Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in it.

XXI.

- Kindness Everlasting -

She had no strength left.

Not for speaking, not for moving or breathing. Eyelids closed, she spent an indefinite amount of time laying on the moist soil, in the early darkness, walking over the thin line between falling unconscious and staying awake. Deep down, she was convinced that falling asleep was inevitable in her condition and the truth was, falling asleep now was going to prolong the dream into an eternal one. The battle was strenuous and at times unbearable, she admitted it. Having lost the ability to walk or crawl, she had no actual chance of progressing or reaching any help.

Sakura didn't feel any part of her body, the cold had taken over her long before she left the hideout; slowly possessing every cell of hers and completely winning over her in the last minutes. An invisible force pulled the thread of her life and she saw it loosened, tearing apart and she could do nothing to fight it. The peaceful silence and solitude of the forest were welcoming amidst her inhuman struggle to remain in this world and not be dragged into the other. The ripped matter of her nighty barely covered her body from the razor-sharp claws of the morning wind.

Well, it wasn't that bad of a place. People have died in horrible places, in great pain. All she was going to do is fall asleep and never wake up again. A calm and quiet slumber. The sounds of the winter birds, that previously distracted her, gradually hushed and now all she heard was the beating of her own heart. It was like a metronome, pumping in the rhythm set by the grand Musician, at her birth. It was a beautiful sound, she had always loved it. Even before she realized she wanted to be a doctor. It was beautiful but somewhat lonely. Listening to a metronome without music to accompany it wasn't how it should be. The ticking existed as a base for the music, and music... well, music was a rare phenomenon. Yet she was glad she heard it, in all its colors. She was joyful, having the chance to touch that same sweetness that people sang and wrote songs about since they existed in this world. She had to let it all go now.

The music that resounded whenever he was around her was not like anything she knew and it brought tears to the corners of her eyes, despite that they were shut. The music he brought was majestic and fearful and riveting, but only in the beginning. Then it humbled to silent harmonies and gifted whoever had the patience to reach the ending. His music… she could've danced to his music. Only if she was granted the chance.

Her heartbeat slowed down gradually and her breathing shallowed. Slowly, darkness cloaked her mind and she sank deeper with the… last breath she took.

Let it be over.

Her own words rang out in her head, over the thick silence she resided in. Followed by someone else's.

Where do you think you're going?

Oh, no. Panic invaded her peace of mind when she saw the path she followed. Was it too late… to turn around? She couldn't move an inch, enfettered and unable to oppose the drowsiness.

Sasuke?

Her call echoed in the emptiness of her mind, as if searching for an answer, while she wandered in the vast and dark space. Was that what happened when you die? You wander in your mind, like a ghost, passing through memories and observing, without feeling anything. Visions shifted rapidly, memoirs of a lifespan — short but rich with experience. Her thoughts were searching for a phrase in particular. She feared it might be lost under all the piles of words and images there. A firm, masterful voice.

Come back.

Sakura heard the vexation in his voice so clearly that she took a breath and emerged on top, returning to the reality of her battle. The wind still lamented, but there was something else, too.

"What's that over there?!"

"It's her! Guys, we found her!"

"Is she breathing?"

"Quickly. Get her a blanket."

Distant, muffled voices touched her ears and her numb fingers grazed the hard ground. Someone has found her… someone came to help her. She was too powerless to rejoice, but that was not important, she was saved.

"Sakura? Do you hear me?" Strong hands reached for her and lifted her off the ground. Sakura tried to open her eyes or speak but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead she took a weak hold on her carrier's clothes as a sign.

"She's alive."

She knew that voice well, that calm timbre, it was Kakashi that carried her. Her thoughts drifted off when someone wrapped her in a soft blanket.

The fever gripped and shook her unlike any other she had previously had. It was long torture, she woke up and turned at one side, then to another, trying to take a sip of air. Her mouth was dry and her ears stopped up. Whenever she found herself awake, all she could think of was water, her body was on fire. In this ember-like state, she couldn't help but wish for it to end or abate it in some way. All she wished was for the daylight to come and pierce through her window.

People came and went, but she couldn't discern voices or faces. The outlines were blurred through her eyes, nothing mattered as much as finding the patience and strength to endure; as much as forcing her spirit to find the path back to material existence and focus on the draining but purifying pains of her body.

Daylight, no matter how weak, always arrived. Faint sunbeams fell on her face and she furrowed. Her headache was way too strong than she thought it'd be, but it didn't stop her from opening her eyes. The tarpaulin, the light bulb… she was in was her tent. Her head slowly tilted and she smiled, seeing Ino curled on a chair next to the bed. She was into a cocoon, wrapped in a thick blanket and sleeping, despite the impossible angle.

A flash of reminiscence struck her and she turned away for a second, her face a grimace of pain. She raised her hand and examined it. And that nighty, it was disgusting. Sakura heaved up, holding her aching head with one hand. She had to… stand up and go to the shower. That stench… her breath quickened.

"Sakura," Ino woke up and almost jumped off the chair. She caught her friend and pushed her down. "You have to rest, you're still feverish."

"I have to go," Sakura's eyes were blurred. "I want to wash myself." The panic in her voice confused Ino and for a moment she just wondered what to do.

"You can go and wash yourself but you'll eat breakfast first, ok?" She sat on the bed, looking at Sakura with heavy concern.

Sakura held her eyes, silent tears falling from hers. "Ino," she whispered. "Is everyone safe? Are you alright?"

"Yes. Everyone's alright," Ino hurried to reply, with a swallow. "You were abducted and we looked for you in the last three days. You have no idea how glad we are you're al—"

"Where is he?" Sakura shot her next question before Ino could even finish.

Ino ignored her persisting gaze. "Gone. Left the base in the night you were abducted. We thought you two might be together, but the night patrol confirmed there was a breakthrough."

"Gone? Where?"

"We don't know."

"He doesn't know I was abducted," Sakura mouthed, relieved at the conclusion.

"Probably not," Ino sighed. "Naruto tried reaching him through his phone, in all ways possible, but he just doesn't respond."

Sakura withered, looking away. Her friend's eyes stilled on her, a tad curious. "You have a… a stab wound and…" Ino started, quietly, "Bruises."

"I don't want to talk about it, Ino," Sakura cut her off, trying to ignore the dread rising in her chest.

"I'm sorry," Ino stood up inconveniently. "I'll bring you something to eat. Lay still for a little longer."

"I'm not hungry," Sakura whispered, voice breaking off as Ino was already closing the door from outside.

[Two days ago]

What day was it? Or was it night?

Where her skin wasn't affected by the sensation of cold numbness, it blazed with the soreness of a rough and violent touch. The shivers through her body couldn't shake off the disgust. The blood in her veins had become thick with shame, her tears dried out along with her hope. Her mind was playing and repeating on feigned imagery, strong enough to exchange the reality.

She wasn't there. This place of dense darkness was an illusion of hers. Those people, those ghosts of torture sent her way. Their voices in her ear. Their thirst and the cruelty they found joy in. That bruised body, it wasn't hers, neither was that foreign, masculine scent she could taste in the air. She ignored the pain and the contempt, fighting to prove herself the imagery was convincing; the imagery was her only truth. These memories weren't hers. Not this scent nor that warmth. They weren't familiar, she wouldn't let them become such. But somehow they have stained on her skin, they have marked it and she didn't think she could erase them in any way.

The creaking sound of the door didn't even scare her anymore. She lay motionless, head turned aside, and waited for the next one. The long moment of silence was something unusual. Where was the ravaging, animalistic drive in this one? Or did he find some distorted pleasure in observing her at her weakest? Either way, he took his time. Original. Was he expecting her to play a role? One of them was quite passionate about marionettes. Did her wrists stop bleeding yet?

"I locked myself in a cage like this for a month and a half once."

Sakura smiled. It was about time he showed up. The sound of that voice could dig a grave itself. It was somewhat strange to think that way, but it was so fittingly morose. It was what this place, these walls would've sounded like if they had a voice. Yet that voice held zeal in its own way. It never demanded, but it had the power to do so. At the same time, it was resolute and adroit in expression. Never too strong, never too weak. Was it sinful of her to like the sound of it?

"To feel what it's like." He stepped into the cell and stopped next to her shoulder, but she didn't care to look his way. It was too dark anyway.

"It's not imprisonment if you know you're free to go at any time," she said, weakly.

"You must think we're some kind of savages," Pain said. "We are. Some of us."

"You're not?" Sakura pondered.

Pain chose to remain silent.

"I'm confused," she furrowed, quick to renew the conversation.

"I'll leave them to do as they please until they break you," he explained. "Until you feel our pain as deeply as we know it. Until you comprehend it."

"I feel pain. They feel pleasure."

Pain didn't reply.

"I don't need to feel pain... to understand you."

"Of course you need to. There is no other way."

Sakura wondered whether he came to preach or something was gnawing at him and he had to speak his philosophy out and convince himself of his own truths because they were threatened by something.

"Do you know anything about a man called Itachi Uchiha?" Pain suddenly asked, with a harassed undertone Sakura didn't fail to notice.

"He died, not long ago. That's all I know."

"Do you know his brother? You are in the same platoon as him, I believe."

Sakura's heart throbbed painfully. "Yes."

"Has he mentioned anything about his brother?" Pain's voice was even and emotionless but persistent. He was a skilled interrogator.

"No," she said, and then silence fell between them. Pain had dived into his own thoughts and paid her no mind, as if she wasn't in the room at all. She decided it was fair to ask her questions, too.

"Why am I here?"

Sakura's breath hitched when he grabbed her by the collar and dragged her to the wall, lifting her up against it. Something sharp and metallic was pressed against the left side of her chest. Everything she relied on was her sense of touch, but the mood he gave out was tangible. He was sensibly furious.

"Because you are a runaway," Pain fumed, for the first time the anger in his voice discernable. "I saw you at the factory. You were the one who stood by and watched. You didn't approach because you were scared of what you might see. You preferred to save yourself the blood and the grotesque of the reality you exist in." He made a pause, his breathing was heavier. "I know people like that. There are too many of you. How dare you hide your face from the suffering when some of us are bound to live within it and find no escape from it even when we close our eyes at night?"

"I was scared, yes," Sakura snapped. "What of it? Am I to blame for your personal suffering? Should we annihilate each other endlessly because no one understands the other's pain?"

"You have no right to speak," Pain said, sharply. "Heathen. Do you think the world needs more heroic deeds and sacrifices? Do you still think goodness can free it from its dark chains? Hundreds upon hundreds die because someone still thinks the way you do. If one knows the true depths of pain, he would reach enlightenment and wouldn't want to strike his fellows."

"And you want to purge the darkness with pain? This is just another form of tyranny."

"It is not for I inflict the same upon myself."

"Noble," Sakura scoffed, but the metallic blade was pressed against her skin and she silenced. One more movement would ensure it had transfixed her heart. She wasn't sure whether his anger would stop on torture or her life was one of the many obstacles in the way of his belief. Finding peace was going to be hard if he held a blade against the rest of the world, too.

"Go on," she continued, her hand grabbing the cloth of his shoulder for support. She didn't quite feel that her legs could carry her own weight so she leaned on him."If you need it so bad."

"Need it? You don't understand the burden I carry. I don't need to kill you. You already know the truth yet… you insist on opposing me. You do not agree," his words slowed down. "I can order them to stop if you decide to join me."

"Join you?" Sakura breathed out, at a loss.

"I'll accept you because I know mercy, unlike the ones you serve."

Sakura closed her eyes. Join him… and unleash everything inhuman her fantasy could come up with. That was insanity. But then again, she wouldn't die… her suffering would end.

"I know mercy," Pain repeated as if hypnotizing her.

She couldn't possibly become a part of that group. Cruel wasn't the choice of her heart. There was no place for doubt, wasn't it? Her prolonged silence he took for rejection of his offer and the blade slowly cut through her skin. Sakura lost the balance she had and pressed herself against him, fist-clenching the matter of his dark clothing. If she was to die, then she had to do it gracefully, right?

Her hands slipped down with difficulty and enveloped him in a hug. Her grip was tighter than she wanted to but… she didn't know whether she could stand for long on her own. "Pain is necessary, but it is not the solution. You know that deep inside…" Sakura leaned her head on his chest with the slowest movement, "…but you can't afford to think that way because this world will consume you otherwise."

He didn't speak, perhaps unsure whether she had said everything she wanted to. Nevertheless, his hand still pressed the edge deeper against her skin.

"Don't become the evil you're seeking to destroy," she gave out a trembling whisper, on top of the stinging pain. "There's other ways. Always."

Then he stopped, freezing completely. Sakura but didn't dare move either, holding her breath. Something bothered him deeply, there was doubt in his hold of the weapon. It was unsteady, as well as his breathing.

What stopped him from delivering the blow now? Did his image of justice falter because of her words or was it the touch of her hands that hurt it? Perhaps it was strange, but she sought no revenge, there was no hatred toward him inside of her. It was that habit she created herself as a doctor: she was never going to judge or classify people. The ones that came to her, were all victims and she accepted everyone. Because they were patients in need of help and because they were all human beings.

Pain stepped back, pushing her away from him as if her touch was poisonous. Sakura leaned on the stone wall, surprised.

"Leave."

She stood without moving and wasn't sure if the word wasn't a creation of her mind, knowing how desperate it might get in the moments before death.

"I said leave!" He yelled, making her flinch.

Sakura slowly shifted to the door and made a step outside the cell, her thoughts changing at lightning speed, hectic and searching for logic in her captor's behavior. She found none. "Thank you. I'll never forget this," she spoke quietly, her hand reaching into the dark but then she quickly recoiled, reminding herself to run away while she still could.

I will remember that.

Because pain is temporary but kindness… kindness is everlasting.

[Present Time]

The door clicked open and Sakura blinked away from the memory, focusing on her visitor. Her lips parted, ready to protest at the amount of food coming her way but then again, the carrier was not the one she expected to come. She forgot the speech she prepared for Ino when she saw him.

"You can't disobey me; I think you're aware of that fact," Kakashi professed, handing her the tray while speaking.

"I wasn't going to disobey you," Sakura smiled, eyeing the steaming bowl of soup in front of her.

"I am also really good at detecting lies."

Sakura chuckled and tilted her head with the most apologetic expression she could make.

"We just have no luck when it comes to medics," he sighed, sitting on her bed.

Sakura was about to speak, but instead held her eyes on him without saying anything. His hands were intertwined in a strong grip in front of him. He certainly thought he was successfully hiding everything he wanted to hide, but he was downright transparent. It was a military trick. His chest heaved up… one, two, three, four seconds. Holding your breath for a short time. Then it was time to release it — one, two, three, four seconds again. Repeat from the beginning. Over and over until you calm down.

That's what soldiers used to control their emotions and avoid being overthrown by the adrenaline rush in a combat situation. It did flawless work when their hands were shaking, too. Sakura observed him practice the method for quite some time but even if he had found the serenity he sought, something told her he was far from gathering the courage to look her in the eyes. He ignored them from the moment he entered.

Sakura carefully put the tray aside and reached for his hand, slowly parting it from the other. He was warm to the touch, warmer than she expected. "I know what you're here for," she said, leaning in an attempt to find his only visible eye. "You're going to say you're sorry. And it's going to be about something that wasn't your fault. Which doesn't make any sense."

He looked at her, at last. "You didn't deserve that. And I insist on telling you I'm sorry because you saved my life and I could've lost yours right when you needed help. From me."

"I don't know," Sakura shrugged. "I knew what I was signing for when I joined, that's for sure."

"Doesn't appease me in any way. You have to do better than that," Kakashi looked down at her small hand over his and shook his head.

"You did help me," Sakura squeezed his hand. "I could've died out there."

Kakashi stilled on her eyes, tired but still live, without saying anything.

"I am so happy to see you again. You have no idea," Sakura gave a breathy laugh.

"Who was it?"

Sakura's beaming expression faded and she slowly leaned back on the pillow, letting him go. "Does it matter?"

"Yes," Kakashi turned to her. "Every bit of information is valuable for us."

"Akatsuki."

A momentary shock passed over his face but then he regained his composure and furrowed, sinking in thought. The concern was so clearly written on his face that she could trace how it gradually deepened to worry, then took the path down to anxiety. "Akatsuki…" He stood up as if it would help him think better. Then he faced her again. "What did they want?"

Sakura pushed aside the invasive memories in her head and swallowed down. "I am not sure. Their leader asked me whether I know anything about Itachi Uchiha. But when he got no information from me changed the subject abruptly. I suspect his prime concern is Itachi, but I don't know why."

"Strange," Kakashi raised a brow.

"Yeah," Sakura furrowed. "I think he thought I'd be useful to him in some way but…"

"You have to write a detailed report of what happened to you."

Sakura raised her eyes to him. "I can't tell where their hideout was. I was blinded on my way there and running for my life on the way out. I don't remember much."

"Doesn't matter. High-levels will need to see the papers. They won't believe there was a breakthrough otherwise."

Sakura let out a puff, disgusted. "That's all they care about, don't they? They need to have random proof from someone because they need to be sure the money they'll have to pay for the damage goes to the right place. Where it will serve them well after that. It's all good business."

Kakashi put his hands in his pockets.

"Nobody cares about the victims," Sakura sighed. "They cost a lot and aren't profitable."

"It's been like that since forever," Kakashi murmured. "Don't know why you've opened the subject now."

"I don't know. Forget it," Sakura scoffed.

"You escaped?" Kakashi asked, carefully. "From Akatsuki?"

"I didn't," Sakura shook her head. "He let me go."

Kakashi frowned. Something about his expression told her he didn't believe her words. "Are you sure about that?"

"I am not here to spy if that's what you're concerned about. He just…" Sakura released her breath, feeling her nerves more tense than ever. "I think he didn't want to kill me. But he thought he might... if I stayed a minute longer."

"These people kill at random," Kakashi sighed. "I don't know how you've survived, but I'm glad you did."

"Yeah, me too," Sakura looked up at him and hesitated whether to continue speaking, but as the pause grew wider her courage evaporated.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine," Kakashi smiled when he saw the astounded look on her face. Sakura felt the inconvenience painting her cheeks in dark pink and hurried to look down. Her fingers started to play with the soft matter of her blanket.

"Do you know who held the record for the highest number of accurate sniper shots until last year?" Kakashi inquired with a heavy determination, set on distracting her as if it was a matter of life and death.

Sakura raised her curious green eyes to him, shaking her head.

"Itachi Uchiha," he announced. "I haven't met a steadier hand and a grander mind than his in my life. He was gifted. Everyone thought so… until someone else showed up and broke his record."

Sakura held Kakashi's eye in wonder, but then he walked away. "Who broke it?" She asked, not completely sure to whom he referred to.

Kakashi opened the door and stopped at the threshold for a moment. "I think you know that very well."

A/N: Thanks for reading, dear ones! I never thought I'd have as many readers. I was supposed to learn how to write better with that story lol I apologize for being so dark with those chapters, but it's how it's supposed to be. I am sorry for the delay, too. I was really ill for a long time. Good news is I'm fine now; the bad news is, I have an upcoming month filled with exams and I don't know when I'll be able to update. I really hope I'll find the time. Thank you again and 'till next time!