A/N: I'm sorry I took forever to update! Here's a VERY simple chapter to soothe your FWWR cravings ;)

Thank you for reading and for all the support you've given me and this story!

Betaed by the amazing SNlalalandNHreality!

Enjoy!

As I said on tumblr, sorry for not having replied to comments/reviews yet, I've been horribly busy! But I will do it during the week, so don't think I've forgotten you!


From Which We'll Rise

Part XV: Things To Come

Orochimaru's main laboratory was located in a new underground hideout in Tea Country. Sasuke had never visited it before, but Karin had assured him that Orochimaru would be there, so Sasuke had decided to show up unannounced. It was a certainty he had - that his former mentor would always receive him. In spite of the things that had happened in the past between them, Orochimaru didn't seem to hold grudges against him. Truth be told, while Sasuke had sealed him, it had been a necessary evil at the time, because apart from being a little too possessive of Sasuke's body's well-being, there was nothing that Sasuke could really complain about when it came to the man. Orochimaru was a powerful man and a diligent teacher. He was highly intelligent - someone that one could have an interesting conversation with without getting bored - and in his own, egoistical and distorted way, had saved a lot of people from the streets, where certain death had awaited.

In spite of everything, Sasuke trusted the man to a certain extent, and at this particular stage of his life, he knew his relationship with Orochimaru was far from being over if he wished to accomplish his goals. Better to keep in touch and get down to business sooner rather than later.

From the entrance, Sasuke looked at the narrow but long corridor that stretched out in front of him that was Orochimaru's lab. It was dark, windowless, and filled with odd machines, shelves of books and tables that carried scrolls, chemicals, and all sorts of vials. The air smelt of medicine and acids. The constant beeping sounds were as annoying as ever, and here and there, tall tubes of liquid that reached the ceiling could be seen. Inside them, human sized creatures that Sasuke had no interest in seemed to be slumbering.

It appeared that the man was still experimenting as much as he used to.

"Sasuke-kun, what a pleasure," a familiar, smooth voice hissed as Orochimaru seemed to emerge from the shadows while making his way to Sasuke. His arms were slightly open in welcome. On his lips, an almost pleasant smirk could be seen while his golden eyes watched him appreciatively. "It's been a while. You're as beautiful as always, I see. What a fine man you've become."

With his Katana firmly attached to his back, Sasuke almost resented not having it placed somewhere more at handy. It wasn't as though he feared Orochimaru or even saw him as a threat, but there was an air about the man that subconsciously forced Sasuke to keep his wits about him.

"This is merely a visit to talk business," Sasuke informed, eyes firmly trained on the man in front of him - he hadn't changed at all. "I need something from you, Orochimaru."

"I'm always eager to talk business with you, my beloved Uchiha," Orochimaru said, with a new glint in his eyes. He joined his hands together in an elegant manner. "Considering I can be of service, that is."

The two exchanged a silent look for a while, both assessing the other cautiously, but while Sasuke's face remained expressionless, Orochimaru's had an almost friendly expression that didn't serve to ease Sasuke's mind at all. Sasuke could tell that the man was somewhat pleased to see him. Still, he forced himself to relax before moving his eyes away from his former mentor to look around the lab once more.

"This place…" he said calmly. "You're still working on this kind of stuff?"

"Of course," Orochimaru replied, in his very polite way of speaking. Apparently inspired by Sasuke's question, he gestured towards the corridor behind him with a hand. "Most of these subjects are failed experiments I created from scratch, though. I will dispose of them soon. You know I always aim for the sun, don't you? Practice makes perfect. But come, let me show you something wonderful."

He turned away from him without another word, so Sasuke followed after him at a safe distance.

As they made their way through the lab, Sasuke observed what lay inside with a mixture of pity and disgust. Some of them were children, some malformed with members misplaced or lacking, others mutated into horrible looking beasts, and others barely looking like they were alive at all. Other 'specimens' were older but seemed to be barely hanging on. If Sasuke hadn't spent years living in this sort of scenario, he was sure he would've felt more moved than he did. Those creatures could barely be called 'human', and being put out of their misery was certainly the best outcome they could hope for.

They stopped by one of the tubes. Sasuke noticed, a little taken by surprise, that inside, a tiny baby was floating. Completely curled in on itself so not even its little face could be seen, it had several wires connected to its small body and what little hair he possessed was of a strange, silvery colour. But it was obvious that he was being well taken care of.

"This is my son," Orochimaru explained proudly, placing a pale hand on the tube as he looked up at the baby with a smile. "Fabricated with my own genes, exclusively. He was supposed to be my next vessel, but I find that I have become too attached to him. He's been surprisingly resilient from the start, so I held back on the genetic mutation I wanted so he would survive as a human. I'm definitely getting better at this."

"He looks strong and healthy," Sasuke commented, unsure of how to feel about the revelation. He found that he was torn between shock and something akin to fascination, but he let nothing show on his face. It seemed like such an odd miracle; that life had been created so spectacularly through science and Orochimaru's genes alone. That baby was nothing like the other horrible things resting inside the other tubes.

"I know," Orochimaru said, an arrogant glint in his eyes as he looked at Sasuke. "I'll name it 'Mizuki'. He'll be ready to leave the cylinder in a few days, if all goes well. It's fascinating to see him move. I can't wait."

Something attracted Sasuke's senses unexpectedly. It was some sort of light, he thought, shining and catching his eye coming from his left side. Slowly, he turned his face to see the source and his heart seemed to stop the second his eyes landed upon the figure inside a nearby tube.

He felt his mouth run dry and his mind racing, but for a couple of seconds he was frozen where he stood before quickly making his way towards the tube.

There was a child in there, and not just any ordinary child, no. Since the child was naked - as all specimens were - it was obvious that it was a small boy of about four or five years old from what Sasuke could guess. He was thin and his skin of a pale white so ghostly that one could see the seemingly fragile veins underneath it. His hair, far too long, was of a silvery hue that was almost transparent. It floated around him in an almost enchanting way that made him look like some ethereal creature from another world. His eyes were closed, an oxygen mask covering his mouth, the only indication that he was living, because otherwise he seemed lifeless.

But everything about the boy was familiar to Sasuke. From his nightmares, from his dreams, it was the same nameless, colorless child whose cry and presence had followed him for so many years. Sasuke couldn't remember the face from his dreams, but he was sure that this creature was a perfect replica.

The boy was as enticing and as terrifying as the one in Sasuke's dreams.

Sasuke was sure that if the boy's eyes were open they would show nothing but white.

"Ah, you like that one?" Orochimaru said, joining Sasuke in gazing upon the child. "Poor little thing; it's an old experiment. Also another vessel wannabe, my most daring experiment, I dare say." Orochimaru looked at Sasuke for a moment before proceeding. "He's four. I wanted to make him so that his genes would be able to use all types of elements and absorb other people's characteristics, adapting them to his body. Sort of like a chameleon, you see; capable of easily replicating other shinobi's powers and using them, as well as shifting his appearance."

Sasuke took a slow breath and hesitantly reached out to touch the thick glass of the tube. He wanted to ask Orochimaru about the boy but his voice was stuck inside his throat, confusion and a slight anger bubbling up inside him.

How had this come to exist?

"He was supposed to be beautiful, but he's always had this horrible look," Orochimaru explained, apparently very happy to share information with Sasuke. "He barely reacts to external stimulus even though his data is responding with the numbers I've been aiming for." He knocked on the glass gently, and when the boy shivered slightly, Sasuke felt a chill run down his own spine. "He's faulty, but he's been managing to survive my tests, somehow. I'm quite impressed, which is the only reason he's alive at this point. I thought he might be of use to me. Still, I might dispose of him because he's been too much of a hassle to keep and not giving me what I want."

"How did you come up with the idea for this?" Sasuke's voice left him in a rather cold, harsh whisper. He looked at Orochimaru and something in his face made the man quirk an eyebrow upwards.

"It was an idea of Kabuto's," he said vaguely. "A project started by him a few years ago while you were still with us. I found it in an old notebook of his."

Sasuke looked up at the boy once more. He remembered being a test subject as well. It had been painful sometimes, but a necessary evil. He had been pierced, pinched, drugged, given thousands of blood samples, and been mentally and physically tested beyond human boundaries. But back then, he had embraced it all as a chance to come closer to defeating Itachi and becoming stronger. Maybe Kabuto had, somehow, been able to read his mind and seen his dreams, somehow? Or maybe Sasuke had come upon one of those notebooks of the man and seen this project but had been too high from the drugs to remember it, the information having, somehow, gotten stuck to his mind, emerging in the form of the child that haunted his dreams. Sasuke had no reasonable explanation for it, but he wouldn't risk showing his weakness by asking anything anymore.

"You look upset, Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru's voice had dropped to a soft, curious one, but Sasuke didn't reply, because at that moment, the child's eyelids trembled and slowly rose to reveal, as Sasuke had predicted, nothing but white.

For a moment, Sasuke felt his breath stuck in his throat. He wondered if the child could even see. The boy was a vision of horror, so unfitted to such a young age, and such a small, fragile body. Nevertheless, when the boy's head curved slightly, Sasuke could swear that those white, ghostly eyes now awaken were looking directly at him. Still, the boy's expression didn't change at all, like a soulless doll.

Still, the words left his mouth before he could sort his thoughts out.

"I want him," he said to Orochimaru, his voice coming out firm and steady. "If you're going to dispose of him, just keep him alive for me for a while longer and I'll take him."

Oddly enough, Sasuke was certain of his decision. There was no other way. He had lived with the vision of this child for years, and now here the boy stood, alive and existing and he knew he couldn't pull away from him. Sasuke was irrationally drawn to the boy, and while he knew he didn't exactly lead a life that would make it easy to have a child attached to his hip, there was no space for doubt in his mind. This was only the beginning of his own self-forged path, and this child was something he wanted with an overwhelming intensity.

"I'm positively horrified," Orochimaru said, sounding genuinely surprised. Then, he hummed. "Very well, it makes no difference to me. I can't guarantee that he'll survive outside of the lab, though, since he's never been outside.."

That made things more difficult, Sasuke considered vaguely. Surely the child's muscles were weak, barely developed, and his immune system was sure to be sensible to external threats. He'd talk things through with Orochimaru later on.

"I'll take the chance," Sasuke said, dismissively. Looking at the boy one final time, he forced himself to avert his gaze and look at the man standing beside him. "Orochimaru, the reason I came here is a very particular one. I want every information you have on my brother and the Uchiha."

"Itachi?" Orochimaru's eyebrows rose delicately as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Now, Sasuke-kun, that's already a bit too much, don't you think? My information on your brother is very valuable to me. Or, well, my information on the Uchiha bloodline."

"I will personally make copies for you that you can keep, but I need the originals," Sasuke said. "I don't care what you do with the information. The Uchiha are dead and the pureblood of my clan will die with me. But surely you have invaluable documents of all kinds about the Uchiha. I know you stole a lot of scrolls before leaving Konoha for good, and surely you had people who worked for you inside the village and who provided important intel."

Orochimaru actually chuckled darkly at this. "You think so low of me, yet know me so well," he replied, shaking his head from side to side. Sasuke could almost swear that there was a slight fondness in those cold, deceiving eyes. "I'm very pleased. That's why I like you so much."

"I need everything you have, Orochimaru," Sasuke repeated, in a tone that left no room for argument. "In return, I'll give you whatever you want. Except for my body, be it as a vessel or anything else. I will work for you for a while, if you wish."

The man looked at him from up and down, clearly amused by the offer.

"While I still have interest in your body, you are far too interesting to be gone from this world as Uchiha Sasuke," Orochimaru said after a while, heaving a small, but entertained sigh. "I can think about a few favors you can do for me, though. The price you'll have to pay is high, my dear boy. And don't forget, I'm giving you one of my experiments."

"I am aware," Sasuke said, with a small nod of his head. "Business is business."

Orochimaru shrugged and absent-mindedly looked up at the pale boy inside the tube. "Well, it'll take a while for me to gather all the information you want since it's scattered about a few of my hideouts, so if you want to crash here for a while, please, be my guest," he offered, as politely as ever. "It will come in handy since I can use the help, and I'm sure you and the little monster over here will need to bond, no?"

'Bond' wasn't exactly the right term Sasuke would use, but sticking around for a while would help him understand what the boy was and plan out their future together properly. Hopefully, Sasuke could have Orochimaru take the boy out of the tube so they could work on adapting him to a 'normal' life before they had to hit the road.

Sasuke, too, looked up at the boy. Hard as the future might be, he looked forward to it without fear.

000

Refraining from heaving a sigh, Sasuke carefully knelt on the leafy ground and gently put down the small boy he'd been carrying. However, the boy's pale arms around his neck were thin and feeble but didn't loosen up. The boy's face was buried in the curve of his neck and didn't move, and while Sasuke felt some form of relief that the kid was already trusting him this much, he was pretty drained from the long hours they had been walking already.

"Come on, I need you to let go for a second," Sasuke said tiredly, his nose against the boy's hair. "You need to eat, and I need to rest. I won't go anywhere, I promise."

Hesitantly, the arms loosened and Sasuke was able to move away slightly as he made sure the child was properly sitting down with his back against the tree trunk. Sasuke looked at the boy's face and found white orbs staring directly at him. By now, Sasuke knew well that the child was able to see and hear in spite of his ethereal appearance, but he had yet to say a word or even utter a single sound. Orochimaru assured him that the child might speak at some point since his vocal chords seemed to be fully functional, but it could take time.

Sasuke stared at the well defined features, trying not to shiver at how empty and devoid of emotion they were for someone so young. More than anything about the small creature, this was something that he hadn't gotten used to yet.

They had been travelling for five days since they had left the Orochimaru's hideout, and already, Sasuke could tell that his impulsiveness in taking the boy in would bring him unnecessary trouble.

The boy had barely walked or even been out of the liquid filled tube in his life, so his body was very fragile and weak, his muscles underdeveloped. They had taken him out of the tube a couple days before Sasuke got back on the road, and Orochimaru had conducted a few final tests and given him a few drugs or whatever it was to improve his immune system. But that was hardly anything efficient enough to magically turn the boy into a normal child.

The boy was living and breathing, but resembled a porcelain doll; frail, lifeless, emotionless, and impassively awkward in everything he did. His gestures were careful and his movements clumsy. He was like an innocent wild creature, with obvious understanding of words and basic concepts of the world around him. But because he had been locked away since his 'birth', not knowing anything but Orochimaru's lab and the consecutive tests and experiments, he didn't even know how to feel, express himself, or even gesticulate properly. It was as though he barely knew how to respond to external stimulus.

But Sasuke was glad that those empty eyes followed his every move, taking in everything he said and did as if his life depended on it.

Orochimaru had given Sasuke a few liquid vitamins and pills for the journey and told him that he should give the boy a few shots of a brown substance. The boy's stomach wasn't used to consuming a lot of solid food, so that was something Sasuke was also struggling with, trying to give him light things to eat in very small portions along with the vitamins until he could eat like a normal kid. Sometimes, the boy would throw up, and at other times, he would hold the food in but would almost choke far too many times and get horrible, silent hiccups.

Still, the boy had survived these five days on the road with only a few vomiting fits and a bit of a fever, so Sasuke considered it a victory. Maybe the gods were protecting them. The fact that the child's movements were becoming less strained was also great, but it was still too soon to make him stand on his own for too long. Sasuke was grateful that at least the child understood his words and seemed to have a good understanding of a lot of things because he never seemed awed or moved by anything at all. But Sasuke would make sure he would.

Sasuke had vowed that he would take care of the boy and make sure he'd become healthy and strong like he should be if it was the last thing he'd do. He had taken this responsibility upon himself, and he'd carry it through. This boy was his now, his child, and Sasuke would do whatever he had to in order to make sure that he'd survive and be happy like any normal child. His looks would have no influence whatsoever. Besides, Orochimaru had told him that the boy's genes were supposed to allow him to change his appearance, hair and eye color if he wanted, only this particuçar feature hadn't reacted at all, ever, but there was a small chance that it would, eventually. Sasuke could hope, for the boy's own sake.

It was hard, carrying and nursing a child that barely moved with just one arm, but Sasuke didn't allow himself to feel frustrated about it. That terrifying looking boy drew him in in ways he couldn't begin to explain, and somehow, Sasuke desperately wanted to bring him to life and save him from being this inarticulate doll Orochimaru had programmed. It made Sasuke's heart ache with worry and sorrow that the boy didn't make a sound nor show emotion. Whether he was hurting, hungry, or upset… Sasuke couldn't tell and this made him anxious, but he tried to act confident and show himself as a strong and reliable presence for the boy. Apparently he had achieved it already since the child had accepted his fate with Sasuke easily, clinging to him in an almost instinctual hunger for survival, trusting him like any child would trust a parent.

Maybe because he had never known affection or physical touch. Maybe because he had never seen the outside world and it had amazed him. Maybe because he felt that Sasuke worried and tended to his every need immediately. Maybe because he felt like he was not alone in isolation, after all.

This was how Sasuke understood that the boy was, in fact, able to feel in spite of not knowing how to express himself accordingly.

He had accomplished a lot in just five days, so he wouldn't give up no matter what.

Now they were on their way to the village where he and Naruto had lived those wonderful days that seemed to have occurred many lifetimes ago. It had become, Sasuke's now constant resting place, and the closest to a 'home' he had. He was always received by everyone with joy and treated as one of them. He was sure they'd receive the boy with as much enthusiasm.

If all went well, he could leave the boy with Misato and Mika for a few weeks, only long enough so he could go to Orochimaru's other hideouts to retrieve the information on Itachi and the Uchiha that awaited him. As soon as he was done, he'd go back and think his and the boy's life through. Maybe he'd have to talk to Gaara about it, to see if there was any way that he could help.

Silently, Sasuke rummaged through his satchel in search for the vials of vitamins and the syringes for the shots - he always took care of the boy's needs before his own. Even when it came to sleep, Sasuke would only do so with his arm wrapped around the small creature so he could keep him safe and rouse at the smallest movement.

Blank eyes watched his every move impassively, the boy's head moving slowly to follow Sasuke's quick but precise gestures.

"Can you hold out your arm for me?" Sasuke asked, knowing the child would understand him. The boy looked at him and slowly extended his arm along his stretched leg. He pulled his own sleeve up to expose pale skin to allow Sasuke to give him the needed shot. Once Sasuke was done, he gave the boy a bit of vitamin liquid to drink, and thankfully, he didn't throw up. This was good and made Sasuke feel hopeful.

Sasuke offered him a small, encouraging smile in praise before, a little awkwardly, ruffling the boy's fluffy, silvery hair that he had cut before the journey. The strands were naturally messy and would always stick in every direction regardless of what Sasuke did. He found it endearing because it reminded him of a certain blond haired idiot.

Putting away the syringe and the pouch with the kid's medicines, he searched his bag for a small plastic container that had a few berries he had picked up recently. Since he had tried giving them to the boy once and he had managed to eat them, he thought that he could try it now, as well. He searched the child's features, looking for a sign of emotion, but apart from a tiny tilt of his head to the side, he showed nothing. But, Sasuke was glad to see, the boy stretched out his hand towards him with his palm turned upwards in a silent request.

Without saying a word, Sasuke put three berries in his tiny palm and watched as the child picked up one and brought it to his mouth, chewing slowly. They stared silently at each other, Sasuke torn between horror and fascination as he looked into the eyes that didn't seem to see him at all. But they did, and barely even blinked, too.

The boy swallowed and put another berry in his mouth.

"That's good," Sasuke whispered gently. He wondered what kind of thoughts ran through the boy's innocent mind, or if he had thoughts about anything at all. "You know, we should give you a name. Orochimaru didn't mention you having one."

Sasuke hadn't thought about naming the kid before knowing if he'd survive the first couple of days outside. There was no point in getting uselessly attached. But now that things seemed to be looking up, it was definitely time to name the kid.

The boy blinked at him and coughed slightly, but thankfully this wasn't followed by a fit of vomit. Sasuke only had one more change of clothes for the kid and no river nearby to wash the ones he was wearing if he were to soil himself.

The kid swallowed the second berry and put the third one in his mouth, chewing it with his mouth open and stretching out his hand in request for more. Sasuke didn't understand the small feeling that seemed to fill his heart, but it was a good one, so he didn't delve on it.

Sasuke noticed the boy's cheeks were a bit rosy so he placed the small box of berries down on his thigh and reached out a hand to touch his fingers to the boy's forehead. He was relieved to find that he had no fever.

"I think the most important part is past us, which was to make sure you survived out here," Sasuke said, picking up the box of berries and extending it towards the boy, who eyed it before taking another berry and putting it in his mouth. "You're a tough guy, I can tell. You want to live, don't you?"

The boy looked up at him before picking up another berry. The only sound he made was the unnecessarily loud one from his chewing. A clumsy trail of saliva flowed down his chin.

"Don't chew with your mouth open like that," Sasuke said, frowning a little, even though it didn't bother him all that much. The kid closed his mouth at once, and his cheeks became slightly pinker. Sasuke almost smiled, but instead gave the container of berries to the child to and searched his bag for a clean tissue, with which he wiped the boy's mouth. "There."

He kept watching as the boy ate the rest of the berries, more carefully this time, and with his mouth closed. Sasuke was glad to see he was a fast learner, and most of all, that he respected Sasuke's rather bossy nature. Not that Sasuke would be anything less since he was the adult in a position to educate a growing child.

"I was thinking about calling you Katsuo," Sasuke offered. He had been thinking about the name since the previous day and for some reason, this one seemed fitting. "You're a victor, and will always be one as long as you're by my side." They looked at each other for a while before Sasuke proceeded. "Do you like it? We could call you Katsu in abbreviation, it's cute . If you like it, please nod."

The child blinked a few times as if thinking about it for a while and then slowly, almost elegantly, nodded. Sasuke couldn't help but smirk..

"Well, then it's settled… I'll be calling you Katsu from now on" he said, with a small, content sigh. "Somehow I've known the image of you for a long time. I don't think it's a coincidence that we were to meet. Maybe I was fated to find you and take you in. I plan to protect you and give you a real life, and one a lot better than the one you've had so far, this I can promise you."

Katsu kept on eating silently, but he seemed to be listening intently to Sasuke's words, so Sasuke thought it was okay to speak further. "I wasn't the sort of person who believed in fate, but by now I know enough to know that it's real. There are things in this world that we can't run away from no matter what."

Katsu sneezed unexpectedly - a feeble, adorable sound that had Sasuke's instincts on alert. At once, he removed the cloak from around his shoulders and wrapped it around Katsu instead. It was a sunny afternoon and not exactly a cold one, but it was still too soon to feel relaxed. He was happy to see that Katsu seemed to snuggle within the large cloak, and even though his features revealed nothing, Sasuke wanted to believe that he had offered some sort of comfort and that the added warmth made him happy.

Using the handkerchief he had wiped the boy's mouth with, Sasuke cleaned Katsu's nose and told him to blow in it, which he did. Sasuke was quickly beginning to realize that he really wasn't carrying around enough things to take care for a child. He couldn't wait to get back to the village and introduce Katsu to Misato and everyone. They'd help him and would definitely provide Katsu with whatever he needed. That village was the closest to 'home' that Sasuke could ever offer him for now, as opposed to Konoha, which was definitely out of the question.

Sasuke had this vision that, someday, Mika and Katsu would play together, even if there was a bit of an age gap between them.

Oddly enough, he had recently been forming small idealistic images of the future, and picturing Katsu's growth and development seemed to be one of his main focuses. Katsu was only part of the beginning of the dream he had envisioned. Their bond was an ancient one that not even Katsu knew about, but with time, hopefully, he would be able to tell him in a way that he would understand.

I wonder what Naruto would say…

There was a desire within Sasuke to write his friend and tell him about Katsuo, the child he had saved from extermination - the sort of family Sasuke had been thinking about building, slowly. Right now, he barely had the means to take care of the kid alone, but he wanted the day to come when he'd have enough power to take in abandoned children and people without a home and form their own home, their own village.

Naruto would be horrified at this point, even though he would, without a doubt, tell Sasuke that he believed in him no matter what.

Sasuke almost smiled. Ever since picking up Katsu, he'd been wondering how this experience would've been like if Naruto had been with him.

He wanted Naruto and Katsu to meet. But not yet. It wasn't the time yet, and Sasuke knew he couldn't pull Naruto's attention away from what mattered at this point - his wife and unborn child.

The time for drawing away and doing their own thing, separately, had come, and they both would have to respect it. They would only meet when completely necessary, and they would only write each other when their curiosity (or longing) could no longer be helped.

"You're going to meet a lot of good people, and be surrounded by nature and kids your age," Sasuke told Katsu, fondly. "You'll be playing with them in no time, you'll see. But even if you never speak or are not like the other kids, that will be alright. You'll be loved no matter what."

Katsu would never feel like an outcast, be lonely, or hurt. He'd follow his own path, become what he wanted to become regardless of Sasuke's own dreams. Sasuke would never burden him if he could help it, and would make sure that he'd create a world Katsu could be happy and free in.

This was Sasuke's promise to Katsu and himself. For both their sakes.

000

When Sakura had heard from Kakashi about how Sasuke was on a particular mission to check up on Orochimaru's current whereabouts, it felt like fate itself had dropped a bag full of luck on her lap.

This particular information had come from Kakashi because she had simply asked about Sasuke and whether the Hokage knew what he was doing. Sakura understood that Kakashi had no intention of sending backup for Sasuke since he clearly neither needed it nor wanted it, not to mention that spying on Orochimaru wasn't exactly a task that could be performed by just anyone. But she had requested to be part of this mission alongside Sasuke either way, even though she had no interest in it other than having a chance to finally see her former teammate and spend some time with him.

It had been a while since she had left the hospital and her medical training, and this was the excuse she used to convince her former mentor. However, by the way Kakashi's eyebrows rose showing how unimpressed he felt by her persistence, there was no doubt that he considered her motivations to be rather frivolous. But then again, hadn't Naruto left with Sasuke for months with barely more than a oral announcement that he was leaving with no predictions of when he'd return? Kakashi owed it to her, too.

She wanted to see Sasuke, and she knew she couldn't simply leave Konoha and travel the world randomly looking for him without a clue as to where he could be. Also…

While she was sure that Naruto and Sasuke communicated nowadays, she didn't dare ask her blond friend for help. Naruto would give her the information she needed - considering he had it - but somehow, she knew Naruto would do anything in his power to go with her if it meant they'd get to see Sasuke together, and this was a major 'no'.

Sakura knew she was thinking about this the wrong way. Naruto loved team 7, and surely, seeing Sasuke was as important to him as the chance of having his former team hanging out together like the good old days was. But Sakura knew that those days were over. She had made sure of it, and so had Naruto and Sasuke when they decided to 'bond' on their own and leave everyone else out of the picture. The dynamics of team 7 were ruined, and the past could no longer be replicated. There was too much baggage between the three of them in many ways, and this would hardly ever be fixed. The three of them were far too divided, and while this devastated Sakura, it was also something she had learned to live with.

Pretending that everything was normal and that no offense had been done often did the trick, especially when it came to her and Naruto. She had hurt him by trying to convince him that he had never been in love with her, but he had paid her back in full force by taking Sasuke for himself.

However, she'd rather die than ever address such issues, and she was sure Naruto felt the same way.

So now, on her fifth day on the road, Sakura found herself alone after having left Tea Country without having spotted Sasuke at all. While Kakashi didn't know the exact location of Orochimaru's hideout, he had assured her that Sasuke would be there somewhere. The only problem was that Kakashi had also just informed her by letter that Sasuke had already sent in his report and was now back on the move without any indication of where he was headed to. She had been too late.

Sakura was forced to wonder if Kakashi had sent word to Sasuke that she was meeting him. If that had been the case, maybe Sasuke had evaded her on purpose? Or maybe Kakashi hadn't said a thing to him and circumstances just made it the way it was, and in the end, the Hokage had merely indulged her whim knowing she'd be standing on a dead end at some point?

Either way, she was angry. Kakashi wanted her to head back to Konoha since the mission was already over, but she felt as frustrated as she felt helpless. She had not travelled alone for a whole week for nothing.

Standing in the middle of a street market in a crowded village, Sakura clutched Kakashi's letter in her hand, not knowing what to do, but also knowing that she couldn't give up now of all times. She had come to find Sasuke and fix things between them, and she couldn't just give up and go back. Not this time. She had to be the strong one. She would put her foot down once and for all and make herself heard.

The morning was a bit chilly, so she bit on her lower lip hard and wrapped her cloak tighter around herself so it would cover her chest area. She had no idea how she could even begin to look for Sasuke, but she guessed that she could ask around in the most obvious places. There was a high chance that he'd have stopped by this village to buy travel supplies or something, and someone like him would certainly not go unnoticed, least of all by women. The thought made Sakura feel even worse.

I'm so unlucky...

Walking through the crowded market, Sakura couldn't help but feel horribly depressed. So much had changed since the war and Sasuke's 'return', and yet, while it had seemed like she had accomplished so much with him, she hadn't moved at all from where she had stood at the very beginning.

By getting Hinata and Naruto together, she had somehow managed to convince Sasuke to give her a chance. But not only was this useless in keeping him around, he hadn't warmed up to her at all, regardless of how much time they spent together when he was in Konoha. He was hard to talk to, uttering barely more than a few words and not speaking about himself at all. Sasuke always looked either stoic or just plain nonchalant, as if he was merely in her company to be polite. Physical proximity was almost impossible to achieve, and when she had, finally, managed to kiss him - the sort of passionate kiss she had yearned for her whole life - he had kissed back, but hadn't enjoyed it. That had been a hard blow to take.

It had been a good kiss as far as Sakura could tell, but what she had thought to be a wonderful memory had turned to ash with the knowledge that the man she loved hadn't enjoyed it at all.

Her first kiss. Their first kiss. Shattered and turned into a horrible memory. She was embarrassed beyond words.

Sakura understood that Sasuke was a man different from the others. There were many things about him she didn't know, but she knew enough to know that the person he valued more than anything or anyone else in this world was none other than Naruto. The things they had experienced during their journey together, what they had done… these were things she didn't want to know about, but understood that those same experiences had bonded them together in ways no-one would ever be able to reverse.

But Naruto had returned to Hinata's arms, ever with his dream of becoming Hokage, and Sasuke was still by himself. No matter how they felt for each other, they had chosen different paths, away from each other. If Naruto had been able to give up on the man he had fought for with his own life and body, yet had moved on, Sasuke would, too. Sakura just needed to find a way to fit into his life somehow and give him something he wouldn't have anywhere else. She'd have to prove herself worthy and gain his trust, and she was willing to do whatever it took. But she couldn't keep letting things go. Naruto hadn't.

Which was why she couldn't return to Konoha yet, not before she spoke to him, expressed her feelings properly, and made him understand that she wanted to be there for him in any way possible.

She felt like they didn't understand each other at all, but they should. They had to.

Lost in her own thoughts, Sakura was so distracted that she found herself colliding with something solid. She noticed it was someone's back, so she took a step back, a little startled.

"I'm really sorry!" she apologised, ready to bow down. When the person turned around to face her and she met a familiar face that took her completely by surprise. "You!"

A flash of bright red hair made her blink a bit since she wasn't sure her eyes were seeing right, but there was no mistaking it. The eyes behind red rimmed glasses staring back seemed just as surprised.

"Well, I'll be damned…" the woman in front of Sakura muttered, glancing at her suspiciously up and down.

"It's been a while… Karin-san, right?" Sakura said, amazed by this unexpected turn of events. "I never thought we'd meet again. You escaped from Konoha prison!"

Karin, Sakura noticed, had grown up a bit and become… well, a very attractive woman. She had the sort of curvy, fit body every woman would want to have, and she showed it off proudly and confidently in her shorts and tight fitting shirt. She had also been in love with Sasuke and been part of his team for a while. She was the kind of girl every man would drool for, kind of like Hinata, and back then, Sakura had wondered if Sasuke had felt any sort of attraction towards her, not only physically, but also intellectually since Karin held herself in such an imposing, almost threatening way that was definitely alluring. Sakura wondered if, in any way, Sasuke enjoyed this sort of view now that he was older.

But Sasuke didn't feel attraction easily, this was something Sakura now knew. Either way, from a woman's perspective, she felt a bit jealous of Karin.

"Haruno Sakura, wasn't it?" Karin mumbled, with a small frown. "Are you on a mission? Did you come to arrest me now of all times?"

Sakura could tell Karin's tone was sarcastic, but also a bit condescending. It sort of ticked her off the wrong way, but she managed a small awkward laugh all the same.

"No, don't worry! I'm actually here by myself, and not on a mission of any kind," she said truthfully, since, theoretically, her 'mission' (that she never got to participate in) was over.

"Oh." Karin threw her another unimpressed look before raising her hand in a parting gesture. "Well, then, it was nice seeing you Sakura. Goodbye."

Sakura was a bit taken off guard as Karin promptly spun on her heels and turned her back on her, intent on walking away. Torn between anger and anticipation, Sakura could only call out to her. After all, Karin could be of help in a time of need and it was worth a shot.

"Wait up, I need to ask you something!" Sakura called out, loud enough to make the other woman look over her shoulder. "Is Sasuke-kun with you by chance?"

Karin's eyes seemed to darken at that, but her eyebrows rose.

"Sasuke?" She asked, slightly surprised. "Why should I tell you?"

"I need to speak to him," Sakura informed, in a pleading way, hoping that Karin would somehow empathise. Sasuke's name didn't seem as foreign to Karin as Sakura had hoped, so it was definitely a sign that Karin still kept in touch with him. This wasn't exactly good news, but she couldn't let her jealousy get in the way of her goals.

"That's what they all say." Karin's eyes narrowed. "I'm not going to randomly give you information about him, sorry."

She turned her face away from Sakura, and this time, she truly started to walk away. But her words made Sakura sure that Karin knew something and could be a valuable help. There was hope at the end of the tunnel, and finding Sasuke could be closer than anticipated.

"Why not?" Sakura asked, running after her at once, with a bit of difficulty since there was so much people around her. "I'm his girlfriend and his teammate! I need to talk to him! I've been searching for him for days!"

"Girlfriend, you say?" Karin said, with an almost ironic voice. Sakura managed to fall into step beside her. Karin looked at her, and this time a small smile curved her lips. It wasn't one Sakura enjoyed; it spoke of Karin knowing things Sakura was utterly naive about, and she hated it. "That's rich! Well, if you're his girlfriend, shouldn't you know his whereabouts better than anyone else?"

The fact that Karin was also smart and perceptive annoyed Sakura as well. But she merely clenched her teeth.

"I… it's complicated," she said calmly. Karin laughed, a bit maliciously.

"I'm sure it is."

"Please, Karin-san…" Sakura stopped in her tracks and grabbed Karin's arm, stopping her from walking any further. Karin seemed displeased by the random touch but didn't pull away. "I just want to talk to him. I haven't seen him in almost a year, I don't know what's going through his mind. He didn't even go to his best friend's wedding, I just... "

"You're awfully naïve for a kunoichi." The snappish way Karin spoke made Sakura's eyes widen."You came out here just to look for him all by yourself without any leads and without him knowing? Give me a break!"

"Okay, so I asked the Hokage to be on a mission with Sasuke-kun, but I couldn't find him and now the mission is complete, but I still want to find him because I have to see him, I just have to! He's my boyfriend and things are odd between us and I just..." Sakura blurted out, her cheeks catching fire in embarrassment. "I need to get close to him and fix things between us. I know he was somewhere around here, so please..."

Karin simply looked at her without reacting for a few seconds. There was nothing but a slight pity in her eyes mixed up with annoyance. Sakura had no idea what was going through Karin's mind or what she thought of her, but she knew that Karin owed her for saving her life back when Sasuke had stabbed her. Karin, as a shinobi, wouldn't have forgotten, and Sakura knew it. Even if she did, Sakura would make sure to remind her of it. She'd do what she had to in order to find Sasuke.

"Well, I know where he is," Karin said after a while, heaving a resigned sigh. She offered Sakura an odd look, one Sakura didn't understand at all. "In fact I was on my way to meet him, there's something I need to talk to him about, too. I'm travelling, and you can come with me if you want, but if you try to do anything to harm me, or Sasuke, or the place we're going to, I won't be responsible for myself."

Letting out a gasp of sudden excitement and relief, Sakura released Karin's arm and bowed down a bit. She couldn't believe how easy that had been. Luck was with her after all!

"I understand!" She nodded vigorously while flashing Karin a genuinely wide smile. She couldn't believe that she'd be seeing Sasuke soon. "Thank you so much!"

"Don't thank me," Karin said, with an ominous tone. "You'll regret having come on this journey for him."

TBC…


Sooooo, can you guys guess what's coming? Surely you can!

I'm sorry for a mostly boring chapter, but it had to be done. I got a little too excited about Katsuo, and even so, I tried to not waste too much time on him for the time being. How did you guys like him? Are you excited to see what I'll do with him?

By the way, 'Katsu' means 'victory' and 'o' means 'hero/manly'. Google information, don't kill me if it's incorrect.

Anyway, I'm sort of feeling hesitant about the direction of the fic at this point because of this new 'Boruto' manga. I'm thinking that there will probably be a time when this fic WILL take its own course seperated from canon if 'Boruto' gets too sidetracked from my own vision. We'll see.

BTW, I'm making an 'official' *cough* 'From Which We'll Rise' playlist! If you have a song that reminds you of the fic, please let me know and I'll add it to the playlist and post it as soon as it's completeled :)

Anyway, thank you for reading, and I hope you guys are still looking forward to the next chapter! Sakura and Karin come face to face with Sasuke and… well, you'll have to wait and see ;)

Lots of love, and until next time!

REVIEW?