walls. The hallways were still empty and now more than ever she wished no one crossed her path. She descended the stairs in a hurry, ignoring her still throbbing temples and the dizziness starting to creep back. There was no time for any of that. While she wasted time dwelling on how her body felt, she could be following the only concrete idea she had since waking up in this place that fateful day.

She finally descended to the place she wanted. From where she was, the great door to the library was just ahead waiting for her, as if mocking her. Sakura quickened her step, not paying attention to anything around her, right hand sliding across the wall in an attempt to catch her balance in case she tripped suddenly.

As she was inches from her destination, Pein took a sharp turn in the next corner, beyond the door. Upon seeing her, he stopped abruptly, but didn't show any surprise at seeing her standing there. Sakura stopped rigidly in place, her eyes widening.

They shared eye contact for what felt like an eternity.

"I thought I told you to stay inside until I returned," he said stonily, his eyes scanning her flushed face, then the hand on the wall.

Her eyes shifted around, never meeting his. "I thought I would return to my room."

The weight of his gaze felt more focused now, as if studying her for something specific. She kept her face carefully blank and tilted down, but it didn't feel like he was falling for her lie and with good reason; to go back to her room, it suddenly came to her, she would have to have stopped a level above this one. Sakura cursed her stupidity.

She blinked once, then looked back at him through her eyelashes, her heart hammering in her chest.

Pein tilted his head to the side to watch her better. "I thought you were sick of staying inside a room."

That word play only confirmed he thought she was lying.

Sakura wanted to snap at him then and there. He was getting any opportunity he had to rub that on her face. On the other hand, her situation was pretty delicate at this moment. She didn't want him to know what she was up to and telling him she was going to the library when only minutes earlier she was in a bad shape–and he had witnessed it–might raise some eyebrows.

She didn't fool him; certainly he was aware of something going on.

"But there are no other places for me to go to," she answered instead, way more demure than what she had in mind.

But he wasn't a fool. Pein's eyes flashed.

"There might be a place," he said and there was an unexpected challenge in the tone of his voice and the way he raised his chin slightly. Sakura observed him in confusion.

"But first," he continued as he started to walk again toward the stairs, "I need you to come with me one more time."

After he passed her, she followed him with a sense of disappointment with herself. But it was fine; she had plenty of time still to figure this out, especially now that Uchiha Itachi had actually given her more time for it–unwanted and unsolicited as it might be. This, and Pein would have to leave her alone at some point; even if that only happened with Konan's return.

She followed him all the way back to his office. Sakura wondered what he might want this time. Despite everything else that was going on in her mind and body, she was starting to get hungry. She just hoped he didn't take too long.

Once inside the room again, which was spotless as she had left it, Pein surprised her by taking a light hold of her sealed wrist.

"What are you–"

"Hush."

His free hand made quick seals, again too fast for her to really catch everything in the sequence. Her eyes narrowed in an attempt to see better, not even caring if he could see her, when that characteristic warmth surged again, springing from her wrist. The only difference this time was that it didn't spread all over her body as it usually did when her chakra was being unsealed.

Sakura's startled eyes drifted from their hands to his face, slightly tilted down, with a short strand of orange hair falling over his slashed hitai-ate. His eyes were closed in concentration and he was supporting a tiger seal on his right hand, the ring on his thumb glowing that pale blue light.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked, more firmly this time.

He didn't answer. There was a light frown on his face, telling her he was really concentrated in his task, perhaps not even listening to what she was saying.

What exactly was he doing?

Afraid of being something that could worsen her chances of breaking out of it, Sakura did the only thing she could think of to break him out of his concentration. With a rotation of her wrist, she touched her fingers to the skin on the back of his hand. It worked. His eyes snapped open to stare fixedly at their hands. Sakura let go of it slowly, letting her fingertips lightly trace his soft skin, and felt his eyes on her face. That was what she wanted.

"What is going on?" she asked softly, looking back up.

He blinked and merely said, equally as softly, "I am examining something."

Sakura felt her eyebrows rising higher on her forehead. "But what exactly? It's my chakra you're dealing with; I think it's only fair you should tell me."

This time, he stared fixedly at her face as if studying her to determine if he should explain himself or not.

In that moment of silence, Sakura realized their position. They were closer than she had expected. From the place she was, the piercings on his face had more details visible, his eyes had streaks of lighter grey and his hair seemed finer than she had thought initially.

Pein was handsome, as she already knew; even more so up close.

His head tilted very slightly to one side and Sakura wondered if he was having similar thoughts than hers; wondered what he was seeing on her face if this was the case.

"You had an unexpected reaction just now; I want to see what caused it," Pein finally explained.

"You think it was the seal, then?"

"It could be, but I am not sure how and why that would proceed."

Sakura frowned, not really liking this uncertainness.

"But it seems to be your chakra. You are concentrating a great amount in the center of your forehead," he continued explaining, though his gaze had returned to their joined hands and didn't move to her face again. "With the seal placed on you, even the part you reserved to use on a daily basis is being used to fuel that spot. Combined with you having to use more chakra to heal more of Itachi's eyes at once, it is probably why you felt sick earlier."

It made sense. That was why it felt like being depleted–because she was.

"What type of seal is this anyway?" Pein raised his eyes to her briefly, a look that said that should have been obvious. Sakura rephrased it. "I mean, I never heard of a seal that permitted someone to take over another person's chakra before."

He released her arm momentarily to make a couple more seals; dog and tiger again. This time she could feel her chakra wavering softly as all the kanjis glowed the same light as his ring. After a while in silence, Pein finally retreated, quickly doing the seals he usually did after a healing session. Just like that, her chakra was gone again.

They went back to staring at each other. His eyes were soft as they locked with hers, but Sakura knew he was lost in thought, considering something; he always seemed to be when it came to her. This time she endured it and stared back through her eyelashes, hoping he would find nothing but genuine curiosity and answer her question truthfully.

Pein blinked, breaking the contact. He shifted and the weak light that came from outside illuminated the side of his face, leaving the rest in shadows. "I created this sealing technique. It is not something you would be able to find in scrolls anywhere."

Sakura felt herself inhaling sharply. Of course. Her situation wasn't difficult enough. Now she couldn't even try to break free counting on her chakra.

Her bottom lip trembled and it took nearly all her might to compose herself in front of Pein. He was studying her now, waiting for a reaction, anything that could give away her true intentions. She clenched her jaw and sank her short nails into the skin of her palm as an attempt to regain control over her emotions. Now wasn't the time.

She nodded, feeling hollow and wanting to be alone. "Can I go back to my room now?"

She could tell he wanted to say something about it by the way he frowned at her; perhaps suggest she should eat something since it had been a while since they ate breakfast. But Sakura didn't want to linger around any Akatsuki member right now, especially Pein. She only felt like laying down and crying.

After a moment of hesitation, Pein gave a rigid nod and walked forward to open the door for her. Sakura just followed dully, in complete silence, until the now familiar door to her room appeared in sight.

Pein must have felt her abrupt change of humor, but he didn't say anything, only opened the door for her again and closed it after she walked in. The blue glow appeared, indicating that he had sealed it.

For the first time, Sakura didn't mind it.

A/N: Fun fact: Pein's point of view wasn't planned at all in this story; in fact, I finished writing the entirety of this chapter without it. It's already difficult to write him from the point of view of another character, imagine writing as him. It wasn't until days before posting that I had this idea that perhaps it would've been interesting to see a more or less mysterious conversation between him and Tobi. I hope I didn't botched it! hahaha.