Chapter IV

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The journey to Suna was one of the least pleasant trecks Sakura had ever had the misfortune of experiencing. The lingering fear of Sasori's presence and her teammates' bickering was driving her batty.

Deciding the seclusion she had found for herself behind the team was uncomfortable upon the thought of being watched, Sakura decided to edge closer to one of her team members for comfort. Not wanting to be pulled into the boys' immature arguing, she decided walking near captain Yamato was the safest bet.

As she fell in close stride with the dark-haired man, an empty pang struck her. It was only then that she realized how she actually missed her irresponsible, perverted former sensei, Kakashi. Things had changed…Kakashi would have protected her from Sasori, if she had chosen to speak to him of it. Kakashi would have killed for his pupils.

Yamato's replacing Kakashi brought out the same feeling in her as Sai's replacement of Sasuke. The two would never be the same person, no matter how similar their personalities could seem. Sai would never be Sasuke, nor Sasuke Sai. Thankfully.

Her heart internally bled at the thought of her former team and how it had been coming together, missing very few pieces of the puzzle. Now the four of them were broken, as if the puzzle had been flipped over and flung from the table recklessly, scattering the pieces. Some pieces were closer than others.

"Come on Sakura, you don't want to get left behind and be out here all alone do you?" Yamato encouraged and inquired teasingly, probing at how far behind the three males she had fallen. When had that happened?

Trotting until she reached Naruto's side - Sai now walking a further distance away from the fox-boy - she caught her breath and fell back into stride. Her heart raced now from the sudden sprint she had made. It was better than the panging she had felt.

Shaking off the memories that had been haunting her and slipping back into the suit of reality, Sakura's mind turned from allies to foes. Shinobi had many enemies from the day they began training, but most enemies did not long for an affair with their foe like hers did. Not to mention the fact that while they were all corrupted men - or women - she had yet to endure another that dismissed his pedophiliac actions like they were legal and perfectly normal.

Sasori disgusted her. Not that the statement would ring surprise to anyone, stranger or acquaintance.

Her stomach twisted at the thought, not with the fear she normally endured, but with something more. With something forbidden - desire, lust, angst. Things a young kunoichi should not have been feeling for a corrupt man who sat outside her bedroom window in the midst of the night.

A fleeting burst of red overhead stopped her in mid-stride. Small red birds fluttered and danced through the treetops without any recognition of human presence below.

"I didn't know you were afraid of birds, ugly," Sai purred, triumphant at his pitiful attempt of mockery. Ignoring the ghost of a boy, she continued on, eyes darting amidst the trees and brush.

"Fool," she thought inwardly. Just because what you saw was innocent did not mean you were safe from the dangers that loomed out of sight. Out of sight was by no means out of mind - for wise shinobi anyhow.

Green bore at green while the team paraded onward. Since the sudden flight of the cardinal, Sakura hadn't taken her eyes off the foliage for more than half a second.

Red. Red was the color of blood, of evil, of demons.

Red was the color of the clouds the Akatsuki bore on their coats.

Red was the color of Sasori; his hair and eyes.

Sakura shook her head, attempting to shake her thoughts off too, as if they were a physical presence. Why did he linger in her mind so often? What had he done to make her think like this?

Games. All that this was - a game.

Licking her dry lips, devoid of any source of liquid aside from her saliva - and hers alone - she peered down the road which began to look more like a desert mirage with each second gone by. This was a long journey to be taking when your mind was occupied by horrid tales and truths.

There was no sign of true civilization anywhere near them. Hopefully by nightfall they would find some safe haven to stay within…not that it mattered. Sasori made a point to get what he wanted.

No. She could fight him. She still had her willpower.

"Captain Yamato," Sakura called out from behind the pack, ignoring the fight inside her. "Where are we staying tonight?"

The captain paused and glanced at her, then the boys. "Look around, familiarize yourself with the furry and feathered creatures. I hope you aren't scared of the dark…"

"We'll be staying out here tonight. The nearest town is too far a distance away to reach by sunset," Sai answered for Yamato.

"Alright." Glancing at the trees, Sakura glared in warning. She would sleep with a kunai in hand if she had to - not that it would do much good against an elite criminal.

The wind blew harder than it had before, and as it did a voice drifted with it. Though the sun still shone in the afternoon sky, it sounded as if someone had whispered, Sweet dreams,.

"Touch me and you're a dead man. They won't let you take me." Sakura seethed inside, bitter. Her confidence dwindled soon after, and she suddenly longed for the silver-haired jounin to be in her presence again, protecting her.

Kakashi wouldn't have let her die.

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