Disclaimer: I dun own Naruto, but god I wish I did.

Author Notes: 63 reviews already? Wow! You guys really keep me writing, so I want to thank every single one of you for that! Also, I'd like to thank all my friends who told me how wonderful they think this story is as well, especially Kyle-kun. I recently found out he likes my story so much, he uses it for his SasuSaku roleplay plots, giving credit to me of course. Thank you!

Now, lookit that! This chapter's long! And hopefully interesting for all of your loyal fans out there! - Lova you all, and enjoy! Oh, and sorry for the long time to update, but I hope this makes up for it.

You're such a foolish little child. You think you can get better? Ha!

Greedy, arrogant, optimistic little child; you can't get better, not now, not ever. Because it's impossible.

He'll leave you, you know.

Again.

He'll leave you when you need him the most. They all will. And you'll be forced to return to me, won't you?

Foolish little girl!

Keep on thinking you can return to normal; it's futile!

Sakura woke screaming, sweat dribbling down from her temples as she sat up in her bed, panting; as emerald green eyes opened, they caught sight of the pure white hospital walls, which told her she was still safe.

Still safe...

At leats for now.

Blinking away the tears that had gathered, Sakura sat in her bed for several minutes before her gaze turned outside; the wind shifted the trees and grass, and she could swear she heard voices speaking. But it was just the wind. At last, the pink haired girl stood and went to the window, placing one hand against it and running her fingers down the smooth glass. Smudges appeared where her fingers had trailed, and the Haruno sighed.

Turning away from the window, emerald green eyes focused on the door; maybe she should go for a walk? Sure, why not?

Just as she started toward the door, the girl stopped and stared at the glass rose figurine she'd bought earlier that day; might as well take it along with her, hadn't she? It might get broken otherwise.

Sakura approached the door, forgetting that she was still in her pajamas - a light blue tank top with a pair of black pajama pants - as she turned the doorknob and crept down the corridor. Most of the nurses were at the receptions desk, so they didn't try to stop her; of course, getting passed them would be the hard part.

But she had been a kunoichi, and still was considered one.

As the desk came closer, the nurses speaking in soft voices to one another and occasionally laughing, she crouched down and began to sneak forward, her left hand touching the wall as Sakura made her way, keeping to the shadows. She kept her breathing calm and steady, as soft as she could keep it, as she pressed her body against the receptions desk, sneaking right underneath the noses of the nurses; once she had cleared that much and was half-way in shadows again, the girl quickly stood and sprinted for all she was worth toward the door, clutching the rose to her chest.

The cool air felt wonderful against her hot flesh, the grass tickling her feet - which she had forgotten to put shoes on, in her haste to leave her room.

Slowly the pink haired girl walked away from the hospital, emerald green eyes staring up at the night sky as she gently stroked the petals of the glass rose almost lovingly. But, even as she stared up at the sky - with it's beautiful colors and the stars shining brightly - Sakura knew. She knew that something was wrong.

She knew that Sasuke had left to go find the Akatsuki.

----

Onyx black eyes took in every detail of the terrain around him, and the Uchiha noted every sound with growing anxiety. He barely made a sound as he leapt from branch to branch, not even half a mile from the Konoha gates yet; but, even then, Sasuke knew that he was being followed. Or at least, someone was planning on following him.

Call it a premonition, but he simply knew.

Halting long enough to catch his breath and glance behind him, Sasuke froze; was that just his imagination, or had he really seen red eyes staring at him from behind? They had disappeared so quickly it was hard to tell. His heart thumped in his chest as Sasuke turned back around.

Calm down, Sasuke. It was probably just your imagination or a bug or something.

He willed himself to calm down, and finally the dark haired boy launched himself from the branch, centering his chakra to his feet to give him a speed boost. Even if he was followed, he couldn't risk being found. Not with so much at stake. Especially since he had a good feeling that Sakura was following him right this very moment.

Tsunade's heels clicked against the floor of the hospital as she walked silently toward Sakura's room; it was time to check to make sure she was still recovering at the same rate as before. Only two people besides herself knew that Sakura's condition was worse than just emotional and some mental trauma; Shizune and Uchiha Sasuke. The blonde haired woman sighed as she clutched her paperwork to her chest, blinking as she stopped outside the door.

Beginning to flip through the files, Tsunade stopped on the record that diagnosed the girl. Sakura was not only emotionally and mentally abused, but she had also been physically abused. So much so that some of her internal organs only worked with half the functioning they should. This made her weaker than normal, and her body had to exert extra force to keep itself going. Because of this exertion, her body was wearing itself down quickly; surgery was the only possible solution.

But how do you explained that to an already traumatized girl?

The blonde woman sighed as she placed her hand on the doorknob, the cold metal cooling her skin as she thought about what she was about to tell Sakura. How would she take being told that in a few days she would need surgery? Well, now was the time to find out. Taking a breath to keep herself calm, the woman pushed the door open.

"Hello Sakura-chan, how are y-"

Her clipboard clattered on the floor, papers flying in every direction, as Tsunade stared at the ruffled blankets with an open mouth. How? "Nurses! Shizune! Sakura's gone!" the blonde woman's voice rang out as she ran to the door, calling down the corridor. How could the pink haired girl had escaped the hospital? Her window had always been jammed, and with one glance Tsunade could tell that it had not been disturbed; had she snuck passed?

Whatever had happened, Tsunade knew they needed to find the pink haired kunoichi soon, before she worked herself so much that her body stopped itself all together.

How could she had been so naive? How could she have believed him when he said he wouldn't go after the Akatsuki by himself? Sakura sprinted through the forest, the branches tearing at her flesh and her bare feet as she moved. Emerald green eyes stared ahead, and the girl focused all her concentration on catching up to Sasuke and stopping him; she couldn't let him leave again. As if the pain was nonexistant to her, the pink haired girl continued to sprint at an almost inhumane speed.

Suddenly the girl tripped and landed on the ground; there she remained, panting into the dirt, completely exhausted after her long run. "Sasuke..." Sakura whispered, clutching the loose soil in her hands as she attempted to push herself up.

In her left hand the glass rose figurine was held tightly - almost protectively - against her side.

"Please... Please... Don't leave me, Sasuke... Please..."

Closing her eyes, Sakura allowed herself to sob, the tears trailing down her cheeks and dropping onto the dirt; only after several minutes did she start to force herself into a sitting position. The strength in her arms seemed to fade as she attempted, but at last the pink haired girl was on her hands and knees, panting; slowly but surely she crawled toward the nearest tree - only a foot or so away but seeming as if it were a mile to the exhausted kunoichi - and leaned her forehead against it.

A sudden snarl left her lips as she drew back and hit her head as hard as she could against the bark, the feeling of warm blood beginning to trickle down her skin and mingle with the tears.

Again her fingers clutched at the loose dirt as more sobs left her throat; why was she so useless?

Why couldn't she do something as simple as stop the dark haired boy from leaving her for the second time?

Her brain was working overtime as it thought about these questions before Sakura pulled away from the tree, staring dully at the black-red splotch that had been left. The blood continued to trickle as she - with newfound determination - stood and began to follow the trail she knew Sasuke had taken. She would catch up to him. No matter what, she would catch up to him.

Even if it killed her.

"You all understand why I've called you here, correct?"

The ninja all nodded solemnly; Tsunade sighed in relief, glad she wouldn't have to explain every last detail. "Good. So I don't need to tell you that Sakura's condition can only be removed through surgery - if at all. And that she's left her hospital bed when not fully healed. This could be fatal to her at her stage right now, so it's important that you find her and bring her back. We've also noticed the Uchiha Sasuke is missing from the village as well, and we assume he went to go find the Akatsuki by himself. That's where Sakura's going."

Here, Tsunade paused to peer around at the faces; Shino, Ino, Shikamaru, Kiba, Naruto, Hinata, and Chouji.

"So we're going to split each of you six up into teams of two to search for them. Ino with go with Shikamaru, Hinata with Naruto, and Chouji with Kiba. Understood?"

All six nodded.

Tsunade sighed in relief, at least until a certain blonde dobe raised his hand. "Yes, Naruto?"

"What if ... What if we don't find them?"

How had she known that the boy would ask that? They were, after all, his former teammates. The blonde woman sighed again: "We will." She didn't go any farther than that as she gestured for the teenagers to leave with her hand, sinking into her chair with Shizune offering her sake.

The raven glanced over his shoulder; he'd thought he'd heard something and strained his ears to listen, but whatever sound Sasuke had heard before was gone. Quirking an eyebrow lightly, the Uchiha leapt from the ground into the treetops once more, sprinting from branch to branch at a rapid pace. Again he halted as the sound returned once more, and a low growl emitted from his throat.

"Whoever you are, come on out. I know your there," he called, one hand ready to take hold of a kunai just in case. A flash of pink hair passed through the green leaves and suddenly emerald green eyes were staring into onyx black, blood dripping down Sakura's face.

Sasuke's breath caught in his throat.

Sakura?

She'd actually followed him?

And that was...

Blood.

"Sakura, you're bleeding! What happened to you?" He reached forward and touched her cheek, not surprised as she flinched away slightly before shaking her head. "Sasuke, you can't go." The Uchiha eyed her warily, opening his mouth to speak before he was abruptly cut off by the pink haired kunoichi.

"Sasuke! Listen to me! I won't let you go after them! Don't you understand? If you go, you'll only get yourself hurt, and I can't bear the thought of that Sasuke! I won't let you go! I'll stop you myself if I have to!" she cried, lifting her hands as if about to strike. Sasuke stared at her, surprised, before he stepped closer and gently placed a hand on her cheek; this time Sakura didn't flinch away, instead peering up at the Uchiha with teary emerald eyes. "Sasuke..." she breathed before burying her face against his chest, sobbing loudly. The dried blood on her face crumbled as her features contorted in pain, falling away as she suddenly pulled back and peered up at Sasuke.

"I'm begging you, please don't go."

He stared at her, surprised, for a moment before shaking his head lightly. "Sakura... You should go back to the hospital. I'm sure they're worried about you." Emerald green eyes widened in shock; had he just refused to go back with her? It was just like last time; Sakura begging Sasuke not to go to train under Orochimaru, Sakura telling Sasuke how much she loved him, Sasuke basically telling Sakura to go back home and then knocking her unconscious.

At first, she just stared. Then, suddenly, Sakura launched herself forward; she'd warned him that she would stop him herself if she had to.

The Uchiha cried out in surprise, tipping backwards...

And falling from the high branch with Sakura in his arms.

"Hinata! Use your Byakugan to see through all these trees, will you?"

"H-Hai, Naruto-kun!"

Pressing her hands together in a seal, the Hyuuga heiress muttered a quick "Byakugan!" before looking up, the veins near her temples bulging out as she peered about the forest. Naruto waited somewhat impatiently, crossing his arms over his chest as she searched. "See anything yet?" he suddenly inquired, fidgetting slightly. He wanted to find Sasuke-teme and Sakura-chan soon, damnit!

Hinata glanced at Naruto, a blush spreading over her cheeks as she shook her head and deactivated her Byakugan. "No, I don't see them, N-Naruto-kun."

He growled in annoyance before looking to the Hyuuga girl once more and nodding.

"Lets go!" Both shot from the branch they'd been standing on, speeding through the forest in search of the pair once more.

The white dog sniffed gingerly at the ground, lifting his head at last and barking at his master, who sighed and turned to the chubby boy beside him. "Nothing. Akamaru can't pick up either's scent. It's like they just poofed into thin air!" Chouji nodded; for once, he wasn't munching on some kind of snack, instead focusing all his attention on finding the two missing Nin.

Akamaru woofed suddenly, sprinting ahead.

"Hey! Wait up! C'mon Chouji! I think Akamaru found something!" Kiba called as he followed his dog, the chubby boy following behind him. The dog moved easily through the forest until suddenly he halted and scratched at the bark of a tree; Kiba knelt and touched the blood that lingered there, pulling away when it felt it was still somewhat moist. Suddenly he sniffed it and winced slighty.

"It's Sakura's."

Chouji's eyes widened, watching Kiba as he stood. "Then we'd better get going," the chubby boy replied, and the Inuzuka nodded.

"Where the hell could Forehead have gone?! Doesn't she know she's hurt, damnit!" a certain angry Yamanaka ranted to a bored and annoyed Nara, who wasn't even listening to her. As she continued to rant Shikamaru sighed, glancing toward his blonde friend and speaking in a bored tone.

"Calm down Ino. If we don't find them, I'm sure Naruto and Hinata or Kiba and Chouji will. Don't worry so much. It's troublsome."

This whole thing was troublesome; why couldn't Uchiha keep to his promise and just stay in Konoha instead of being a stubborn ass and running off like that? Gah. Leave it to Sasuke to make his life hell. "But what if they don't Shikamaru? What if Sasuke and Sakura are long gone?" Ino questioned, watching as Shikamaru rubbed his temples.

"Gah. Just c'mon."

The feeling of the wind coursing through her hair made her stop her attempts to keep Sasuke from leaving as Sakura realized that feeling of plummeting toward the ground and clutched at the Uchiha. "Sasuke!" she screamed, burying her face against him. He growled low in his throat; what the hell could he do now? With Sakura clinging to him like that he wouldn't be able to catch hold of any branches - if any were strong enough to hold both of their weight.

And landing on his feet might end up with Sakura being smashed into the ground, which would probably kill her on impact.

Hissing curses to himself, Sasuke did the other thing he could; he twisted his body around so that, instead of Sakura being the one who'd hit the ground first, he would be. The Haruno didn't seem to notice, too busy clinging and screaming incoherent sentences.

However, she did notice when suddenly they both hit the ground, pain shooting through every part of her body as she lost her hold on Sasuke and was thrown several feet away. There she laid for the longest time, panting against the dirt, before she lifted her head off the ground and stood at last, glancing around dazedily.

"S-Sasuke..."

Her breath caught in her throat as she caught sight of the Uchiha laying nearby, unmoving. "Sasuke!" Sakura screamed, sprinting toward him and sliding beside the dark haired boy, lifting his face to hers. "Wake up Sasuke! Wake up! Wake up, wake up, wake up, damnit!"

Tears fell from her eyes as he didn't reply; her eyes watched as, suddenly, a thin trail of blood crept from under his hairline and trailed down his temple, his cheek, and gathering in the small notch of his collar bone.

"Sasuke!"

He couldn't die on her! He couldn't!

Please, kami-sama, don't let him die. Don't let my precious person die...

Choking back her tears, suddenly, she looked up and strained her ears; someone was coming. Fear rippled through her very being as Sakura leapt to her feet, preparing to sprint away. But what about Sasuke? She halted and glanced down at him; if she left him, whoever was out there might find him and do Kami-knows-what to the unconscious Uchiha, and there was the possibility he'd die if she ran away and no one found him. But, if she stayed or tried to carry him away, then there was a more likely chance of herself being caught, which wouldn't help either of them if whoever was out there was an enemy.

Sobbing silently to herself, Sakura began to tear at her hair.

Why?

Why was she being given this choice?

It was so hard for her right now. So very hard.

Oh kami-sama, why are you doing this to me?! Why?!

So her choice was this: save herself but lose Sasuke, or try to save Sasuke and possibly get them both killed?

I really hope all of you enjoyed that alot. Review and wait for the next chapter, which I have no clue what's going to happen.

Ideas? I'll love you forever.