And it was at that moment that Arthur's ears caught the sound of nocking arrows. The Blacklegs obviously hadn't seen them yet, or they would have already been dead, but it was only a matter of time before someone noticed their presence. They couldn't stay hidden forever.

Well shit…

"We can't let them find the hideout, or we're done. Even if we manage to escape without much damage, the villagers don't stand a chance. They will be either killed or taken captive. I'd put my money on the former." she whispered harshly, her eyes darting around.

Arthur cursed under his breath. "But what if they've already found them?"

She shook her head. "Unlikely. Had they captured the others, they'd already be parading them around like livestock to get us to either surrender or betray our position."

She was right. These bastards were arrogant, if the bloody moron that had taunted him at his almost-execution was any indication. Had they managed to capture Bedivere, they would have made a show out of it. The man was second only to him in terms of being hunted by the Crown.

"Alright," Arthur breathed out. "This is what we are gonna do. I'll get their attention and lead them away from you and the people. The moment you see an opening, rush back to the others to warm them and-"

"Absolutely not." she hissed, and Arthur was startled by the vehemence in her voice. "It's you they want, princeling. I'm not about to hand you over to them on a silver platter. I will lead them away, and you will go find the others and help them keep any stray Blacklegs away from the caves. I'll come find you later."

"This is not the time to be hard-headed, wench-"

"Is that what you think I'm doing? Simply challenging your authority?" She dug her nails in his arm. "I'm trying my damn hardest to keep you alive, Arthur, so you better help me out here."

Arthur frowned, the same frown that had sent many a man looking to hide in the past, but she met his stare defiantly, her green eyes harsh. She was right, he knew. She was god damn right. The King and his cronies were after his head, not hers. Putting himself out there with a bunch of bows ready to put a hell lot of holes in him was folly.

But how was he supposed to let her take the hit for him?

She can take care of herself. You've seen what she's capable of, boy…

Still, the odds were not on their side. As skilled as she was, not even she could take on a little army of armed Blacklegs and come out unscathed.

As if she knew what he was thinking, she pinched his cheek lightly. "Don't you trust me, princeling? I healed your wounds, and I have not killed you yet. And that says a lot considering how big of a pain in the ass you are." She sent him a cheeky smile to lighten the mood, but he could see her eyes darting around. The Blacklegs were still there, and they were waiting.

He grabbed her arms a little below her shoulders, clenching his fingers more than he should. "Promise me." he said lowly. "Promise me that you won't do anything stupid. You lead them away, you keep your distance, and you come find us. No heroics, no stupidity."

"Don't be absurd, princeling. When have I ever done-"

"Promise me!" he growled, tightening his hold on her.

The force in his voice startled her and she looked up at him curiously. Then her eyes softened. "I promise." she breathed out and pulled back.

He let his hands fall from her arms, but he immediately felt an acute sense of loss as he watched her crouch low and move farther away swiftly, using the trees for cover.

They both knew she wouldn't be keeping that promise.

XxxOxOxOxxX

Sakura made sure her back was turned to Arthur before she started going through the complicated hand signs for a simple, but effective Genjutsu that Kakashi-sensei had taught her.

Over her shoulder, she dared a glance at Arthur. She found him staring at her intently, waiting to see what she was about to do.

Too bad you are going to miss the show, princeling…

She winked at him playfully, hoping that the light-hearted gesture would reassure him if only a little bit, and took off in the opposite direction from where Bedivere and the others were.

Now, let's go do something stupid…Despite the situation, she found herself grinning. Man, Arthur is going to fly off the handle if he ever finds out.

She could already hear the footsteps of at least a dozen soldiers behind her. She kept her pace steady, taking sharp turns through the trees, making sure to be just outside of shooting range. She remained in their field of sight, luring them to keep hunting her.

Show time…

XxxOxOxOxxX

Kilf and his party took off after the woman the moment they caught a glimpse of her darting through the trees. Off to his left, the rest of them -ten Blacklegs with Llurs leading them- were chasing after the man who had drawn the Sword from the stone. Even if he still had the blade on his person, there was no way he could take on ten trained soldiers. It was only a matter of time before Llurs caught him.

The woman ahead of them was fast, Kilf would give her that. She moved swiftly, never in a straight line, making it nearly impossible to hit her, but they never lost sight of her. Her hair, a peculiar shade that he had never seen before, swished behind her as she ran. Like a torch in the dead of night, it was a stark contrast to the gray woods around them.

Lord Mercia says she be a Mage…These blasted freaks and their magic bollocks. He cursed under his breath. Of course, I got meself this one. Llurs that son of a whore…Wants the big coins for 'im.

He was broken out of his thoughts by someone on his left shooting an arrow at the woman, though it never even got close to hitting her.

"Don't shoot, you bloody moron!" Kilf barked at the man. "You're goin' to hit one of us!" It was hard talking while trying to keep up with that blasted Mage, but Kilf gritted his teeth and kept going.

The woman had turned from a mere annoyance to a top priority overnight, though he couldn't see why. Their King had taken out most of those Mages before. What harm could one more do? He didn't care to ask the man himself, and he wouldn't be asking Lord Mercia anytime soon. He didn't care, and he didn't ask questions. All he needed was his pay, and if this woman's head meant more coins in his pocket, then so be it. Mage or not, he was going to put a sword through her gut before the day was over.

Kilf smirked at the thought of the pouch of gold awaiting him. He'd drink the tavern's finest ale and eat their finest food and share his bed with their finest lasses.

Ah, ain't that a nice thought…

And then the woman was gone from their sight, people were screaming and the ground beneath their feet split open…

XxxOxOxOxxX

"Surround him! Don't let him escape!" yelled Llurs. "Don't let the bastard escape!"

His men followed his command, like the well-trained dogs they were. He was known to punish anyone who defied him severely; he didn't care. If fear ensured their obedience, then so be it. He didn't need their love. All he needed was for them to listen to his fucking orders.

Llurs sprung forward, his dark eyes gleaming with unveiled glee at the prospect of bringing this man's head before the King.

But no…I can't kill him. King Vortigern wants him alive, wants to do the honors himself. Well, as long as he is still breathing, His Majesty won't mind if he's a little banged up, will he? He smirked at the thought.

"Llurs! Llurs, look!"

Broken out of his thoughts, his gaze focused ahead, to where his man was pointing. His eyes widened. The man was slowly disintegrating like dust in the wind right before him.

"Impossible!" someone shouted on his right.

"What kind of sorcery is this?!"

Llurs' teeth gritted at that, his lungs burning. The Mage! Did that blasted spawn of the Devil put some kind of hex on us?

A mix of astonishment and fear swirling in his gut, Llurs ran faster, as fast as his legs could carry him. Come on, boy. Just a little more. You're nearly on him! He pushed his body to its limits, his lungs burning. He didn't know if the others were still following him, he didn't care. All that mattered was catching the man before him, even if the Mage had put a curse on them.

That's it! This is a trick. She's making it seem as if he's disappearing to throw us off. I will not fall for it, you devilish whore. He smirked triumphantly when he noticed that he was getting closer, the distance between him and the fleeing man decreasing with each step he took. I got you now, bastard!

Llurs' arm shot out, aiming to grab him, but as his fingers made contact with his target's shoulder, his hand went through thin air, as the man they were supposed to catch exploded in a cloud of dust and leaves.

Llurs fell forward, landing with his face in the mud, but he quickly sprang up, adrenaline rushing through his veins. He looked around frantically, searching for any sign of their target. His men stood around him, shocked, not knowing what to do after what they had just witnessed.

"Where is he?" Llurs gritted his teeth. "Where is he?!" he roared, making some of his younger men flinch and back away.

"Scour the forest! Burn it down, if you have to! But find him-"

Llurs never got to finish his sentence as the ground beneath them started to shake and domes made of mud and wood closed above their heads.

The last thing he heard was the terrified screaming of his men.

XxxOxOxOxxX

Sakura backflipped to avoid an arrow, before retaliating with one of her shuriken. Grabbing a sword from one of the bodies littering the forest floor, she raised it to block a Blackleg's swing. The clash of metal against metal made her ears ring, but it was not a sound she wasn't used to. The force of the impact was so strong that a shard of metal broke off from the soldier's sword and embedded itself in her shoulder, but she paid it little mind. The wound was as insignificant as a mosquito's bite.

Ducking to avoid a swing at her neck, she kicked the legs from under the Blackleg and put the sword through his gut, making sure to deliver a fatal blow that would kill him quickly. Killing to save her own skin was one thing, but making people suffer was something else entirely.

The forest floor around her was destroyed, littered with both bodies and debris of all kinds. She had probably put a little more force in that punch than was necessary. Oops…

She used the blade of the sword in her hard to block the arrows coming her way. The sword was heavier than she was used to, but it was balanced and sturdy. This thing has a nice swing. Turning on her heels with the grace of a talented dancer, she took down a Blackleg trying to catch her from behind. Come on, folks. This barely counts as a warmup! she thought as her fingers flew through the hand signs for an Earth Release. The ground shook as the mud and stone swallowed the remaining Blacklegs. A little earlier she had heard the cries of the second party of soldiers chasing Arthur's likeness deeper in the woods, in a completely different direction from where the man actually was. As she had hoped, the soldiers had fallen right into her Genjutsu trap, hook, line and sinker.

It was hard performing an Earth Release from such a distance, but judging by their terrified voices, it had worked, and they were no longer a threat. Good. Gods know we have enough of those to last us a lifetime.

Letting the sword fall from her hand, she looked around. The scale of the devastation around her was definitely remarkable, but nothing compared to what usually happened when Team Kakashi engaged in one of their training sessions.

Oh well, she thought as she set about fixing the landscape and disposing of the bodies. Nothing that a bit of chakra won't fix.

Using her natural affinity for Earth-based jutsus, she brought the forest back to its original state, making sure to have the ground swallow the bodies as she did so. She couldn't do much about the uprooted trees, but at least the people from the caves could come and chop them up. They needed the wood for their hearths and fires. The upcoming winter would be a cold one, she could feel it in her bones.

Her mind flew to Arthur and the others. Don't worry, Sakura. They are alright. They can take care of themselves. She pushed her worry away, chastising herself for not having more faith in them. They had made it this far; they could keep themselves alive for a while until she found them again.

A rustling in the bushes made her roll her eyes. "Come out now, kids. I don't bite." She nearly laughed at their pathetic attempts to be quiet. She'd taken notice of their presence nearly a quarter of an hour ago, when her short battle with the Blacklegs had started.

For just a moment the rustling stopped before she heard hushed whispers, though she suspected they didn't know she could hear them.

"That be a lass speaking?"

"Don't be stupid, stupid. Why would a girl be with a bunch of Blacklegs?"

"How should I know? Do I look like a Blackleg to you?"

"Could she be someone they picked up at a brothel?"

Sakura's brow twitched. Did he just call me a whore?

"I don't know, moron, why don't you ask her?"

The woman rolled her eyes, fed up with their useless banter. Alright, this game's up. As silent as a cat, she walked up to their hiding place and pushed the bushes to one side, coming face to face with two men. One was taller than the other, and slimmer, with dark skin and a dagger hanging from his belt. The other, a chubbier man and obviously older, was on his back, pulling at his binds. Their hands were tied and there were bags covering their faces. She pulled the rough material from over their heads and for a moment they looked away as the sunlight suddenly assaulted their eyes.

"What the hell-"

"Now, now. Is that any way to speak in the presence of a lady?" she said, watching in amusement as their eyes widened at the sight of her.

"What-"

"A woman?!"

"Oi, stop it!" she barked, unwilling to have her presence questioned by strange men again. "Who are you two? Why did those Blacklegs arrest you?"

As if remembering that they were still prisoners, they frantically started looking around. "The Blacklegs! Where are they? Oh, we are so dead!"

"Calm down, buddy." she said, crouching in front of them, her eyes meeting those of the chubbier man. "The Blacklegs are currently indisposed. Now, answer my questions."

"I'm Back Lack." he said carefully. "And that's Wet Stick. We're from Londinium. Those blasted Blacklegs dragged us all the way out here."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Really now? And pray tell, what did you do to warrant such an escort? I would advise you against lying to me."

The two shared a look before the dark-skinned one, Wet Stick, spoke. "They came looking for our friend, Artie."

"They came looking for 'im." Back Lack confirmed with a nod. "Tore down half the houses of Londinium to find him. But they never did. That's why they got us. They thought we'd lead them to him."

"But we can't. Because we have no idea where Arthur is."

Sakura's green eyes widened slightly at that. "Arthur? You mean, tall, blond and arrogant Arthur? Blue eyes? Big mouth? Thinks he's better than everyone?"

The men perked up. "That's him! Do you know where he is? Is he alright?"

Sakura chuckled. Well, I'll be damned… She stood, pulling them up along with her. "Alright, boys. This is your lucky day. I'll take you to your friend Artie." She snickered at the ridiculous nickname. She was never going to let him live that down. "Come along now, we don't have all day."

She started to walk away leisurely, listening to them scuffle to get up and follow her.

"Aren't you going to untie us, lass?" Back Lack asked, motioning to his tied hands.

"Of course not," she said cheerily. "Do you take me for a fool, buddy? I'll take you to Arthur and have him confirm your identities. Then I will untie you." They grumbled something under their breaths, but she paid them no mind. She began whistling a merry tune she had heard from a street vendor of Londinium and started heading towards the caves.

XxxOxOxOxxX

Arthur paced anxiously around the cave, looking up every now and then for any signs of Sakura.

"Will you stop? Watching your back and forth is driving me crazy."

Arthur glared at Bill. "Here's an idea. Shut up or I'll gouge your eyes out. Problem solved."

"She will be just peachy. There is no way that hellcat would do us the favor of getting lost in the woods, if you ask me."

Arthur was ready to turn around and tell Bill exactly where he could shove his opinion, but Rubio's voice stopped him.

"Someone's coming! I see the silhouettes of three people!"

Three? Around him, Bill, Percival, and Bedivere pulled their swords from their sheaths, preparing themselves. He followed their example, not knowing whether he should be more worried about themselves right then and there or Sakura, who was still somewhere out there all alone. They moved closer to the opening of the cave, preparing to defend the hideout, should the situation call for it.

"Billie! Oi, Billie! Come out, come out wherever you are!"

A grin broke out across his lips at the sound of her voice and a tremendous way lifted from his shoulders the moment he finally saw her form appear through the trees. Bill's angry scowl at her words was nearly as satisfying as seeing her alive and well.

Arthur smirked, but then a moment later his eyes widened when he noticed the two men following behind Sakura with their hands tied.

"Back Lack? Wet Stick?"

"Oh, won't you look at that. They were telling the truth. You do know them." said Sakura, now standing just a few feet away from him. She turned to the bound men with a pleasant grin. "You heard the princeling, boys. Let me cut those ropes for you." She took a step towards them, hands reaching for one of her knives in her pouch.

And then her knees buckled, and she dropped to the ground with a loud thud.

"Sakura!" Arthur rushed to her side, and immediately checked her pulse. It was there, but it was faint. "Sakura!" he called again, but the woman was unconscious.

"What's going on?" Bedivere and Percival kneeled beside him. "Is she hurt?"

Arthur did not answer, mostly because he didn't know what to say. He put her head on his lap, hoping to make her a bit more comfortable, and pushed her hair away from her face. As her tresses fell to the side, Arthur noticed a strange stain on her clothes. When he pulled her shirt down, the sight that greeted him made his him gasp.

On her shoulder, oozing a foul black liquid and smelling of festering flesh, was a big purple wound. And it was spreading…

TBC

Hey guys! Long time no see! I know, I know, there seems to be a pattern there. Ooops! Sorry!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I certainly did enjoy writing it! A bit more action and a lot more moment between Arthur and Sakura. I don't know about you, but I just can't get enough of these two. XD

Work is crazy right now, but I'll try to update faster! I promise!

Until then, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter.

Until next time,

Lots of love!