Author's Note: Surprise! You get an extra chapter only a couple of weeks apart. The reason is, I will not only be moving into my new house tomorrow, but I'm starting my new job in a couple of weeks and will be relatively busy for quite a while. Just know that I am working on this story in my free time. Here's a new chapter to celebrate the next chapter of my life! :)

Pairing: SasuSaku

Chapter 17: Overreacting to the Unexpected

Sakura started to doze heavily beside him, belly full of cooked fish, and a content smile hanging on her face like the crescent in the sky above them. The fire had started fading a while ago but with Sakura so close beside him, he didn't want to jostle her by moving to get more firewood. When she began to drift into sleep moments earlier, the crackle of the fire filling the silence between them, her head had begun to nod ever so slightly in his direction. It was already difficult enough for him to be sitting right next to her, but when her ear suddenly came to a rest on his right arm, Sasuke froze instantly. Half of him wanted to instantly slip away but Sasuke found that there was another part that wanted to stay.

Just a few more seconds, he thought to himself as Sakura curled up against his side. How was she even able to be so close to him without the same hysteria that was currently squeezing the life out of the Uchiha? It's not that Sasuke hadn't let others touch him before. Karin, for example, was over him all the time, but Sasuke hadn't ever felt like this. Hell, even Sakura as his teammate for all those years had held him, jumped on him, supported him, and held his hand. Why was this so different from all those other times?

Peering down at her face, Sasuke asked himself, What's so wrong about this? But then, he remembered why. He recalled those hateful words he spat at Kakashi during the war, right after he had used genjutsu on Sakura to prevent her from following Naruto and himself. I have no reason to love her, or to be loved by her. Even though Sasuke had been denying what was between them; even though he had been clinging desperately to his selfish goal, Sasuke had meant what he said. Especially the part about Sakura having absolutely no reason to love him. At that time, there was no reason for either of them to love one another. Sasuke was consumed in darkness and had thought he would never reciprocate her feelings. Never.

How different it was now, when he stared down at her and felt something for her again.

But, Sasuke just couldn't let this happen between them; any of it. He wasn't an idiot. They were alone together on a journey, and even though they were both shinobi focused on a goal, they were still human. If he selfishly allowed this moment, and every other moment that might happen between them play out, he would be betraying his own redemption. He had thought about this before, what would happen to Sakura after all this when he told her he couldn't come home. He would thoroughly devastate her. He would be the worst of all men at that point, and if it were anyone else, Sasuke would probably have killed the bastard for doing it to her.

I'm sorry, he thought silently before reaching up and supporting her head as he placed her pack under it to support her in his absence. He did it so smoothly that her deep breathing never hitched, and the pink-haired ninja continued to sleep soundly.

Sasuke backed away from her and took up a spot across the dying fire, using it as a mental and physical barrier between them. He watched her silent sleep for a few more minutes before his own eyes grew heavy. He knew that if he fell asleep now, they should be safe. Sasuke had slept silently out in the woods for 2 years. They would be able to rely on their ninja instincts if anything happened.

Or so Sasuke thought, as he finally let sleep take him. When early morning birdsong woke him with the sunrise, Sasuke blinked hard to only find that Sakura was not where he had left her. He sat up straighter, looking around quickly. Where the hell did she go?

Her pack was in the same spot, but it was open and supplies were bulging out of it. Sasuke walked over to it and frowned because she wasn't there beside it. No need to overreact, he told himself as he surveyed the land before him, the river twining endlessly through the forest landscape beyond.

Sasuke decided to remind himself right then and there, that Sakura could take care of herself. As he followed the river down the forest, in a near frenzy, he recalled all the times that she had done so: against Sasori, the puppet master; in the Fourth Shinobi World War, a Sanin's pupil like himself; against Kido, when Sasuke had showed up to rescue her and discovered that she had already taken care of everything. She was fine, he told himself, as he stalked through the trees, Sharingan activated and purple chakra emanating off of him in waves.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sakura pulled a clean shirt over her wet skin, the fabric clinging to her sides and arms. She slipped on a fresh pair of shorts, thinner black ones that she had packed because they would be more suited for travelling in the heat. Taking her time, enjoying the sun that kissed the river as it colored the sky the same shade of her hair, Sakura reattached her ninja weapons to her legs and side. As she did so, she smiled, remembering her conversation with Sasuke the night before. She still couldn't believe it, that she was with him, finally walking by his sideafter so long.

When she woke this morning, the sun was still not up. Sakura had stood and smiled when she located Sasuke's sleeping form across the charred remains of their fire. He had that same expressionless face, even in sleep and Sakura had resisted the urge to laugh to herself about it. She always thought that he had to work so hard to keep it that way all the time, but even when he was unconscious, the mask was unwavering.

Sakura took advantage of his sleep by grabbing a few things from her pack and tiptoeing away from the campsite. Now was the only time where she would be able to wash without having to make Sasuke wait on her. She knew that she could just hold out for the village that they'd reach tonight, but to be honest, she felt rather disgusting having gone two days now without a bath. And so, she walked half a mile down the river bank until she felt private enough to strip and slide into the freezing water.

Now, staring at the sunrise, she was giddy to get back, not wanting to miss getting to wake Sasuke up again. But when she started to climb her way back up the bank, she stopped suddenly when she saw Sasuke stomping towards her, a red and purple glare meeting hers.

He stopped just above her, seething, and said nothing.

"What's wrong?" she asked suddenly wary as she yanked a kunai from her weapon's pouch, angling her head around to detect an enemy. Why else would he activate the Sharingan?

"You," he spat, before turning and stalking back in the direction he came from.

"Me?" she asked in astonishment, before hiking up the remainder of the bank to catch up to him. "What did I do?"

"Don't just run off like that," he hissed between his teeth as he looked at her over his shoulder. All she could see was the purple of his Rinnegan.

Sakura balked at his anger but continued to follow him. Was he angry because he woke up and she wasn't there? "Sorry," she offered when he slowed his pace a little. "Didn't mean to upset you. I was just taking a bath."

He continued to walk ahead of her, purposefully not making eye contact with her. "We're in enemy territory now. Don't be naïve and take off on your own like that."

Sakura suddenly wanted to punch him, just to remind him who she was talking to. "Sasuke, I'm a Jonin, remember? And this isn't enemy territory anymore."

After a long sigh, Sasuke just said, "I know. Just do me a favor and let me know before you run off. It's been a long time since I've had to keep up with you."

She poked him hard in the side then, an action that had the Uchiha looking her up and down in disbelief, like he couldn't believe she just did that. "Are you admitting to me that you were worried about me?" Sakura asked with a smirk.

He frowned and blinked at her in irritation. "No," he breathed. "I'm worried about having to tell Kakashi and Naruto you were killed by some ninja while I looked the other way." He turned and began walking away.

Sakura crossed her arms at that comment and stuck out her tongue. "Maybe, I'll be the one to tell them what happened to you."

He scoffed, loudly, and said nothing else as they made their way back towards camp.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sunset couldn't come fast enough. They had made only two stops since this morning during their momentous traveling, and each time, Sakura announced loudly to him, "You going to be okay if I leave you for a minute? I'll scream if I need you." And, "Sasuke, just so you know, I'm okay!" Each time, she returned to his side with that innocent smile of hers and giggled, arms crossed behind her back as she leaned slightly forward.

Damn, annoying woman. As if he wasn't already ashamed of his outburst this morning, it seemed that Sakura was going to take advantage of it every second, not just because it obviously wounded her pride, but because she was relishing in the fact that he had been worried about her.

Sasuke really did feel ridiculous. Of course, Sakura had gone off on her own to bathe or whatever else. He knew how absurd his reaction was the moment he saw her standing on the bank, hair still wet and clothes draping over shoulders and clinging to her curves. If Sasuke hadn't been so pissed off, he would have tried to duck into the trees before she noticed him. Sasuke told himself that his excuse was that he had been on his own for a long time, now. He had forgotten what it was like to wake up in the middle of the night and ignore the fact that one of your teammates had slipped off into the woods. It was normal stuff like that, that Sasuke had never made an issue about. Until this morning, that is.

When Sakura walked ahead of him, arms still tucked with fingers connected behind her, he slowly dragged his fingers down his face in annoyance with his entire situation. He decided he would let her lead for a little while.

When they finally arrived at Tanigakure, Sasuke frowned at the gravel path that slithered down the hillside toward the village built in the deepest part of the valley. The valley walls rose up jaggedly to either side of the town, a bony ribcage surrounding the heart. Now that the sun was setting quickly, the village was lit by the soft twinkling lights of the night vendors.

Sasuke didn't necessarily care for this place. Not only did Sasuke not appreciate the fact that Tanigakure remained a neutral party during the Fourth Shinobi World War, but the history of its development was a tangled web of crime and corruption. Sasuke didn't know much of the details, but apparently the previous leader rose to power through deception and bribery. Sasuke had even heard a rumor a few years back that he had executed many of his own citizens for speaking out against him.

Now, however, the current village head, a man name Magyaku, was the reason the village had turned itself around. Not only was the village now nicknamed "The Land of Peace" thanks to its current savior but was now a competing source of agriculture among the lands.

Sasuke supposed, that Magyaku had made the decision not to join the Allied Shinobi forces, because he wanted peace for his people. The thought still didn't take the bad taste out of his mouth. Sasuke didn't care if they were in a time of peace now, he would distrust and dislike them for their decision to look the other way during the war.

They entered the gates easily, and Sakura smiled kindly at the guards, announcing who they were. What he meant by that, was that Sakura mentioned that they were leaf shinobi and Sasuke relayed that they were just passing through. They received clearance immediately when Sakura mentioned the 6th Hokage, and then revealed that she was a friend of Naruto Uzumaki. It seemed his friend's popularity had even reached this small village. Neither Sasuke nor Sakura mentioned who Sasuke was. It seemed it was an unspoken realization between them that mentioning Sasuke Uchiha's name might have a negative reaction. It wounded his Uchiha pride, but Sasuke put a halt to that risky line of thinking.

Entering side by side, Sasuke and Sakura began walking quietly toward the center of town. Sasuke couldn't help but marvel at the blue-black river that reflected the house lights that glowed on either side of it. While the houses were perched on dirt platforms, cattle grazed on the grassy river bank just below. It was really quite beautiful.

"I'm going down to the medical center, if that's alright," Sakura announced suddenly, turning to face him as soon as they entered. She flashed him a kind, apologetic smile.

"What?" Sasuke asked, stupefied at her sudden desire to run off on her own again.

She began backing away from him and Sasuke stopped and crossed his arms at her explanation. "This village is one of the world's superpowers in medicine. They have some rare herbs that grow here! I'd like to see it in practice."

And the real reason why she wanted to go through here, comes out. Sasuke supposed this was a part of her specific mission, to gather medical intelligence for the Leaf.

"Why don't you find us a place to stay for the night, and I'll meet you when I'm done," she shouted back at him over her shoulder.

Sasuke made to follow her and demand that she stay put, but stopped walking when he registered her command, looking blankly after her. What did she just say? Stay? Sasuke had told the truth back there and had meant it literally. They were passing through, not staying the night.

Sasuke cursed externally and internally. Damn annoying woman.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

It was late already when Sakura had been received by the village hospital. A kind man named Fumio, was actually the head medical ninja here and received Sakura with much enthusiasm. She talked to him for an hour just about the herbs that grew along the rivers that ran through the valley. It was a purple flower called the Grink flower, and it was mixed with a spice to help people with permanent disabilities to manage pain. Sakura was completely enthralled as she watched Fumio prepare the mixture. She took thorough notes and in exchange, gave the man some of her own creation. The pink-haired medic ninja even wrote down the ingredients and instructions for how to make and utilize the burn salve in his hospital.

Walking away with her fists full of the Grink pain prescriptions, Sakura hurried down the street to the only inn that Tanigakure had to offer. Despite it being the only one, it was large and had at least three stories. Eager to tell Sasuke about all that had happened, Sakura made her way to the front desk.

"Hello," the kind, elderly woman at the front desk called out to her as she entered. "How can I help you?" She eyed Sakura's full hands curiously.

"Actually," Sakura began, unsure of what to call Sasuke. They most certainly were not together. They had once been friends, then enemies. They were friends again now, weren't they? She could call him that. "I think that my friend-"

"Oh," the woman blushed, waving a hand at Sakura with half-grin stretching across her face as she laid her opposite palm against her cheek. "That handsome young man, with the spikey black hair? Yes, he came in a while ago. What a beautiful face, that boy has!"

Sakura couldn't resist the twitch that tugged at her strained smile at this woman. "Yeah—um… did he happen to-"

Cut off once again, the dark haired elderly woman looked down at a sheet. "Sakura, right? Your friend said an 'annoying' pink-haired woman by that name would be arriving. That must be you, dear."

Sakura laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. On the inside, Sakura was screaming. Who does that Uchiha think he is, describing me in that way? This was his way of repaying her for running off, she figured.

"Well 'annoying' might not be the exact word I would have used," Sakura replied with a nervous laugh. "Do you know which room he is in?"

"He's in the room next to yours, dear." The lady said, handing Sakura a room key.

As Sakura made her way up the third stairway, she couldn't figure out why she was surprised that Sasuke had gotten a separate room from her. And then she was even more embarrassed for assuming they would share one. She sighed heavily into her splayed fingers. Of course, they wouldn't. It was ridiculous for even thinking it. It wasn't like Team 7 had ever shared one before. Kakashi had always made sure Sakura got a room to herself, while the three boys camped out together in one to save on expenses. Why would Sasuke do anything different? Foolish, annoying Sakura.

When she walked past his door, she stopped and stared at it for a minute before going on to her own. It was late, she told herself. Sasuke probably was already asleep. Sakura was suddenly feeling insecure about leaving him on his own while she went off to the hospital. She didn't want to annoy him any more than she already had, so she closed her door tightly behind her.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sasuke jerked his head up from the map he was labeling when he heard the door down the hall open and shut. It was eleven o' clock at night, and Sakura was just going straight to bed? After he had waited up all this time, to make sure she made it back safely, she had decided to just retire without saying a word to him. Hmm, Sasuke thought to himself. He half expected her to come knocking on his door with the excuse of wishing him goodnight.

Why do you care? That condescending voice resounded from inside of him. I don't, he replied, straightening the map out on the table with his hands. He ignored his mild irritation and continued to mark the path that they had traveled from Konoha. He charted how much ground they had left before reaching Sunagakure. It wasn't like Sasuke needed to do this. The Uchiha knew exactly how long it would take them to get there; he had traveled there before. The fact of the matter was, Sasuke had to find something to do in order to refocus on the pressing issue of the Otsutsuki race.

Even though Sasuke's primary aim was to locate all of the dimensions, he also wanted to discover all of Kaguya's connections. Sasuke wanted to find the cracks in the space-time dimensions without having to rely on the Rinnegan. He also wanted to know the answers to these questions: Where would an enemy most likely infiltrate? Where could they all relocate in the case of an attack? Who would continue to be their allies if something so terrible as Kaguya showed up on their planet? He wanted to find out anything and everything about the Otsutsuki race that might give them even a small advantage.

After marking out the areas he had traveled to in the last 2 years, Sasuke circled specific locations that still held Sasuke's interest for various reasons. Sunagakure was first on his list because the Kazekage was the Leaf's number one ally. Konaha had had difficulties with the village in the past, especially with Orochimaru's plot to destroy the village. However, Orochimaru had manipulated the Sand shinobi by killing the Kazekage and using his body during the chunin exams, so they were just following orders. Ever since that time, Sasuke would say that Konoha and Sunagakure had worked well with one another, especially now that Gaara was the Kazekage. Sasuke was suddenly remembering the talk that Gaara had with him back during the Kage summit.

It's not too late for you. Don't fall into a world possessed by hatred. You won't be able to return.

So…? If I come back, what is there for me?

Sasuke, you and I are alike. We have walked through the darkness of this world. That is why we are able to see even a sliver of light. Both back then, and even now.

Even though he had been cold and told Gaara he had closed his eyes long ago, Gaara had been right. Naruto had shown him that sliver of light. He had found it and had somehow crawled through it out of the darkness. Barely. Just barely had he been able to return. Gaara had been right.

Sasuke honestly hoped he would receive a welcome from the Kazekage despite having ended on bad terms with him.

Sasuke caught himself listening closely to the sound of running water coming through the wall. She had to be showering which settled Sasuke's anxiety. It seemed she was okay, then. He didn't understand why he was suddenly trying to come up with an excuse to walk down the hall and knock on her door. That wouldn't be like him at all. Sasuke didn't necessarily want to have separate rooms, simply because it was a pain to make the effort to communicate with her, but he didn't dare tell the lady downstairs they would be sharing one. Not only was it indecent, but Sasuke knew Sakura needed space. Hell, he needed space from her. He was already having a hard time concentrating on his mission, he couldn't imagine the distraction she'd be in the same hotel room.

And then, Sasuke heard a set of footsteps coming down the hall towards him. The knock that followed wasn't on his door, but on Sakura's. Sasuke stood from the tiny writing desk and stalked across the room and stared down at his doorknob contemplating whether or not he should open it to see who it was. Another knock on her door had Sasuke swinging it open. When Sasuke looked one door down, his icy glare sharpened at the dark headed man who stood in front of it. Sasuke recognized the tools strapped to his hip that identified him as a ninja. The stranger was leaning back away from Sakura's shut door to look further down the hallway to the right.

"Can I help you?" Sasuke asked icily, resting his side against the frame to communicate that he was content to stand there.

"Oh," the man said, whipping his head back around to assess Sasuke's figure. The ninja raised a hand in greeting and flashed the Uchiha a grin. "A friend of mine is expecting me. I think she locked me out."

Sasuke took a step out of his room and fingered his kunai pouch with his right fingers. "I think you have the wrong room," he responded coldly. He certainly didn't recognize this man. He was tall, dark headed and wore a single glove on his left hand. Whoever this guy was, Sasuke would be damned if he just let him stand there knocking on Sakura's door all night. Surely, she hadn't invited a "friend" to her room in the past few hours. The Sakura he knew would never do something like that. Either this man was lost, or he was lying.

"Oh," the man said again, squinting at the faint room number on the green door. He turned back to Sasuke with an embarrassed smile. "You're right. My mistake, I'm a digit off. A friend of yours staying here?"

"That's really none of your business," Sasuke spat at him, completely disinterested in making small talk to a man who was currently a threat. "Now get lost."

The man raised his hands in apology. "Alright," the ninja said before turning and retreating the way he'd come. Sasuke's gaze followed him until he no longer heard the sound of his shoes going down the three flights of stairs. He listened closely to the old clerk's voice as she said goodbye to the man. Sasuke grit his teeth at the fact that the ninja didn't stop at another room. Whether the man was simply stood up or had followed Sakura, he didn't care. Whenever a shower disheveled Sakura opened the door a second later to see who was there, Sasuke immediately turned back toward his room.

"Was that you who knocked?" Sakura asked following him and looking in through the doorway, unease apparent on her face. She was fisting a white towel around clumps of her hair. "What is it? Is there something wrong?"

Sasuke grabbed the map off the table and gathered the rest of his things. Sakura gawked at him when he shoved past her and marched into her room. The Uchiha held open the door for her and said nothing when she came back in and Sasuke locked the door behind them. He tossed his things onto the floor and threw a pillow next to them. Decency and distraction be damned.

"Sasuke? What happened?" Sakura asked, reaching out worriedly and taking his fingers. He jerked them away immediately and snarled at her, his temper and shame getting the better of him. She frowned at him and Sasuke turned his face to hide his flush from her. Now was not the time to allow any physical contact between them even slightly. He took up a spot on the floor and turned his back to her.

"It's nothing" he said without a trace of emotion in his voice. "It doesn't make sense to waste money on two rooms. Now go to sleep."

Sasuke was embarrassed with himself for the behavior that he was continuing to display out of his concern for her. First this morning, and again, now. She was driving him mad just by being on this mission with him, and Sasuke was suddenly wondering how often things like this happened when she was on her own. He hated this whole situation and wished the uncaring Sasuke could take over for just a little bit. If that bastard would have just minded his own business, they would be sleeping peacefully in separate rooms right now. Sasuke scowled when he felt Sakura sit next to him on the floor.

She stopped drying her hair and said quietly, "I had a feeling someone was following me after I left the hospital earlier."

Sasuke sat up on his elbows, his right shoulder in alignment with hers. They were facing opposite walls. "Why didn't you say something?" he asked incredulously. She should have told him that! He could have prepared himself more. He wouldn't have let that man walk away. Sasuke might have even killed him. And with that thought, Sasuke understood why she didn't say anything.

"I could have handled it," she said, raising her chin to look him in the face. Sasuke's gaze suddenly softened at her fierceness. Stubborn, infuriating woman, who was trying to leave him out of things. Sasuke couldn't help but take her all in. The way she looked in something that wasn't red and white, made him blink twice at the nightclothes. And that darker shade of pink her hair took on when it was wet had him quickly looking away. He chastised himself immediately. This was the beginning to his end. Even if Sakura could have taken care of that man on her own, it was worth all of this mess just to make sure that man never set eyes on her like this.

Sasuke clenched his fists. "If there's a ninja following you, it could mean that we are being watched because we are outsiders. But if he's trying to enter your room- I just know that it's not good." Sasuke wanted to track this man down just to have the answers. Even if it was a time of peace, Sasuke shouldn't have let that man just walk away.

Sakura smiled, which irritated Sasuke because he didn't understand how she could be so relaxed about all this. She replied, "I planned on figuring that out if he came here. You just beat me to it."

Because taking a shower at that exact moment, especially when you think someone is following you, is a smart way to 'figure things out.' He contained that comment but sighed irritably in response.

"And besides," she continued, "He might have just been curious to know who I was. Or, he probably mistook me for someone else."

With that pink hair? Sasuke doubted it. And someone who was 'curious' didn't follow you to your lodgings and knock on your door. The ninja would have approached her in the street if that were the case. It was probably more like that the man knew who they were or knew Sakura's value to Konoha- specifically to Kakashi, the Leaf's Hokage, to Naruto, the jinchuriki of the Kyubi, or to Sasuke, the last of the Uchiha. Sasuke reminded himself how Kido had captured Sakura in an effort to lure Sasuke back to the village. Who knew what someone's intentions toward her might be, and Sasuke just didn't want to risk finding them out.

"I'll stay here tonight, just in case he comes back," Sasuke said resolutely, laying back down and turning his back to Sakura. "It's probably better that we stay together for as long as we are in enemy territory."

"I agree," Sakura said with a teasing, smiling voice. "I wouldn't want you to be in danger. I can protect you better if we are in the same room."

Sasuke scoffed into his pillow. Twice. He said nothing else for the rest of the night. Did nothing else but lay on the ground pretending to sleep for hours.