Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Naruto.
Hey guys! I got bored this weekend and decided to update early! :)
It's really rare for me to update twice in one month so you guys are in for a real treat! You should be appresheative lol! and I know that I haven't responded to any reviews the last two chapters but I think it falsely takes up room in the amount of words the story has. I just kinda feel a tad like I'm cheating people… anyway! I do read all of them (I get an e-mail sent to my phone RIGHT after you post them!) and I enjoy every last comment I receive. Both compliments AND constructive criticism! So keep em' coming!
PLEASE REMEMBER TO R&R! ^(^0^)^
Sakura walked down the street towards her blond friend's house. She knew that Ino was now engaged to Shikamaru, so she hoped that she wouldn't be… interrupting anything… but she doubted it. It was the middle of the day, so everyone was out running errands. However, Sakura knew that Ino stayed at home. She was happy to hear that Shikamaru was fully recovered and going back on business. Tsunade had suggested to him that if he wanted to stay alive longer he should consider an occupation as a diplomat/spokes-person to other nations. Shikamaru had and still was considering the option, however, he felt like he would like to remain an anbu as long as he could. Sakura eventually found herself on Ino's doorstep and was about to ring the doorbell when the blond herself walked out. Ino was surprised to see Sakura but stepped out onto the front steps and locked the door behind her.
"I was actually about to go run some errands" Ino said as she made her way down the steps then looking over her shoulder she asked, "Wana come with me?"
Sakura shrugged then followed the blond to the market street where vendors were competing to sell their harvests. It was spring again, so the village was bustling with activity. Sakura found herself captivated by the plant life, especially the cherry blossom trees. It was her name-sake, so it did explain her fascination with them. She eventually stopped herself from being sucked in to thought and realized that she still had to tell Ino.
"Ino…" she muttered as they were headed back to the blond's house down a relatively empty street.
"What is it?" the girl asked as she turned around to face her friend.
"Ino…" Sakura mumbled again, "I'm pregnant…"
Ino's eyes went wide as she squealed and took Sakura's hands bouncing up and down then yelled, "ME TOO!"
This time it was Sakura's turn to be excited. Both the girls were bouncing up and down like they were in the academy again. Sakura couldn't help but reminisce in those days as she reflected upon the present.
"When are you due?" Sakura asked curiously.
"8 moths!" Ino chirped.
"No way! Me too!" Sakura shouted as both girls got even more excited, if that were even possible.
The two sat at Ino's house chatting. Sakura almost felt like spending the night, but she knew that Sasuke wouldn't hear of it. She decided that she'd push his buttons and come home as late as she could though. She'd basically spent the whole day with Ino. She had the feeling that they would be doing this a lot. However, Sakura felt happiness surge through her as she realized something. Ino would have to stay in the village on maternity leave as well, so Sakura would know that she truly wouldn't be alone this time around like she was the first time. Ino eventually looked at the clock and saw that it was 11pm.
The blond scratch the side of her head with her index finger as she asked, "Are you sure Sasuke won't worry about you being out this late?"
"He's the one that told me to come spend the day with you, so it's his job to come get me."
"You're despicable" Ino laughed.
Sakura just laughed back at her as the two sat in each other's company sipping tea in silence. Eventually Shikamaru walked into the living room and both women smiled at him and welcomed him home.
"You living here now too?" Shikamaru joked.
"I'm thinking about it" Sakura replied jokingly.
"Well Sasuke seems to think you are. He's waiting for you outside" Shikamaru informed the pinkette.
Ino laughed then said, "You truly are evil to make him come get you like this."
Shikamaru rolled his eyes knowing just how conniving women can be. One moment they're playing koi and the next they're a pain in the ass. Sakura walked quietly outside giggled to herself.
"I hope you're happy…" came a grumbling noise from the bushes.
Sakura turned her head to see the raven haired man with a scowl on his face. She knew exactly what he was talking about so she didn't bother playing dumb, instead she didn't say anything and skipped down the street in front of him on the way home. Sasuke just huffed in an annoyed manner as he followed behind her. He didn't even bother asking why she was in such an irritatingly good mood. He'd take her skipping over her ranting any day. He just knew she was going to be frustrated when he told her that he had to take the genins on a two week escort mission. He was waiting until they were home because the last thing he wanted was to make a scene in the middle of the night in the middle of the road. Once they were both inside the house Sakura's happy-go-lucky personality faded into a neutral aura. She walked into the shower and Sasuke made himself a cup of coffee. It was another long night of paper work of the missions he's gone on. He also had to do a submission form for the two week trip, which he still hadn't told Sakura about. He stood up from the table he'd been comfortably sitting at and made his way over to the bathroom. He heard Sakura humming in the shower and stood facing her shadow figure scrubbing her hair while leaning against the counter.
"Is there something you need?" she asked while she was rinsing her hair.
Sasuke took a deep breath then said, "I need to tell you something."
"What?" she asked unemotionally.
"I have to go on a two week mission…" he said then looked away counting down the seconds until she 'exploded'.
The water turned off and Sakura pushed the curtain around her head that popped out as she narrowed her eyes and dangerously asked, "What?"
Sasuke scratched the back of his head while looking away from her as he repeated himself. Sakura stepped out of the shower with a towel rapped around her as she stood next to him facing the mirror. Sasuke's back was to the mirror and he could sense the tension and her eyes boring holes into the back of his head through the mirror.
"Why?" she asked frustrated.
"I have a D-ranked escort mission with the genins… I'm sorry but it's just like when we went to the land of waves. They all were getting tired of babysitting and yard work missions…"
Sakura sighed with slight relief hearing that it was D-ranked, and obviously posed no threat on his life. She was just sad that he'd be away for so long. Especially since the deal of him becoming a jounin was that he wouldn't be gone so long. Sasuke could feel the disappoint radiating off of her. He just sighed and walked out of the bathroom.
"I'm leaving tomorrow morning" he said before he left the bathroom completely.
Sakura sighed as she looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She didn't want to cry, but she felt the dire urge to let something out. The good news was that she knew Tsunade had a top secret mission for both her and Ino that she was told only the two of them could pull off.
The next morning Sakura wasn't surprised to find the covers empty next to her. She clutched the fabric next to her just to make sure there wasn't any sign of warmth indicating he recently left. The fabric was as cool as a hard surfaced floor. Sakura slowly sat up and smelled something delicious. Sakura got up out of bed and went into the kitchen to find Ino cooking breakfast.
"Good morning bed-head" Ino snickered looking at Sakura's matted hair.
Sakura just looked at Ino's belly that was slightly starting the pudge up and let out a snicker of her own. Ino noticed the line of Sakura's vision and just scowled before defensively saying, "It's not like you don't have any either."
Sakura shrugged then asked, "So why are you here? And even cooking my breakfast?..."
Ino smiled then chirped, "To celebrate our first mission as pregnant women of course!"
Sakura just sweat dropped wondering how Ino had the ability to celebrate the strangest circumstances, especially ones that involved pregnancy and top secret missions. They were going to their briefing that afternoon. The two women sat at the table eating oatmeal, granola, yogurt, and bacon. They loaded up on every different food group before they left the house. When Sakura put the dishes in the sink she could feel the guilt of how much she'd eaten setting in, but she realized that this is just another formality of being pregnant. When they left to go to the Hokage's office it was right at noon. They were a few minutes early, but they knew that Tsunade didn't care. The two of them walked in not knowing what to expect from the amber eyed woman. She gestured at them to close the door before she began their mission briefing.
"I suppose you two are aware that I selected you for this mission because you're pregnant" Tsunade asked with a serious look on her face.
Sakura hated the seriousness on her expression, but both girls nodded at her before she continued, "The reason is because I need you to spy and gather intelligence, and there's no way anyone would suspect two pregnant 'widows' to be spies."
Ino gave Tsunade a confused expression as she asked, "We're supposed to be widows?"
Right after she said that Shikamaru walked into the room and Tsunade got a better idea, "No, just Sakura will be a widow. Shikamaru, you'll accompany Ino as if you were her husband. You are to gather intelligence. I'm counting on you to take most of the spying responsibility seeing that you are more… mobile than them."
Sakura and Ino twitched at Tsunade's comment about how big their bellies were going to be.
"What about Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked.
Tsunade scratched her head then said, "Sasuke's out on an escort mission with the genins he was assigned, so he won't be able to accompany you all. However, you'll just say he went M.I.A. and assume him dead… I have a feeling he'll track you down… and if he's supposed to be dead from some disease or something than it will completely blow your cover."
Sakura nodded with a crookedly nervous smile she wasn't excited in the slightest about this mission. She knew Sasuke would be furious at her for leaving the village and accepting such a mission. She was sure of it. However it was Hokage's orders, so it's not like she had much of a choice. The three anbus were dismissed from Tsunade's office and left to go pack. Tsunade estimated this mission at 7 months, over half a year. Sakura wasn't sure what she was going to do with herself if she was so far away from home for so long. She'd never been on such an extensive mission, but this was to build good relations with a village as well as sneakily collect intel on them for the village's personal gain. She knew the risks of it. If the villagers found out, or there was an S-ranked criminal hiding there like they suspected, then things could easily get ugly.
After taking their sweet time packing the team set out just a few hours before sundown towards a village on the outskirts of the fire nation. It was a solid day's journey and they wouldn't arrive till dinner the next day if they kept moving, which they knew they couldn't. After they'd gotten over halfway to their destination and it was almost sunrise. The team made camp and called it a night, or a day. They were too tired to tell the difference. Since they were close teammates they didn't have a problem sharing one tent, so it made packing light a lot easier. The next day they set out hopping through the tree branches once more. They arrived in the village just a few hours after sunset. They managed to get a room at the inn. The village didn't receive many visitors due to its nasty reputation, so they attracted several strange looks and lots of unwanted attention.
"Sasuke-sensei!" Megumi shouted pointing to the trees beside the merchant caravan.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed right where the girl was pointing. The two boys, Akio and Takashi, were up in the trees in a flash. Just a couple minutes late two bandits dropped dead out of the trees. Megumi had a semi-horrified look on her face, but she was glad that it wasn't Akio and Takashi that got thrown out of the tree right in front of her. Just moments later the two boys jumped down themselves. Akio just had a slight scrape on his cheek, but Takashi had buckle fracture his finger. Megumi rushed over in an instant to heal the boy, but Sasuke held out his arm to block her.
He had something he wanted to ask Takashi, "Did you use rasengan?"
Takashi sheepishly grinned with a nervous laugh which Sasuke virtually took as a yes.
"What did I say about rasengan?" Sasuke questioned with narrow eyes.
"That… it uses too much stamina?..."
"It's not safe" Sasuke corrected him, "You don't have the chakra control yet to fully understand what you're doing. I promise you that you'll eventually be able to do it, soon, but in the meantime you need to refrain from it."
Takashi looked guiltily at his hand as Megumi rushed over to heal it. She was used to Takashi injuring himself. She'd heal Takashi too, but he told her to save her chakra because the bleeding had already stopped. Megumi refused to completely leave him alone so she put some antibacterial paste on the wound to keep it from getting infected.
Eventually the caravan made camp, including the escorts. Sasuke set his own tent, Akio and Takashi shared a tent, and Megumi had her own. Akio was digging a small fire pit in the middle of the tree tents when suddenly he felt gravity pulling him sideways. Megumi heard the thud and came out of her tent horrified. She screamed as she saw Akio foaming at the mouth incapacitated. Sasuke heard both the thud and the scream and looked out of his tent and suddenly frowned. Takashi was down by the river so he didn't know what was happening.
"He's been poisoned!" Megumi shrieked, "I need you to get me a sterilized sharpened tool, fresh water, and pot to boil it. I'll go gather herbs, get Takashi to watch him! Quickly!"
Sasuke shot into the trees while Megumi ran off into the woods to gather her assortment of herbs. The time was ticking and Megumi was familiar with the poisoning. Sakura had told her about it. It was an amateur poison used by the common bandit or crappy ninja, but if it wasn't treated after the first symptoms then it was only a few hours until death. Akio had probably refused to tell her about it the moment he started feeling dizzy, which was the first symptom, so she was sure that he probably had one hour tops. She was frantically searching and gathering herbs into a leather pouch which she ran back to the camp to find Takashi and Sasuke with all her supplies. She put the water on to boil and placed a cold, wet cloth on Akio's head. She then sent Sasuke to get her a bowl and pestle. She had to grind up the herb into a paste. While Sasuke was getting the last supplies she boiled the water and made a small, but deep incision in Akio's right oblique. Before she continued any further she took the ribbon out of her hair and used it to tie her hair into a bun. She quickly took the water and sent it inside of his body through the incision. She prayed to kami that her chakra control would allow her to do what she needed to. She had to draw the poison out of his tissues and into the water. She could feel the water being polluted with the disgusting toxin. When she felt that she had 90% of what was plaguing his system, she pulled the water out. She healed the incision knowing that Akio's life had been extended enough for her to make the antidote and double check its properties to make sure it would work. Megumi took the polluted water and put it into a separate empty dish. She took an extract from the dish and put it in a tube. She then took the grind and pestle from Sasuke to grind up an assortment of herbs. She tried three different pastes and the first two didn't do anything. Just when she started to lose hope the third one completely dispersed the poison and rendered it benign. She was beside herself and quickly made several vials of the medicine. She estimated that he would need a weeks-worth to take twice a day. Sasuke simply sat across the fire pit from her utterly impressed. She was better than Sakura as a genin medic-nin. The girl had potential and Sasuke was absolutely sure that he had done the right thing by having her apprentice under Sakura. Eventually she could tell Akio was becoming conscious again a few hours after the first dose of her antidote she gave him. Akio was in such a haze that he couldn't see Megumi crying over him with tears of joy. Takashi just gave Megumi a hug and a 'job well done'. Sasuke nodded his approval and Akio groaned with a mix of pain and appreciation (though he didn't know that he'd been on the brink of death). Megumi immediately got him water to drink and had him slowly sit up. Akio groaned and grabbed his side realizing there was a major incision.
"What the hell?..." he muttered as the haze started to clear.
"Megumi saved your life" Sasuke stated blankly at the boy who obviously had no understanding of the situation.
Akio looked over to Megumi who was still dripping tears of joy. She was obviously worried. Akio just pulled her over to him despite the pain in his side and held her in his arms as she wept her tears of relief onto the bandages she'd dressed him in. Sasuke smiled at the genins before him. They were nothing like his old group. These genins were even more of a family. They spurred each other on, and at the same time they looked out for each other's safety and loved each other. Especially Takashi, this squad was the closest thing he had to a family.
After the exciting night's events the team went to bed hoping to hit the road early tomorrow. Sasuke wanted to get this mission over with and get back to Sakura as early as he could.
"You really think he's going to be that mad?" Ino asked as she set her bags down on the bed next to Sakura's.
Sakura fiddled with her hair not knowing a good answer for Ino. She was sure that he would be frustrated, but she wasn't sure what his reaction would be exactly. All she knew was that he would eventually wind up here, even if the Hokage told him not to come. Sakura was sure that Tsunade thought of that so she created the M.I.A. cover-up story. Sakura threw herself onto her bed flopped on her back staring at the ceiling. She eventually curled up sideways and went to bed wondering what adventures tomorrow would bring, as well as wondering what Sasuke was up to. Even though he was on an escort mission, she was sure that he was safe.
To Be Continued...I love you all to death and hope that you enjoyed reading this. I think I'm going to work a little bit more on this instead of my other one "Love Like This" because I have such a HUGE plot line for this story it's not even funny… like seriously… by the time I'd finish this I'll probably have over 400,000 words… LONG LONG LOOOOONG story. I see so much potential in this… anyway! I'd love if you could leave a comment. I know that the genins are made-up and unimportant, but I just thought that this chapter needed some suspense and action, so PLEASE tell me what you think! I read your reviews right after you send them throughout the day! So don't be shy!