Chapter 3:

In a blurry run I hurried to the Sand Village where Sai was. The serpent's blood stained on my clothes while its poison was spreading through me. I covered up my arm where it punctured it with its sharp fang. Slowly I could feel my muscles tensing up and protesting to keep going. When I finally got to the entrance of the Sand Village I was already so tired. A fever already rose to my forehead because I could feel it through my skin that felt like fire.

I don't know how I made my legs move but I did. I had to hide in small shadows and watch carefully before moving again so no' one would see me here. Deep in the village I finally heard Sai in a distance and I followed the sound of his low voice. It got louder and louder. Then I finally made it to the hut he was being held in. There were at least two guards by the front entrance, and there was no back entrance. With the last of my strength I grabbed two kunai's and threw them at the guards' chests. Once they both fell I pulled one at a time away from the door. After I got rid of the guards I made my way through the front entrance and quickly spotted Sai. He was tied up to the middle wooden pole that held up the hut. He looked beat up and bruised from assault they probably did to make him talk.

"Sai" I huffed out. He shakily looked up and saw me in the shadows.

"Ino" he sounded happy but scared at the same time. "What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like, I'm rescuing you from this place" I answered as I untied him from his pole.

Once I did he quickly looked me over and noticed my fever and punctured wound I had on my arm. "You shouldn't have come" he uttered.

"I would have come no matter what anyone said, even you" I pointed out.

"We need to get you back to the Leaf Village. Come on" he pulled me out of the hut and looked around for a quick exit. I was as weak as it was though. It hurt to move any part of my body. Sai pulled us out of the Sand Village and saw the serpent I defeated to rescue him from the Sand Village. The dusty air weighed heavy in my lungs and with the poison growing stronger through me it made the pain triple.

"Sai..." I tried saying and had to take the second time to get his attention. "I...can't...mak...make...it" that was all I could remember till I collapsed into the dark.

The next thing I know I was waking up in the hospital. Sai had his head bowed next to my bed. He covered in bandages himself. I closed my eyes from soreness that was strongly occurring. Then I heard footsteps come up to me and stopped close by me.

"Will she be okay?" Sai asked in worry.

"Yeah, she's just tired, isn't that right Ino Pig?" Sakura asked down at me.

"Shut up Billboard Brow" I mumbled.

Sakura gave a few laughs "see, she'll be fine. She's too stubborn to die on us."

"And your to headstrong to die" I mocked.

Again Sakura laughed a few times "I'll be back to check on her in an hour or so."

Sai and I were left alone and have time to ourselves. Sai reached out and held my hand. I smiled at the touch. "I'm glad you're okay" he whispered in my ear. "You were the one who taught me how to feel, and I wouldn't know what to do if I lost you now." I loved it when he talked sweet and low to me like this, it reminded me of how much I loved him. "Remember the first time we met, I needed my little black book to show me how to say hi?" I nodded. "That was the luckiest day of my life."

"Why do you say that?" I wondered.

"Because I met you on that day" he answered so simple and without a second thought to it. "Don't scare me like this ever again, okay?"

"Okay" I agreed. He bumped heads with me and we stayed so still, not wanting this time to leave us.