&dedicated to: shkh4ever (for giving the longest review!)
&special thanks to MyUsedRomance for reviewing every chapter! (I actually thought you had hit the 100 mark. :P)

Summary- In the natural scheme of things, the dead stay dead. But in the world of ninjas, nothing's for certain anymore. Sasu/Saku.

&DIS-cah-lamer is heartily applied!

Sakura popped her chin up and contemplated her target. Thirteen feet, two o' clock. And the element of surprise was in her favor. But she couldn't take many chances with so many people around the area…, four of which probably ready to stick their noses in her business -one in particular.

Her fingers twitched to motion toward it. She'd always been good with animals; she had several different summons, too. But this one seemed utterly unresponsive. It apparently didn't have any ninja bird ancestry in its veins.

Sakura fought off grimacing at it. Why was she stuck with a sparrow? Waves hardly even has birds, and people don't ever use sparrows as messenger birds for a reason.

It perked up. The sun's rays sparkled off the soft brown, glassy eyes of the bird as it plopped a step down the branch it occupied. It hesitated and Sakura greedily wished the bird to lift up itswings and fly to her before the sky changed its rosy, early morning glow.

The little sparrow cocked its head to the side, staring stupidly before chirping something similar to the equivalent of a yelp. Clear chakra wrapped around its leg in a spiral and Sakura cackled to herself. As gently as she could, she dragged the poor bird toward her until it sat precariously on the edge of her elbow. She pulled off a string of her shirt and pressed her thumb into it, inscribing a wind of chakra to code a thought.

Sakura hesitated to let the bird go; what if she didn't do it right? At least anyone who knew her would recognize the chakra. Maybe the bird would end up somewhere helpful.

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& r e f u g e &
chapter nine, folks!

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March 16

Location- Waves

"Hey… heeey, Karin. Pssssst, where'd the girlie go?" Suigetsu leaned sideways off a tree branch, holding himself still with the chakra in his feet. The wood creaked in protest as he continued positioning himself in from of her. Karin ducked to outmaneuver him, but Suigetsu slid upside down, staring at her two inches in front of her face. "Oh come, don't be like that. Have you seen her?"

"I could care less ifshe left; why would I want to know where she's lurking around?" The redhead sneered and spun in the opposite direction, noting the empty space by the fire's ashes.

Suigetsu hopped down and landed in crouch as he loped toward Karin again. "Well, Sasuke would care where she is. You know how he gets when people try to run." He fell into steady pace to keep up with Karin as she marched toward the river. The rushing of water became clearer and Suigetsu ducked under the stray limbs scratching at his face. His sword tipped over his left shoulder and carved a wedge out of the tree it hit.

"Then maybe we should tell him she ran. I'd like to see her face when Sasuke had to hunt her down."

Suigetsu huffed behind her while catching another branch sticking out in front of him. "Sorry, Karin, I don't think he brought her with him just to set her free for a good chase. Not many people can give him a good chase," he murmured the end to himself.

Leaves crackled loudly under her feet as she jumped over a fallen log. Wistfully, she glanced past the thinning trees and replied, "Well, a girl can dream, can't she?" Her hand started fiddling with the strap around her shoulder, searching for a towel, and she looked over her shoulder at Suigetsu. "And I can't wash off with you tagging along, you know. Go ask Juugo."

He rolled his eyes and plopped his sword into the dense forest floor. "Juugo's in one of his moods. Hopefully, we won't run into anybody today."

"Moods?" Karin echoed; recently, Juugo had been better. What could have tipped him off? He hadn't had any problems for the last few weeks.

"And Sasuke's not around either. Although I'm sure you've already checked that out, Karin. No wonder he doesn't stay around us, with you stalking him all the time."

"It's not stalking."

"Sure, it isn't. Can you just find our new little friend? She can't be far."

Karin whirled around, her face hot. "Friend? Why do you care? You barely even know her name, so stop asking." She stomped through the remaining trees, leaving Suigetsu to himself, bewildered.

He scratched the back of his head and blew out air, "Sheesh, touchy these days." He twisted his head around and slumped his shoulders. Dragging a foot across the moss and dirt, Suigetsu muttered and walked back to the campsite. He really wanted to find her; what did Sasuke want with her anyway?

Zing!

Three senbon pierced into the bark of the tree to his right. Suigetsu whipped his head around, watching from his sideways position the liquid drip off the senbon and eat into the wood. Chakra on the soles of his feet glued him horizontally to a tree and he scaled up the length to take cover. Smoke assaulted his nose and he glanced back at the tree the senbon had hit. A portion of the tree had dissolved away under the acid, crackling in satisfaction.

Running his hand over the handle, Suigetsu pulled his sword across his chest defensively. He stared through the foliage he camouflaged himself with and scanned the area. Someone with poison senbon probably wouldn't come into a fighting range, he noted.

Wimp.

A smirk pulled over his lips; well, he'd just have to chase his enemy out of his hiding place, then.

He gripped his sword to his side and crept to the trunk of the tree, sending chakra into its core and testing the ground, listening to the sounds. Bark creaked to his left, about ten trees over, whining under weight. Clutching onto the tree, Suigetsu swung around and threw a practiced aim with his sword into the cover of the trees. Little splotches of blood splattered onto the ground after his sword had made a gushing slash.

Suigetsu landed on the ground and yanked the senbon out, pocketing them as he walked to gather his sword.

"What a waste. I'm going to have to clean it now, just for that pathetic fight."

He took another step and a click resounded out of the forest, a shower of needlelike pins raining toward him. "What!" He leapt out of the way and skidded to halt, without his sword and in the open. Senbon traced his steps the whole way, sticking into the ground in a slanted line. A chakra source flared up behind him as he backed into the trees and he snapped his head around, falling into a defensive stance before trying to recognize it.

Sasuke stood on top of the tree limb, a shurikan resting comfortably in his hand. "Don't underestimate Kabuto's men, Suigetsu." He shifted his head as a gleaming kunai cut through the air, aiming at him. It whirred past his cheek and struck into the bark behind him. "Check on the camp; I'll finish this area."

"Uh, yeah, sure." Suigetsu answered, his left eyebrow popping into his hairline. He fell farther into the shades of the trees and picked up his sword from the debris on the ground. He reined in his chakra to head back to the campsite, but jerked his head over his shoulder before his feet landed on the tree ahead. "Sasuke! Check on Karin by the river while you're at it!"

Branches and trees disappeared behind him, rushing with the wind as he skidded to a stop outside the clearing. He ducked under the limb he was on and hid behind the trunk. Faintly, he could hear the soft noises of fabric rustling and the wind streaming off someone… A dim chakra pulsed behind him. And it wasn't Juugo; he was sure of that much.

Slipping a finger into the strap on his thigh, Suigetsu threw a kunai into the center of the ninja's back, waiting to hear the sound of the metal stab into flesh. He peered around the corner.

"And I here I thought I couldn't feel any more welcome."

Feminine and clear, the voice was definitely unfamiliar. He hesitated to jump in the clearing until after he had his impressive-sized sword towed in hand.

Now pink is not an intimidating color. Neither is green, really. They don't convey a particularly scary persona, so Suigetsu was surprised to see his shiny silver kunai caught delicately between her alabaster fingertips. His eyes ran up the length of her gloved hand, her bare arm, all the way to a pair of bright green orbs staring straight at him. A slender, pink eyebrow arched over her perceptive eyes.

"Not Sound, if you're wondering."

He shook his head and stared, "No, uh, I knew that. Hey, you're-" Fumbling over his words, Suigetsu mumbled out an unintelligible thought and stared openly at her for the next second. Her hair had looked red in the firelight.

"Sakura?" There was that amused tone again. In the back of Suigetsu's mind, he noted that she seemed utterly unaffected by his massive blade or ninja greatness.

"Yeah, so… you're gonna be with us now?" He shifted to his side and planted his hand on his hip. Still looking at her, he leaned his sword against the tree and made a slight show of leaving it.

Her mouth quirked up into a secret smile as she leant down next to the pack beside her feet. She locked the fastenings into place while tucking a hair behind her ear, "Guess so. Do you know where we're headed?"

His eyes falling to her level, Suigetsu paused at the foot protruding out of the bushes, the blood dripping off the leaves above it in silent pats against the ground. "No, not until Karin spots a trail. Hey, how many ninjas hit this spot, too?"

Sakura's eyes flickered off his, into the thick foliage, and she shrugged, making the short, spiky strands of her hair brush against her shirt in interesting angles. "Hm, a few." Her fingers never stopped making little deft movements in and out of the pockets, and Suigetsu found himself scrutinizing her easy attitude. Not many kunoichi seemed so sure of themselves. What was Sasuke planning?

The soles of his shoes scratched along the dirt as he ambled toward her with exaggerated loudness. A sharp chuckled shook her frame and Sakura glanced up from the dark blue pack, corners of her mouth tipping upwards into a grin.

"I'm not going to attack you and it seems like you're not planning on attacking me, so I think we're both safe from each other."

Suigetsu cocked his head to the side and placed his hands back on his hips, "That seems like a good start." He finished the rest of the distance and plopped Indian-style beside her. A lone green eye peered at him behind pink hair as she zipped up the bag and set it away.

"What?"

"Mm, nothing. You remind me of someone."

Moving his face in front of her, Suigetsu made a point of showing off his face. He lifted his right hand and patted at his cheek. "A good someone?"

Sakura laughed lightly and poked the cheek he shoved in her face, "Yeah, I guess it's a good someone,…" She paused curiously and looked up at him, "It is Suigetsu, right?"

His sharp, canines pointing out, he grinned, "Yeah, how'd you know? Were you awake last night?"

"Maybe."

"You sneak-"

A heavy thud landed on the ground and Suigetsu broke off mid-sentence, turning to look at Juugo. "Whoa, that many?"

His arm bulged out and the black specks littering his skin began to fade. With a grunt, Juugo rolled the bodies he carried off his arms like dust, letting them fall down limply on their sides.

Suigetsu glanced at Sakura out of the corner of his eye, curiously watching the blank expression on her face, and motioned to Juugo. "You didn't have to bring the ninjas back, you know. I mean, we're leaving soon, so we don't have to clean the place-"

"I got hit. Maybe they have treatment with them."

"You got hit? How'd they manage that?" Leaning on his hands, Suigetsu rose to his feet, about to rummage through the ninja's sacks when a stripe of pink cut him off. He stopped short, watching Sakura slowly sit down beside Juugo's right side to look at his arm.

"May I?" Her tone was polite and efficient, soft enough to be considered courteous. She slipped her hand into her weapon's pouch and brought out a vial of cream colored liquid and dabbed it on the puncture in small, practiced circles. Her hands shimmered and glowed green as she placed them on top of his arm, fingers manipulating the poison to curl out of the wound in a steady stream. The dark venom fell to the ground and hissed as it ate away at the dirt.

Suigetsu felt the grin grow on his face. A medic, huh? Why hadn't he thought of that before? And a good one, too. But if that was the case, why hadn't Sasuke mentioned that he was picking up someone else for the team? Or maybe he hadn't planned to…?

"It left some burns on the inside of your arms, although I'm sure you can tell. Do you want me to try to heal some of it for you?" Suigetsu watched her pull away her hands, looking up Juugo's still massive arm to his face.

"If you'd like." His voice was gruffer from the pain than it normally was, reverberating from deep inside his chest. He looked at her face while she continued working on his arm, and glanced back at Suigetsu.

Winking, Suigetsu nodded at Juugo's silent question. Yeah, that's her.

Behind him, leaves crackled as a tree swayed. Suigetsu peered over his shoulder at Sasuke and Karin, both equally drenched. The former with an impressively sulky countenance and the latter with a pleased blush on her face. "What took you two so long?"

Sasuke's eyes studied the area, noting the bodies and the scratches on the trees, before landing on something straight ahead. Suigetsu traced his eyes back and turned around to look at Juugo and Sakura. Her hands still emitted a steady green glow, gradually moving down the skin right above Juugo's wrist. Hearing Karin snort from behind him, Suigetsu turned around and wiggled his eyebrows at her, then turned back to see Sakura pulling her hands away from Juugo.

Sakura picked up the vial and tucked it back into the strap around her thigh. Angling her face over her shoulder, she returned Sasuke's observing look. "You'll get sick," she stated offhandedly before standing up to reach for her bag. She slung it over her back with ease and left her hands on the straps.

Sasuke grunted before leaping down from the limb and muttering a word under his breath, condensing and heating the air around him to evaporate the water off his clothes. He plucked a senbon off the tree and flicked it to Sakura. "What poison?"

She caught it between her fingers and reached behind her, placing it in the side pocket. "Ardente venom." She folded her arms. Sasuke's chest heaved up in silent groan and he glared at her, one eyebrow raised over the other. She elaborated, "Morte ardente: the burning death. It comes from a rare snake that mainly lives in marshes. A normal dosage takes nearly an hour to kill; it burns away the lining of the veins and puts the heart into arrest."

"Aa." Settling his hand on the hilt of his sword, Sasuke turned halfway around and looked at the other three. "We're going to Rain from here. Get your stuff." The middle finger and forefinger of his left hand rose in front of his torso and then he was gone, leaving a wisp of smoke in his stead.

Sakura grumbled to herself and turned to Suigetsu. "Where's he going?"

He answered with his back to her, tugging the strap of his bag around his neck. "Who knows? Maybe checking on something back in the village. He'll show up again when he's done."

"Is he always so… elsewhere?" Suigetsu looked at her for a moment and a laugh found its way out of his throat. He tossed his sword over his shoulder. "No. But I think he's going to start avoiding us even more now."

"What do you mean by that?" Sakura countered, her eyes narrowed in a way that he couldn't quite describe. Bright viridian slits glared at him.

"Probably exactly what you think it means, Sakura. I would ask you how you know him, but I get the feeling that you wouldn't tell me right now anyway, huh?"

"No. Probably not."

"Then I guess we better get going." Suigetsu reached into the bag now strapped to his back and threw an extra towel to Karin. "So, who did you sense in Rain?"

Catching the towel, Karin ran it over her arms and legs. "The real thing this time. Mostly Kisame, but Itachi's been poking around some of the Rain villages. It doesn't follow his normal pattern; it loops around the area like he was scouting." She flipped her hair upside down and rubbed it dry with the towel, flipping it back with a satisfied look still on her face.

Suigetsu groaned. "You looked happy -oh no, don't tell me you got him to walk in on you bathing."

"Like I could help it. That's just how it happened." Trying to hide her smile, she shot a patronizing glare at him and turned around, wringing her shirt of the extra water.

He folded his arms over his chest. "Maybe I'm going out on a limb here, but I don't think anything just happens around you, Karin."

"Hey -"

"Why Sasuke?"

Karin snapped her head to Sakura, a sneer already forming on her mouth. "What's it to you?"

Suigetsu watched as Sakura's mouth dropped into a frown. "Nothing. But unless I'm assuming too much, he probably doesn't give a damn. So why don't you give up?"

Suigetsu took the liberty of answering. "Because she's obsessed."

A wet towel slapped into his head. "I am not obsessed. And Sasuke does too care; he adores me."

"Uh huh, he definitely looked adoring when he came in standing beside you." He flung the towel off his head and started folding it. "And thanks for soaking my towel, Karin. Now it's going to be all moldy when I need it." He glared pointedly.

She waved it off with her hand, "Yeah, whatever, Suigetsu."

Suigetsu rolled his eyes and fished inside his pockets, pulling out the senbon he took with him earlier. "So, Sakura. How do you know so much about the poison?" He pinched the needles in between his fingers and lifted them up for her to see.

Shoving a shoulder into the tree behind her, Sakura sighed and looked away. "I've just heard of it."

He raised his eyebrows in amusement, "But aren't there like a million and two poisons in the world? But I guess it's not fair that I asked you such a generic question; my real question is when you got hit with one." Her pink hair fell in a soft pile against the wood as she leaned back; a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"What makes you think that?"

"The circular scars on the inside of your arm." He motioned his head toward the black specks that dotted her right forearm. "No wonder you were so nice to the big guy. Personal experience?" Juugo grunted from his spot on the ground at being called "the big guy".

She made a sound out of the back of her throat and closed her eyes, "How very observant. I don't think people give you credit, Suigetsu."

Karin snorted.

Rolling his head to the side, Suigetsu wrinkled his nose at her. "You're just jealous you're not as awesome as me."

"You wish. And you're not awesome."

"Whatever." He looked back at Sakura. "Then you've been running into Sound ninjas recently?"

"Sound?" Sakura's bright green eyes lazily popped open, watching him in interest.

"Well, yeah," he paused, blinking at her, "Sound's been using it every chance they get. For the past few months, I don't think I've fought a single one that hasn't had a weapon pouch full of it."

"Hm." Her gaze shifted from his eyes to right above his shoulder. Suigetsu watched her as her eyes glazed over in thought and she took her lip between her teeth, chewing over it habitually.

"Thinking of something?"

She blinked her eyes, shaking her head lightly, "Yeah. So… are we leaving soon?"

"Yeah, soon. Why don't you check on Juugo's arm again and then I guess we'll leave. Sasuke should show up soon, too," Suigetsu said, kicking dirt over the long dead fire and smudging his heels through the ashes. He saw Sakura push off the tree and sit next to Juugo, briefly hearing her ask how the burning was. Juugo's arm still took up a fourth the space his body did and Karin was mumbling curses to herself as she yanked at the zippers on her bag.

Rolling his eyes, Suigetsu smacked the dust off his shoes and wondered if maybe Sasuke didn't talk to anyone because of the company he's been around.

a/n.
why hello there, my good people! it's been nearly two months, i know, but i hope you enjoyed the chapter?

and special thanks to all the reviews! (yay!) the next chapter shall be dedicated to the mighty 100th reviewer! :D now go and tell me how horrible i am for being so slow!

drop a review, please? xD