Against All Odds

Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine.

AN: Shout out to the original readers. I had no idea there were so many!

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11: Dual Impossibilities

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She had never felt so very cold.

It was snowing, Sakura realized, it was snowing, and snow covered the ground like a blanket. She had not felt the cold in such a long time; it did not freeze too often in Konohagakure and especially not during the season they were in. She had not felt cold like this in the longest of time.

She had never felt so very fresh.

Something in the air was undeniably clean, almost as if she was the first person to breathe it. She felt as if every part of the air was gathering around her, coming into her and going out, as if it was curious to meet her… as if it had never met a person before.

"How are you feeling?"

Sakura turned slowly towards her companion, a smile on his face – a hint of smugness as usual, but a genuine smile for him nonetheless.

"I've never felt so alive."

He nodded at her.

"Yeah," he said simply, "me, too." He pointed a finger ahead. "There's the tablet. There's the secret. Read it, and you'll have a life worth meaning."

"I'm going first," she told him, grinning cockily as if expecting a challenge, but he just shook his head.

"Go for it." She beamed at him, and his expression soured as if he couldn't believe those words had come out of his mouth. "Just this once, though. Just this once."

Slowly, she stepped forward, savoring every moment. She had not come to the mountain for this consciously, but now, she realized, it was destiny. It was her destiny to see this, to share it with everyone.

She peered curiously onto the tablet, expecting some beautiful calligraphy, expecting some wonderful truth, but it wasn't there. There was nothing there.

"Sasori," she cried, "there's nothing on this tablet! There's nothing here!"

Something was wrong. She was supposed to find a deeper meaning – she was supposed to find the truth – but there was no truth! There was nothing but lies!

"Sasori?"

She spun around on the plateau, and she could see no one. No one. There was nothing except snowflakes. Fluff.

"Sasori?" she called, collapsing onto the ground, not under any physical ordeal but a great mental weight that pulled her down. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes. "Sasori? Sasori!"

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"Sakura!"

"Ouch!"

"No, that's my ouch!"

"You can't feel pain!"

"Trust me," Sasori grumbled, seething inside, "anyone could feel that." He rubbed his jaw, upset. All he was trying to do was wake her up. He had let her lay unconscious for a while, but when she began squirming in turmoil, something in him decided to just wake her up. And in his act of kindness, she had lurched forward, slamming her all-too-hard head into his puppet body, sending shocks through it. He glanced at her and became pissed to see she wasn't even touching her head. She was examining her arms.

"What the hell?" he hissed. "Your head hit my chin – don't act like it doesn't hurt!"

She stared at him.

"Oh it did?" she asked absentmindedly. "I just… well, the bruises, you know. I'm bruised all over. That's why I said 'ouch,' you know." She held out her hand, and closed her eyes. "I'll take care of some of it. I may have broken a bone here or there…"

Sasori once again resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"I should have just left you," he snapped. "I should have just left you to try and read that damn tablet."

Something flitted across her face, like a dark shadow, Sasori did not know she was capable of. After their last episode of her saving him in the most miserable situation he had ever encountered, he honestly saw her as surrounded by, well, rainbows and butterflies with a thick, heavy halo at the top of her head. He had seen her upset about her friends, but this… this was something else. It had things he saw in himself, saw in Deidara – it had ambition. It had something more.

But it had passed as soon as it came, and his partner remarked dryly, "Well, why didn't you? Where are we now anyway?"

Sasori sighed at her, figuring he might as well answer honestly.

"The mountain crumbled," he explained. "I managed to get us out of there by carrying you – you were knocked out pretty quickly. I suppose all our adventures finally wore you out. But it doesn't matter. We're in a mountain range now. I'm not quite sure where we are even."

She nodded slowly taking the information in, and then she cocked an eyebrow at him imploringly.

"I guess," he said stiffly, "I saved you because…" His voice became hesitant. "Well, I owed you one. And besides, much as I hate to admit it, I've decided your company isn't entirely intolerable."

She smiled slightly, letting out a small laugh.

"How far do you think we are from Konoha?" she asked him as she stood up a little more steadily than he expected. He frowned.

"I'm not sure," he admitted, "but I'm sure you'll find your way back home. We're not in the cave anymore. We're free."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said. "I can use my powers."

She nodded, and something about that wasn't right. Sasori stared at her confused, puzzled by her and also by himself. Why was her nod, her one insignificant movement, so strange? It was so casual and unassuming…

Sasori froze as he came upon a sudden realization. She should have been scared when he said he could finally use his strength. Scratch that, she should have been terrified. He was a great ninja – a member of the legendary Akatsuki! He could've and should've killed her where she stood…

But there was something wrong with that, too. In his world, pre-cave, he would have fought her, and while she may have put up an interesting fight, he knew he would have prevailed. But in the cave, he had come to rely on her utterly and completely, and something had happened – something had formed.

When he was in the cave, he had never thought so far ahead, never wondered what he would do once they got out. Maybe, he had simply assumed he would kill her. But now, he realized, even now, he didn't want to kill her. He wanted her to be, well, safe.

He decided he would leave her.

He knew she would be fine without him; hell, she'd probably be better off without him considering all the problems his presence stirred up. She'd get home, be with her friends who surely missed her, and just go on with life, hardly remembering the cave episode and her unique partner in it. Maybe, one day, she'd hear about Akasuna no Sasori by word of mouth and briefly wonder if that Sasori was her friend Sasori, her companion in the cave.

And maybe one day, he'd hear something about Haruno Sakura accomplishing a deed that would cause the whole Akatsuki to buzz, and he would smile somewhat fondly before continuing on whatever killing spree he happened to be on at that time. Their paths would probably never cross. Haruno Sakura had nothing to do with the Akatsuki, and the Akatsuki had nothing to do with her.

And she was a tough girl. Like everyone else, she'd probably die in the name of a mission, but she was also resourceful. A medic ninja. Maybe, she'd simply be safe. It wasn't too much to hope for.

"Well, I'm afraid, Sakura, this is where we split," he said plainly. "We'll look together for a more familiar area, and then, I suppose, I have to return to where I came from. I'm guessing you have to do the same."

He saw the disappointment cross over her face, but that quickly turned to acceptance – as he knew it would – and she smiled at him.

"Yeah," she said as she dusted off her clothes. "Yeah. This was fun, but Naruto's probably home by now." She laughed. "He may even be worried about me."

Once again, Sasori froze. Naruto… It was such a familiar name… Maybe she had said it before…

"Naruto?" he repeated curiously. She nodded at him, still smiling.

"Yes," she replied. "Uzumaki Naruto. One of my greatest friends and oldest teammates."

Uz…u…maki… Naruto… the, the-

"The kyuubi," Sasori breathed almost silently. Sakura frowned at him.

"Something wrong?"

Sasori stared at her. She was best friends with the Akatsuki's prime target. Hell, she was that target's teammate!

Sasori weighed his options. Sakura was, admittedly, a great friend. He admired her. He really liked her. And he felt so seldom about others like this that ruining it would have been a shame. But on the other hand, he now had an amazing lead into one of the Akatsuki's top missions. It was a completely golden opportunity, so rare and impossible, that giving it up went against every part of him, body and soul.

Never mind. He would stay with her and use the girl.

"It's nothing," Sasori said with a shrug, acting innocent as he laid the bait. "I was just thinking that I haven't seen Konohagakure in such a long time. And Uzumaki Naruto sounds like such a native name from there… I know it sounds a little odd, but-"

"Oh!" Sakura interrupted, completely oblivious to any malicious content. "Would you like to come see the Leaf then? I'm sure Tsunade-sensei wouldn't mind. And I could use the company."

He nodded automatically. Bingo.

"Yeah," he said. "I'd love to."

She grinned at him.

"You know, if you want to hear native names, how about Uchiha Sasuke?" she asked teasingly. "He, Naruto, and Kakashi-sensei – we were all one unit."

Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Sasuke, Sasori thought. By God.

In truth, he couldn't believe he had never asked this before. She was great friends with Kakashi of the Sharingan. Her other peer was Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi's younger brother. He had heard that the young ninja had gained immense strength and worked alongside one of the Akatsuki's greatest foes, Orochimaru. Amazing. The girl was a spider web of connections.

But something tore at him, and he didn't know what it was, and when he finally realized it, he groaned. He wished that he had asked about her friends before, had discovered that Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke were names that she could drop freely and easily… before. Because, if he had, then, none that had happened would have happened. He never would have grown close to her, and instead would have looked at her as a tool. He would have been able to dispatch her in an instant without feeling a thing.

But what had happened in the cave was irrevocable. Although he had simply figured she would be a small part, she was a part of him nonetheless. Like Deidara was. He cared about her. He didn't really want to do her body harm.

Still, he knew what his duty was. And besides, though he put her at risk, she didn't really have to die.

"Kakashi?" he asked curiously, playing along. "He's quite famous."

Sakura laughed.

"Ugh, Kakashi-sensei is so difficult!"

"Well, I'd be difficult if I had to coach you."

She swatted him playfully. He couldn't help but grin. And it was painful because it was a natural grin. And it was representative of a friendship he was about to brutally use.

"Idiot!" she snorted. "You're difficult anyway!"

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"I think we're lost," Sakura announced. "It doesn't have the same meaning as it once did, but Sasori, I'm disappointed in you. I would have thought that a great ninja like you could've figured out the way to a village."

"This is your damn homeland," Sasori snarled, clearly frustrated as well. "Or maybe we've just made a habit of getting lost at this point."

Sakura sighed. She wouldn't have been surprised. They were a highly dysfunctional team.

But Sakura was glad she was with him. And she was grateful for the change in atmosphere. Now, being lost felt like a funny joke – not at all like the sick, twisted prank of the cave. It was relaxing, kind of like a vacation.

And she was glad he was with her because for a second, she thought he would disappear forever, and while she had halfway expected an act like that from a ninja like him, she had felt the sadness come along anyway. When he said he was leaving her, she felt a little empty inside. His change of heart was a surprise, but Sakura pounced on the chance, and she was glad she did. The walk home would have been especially lonely if she was not only all by herself but had also lost a good friend.

"Everything will work out in the end," she assured him. "You know, we're probably right on the outskirts of the village."

Sasori looked around.

"It's getting dark," he muttered. "How well can you see?"

"I can see fine," Sakura snapped, somewhat annoyed. Okay, so she wasn't super-human puppet ninja, but she was a ninja! And a damn good one, too! She had dark vision! Yeah, dark vision!

She knew Sasori was probably rolling his eyes.

"I'm not saying you're weak," he snapped at her. "I'm just trying to be practical here."

"Well, you sound like a condescending jack ass!"

He bristled.

"Well, you are a stupid, selfish bitch!"

"At least I'm pretty!"

"Hell, I'm prettier than you!"

It was too much. Sakura burst out laughing while Sasori stared confused before quickly becoming embarrassed, and inwardly, she felt very warm. Even in the real world and not that damned excuse for cave, he was just… well, Sasori to her. He was just her friend. And even though she hurled insults at him more than she hurled punches, even she could appreciate some playful banter. And she could especially appreciate playful banter with a cute – if not altogether human – guy.

"Oh, whatever," he grumbled, and Sakura continued to laugh.

"Well it's true," she admitted when her laughter died down. "You are undeniably beautiful, madam."

He didn't have anything to say to that, and if he did, he kept his mouth shut. Sakura enjoyed the comfortable silence, and although he kept his pout on his face, she knew that he did, too. They continued walking, evening approaching, and Sakura shuddered slightly. It was a little chilly. And there was no place to go, really…

"Sakura," Sasori said slowly, interrupting the quiet. "There's a village ahead." He pointed his finger to the lights before him, and Sakura smiled. Some things never changed. However, her grin faded as she examined the town ahead.

"Yeah," she said, "but it's not Konohagakure."

He shrugged.

"Well," he said finally. "It's a place to stay. And they'll probably have directions to Konohagakure. Shall we go?"

She smirked at him.

"We've been through the undead, our worst nightmares, and staircases," she chuckled. "I think that we could rest up at the village and be fine."

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AN: So… they are now out of the cave and into reality. But don't worry. The town is only going to last like a chapter. It is by no means the damn cave. Nothing mysterious there… just some drunks. And some guys who hit on Sakura. It's a bit more lighthearted. The next few chapters are.

Oh, and by the way… oh my gosh, thanks for the reviews, and THANK YOU ALL THE ORIGINAL READERS! I am so shocked I have so many people who read the story like way back when… it boggles my mind. I am sorry that I don't respond to everyone individually; if I'm supposed to do that, if it's proper web etiquette, please, please let me know. Usually, I just respond when there's a question asked that I can answer. Otherwise, I don't because… I'm lazy. But not unappreciative. Maybe I seem like that, but honestly, I'm just completely clueless. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the next few chapters (there should be like twenty-two, twenty-three total). They will not come as quickly as this one; expect updates on weekends. Let me be honest: I don't really want to write this story, but I'm not going to half-ass it. I promise. I'll work on it even harder than before.