The Curse

Chapter Thirty: Contact

'…You're ours, Haruno Sakura…'

'…You're ours…'

'…Your body. Your chakra…'

'…You are…'

'Ours.'

Naruto sighed, running a hand through his blonde spikes as he absently looked around the room he and his comrades had barricaded themselves into for the night. Raiden, Kasumi, and Shin were huddled together around a lantern and Shin's crudely-made, but efficient map. They spoke in low voices as they pointed at various areas on the parchment. Akemi and Akio sat against the far wall, the female twin asleep against her brother's shoulder, while Akio conversed with Souta, the youngest idly sharpening his tantō and kunai.

To Naruto's right, isolated in the adjacent room, Daisuke was overseeing Isamu's and Takeru's progress with using the ofudas as chakra armor. Occasionally, Naruto would glance over and listen in, discovering that Isamu was quite adept with maintaining his chakra and a very fast-learner. Takeru was struggling a little more but he wasn't to be outdone by the Rain Jounin, using an incredible amount of willpower and perseverance to catch up in his learning.

Shifting his gaze to his fellow Leaf comrades Naruto couldn't help but let a smile curl his lips. The Uchiha hadn't moved from his spot since first settling there. His right hand remained coiled around Sakura's, dark irises staring with gentle fondness for the woman lying in rest beside him. He wasn't sure how long she was going to be unconscious but there wasn't much to be done until the morning arrived.

'But damn,'Naruto grinned in happiness; 'The bastard finally admitted his feelings for Sakura-chan!'

"Okay, a few more rounds for practice," Daisuke declared, attracting Naruto's attention once more, "We'll leave in half an hour – after a short rest to replenish your reserves."

Creak.

Naruto turned his head, glancing over his left shoulder to offer a glare to the dark shadow that the Creature cast across the shoji behind him. It had steadily been moving closer and closer to their group as the night progressed, standing in eerie silence as it undoubtedly stared at where Sakura was resting. Beside him, Sasuke had also frowned with irritation, but didn't deign the silhouette with a glower – instead keeping his focus entirely on their female comrade.

'…Can you hear me, Haruno Sakura…?'

Naruto's and Sasuke's frown deepened as the hissing yet guttural voice spoke and they could practically hear the grin in her speech. It was the first statement the Shadow had uttered since taking her haunting stand just outside of the shoji door. Her question had caused all heads to turn towards them – Raiden and his teammates paused in their exchange to watch with concern; Souta and Akio stiffened with readiness as they warily examined the dark outline; Takeru's concentration broke with a scathing swear; Isamu's brows furrowed with controlled irritation; and Daisuke observed Team Kakashi and their tormenter with calculating navy irises.

'…You belong to us now, Haruno Sakura…' The Shadow continued, and it was followed by a dark chuckle, filled with amusement and taunt and triumph.

Naruto's brows creased with confusion, "What is she talking about?"

Sasuke, however, was staring at Sakura intently; dark irises glazed over with memory of what the Creature had said when they had been in the northwestern stairwell.

'She's mine now…'

Why was she speaking as if she was already in possession of Sakura? In the past, the Creature and Little Girl desired for her – craved for her – speaking in the tense of it coming to be – in the future.

'…Can you hear me, Haruno Sakura?' It questioned, voice softer but no less menacing – its shadow moved closer, so close that she was pressed against the shoji and activating the light-blue electricity of the protective ofudas.

Sasuke watched as Sakura subtly shifted and the Creature's amused and dark chuckle returned – which disturbingly caused Sakura's moving to become more prominent, her expression scrunching up with discomfort and fear. He tightened his hold on her hand to help calm her but a small whimper escaped her lips in response. Within the light of the nearby lantern, Sasuke noticed how pale Sakura's face had become, darkened circles under her eyes, and her cheek cold when he reached out to touch her.

What was wrong with her?

"The fuck," Naruto growled, glaring at the Shadow, "All that talking is waking up Sakura-chan. I just want to a put a Rasengan into her stomach and just–" Naruto didn't finish his sentence but his desires were quite clear.

Unfortunately, Sasuke couldn't agree with Naruto's observations. The simple act of talking wasn't what was bothering Sakura – in fact, it looked like something internal, triggered by the words that the Creature was speaking, was causing Sakura's distress.

'…Wake up…' The Shadow whispered creepily, 'Wake up…Haruno Sakura.'

A sudden inhalation of breath – a gasping lungful for air – startled everyone. Raiden, Shin, and Kasumi were immediately on their feet; Akio's and Souta's eyes were wide with surprise; Isamu and Daisuke surged forward from where they had been watching in the adjacent room; and Takeru was glaring at the Shadow accusingly.

Naruto was instantly by Sakura's side and Sasuke had taken both of Sakura's hands into his own, leaning over her so she could look straight into his eyes. She was still gulping for air, emerald irises widened as they darted around uncertainly of her surroundings, fear crossing her expression as she clutched at whatever held her hands. Behind them, the Shadow began to cackle maniacally – knowingly – before returning to her ominous, but attentive, silence.

"W-What just happened?" Souta whispered distantly.

"I don't know," Akio responded, at a complete loss.

"Sakura," Sasuke acknowledged firmly, grabbing her attention and keeping her focus entirely on him, "Calm down; it's us."

"Yeah, Sakura-chan," Naruto added in reassuringly as he moved into her sights, "We're here – just like we promised!"

"Uzumaki-san," Naruto turned his head to find Kasumi holding out a bottle of water for him, which he gratefully took. Raiden began to usher everyone back to their original activites, especially now that Sakura was beginning to calm down upon Sasuke's quiet coaxing.

"That was quite strange," Shin murmured as he walked beside Raiden, back towards the general area where Akio, Akemi and Souta were still seated.

"Indeed," Raiden agreed gravely, casting one more concerned glance over his shoulder. Sakura had quieted and was drinking from the water bottle Naruto held out to her, and the Creature had become mute in her frightening vigil just feet away from the Leaf kunoichi.

"That was creepy, yeah?" Isamu verbalized, casting worried grey-blue irises towards Team Kakashi, a frown tugging his lips when he realized how pale Sakura was, "Poor Sakura-san."

Takeru grunted but didn't say anything, eyes downcast as he glared at the spent ofudas laid out in front of him. Daisuke couldn't remove his gaze from Sakura, brows steepened as he studied her shaky – fidgety – form, the way her eyes darted everywhere, and the anxiousness that crossed her expression seemed all too familiar to him.

"Dai; hurry up," Takeru growled, "You're wasting our time just standing there!"

Daisuke blinked his navy eyes, gave one more calculating scan of Sakura, and reluctantly turned away, sitting down beside Isamu to continue their improvement with their chakra armor training.

"Alright…Let's continue, then; one more time."

Sakura wouldn't stop shivering. Naruto's jacket had been draped over her shoulders and Sasuke had retrieved a thin blanket from his pack, cocooning her further into woolen heat. She hadn't spoken a word since waking and she had been moved to the opposite side of the room – away from the shoji – so she could lean comfortably against the wooden wall. Her green eyes wouldn't stop darting around, always landing on the shadowed silhouette of the Creature, hands fidgeting beneath the layers of her warmth.

Naruto sat on her left and Sasuke on her right, both men dutifully guarding their anxious, female comrade. Royal blue eyes shifted towards her every few seconds, brows furrowing with concern as Sakura continued to shudder and uncomfortably squirm in her spot. Sasuke was glaring at the outline of the Shadow, though every brush of Sakura's trembling form caused his vision to shift towards her, frowning as her body shook and her sights darted to every single movement that caught the slightest of her attentions.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto called gently – and her eyes shifted towards him briefly before moving towards Isamu when he scratched a hand through his hair, "What's wrong?"

Sakura didn't answer but the question seemed to trigger something within her and she swallowed hard before closing her eyes and bowing her head. Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance before moving closer towards her, trying to see beyond the veil of pink hair that covered her expression.

"Sakura-chan?"

"…It's nothing," Sakura whispered softly – her voice decidedly steady – she shook her head, "I'm fine."

Naruto didn't look convinced, "Are you sure?"

Sakura nodded, "I am; I'm sorry; I was just hearing voices…Probably from that nightmare I woke up from," She lifted her head and Sasuke was relieved to see a little more clarity in them, even if her skin was still troublingly pale, "I'm sorry."

"Ah, don't apologize, Sakura-chan," Naruto placated.

She huddled closer into the warmth of Naruto's jacket and Sasuke's blanket, breathing in their scents with comfort. Curiously, she looked between her two teammates. Sasuke was wearing a long-sleeve black shirt that looked a little thin and Naruto was clad in a dark blue t-shirt, arms exposed to the open air.

"I'm freezing," Sakura confessed with confusion, "Aren't you two?"

Naruto frowned down at his arms and shook his head, "Not at all. It's kind of warm actually. Sasuke?"

The Uchiha shook his own head; his response was honest, "I'm fine."

Sakura's gaze wandered, letting the subject drop as her emerald irises landed on the Suzuki twins, a relieved smile curling her lips when she noticed Akemi healed and sleeping peacefully, Akio seated at her side in obvious protection of his sister.

Another shiver wracked the medical kunoichi's body and a shuddered breath escaped her lips. Obsidian and royal blue eyes slid towards her and Naruto reached out a hand to touch her forehead, frowning when she visibly flinched from the contact.

"You're really cold, Sakura-chan," Naruto half-yelped, half-whispered with alarm.

"I'm f-fine," Sakura argued, but the stutter in her voice betrayed her.

Sasuke frowned. They didn't have anything that they could use to make a contained fire pit to help warm her, but her face was becoming a lot paler, and the circles under her eyes were growing a lot darker. From over Sakura's head, Naruto was giving him a look – one that had Sasuke scowling with mild discomfort, looking away from the blonde and the shivering woman beside him.

"Sasuke-bastard!" Naruto hissed angrily.

It was one thing to admit his feelings to the idiot but it was another to actively show his…affections.

"For Kami's sake!" Naruto sighed, rolling his eyes in exasperation before nudging Sakura with his right elbow, causing the kunoichi to yelp as she was forced against Sasuke, "Sasuke-teme, warm up Sakura-chan, will you? I'm going to see if I can make some soup – or Ramen – to help raise her temperature."

Sasuke scowled as he watched Naruto stand up, dust off his pants, and walked off to the part of the room where Souta, Akio, and Akemi were sitting, intent on checking the scattered packs for his stash of rations – simultaneously throwing a half-warning, half-encouraging, glare towards the Uchiha. Sakura quietly began to move away from his side but Sasuke let out a soft sigh, draping his left arm around her shoulders and pulling her shivering form closer towards him.

"You don't have to do this, Sasuke-kun–" She began but Sasuke shook his head and held her tighter, running his hand up and down her arm to cause warming friction.

"I want to, Sakura. Just…relax. Try to calm down. It's fine."

Slowly, Sakura nodded, sidling closer into Sasuke's left side – the Uchiha moving in response to help hold her better – and rested her forehead against his left shoulder, arms buried beneath Naruto's jacket and Sasuke's blanket, head bowed to help warm her neck.

"…Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

"Hn."

Sakura squeezed her eyes shut as she pressed into Sasuke's side. It was here, that she felt safe.

Even as the whispers in her head were fainter than when she first woke up; even when the shadows had stopped curving into disturbing patterns across the walls; even when the smell of death wasn't filling her nostrils as she buried her nose in the combined fabrics that belonged to her teammates; even as her skin crawled with freezing cold that felt like icy fingers slowly trailing her skin.

Taking a deep, shuddering breath – safe within the hold of Sasuke – her head bent over her arms and effectively blocked her teammate's view of her. Sakura slowly peeled back the layers covering her, heart pounding in her chest with anxiety.

'…You are ours now…'

Sakura's hands trembled as she fingered the hem of her sleeves, teeth biting into her lower lip, eyes blinking rapidly to avoid the spilling of her fear-induced tears, blocking out the damned voices that were echoing dimly in her head.

'…Haruno Sakura…'

She held her breath and slowly pulled back the left sleeve of her shirt, a single tear sliding down her cheek as she shifted slightly to allow the distant lantern's light to wash over her left wrist.

'…You are OURS now…'

Another tear fell as she let out a sniffling sob, emerald irises raking over her mottled skin – bruised in blackish-brown spots that decorated the inside of her wrist and up to the crook of her elbow the further she pulled up her sleeve. Sasuke's arm tightened around her with concern and she shoved the sleeve back over her arm, quickly looking up to connect red-rimmed green eyes – cheeks streaked with tears – with worried obsidian.

"Sakura?"

"It's nothing," Sakura assured, closing her eyes and wiping away the tears with Sasuke's blanket – not daring to risk moving her sleeve – and she gave a watery smile, "It's just catching up to me – what happened. It's just…catching up."

"Let it out, then," Sasuke encouraged, "But…you're safe now, Sakura. I'll protect you."

His suggestion and his affirmation and his promise made her heart constrict with sadness, fresh tears sliding anew, especially when he reached forward to gently wipe them away. Because she wasn't safe; he wasn't safe from her; she couldn't be protected.

In the darkness of the northwest stairwell, in the struggle of survival against the Shadow,Haruno Sakura had, undeniably, been touched.

Isamu looked at his reflection on the blade of his tantō, grey-blue eyes clouded with thought, his lips pulled into a grim line. With a small snap he sheathed his weapon and strapped it to his belt, picking up the stack of ofudas that would serve as his protection in the horrors of the palace. He stepped into the middle of the room as he tightened the hitae-ate to his forehead and curiously let his gaze wander; Naruto was seated at Sakura's left, rifling through a pack and removing, what looked like, bags of rations and snacks. Sakura, herself, was curled into a bundle, shivering and pale, as her fatigued, green eyes silently watched Daisuke and Raiden discuss their plans a few feet away. Sasuke had a warming arm around the kunoichi, dark eyes also fixed on the pair of Bird ninja.

"How do you plan on opening the door?" Raiden questioned, crossing his arms over his chest as he studied Daisuke, "Force isn't an option – Sakura-san already tried and she has chakra-enhanced strength in her possession."

"We're going to head to the second level," Daisuke responded as he strapped his kunai pouch to his waist and tied his brown hair into a tail at the base of his neck, "We'll find a room above the Throne Room and break in from above. If we're lucky, it'll be a room that we can clean out, and barricade ourselves inside, to avoid interruption."

"Do you have enough ofudas?" Raiden interrogated – clearly concerned about their new plan and making sure they covered all the bases and problems that their team could potentially encounter.

"We have enough," Dai assured, "And we'll only be resorting to using our weapons – no jutsu – while we have the chakra armor activated. It'll help with maintaining our concentration."

Raiden nodded with agreement, approving of the idea, "How about radios? And if you run into any kind of conflicts?"

"We're on the same frequency as before," Dai answered calmly, pointing at his ear where the radio device was settled, "And if there's any trouble at all, we'll head straight back here."

"And if you have no way to get back here?" Raiden pressed seriously.

"We'll lock ourselves in a room and raise a barrier," Dai sighed, exasperation finally reaching his voice.

"I'll keep an eye on them," Naruto spoke up from the floor, and navy and coal eyes slid towards the Leaf shinobi who was wrestling with a sealed bag of chips, "I'll enter my Sennin Mode and keep track of where they are. If they get into any trouble, I'll send Sasuke-bastard after them, since he can use the chakra armor too."

Sasuke could feel Sakura's grip on his arm tighten fractionally but he nodded his consent nevertheless, "Hn."

Raiden seemed to visibly relax with the extra reinforcement of safety, "Thank you."

"Let's get going already," Takeru gruffly urged from the other side of the room, close to the door; one hand gripped his hand-axe readily and the other held an ofuda, waiting to be used.

Isamu nodded his head but watched as Dai's gaze slid to Sakura, brows creased with concern as he observed her huddled form, navy irises filled with scrutiny.

"Sakura-san."

Emerald blinked twice before shifting upward to regard Dai. Under the lantern light Sakura looked even paler, the darkness and her eyes more ashen, and had her cheeks always been so thin and defined?

"Are you okay?" Daisuke asked and there was something in his tone of voice that indicated more than her well-being, navy eyes searching her expression critically, as if a silent conversation was taking place.

"…I'm fine," She whispered in reply.

Daisuke didn't look convinced but he wasn't going to press, instead giving one last penetrating look towards Sakura, before nodding his head at Isamu to follow.

"Alright," Dai sighed, "But if you need anything, don't be afraid to tell someone – anyone." The suggestion was casual but Sakura bit her bottom lip as she watched Dai and Isamu walk away, before burying her head back against Sasuke's left shoulder, suddenly immensely exhausted.

"I know," She murmured to herself in response.

"Here, Sakura-chan," Naruto interrupted from her thoughts, holding out a bag for her, "I couldn't find soup, but here're some chips. You should eat something."

Isamu examined the ofuda in his hand and exhaled long and slow as he attached it to his stomach. Beside him, Dai and Takeru did the same while Raiden waited by the door, ready to open it.

"So, who's going out there first?" Souta questioned from somewhere behind them.

"I will," Dai responded voluntarily, placing his hands together and glancing at his two comrades, "Ready?"

"Ready!" Isamu piped in, Takeru grunting simultaneously.

"Alright; Fuuinjutsu: San Kekkai."

Isamu winced as the uncomfortable feeling of numerous chakras bombarded his senses and he quickly reigned in on those sensations, controlling his own chakra at his core and keeping the others as a protective shield around him. Takeru swore, though his eyes were closed to help sustain his concentration. Dai blinked several times before walking forward, nodding his head towards Raiden who opened the door and allowed the Bird Chuunin through.

"Be careful."

The door closed shut behind Daisuke and he stared without fear at the Corpses that began to migrate forward and surround him. There were so many. Men, women, young and old. They groaned and hissed, hands reaching forward to grab him – only to be stopped by the blue electricity of the ofuda barrier. The enemy contact caused the chakra of his ward to stutter, making it a little more difficult to control, but he managed. The Corpses growled with protest, trying to break through but stepping back reflexively, a few feet, to escape the shocks.

"It's working!" Dai called out.

The door behind them opened and Isamu and Takeru warily stepped out. Their close proximity seemed to make their shield bigger and the Corpses shied away with a unified groan, keeping a safe distance from the seals' energies. Takeru moved forward first and swung his hand-axe into the head of a male cadaver – who fell back with a moan.

"Alright, let's get going," He growled, leading the way towards the northeastern staircase down the left-side of the hall in order to get to the second level. The Corpses parted with their slow progression, moving away from the high levels of chakra, the three shinobi trying their hardest to preserve the necessary meditation to stay alive.

They could do this. They had to.

Sakura stared at the bag of chips sitting in front of her blankly. She blinked slowly because she was losing her focus. Her head was a whirlwind of thoughts and the voices she was hearing – they wouldn't stop, no matter how much she tried to silence them. Every movement was noticed by her and caused her to startle with…paranoia.

Was this what Yoshida Kaya was suffering from? Was this this the consequence of being touched? And Satsuma Yoshiro – the man from the Rain Border Village – was this the fear that he had been feeling when he had encountered her?

She looked up, staring at the outline of the Creature straight across from her, lit by the dim luminescence of the moon. Sakura could feel as if the Shadow was staring straight through her eyes and had no doubt that a feral grin curled her blood-stained lips.

'Ours…' It seemed to whisper, distantly in her head.

Sakura shook her head, pulling the blanket around her tighter, "No…No…No."

"Sakura?"

Pink hair flew as her head snapped towards Sasuke, who watched her fidgety movements with concern. Sakura then shook her head upon his questioning stare, bowing her head and shifting her attentions towards Naruto – who sat silently in the middle of the room, meditating, and channeling his Sage Mode to keep track of Daisuke and his teammates.

She wondered if he could feel her…If he could feel something wrong with her – or maybe the natural energy completely surrounding them in the palace was suppressing any of her abnormalities.

Sakura wanted to examine herself. She wanted to pull back her sleeve and study the spots that decorated her arms, but with Sasuke watching over her, she didn't want to alarm him. A quick chakra scan and she could feel a slight irregularity in her network – that seemed to grow the more time went on – but it was more of a physical and mental and emotional difference that needed tests to help figure out what was wrong and what could be done to fix it.

Her heart pounded. She didn't know what to expect with this new development…

'…Sakura…'

The voices were starting up again and Sakura shut her eyes, hunching her shoulders forward as she rested her chin on her knees, breathing in and out, slow and deep, to control her fear and anxieties.

"It's nothing," Sakura thought to help calm her; "It's just tricks. There are no voices. I'm being paranoid. Nothing is wrong with me."

'…Are you sure?'

"Stop it," Sakura whispered against her knees, body shaking; "Just stop."

'…I see you, Sakura…I feel you…'

A haunting chuckle filled her head and Sakura gasped, body growing hot with adrenaline.

The hair against her left ear shifted. She stiffened as she felt breath against the lobe. And a voice that sounded like it was right next to her, suddenly spoke.

'…Do you feel me?'

Sakura yelped, body jerking as she moved away from the voice, her right shoulder colliding into Sasuke's left arm, green eyes wide as they searched for the thing that had been right next to her.

But nothing was there.

"Sakura?" Sasuke tried again, "What's wrong?"

Sakura twisted her head to look at him, searching his face to see that he did not understand her fear – was not aware that something had been right beside her – talking to her.

"…I…" She breathed shakily, before looking towards her left again; seizing up when she saw fingers, sliding along the floor, under the space of the door that was situated a few feet away from her. She moved further into Sasuke, eyes wide as a whimper broke from her mouth, watching as two hands had slowly slipped through the space and black hair was following after it, a feminine moan in her head growing louder and louder and – why wasn't the protective barrier working?

"S-Sasuke," She turned her head to look pleadingly into Sasuke's confused obsidian irises, "Y-You can't see it; sh-she's–"

"See, what, Sakura?" He asked, at a loss as he looked past her head and then back to her, expression creased with puzzlement.

"It…" She turned her head back and saw the door empty of fingers and hair, heart pounding in her chest as she remembered so vividly, right there in front of her, "…It…"

"Sakura," The Uchiha repeated, a little more firmly, "What's wrong?"

"If you need anything, don't be afraid to tell someone," Daisuke's voice rang clearly in her head, "Anyone."

As much as she wanted to tell Sasuke and Naruto what was wrong with her she couldn't help but fear the outcome. They were vastly overprotective of her and she was afraid of what they would do, in a palace filled with their enemy, once they realized her condition. But a logical – larger – part of her mind wanted to protect them. She didn't know what she was capable of now that she had been touched. If Kaya had been so self-destructive, had hurt herself, Sakura didn't know if she would break down and end up hurting her teammates.

"No secrets…" Sakura murmured.

'…Sakura…'

Sakura felt her heart stop as something shifted within her bundle of jacket and blanket, her body staying absolutely still. Her bottom lip quivered as she looked into Sasuke's eyes – whose expression had shifted into wariness with her continued strange behavior.

"S-Sasuke-kun…" She tried to move her arms but she felt the slide of hair against her skin when she knew – she knew – her hair was tied back behind her neck.

'…Sakura…' Cold fingers were scissoring languidly up her left arm, before a hand curled around the wrist that held her curse, 'Can you feel me?'

"NO!" Sakura screamed, startling Sasuke as she jumped up, wrestling inside the cocoon of fabric around her, tripping and falling hard on the wooden floor that resounded in a loud and painful THUD that broke Naruto's concentration and caused all heads to snap towards her in startle.

"Sakura-san?"

"Sakura-chan?"

"NO!" The Leaf kunoichi moaned, writhing in her spot on the floor as she tried to break free from her confines, the hand around her wrist tightening that she could swear the bone was about to break.

Sasuke was instantly at her side, hands grasping her shoulders in order to steady her thrashing, distantly hearing the Shadow cackle darkly from behind the shoji, "Sakura!"

"GET IT OFF ME!" She screamed, "LET IT OUT! STOP IT! STOP! IT'S…IT'S…!"

Her arms finally emerged from the bindings of Naruto's jacket and Sasuke's blanket, lashing violently as if she were trying to push an invisible force off of her. Sasuke calmly grabbed her upper arms and pitched her forward against his chest, his heart physically aching as he listened to her terrified sobs. One sweeping glance across the room and he could see all eyes were curiously and cautiously transfixed on them. With a grunt, Sasuke adjusted his hold and easily picked Sakura up, slightly relieved to feel her clutch at him and continue to cry rather than throw punches at him in intense fear and panic.

With a short glance at Naruto, and after an understanding nod from the blonde, Sasuke walked off to an adjacent room, on the opposite end of the narrow collection of spaces, into a slightly darkened area that was barely touched by the lanterns' lights.

"I-Is Sakura-chan okay?" Souta asked as he took a stand beside Naruto's sitting form, chocolate eyes trailing Sasuke's movement as he gently set the woman on the floor, next to the farthest wall, slightly out of their viewing behind a broken shoji.

Naruto grinned, "Sasuke's got her. She's fine."

Souta bit his lip, "I don't know. That whole thing that just happened…It sounded – and looked – a whole lot like Kaya-nee-chan."

Naruto, who had never personally met or witnessed Kaya – but heard of her and her situation – felt his smile falter fractionally, "Well, whatever it is; we'll take care of it. We'll take care of her."

Souta only looked half-convinced, but nodded his head nonetheless, "Okay."

Once Sakura had been set on the floor she had curled into herself – back pressed to the wall, knees pulled up her chest, and her hands running through her pink hair – mussing it into disarray. Sasuke sat across from her, patient, watching as she shook her head, which was bowed forward, tears streaming down her face and dripping onto her raised knees.

"Sakura," Sasuke started firmly, "What is going on?"

"…I'm going crazy," Sakura answered, voice heavy with sobs, "I can hear voices; and I always feel cold; and I can smell death; and I feel things; and I can't make it stop! Someone – something – was in my blanket and holding me and breaking my arm and–" She broke off into another sob and pressed her forehead to her knees.

Sasuke didn't know what to say and, certainly, wasn't expecting her response; he sighed, "It's just paranoia, Sakura."

"It's the same thing!" The Leaf kunoichi shouted as she looked up to stare at him. Her eyes were red from tears and the streaks down her cheeks were startling against her pale skin, "Crazy; Paranoia – it's the same thing, Sasuke! My head is just pounding and I'm constantly feeling anxious! Something is wrong with me…"

"Nothing is wrong with you, Sakura," Sasuke stated seriously and he absently reached out a hand to touch her left ankle, rubbing his thumb across the exposed skin in an effort to comfort her.

Instead, his statement caused her tears to flow anew, alarming the Uchiha as she squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to prevent them from falling, "Sasuke…"

He moved closer, reallocating that so that he was on Sakura's right side, his right hand coming up to brush away the pink hair in her face, "Tell me, Sakura."

Sakura swallowed, messily wiping away her tears as she shook her head, "…I'm afraid, Sasuke-kun. Something is wrong with me."

"Stop saying that," Sasuke growled, "People feel fear – you're no exception."

"It's not that," She shook her head and stared down at her hands, which rested on her knees, "I don't know how much time I have left."

"You're starting to get annoying, Sakura," The Uchiha expressed impatiently, "What is wrong? Tell me."

"You saw what happened back there, Sasuke-kun," Sakura responded softly, "You heard what I said. Who did that remind you of?"

Sasuke searched her face as he tried to mentally find the answer. Her screaming and fear and her words did remind him of someone – and when he finally realized it, his dark eyes snapped across her body searchingly before returning to Sakura's face, the medical kunoichi staring at him with accepted sadness.

"No," Sasuke declared with denial, shaking his head, "No."

Sakura only nodded, closing her eyes as the tears fell again, slowly pulling up her left arm sleeve and revealing the splotches of brown and black that decorated her pale skin, "Yes, Sasuke-kun."

"How–?" He stopped his question, remembering the triumphant grin the Creature had worn before they escaped the northwest stairwell.

"I don't have a lot of time," Sakura pressed out, voice shaky as she pulled the fabric over her skin, "My symptoms are already progressing a lot faster than I imagined. It could be days, or maybe even hours, until I reach the same level Kaya has reached – a level where I won't recognize you and where I'll be useless in helping with the case."

Sasuke could only watch her. She had just revealed to him that she had been touched; bearing the marked curse that would leave her perpetually paranoid, in a state of mind where she would be violent and unresponsive. She had just revealed to him news that made his heart stop and, here she sat, speaking quickly and as efficiently as she could, telling him that he was going to have to read her notes and retain her most recent thoughts so he could take over for her when she finally fell to darkness.

"–are many theories," Sakura spoke softly, "But the fact remains that all the combined evidence we obtained as separate groups leads to a shinobi – one who can use chakra with a probable high-level of control over it and–"

"You'll be fine," Sasuke interrupted, dark eyes shifting from the glare he gave her wrist towards Sakura's emerald irises, "Nothing's going to happen to you."

Why? Why was it, that anyone he ever cared about and loved, was always hurt or cursed in some way? Why her?

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura frowned, holding back the amount of emotions that wanted to break free, "We need to be realistic. I'm hearing voices in my head right now. It's getting worse. We need to take advantage of the time I have left–"

"You have plenty of time," Sasuke argued, "You're fine." He shook his head and brought a hand to his throbbing eyes, feeling his Sharingan react to his intense emotions and actively tried to keep his kekkei genkai subdued.

"I'm fighting it," Sakura assured as strongly as she could, "I'll fight it, as long as I possibly can."

But Sasuke couldn't imagine it – could he even handle it? – watching as Sakura descended into a state of insanity where she wouldn't even recognize him. He couldn't think of the possibility of looking into Sakura's emerald irises and seeing the intelligent clarity fade away, into a darkness that left her in a wild and frenzied behavior while inflicting pain on her own body.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura pleaded, taking his hands into her own, "I need you to trust me right now. I need you to be thinking clearly. Please."

Again, Sasuke shook his head. His eyes remained sealed shut as he listened to Sakura shift, knocking her knees against his crossed shins, hands grasping his wrists gently as she pulled them from his face, and lifted his chin so they could look into each other's eyes.

"We'll figure this out," Sakura whispered, "You can figure this out."

A sudden flinch twisted Sakura's expression, her hands releasing him so one could grasp her shaking wrist. But she was trying, straining against the voices in her head as she opened her eyes and mustered as strong a reassuring smile as she could muster.

"I'll fight it," Sakura smirked shakily, thinking back to the earlier afternoon and the promise he made to her before they parted ways to explore the Twisted Valley, "I'll fight it, Sasuke-kun. For you."

And slowly, Sakura moved forward and placed a short, lingering kiss on Sasuke lips, shoulders shaking but her resolve to show him, firm. Once her soft skin touched him, something triggered in Sasuke, his body surging forward just as she began to pull away, left hand sliding up her neck to the back of her head, drawing her closer until she was practically on his lap.

Maybe this moment wouldn't end; maybe everything could just fade away; maybe, when he opened his eyes, Sakura would be fine.

Her body shivered against his and Sasuke rubbed his right hand along her back in an effort to warm her. He had the sudden urge to feel her, to show her everything he felt, and to not lose whatever time he may have had left with her.

"No," He thought fiercely, "She isn't going to die. We'll save her."

Sakura slowly pulled away, closing her eyes to reign in on her emotions, leaning her forehead on the top of Sasuke's head as he rested the bridge of his nose against the crook of her neck, "…We're so close to solving this, Sasuke-kun. Don't give up."

Sasuke only rested his lips against her shoulder in response.

"And I won't forget you," Sakura laughed wetly, "I could never forget you. Besides, I have time. We have time."

"Sakura…" He whispered, "You can't…I just…I…" He sighed in frustration.

The Leaf kunoichi smiled as she ran a shaky hand through his soft, ebony locks, "I know, Sasuke-kun…" She turned her head so she could take in his smell, before lifting his chin and placing a kiss to his temple and then a chaste kiss to his lips, speaking against them with genuine care coloring her softened tone, "I know…I love you."

Sasuke breathed out heavily, his heart pounding with the tender confession, "…Thank you, Sakura."

Sakura smiled, forcing the voices in her mind away as she rested her head on his chest, listening to the strong beat of his heart, "Thank you, Sasuke-kun. For caring about me."

"Not just that," He rectified quietly, shaking his head, "It was never just that; I don't just care. It's more – so much more; always more." His admission made her smile, another few tears gliding down her face.

"And I'll save you," Sasuke swore, his arms tightening around her, "I promise."

'…I'd like to see him try…'

"I know you will, Sasuke-kun," She responded strongly, challenging the voice in her head, "I'm sure of it."

Isamu flinched as the bright, light blue shocks surrounded him, Corpses groaning with anger and frustration as they pushed against his protective barrier before backing up again in a periodic cycle. Behind him, Takeru was waving his hand-axe to keep the front wave of enemies back while Daisuke guided them ahead, navy eyes searching the doorways that lined the walls before pointing a hand to one on the left side.

"Over there!"

"Hurry up!" Takeru shouted, wincing when a one-legged Corpse fell into the ofuda-barrier around him, the impact causing the older shinobi to stumble, "I can't hold it much longer!"

"Just hold on!" Daisuke urged as he made it to the door he had gestured to, finding it locked and ramming his shoulder against it to force its opening.

"Let's go; let's go; let's go!"

Takeru and Isamu were facing the hoard, backs to Daisuke who grunted as he rammed his body into the door. The blonde could feel his control slipping on the seal and, since it had been more than five minutes since he activated it, he needed to use Kai to dispel it or else the consequences could leave all his chakra depleted.

SLAM! SLAM! SLAM!

"Damn it, Daisuke!" Takeru yelled.

Isamu was at his limit and the Corpses were encroaching dangerously on them. With a muttered curse, he started to create a series of hand signs, removing a flare from his back pouch which effectively caught Takeru's attention.

"What are you doing?"

"We need to hold them back or else they'll get into the room too," Isamu replied, strained, lighting the flare in his hand.

"If you use a jutsu then your chakra armor…" Takeru trailed off in gruff warning – slightly surprising the Rain ninja.

"It's fine," Isamu responded lowly as he heard the door behind him begin to crack and splinter; he inhaled long and deep, "Katon: Rekka no Jutsu!"

He brought the sizzling flare to his lips and blew, shifting his head as the ensuing stream of flames arced horizontally. The heated impact caused the approaching Corpses to groan in agony, stumbling backwards from the aggressive assault. Isamu's chakra sputtered and his vision spotted as the chakra of his ofuda recoiled against his body and caused him to violently flinch, knees shakily keeping him upright.

"Dai!"

CRACK!

"We're in!"

Isamu felt a rough hand grab the back of his collar and forcefully pull him backwards, the grey iron of Takeru's hand-axe flashing in his peripheral vision. His feet shuffled backwards from the momentum and, before Isamu knew it, the door was slammed closed in front of him, Dai already plastering ofudas along the wood and its adjacent walls.

The hand on his collar released him and Isamu fell onto his rear, blearily looking up at Takeru who stepped over his sprawled legs, "Ow…"

"That was reckless, brat," Takeru grunted, looking around the darkened room and eyeing the crates stacked around them; he took the portable lantern attached to his belt and lifted it to provide better lighting.

"Thanks, Takeru-san," Isamu started hesitantly – albeit gratefully, "Like, really, thanks."

"Whatever," Takeru grunted, already moving to the middle of the room, examining the floor and stepping on it experimentally; the pressure eliciting a loud creak.

Dai had activated the ofudas, ensuring their protection within the space, and stepped up beside Takeru with a contemplative frown. Isamu slowly stood up, checking his chakra network for any abnormalities and sighing with relief when he found full control. Then he rubbed his rear to soothe the bruise that was forming there, joining his comrades in the middle of the room, one brow raised in expectance.

"Okay, what next, guys?"

"We break through the floor," Daisuke answered, already removing an axe that he borrowed from Souta's weapons' inventory scroll.

"Easy enough," Takeru grunted.

"Alright," Isamu nodded, removing his ronin double-bladed sword, readily lighting the steel with fire for extra auxiliary.

BASH…BASH…BASH…BASH

Isamu watched as Daisuke raised his axe and brought it harshly to the wooden floor, the timber breaking easily under the force. They were going to have to break through at least a few feet of extra reinforcement of the structural integrity. With a deep breath, Isamu joined in on the hacking, Takeru doing the same, with two hand-axes, across from him.

As their shadows painted their continued progress across the darkened walls Isamu couldn't help but think…

…What the hell were they going to find?

A/N: Ohmigosh, is this some kind of new record for a chapter update? Well, I really wanted to get it out as soon as possible so we could get to Sakura's condition since you guys already kind of knew about it in Chapter Twenty-Eight from the rewrite. But heeeeyyyy, a new chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. I really wanted to delve more into Sakura's personal paranoia before she actually revealed that she had been touched to the others. So I feel so much better about these chapters! I hope you guys do too!

AS FOR A LEMON: Yeah, I don't think it's going to happen. I've read my fair share but I've never written it, and honestly, I don't think its flow appropriate at this point of time, for Sakura and Sasuke to do it in a dark corner of the room. I don't think I can make it happen…MAYBE later on in the story, but no promises. I'm focusing on the horror and mystery of the story, not so much the romance – hence the influx these past few chapters – but a lemon doesn't seem right at this point in time.

AS FOR TEAM KAKASHI, SAI, AND HINATA – You'll find out more about them (and KARIN)sometime in the next couple of chapters.

SO because of this early update, it might be a while until the next one – perhaps 10-15 days – but I'll aim for 6-10 days.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! I'm really curious how you guys are feeling about the last chapter and this new chapter. And for those of you who HAVE BEEN REVIEWING! THANK YOU SO MUCH! YOU'RE AMAZING! I LOVE YOU!

GOT QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS? PM or Review (but make sure you're logged in under a Username so I can promptly respond back!)

Next Update: 10-15 Days

Next Chapter: Chapter Thirty-One: Enemy

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Company – only the Original Characters and Plot.

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~Len