Sakura woke up to darkness and painful bindings.

It shouldn't have been possible. The amount of security the inner quarters had was remarkable. She couldn't fathom how an outsider could've possibly broken in and taken her away. That's how she knew that even if this was an intruder, they were most definitely still within the estate.

She had bid Naruto and Kakashi a good night without going to visit Sasuke for treatment. He was doing better physically and probably didn't need the extra attention anymore, but she still wanted to go as frequently as possible. There were only a handful of times that she hadn't stopped by to at least relax his insomnia. But for once, she thought maybe it would be a good day to take a small break from everything. After all, Itachi hadn't called for help during his evening alone with his little brother. That was probably a very positive sign that things were fine.

And then, she had brewed a cup of tea before bed. It was a small routine and one that usually involved Itachi as well. Ever since taking up residence in one of the rooms deep within the estate's grounds, she was accompanied by the director. He slept in the room beside her own but would leave early in the morning to avoid possibly leading Sasuke to the hidden chambers. It was a fact she only noticed after a sleepless night several weeks prior.

Of course, she knew he had taken precautions to ensure her safety, but right then, she wondered if they shouldn't have just sent her somewhere else.

The ropes around her ankles and wrists seemed to tighten, but it was surely just her rapidly increasing heartbeat making her skin and veins rumble with panic. Cold metal slid along the back of her neck and she jerked away.

A light laugh. A familiar one too.

Sakura stretched her jaw gingerly, relieved to find that it was only heavy from sleep. Hoarsely, she called out, "Suigetsu?"

"I'm flattered, Princess. You remember my voice." He was still too close, practically pressed to her back. Strangely though, his skin radiated only chilly air.

"How did you get in here?" she demanded roughly. "Take off this blindfold."

"We've been staking out this place for months while you all blubbered about trying to rehabilitate Sauce-kun. It's such a wasted effort, you know that, don't you?" he drawled, sounding almost disappointed. "I thought you were smarter than that, Princess. I've seen your work firsthand. You would've realized he's beyond fixing at this point if you weren't blinded by all that love."

Sakura growled low in her throat, shoving back at him and stilling at the press of metal against her jugular.

"I didn't come to hurt you. I'm just a messenger. Orochimaru wants your cooperation. End the cold war. Come meet him of your own volition."

"Because you can get in here, but you can't get me out," she sneered, thankful her voice stayed steady.

Suigetsu chuckled, kissing her cheek lightly. She flinched away from it. "Ding-ding. But that doesn't mean I can't give you the motivation to go outside."

"There's nothing you could offer."

"Ever heard of a trigger?"

She remained silent.

Suigetsu's grin was nearly palpable. "Right now, I could slink my way into Sauce-kun's room," he murmured, dragging the metal down her throat, "and provide an order directly from Orochimaru-sama and watch him go ballistic. He's only docile right now because no one is around to control him properly. But I guess you don't care about his…recovery, as much as the others. All I'm asking you to do is meet the master."

"It's a meeting that'll end with my dismemberment."

"That's a bit dark."

"It's a bit true," she grunted, careful of the metal still holding her hostage. If they had found a way to slip into the estate, had they also slipped something into her evening tea? It would be her fault that she wasn't being more cautious with it. Had the others also let their guards fall at all? Or were they being careful?

"You have a day to decide." And then he knocked her out.

Suigetsu hoisted her into his arms after undoing the bindings. The marks would leave bruises. If she hadn't fought so hard, they wouldn't have rubbed the skin raw. He peered around the spare room which was only a few doors down from hers.

It had been luck that Uchiha Itachi finally let down his guard a bit. Apparently, he had found it safe enough to retire to his regular rooms after having a successful spar with Sasuke. It was probably misplaced nostalgia that made him lax.

Suigetsu wanted to laugh at his own luck, but the humor died as he stared at the open doors to the room. A dark silhouette stood between the parted paper screens. At first glance, he thought it was Itachi, but soon it was obvious. He went rigid, gripping Sakura tighter. It was fine if Sasuke landed the finishing blow, but Orochimaru would probably be quite upset at missing out on it. He never expected Sasuke to succeed in killing her while within the estate—at least, that was what Suigetsu could surmise.

It seemed out of character for Orochimaru to let her death occur out of sight.

"Come to finally do your job?" Suigetsu snickered, nerves on edge. No one wanted to face an Uchiha with their eyes unbound. They were fucking creepy. Glowing red like a demon in the darkness. "How did it take this long to find her?"

He didn't answer.

"Let me guess," Suigetsu went on, "seeing as how you've been out cold every night since coming here, you were probably being drugged or something to not go wandering in the evenings. Maybe it was Princess who did it? Probably. She has some crazy abilities. Brilliant and beautiful. Makes it real hard to beat her at anything."

"She's my target."

Suigetsu swallowed thickly. "We're on the same side, Sauce-kun. Don't use that tone. It creeps me out. You know I wouldn't kill her. She's all yours."

The movement was too fast for him to catch. In the blink of an eye, Sasuke's fingers were digging into his shoulder and shoving. Suigetsu's grasp on Sakura was ripped clean away as he flew backwards. The tatami scraped against his back as he tumbled and eventually crashed into the opposite wall.

Suigetsu got up slowly, body filling with adrenaline rapidly. Across the room, Sasuke had his target in an iron grip, her limp body thrown over one of his shoulders. The bloodlust in his eyes made the room smaller. It felt like the air was quickly being vacuumed out. All in all, Suigetsu thought – not for the first time — that he might actually die from a glare.

"Be reasonable," Suigetsu cautioned unsteadily, carefully averting his gaze. "I was just returning her to her room. You can have her all to yourself though. I'm gonna leave. Alright? No sudden movements." He edged around the room, seeking out any of the many exits available. When he reached one adjacent to where Sasuke was still staring him down, he slowly backed out. "See ya."

And then he bolted.

Sasuke didn't relax for several minutes, arm curling tighter and tighter around the slight woman dangling over his shoulder.

It was a strange sensation when he finally settled. Suddenly, he was hyper aware of the warmth wrapping around his skin and the soft breath against his lower back. Even through the fabric of his shirt, he could acutely feel her presence.

Everything felt like it was burning, yet he didn't want to let go. Not right now.

"Put her down, Sasuke."

His mood soured immediately.

The blond idiot was standing beside him, wielding a gun without even an ounce of killing intent. Sasuke glanced his way, wondering if he should tempt fate. Although Naruto clearly didn't want to harm him, he could be unpredictable. His target was more valuable to the blond than Sasuke was.

"Someone was here." The words tumbled from his lips before he could stop them. It felt foreign and familiar all at once. Sasuke didn't know why he wanted to defend himself. He had his target in his grasp and all he had to do was bypass this dumbass to finally get the sweet relief of killing her. "They came for her."

Naruto's expression immediately softened, and he lowered the gun like a fool. "Did you save her?"

"She's…my target." The words felt thick in his mouth, fingers digging into the thin material of her shirt.

Those stupidly soft blue eyes were full of pity and Sasuke wanted to tear them out. Before he could act on the rage, a sharp pain ran down his spine. His knees slammed to the floor before he understood what had happened. Fury roiled up though as he felt her heat slip away. A snarl clawed its way out of his throat. His vision blurred and he felt his jaw grinding as he reached blindly out for her.

Itachi swiftly struck him and immediately Sasuke slumped over.

"I don't think he meant harm," Naruto mumbled, expression tight with pain. He held Sakura close, finally noticing the marks on her wrists and ankles. "Looks like someone really was here before him."

"Yes," Itachi nodded somberly, picking up his younger brother. "The crash from earlier must've been caused by whoever Sasuke attacked. Nevertheless, he can't be trusted in close proximity with Sakura. She's the only one he's been programmed to kill."

"Do you have to say programmed?" he complained softly, looking away.

"I do not wish to use that word, but it's the most appropriate. We will move Sakura to another part of the estate, but I think it will be futile if someone was able to get this deep into the inner quarters without being detected."

"What can we even do then?"

Itachi grimaced. "We may need to take guard shifts. She will be displeased with the idea, but while there are dangers this close, we cannot take chances. She is the most valuable asset in this war."

There was silence as they headed for Sasuke's room first. It was a surprisingly long walk, and it only made Naruto realize that Sasuke must have been awake and wandering around the property if he had been first on the scene. Thinking back, he hadn't been given any sleeping supplements from Sakura that evening.

"Itachi."

The older man tilted his head.

"Sakura-chan," he paused, feeling queasy at the idea, "she…earlier tonight, she said she had an idea for how to save Sasuke. I think we need to try it."