Hey guys, I'm really sorry about that. I'd updated yesterday but the chapter didn't come up, so I'm updating again and hopefully it'll work this time :) x

So I got this one out a little faster than last time at least :/ This chapter may seem rushed, and I'm really sorry if it appears that way. I just wanted to get it out before I, literally, go through around ten weeks of stress and exams. First week back at school and I've already done two. Year twelve is ridiculous.

It's come to my attention that FF. net is doing this huge purge of M stories. With the content in mine, I'm expecting it to be deleted somewhere along the line, but if anyone who is considering reporting this so it can be deleted then I'm pleading for you to not. I've worked for far too long and too hard on this story to see it get deleted, and I would be crushed if this was. Also, just as a backup plan, does anyone know any good fanfiction sites I could post this on that wouldn't delete it for the content? Thanks :)

Thank you very much to everyone who reviewed! Less people than last time (sad face) but seeing as I took forever to get it out I don't blame you :)

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I'll Never Say

.:{*}:.

The Other One

Sakura POV

Neji appeared calm as he looked over Naruto and I, surveying us with a professional view and giving no indication that either of us meant more to him than our ranks dictated.

"You'd best go to the infirmary first for your wounds before seeing Hinata," he said, then turned to lead us towards the hospital. Naruto and I ambled after him, his words seeming to make our wounds reappear as the initial joy of finally being home began to settle in. My wrist and ribs began to ache again and I could see Naruto give a pained grimace out of the corner of my eye.

The infirmary compiled of a few unstable shacks, with the skeleton of a new hospital being built beside it; the Otogakure soldiers must have burnt down the hospital after taking me prisoner, and I closed my eyes as I tried to stop the flood of memory seeping into being. How many would have been lost in that fire? I hardly dared to think on it.

Neji pushed apart the flaps to one tent and stepped aside to allow Naruto and I passage. The tent was cramped and poorly lit, with a few guttering candles adding to the stifling air of too many bodies pushed together. I barely had time to dwell on that, though, as my blonde-haired tutor turned her honey coloured eyes on me.

"Sakura?" Tsunade whispered, and I could do naught but stand there as if in a stupor. "Is that really you?"

I managed to nod my head and push back the tears that threatened to fall down my cheeks. I could not fall apart! "Tsunade," I managed to whisper, before my big-busted mentor embraced me in a killer grip, nearly squeezing the air from my lungs, but I cared little. How I had missed her, and I silently reprimanded myself for barely having thought of her in my whole time away. Granted, it had been many months since I had seen Tsunade before being taken, but that was hardly any excuse.

"My little Sakura, I can barely believe that it is you here," she whispered in my ear, not relenting in her grip.

"It is me, shishou, I'm finally home," I sobbed and clutched her medical uniform as tightly as possible, not caring for my wrist or ribs. Tsunade would fix them in no time, I knew.

"How did you manage to get away, little one?" she asked, and held me at arm's length, her professional eyes sweeping my form and immediately assessing my injuries.

"I'd still be in Oto if it weren't for Naruto," I said. "He saved me. He got me out of there. I owe him everything."

She nodded, still assessing me. "Seems I owe that knucklehead a few bowls of ramen then," she said. "You're malnourished, your wrist is fractured, that cut is starting to fester, two ribs on your left side are broken and you're absolutely freezing. You haven't been taking care of yourself, Sakura," she chastised.

"Our horse died beneath us, and Naruto's injuries are far worse than mine. We were being chased so we had no time to gather any supplies, shishou. We lived off what we could find."

She nodded again, then led me further in to the tent, barking out orders at the staff to take care of Naruto, and make sure that he was treated well, dammit, before leading me to a small bench where she bandaged my wrist and chest and cleaned my cut and put gauze over it. She tried to insist upon giving me some soup as well, but I denied it, saying that I really needed to see Hinata. There would be plenty of soup and other foods there. Tsunade eyed me firmly upon my refusal, before proclaiming that she would be coming to the compound later that evening to get me food and check my injuries. There was no point in protesting, and I didn't want to anyway. Any excuse to see my shishou.

She led me from the tent and back towards Neji, who was waiting patiently at the entrance.

"What about Naruto?" I asked, turning to face my mentor.

"His injuries were more severe and Shizune should be looking after him at the moment," she said, and I nodded.

"Tell him I owe him a free meal at Ichiraku's," I said to her, and she smiled.

"Naturally."

And with that, Neji and I headed towards the compound and Hinata.

I don't think I'd ever existed in a more tense silence than that one, and it took all my will to not start telling him everything that had happened. But it was not the time for that. I would tell him later, when I could look him in the eye.

.:{*}:.

Normal POV

.:{*}:.

Hinata looked worn as Sakura and Neji stepped into her private suit. There were dark circles beneath her eyes and worry lines near her mouth that told a story of sleepless nights and fear beyond measure. But the moment she raised her pearl eyes to look at who had entered, it was as if all the exhaustion disappeared and she all but bolted over to Sakura, embracing her as if her very being depended upon it. Sakura held her best friend back as tightly as she could, crying quietly into Hinata's shoulder with pent up emotion.

"I thought I'd never see you again Sakura-chan," Hinata whispered, barely loud enough for the roseate to hear.

"It'd take a lot more than Otogakure to stop me from coming back to you, Hinata-chan," Sakura muttered back between sobs. "There are so many things I have to tell you and so many things I want to ask you; it feels like aeons have passed. Was it really only nine months? There must be a millennia's worth of things I must tell you and even more you must tell me."

Hinata giggled between her tears and pulled away from her friend, though keeping her fingers linked with Sakura's. "Neji-san, could you excuse us please and make sure that we're not disturbed? Sakura and I have a lot of catching up to do."

Neji inclined his head regally. "Of course, Hinata-sama," he said, and exited the room, locking the door behind him.

Hinata quietly led Sakura over to a lounge stuffed with cushions and curled up on it, watching as the roseate made herself comfortable. Eagerness shined like a halo from Hinata's eyes, and Sakura sighed, knowing immediately what she wished to ask. "Naruto is alive and well, Hinata-chan. You needn't worry for him; he's just getting patched up at the infirmary."

"Why did you need the infirmary?" Hinata quickly questioned, forsaking her usual shy demeanour in her desperation. "Are you both alright?"

"Our horse died beneath us as we were trying to escape. Do not worry, Hinata-chan; considering the circumstances we both escaped with minimal injuries."

Hinata was silent as she let the reassurances process themselves before she spoke again. "What happened to you, Sakura-chan? What happened after you were taken away? Where have you been these past nine months?"

Sakura sighed. "It's a long story, Hinata-chan."

Hinata smiled kindly and took Sakura's hand in hers. "I have a lot of time, Sakura. You can tell me."

Sakura nodded and took a deep breath before recounting her tale.

She told her of how it was quickly realised that she was not Hinata. She told her of how she met Sasuke. She told her of Juugo, and how he was the first friend she made in Otogakure. She told her of Itachi, who was ever so kind to her, and of Ino who was a right little pig. She told her of Tenten, who stood up for her when all of the other maids and servants hated her, and she told her of Karin, who gave the pretence of friendship. She told her of Gaara, and his baffling attraction towards her, and of Orochimaru, that creepy, slimy snake of a man. She told her about Yue and Mikoto and Fugaku, and of their suspicious murders.

She told her of losing her virginity to Sasuke, how it had made her blood curdle and the guilt that plagued her for months afterward. She told her about when she found Yue's diary, and all the questions it raised instead of answered. She told her that Hizashi had been found dead in Otogakure after apparently trying to murder Yue. She told her of the conception drink-turned-poison, and that she had been tortured for the month following that. She told her of Itachi's birthday ball and being reunited with Naruto and of Gaara's proposal.

She told her about her epiphany: when she finally realised that she was in love with Sasuke.

She told her of her's and Naruto's escape, and of how they had finally managed to get away.

Finally, over an hour later, she had finished telling Hinata everything.

It took a while for Hinata to breach the silence. "That is a fair tale you have there, Sakura-chan. I fear mine is not nearly as exciting."

Sakura laughed, the sound carefree. "Exciting or no, I am sinfully curious, Hinata-chan," she said, coaxing her best friend. "I've shared my story, now it's your turn."

Hinata sighed and began. "Neji and I left Konoha quickly. The tunnel you spoke of was dark and damp, and if not for a torch Neji had found I wouldn't have seen my fingers even had someone placed them before my eyes. The tunnel took us to the east of Konoha, and once we emerged we saw the hospital begin to go up in flames. It was horrible." She paused for a moment as she relived the memory. "Neji and I found an old abandoned wood cutter's cabin in the woods and we stayed there for a week to get our bearings. Not one day after being there did Naruto come knocking on the door. I was exhilarated to see him alive and unharmed, but Neji took him aside after he'd had something to eat and sent him off to find you. It was hard watching him leave when I hadn't even had the chance to hold him.

"After that first week Neji and I took what supplies we could and walked to a small town near the south of the Fire Nation's border. We'd changed our clothes to blend in as peasants from some old clothes left in the lodge and the walk to the small village made us filthy. We could never stay in any one place for too long, lest one of the town's folk recognise us. I believe that there was a hefty bounty out for legitimate information on me. Money does strange things to an individual, and our eyes were a dead giveaway as to our true identity. Neji and I had prepared to go back to Konoha in April, so as to meet you there, but before we did we were recognised by a traveller. We didn't stay around long enough to know if he reported us or not, but we decided against returning to Konoha. If we were reported then Konoha would be one of the first places that they'd look.

"Neji could only ever send Naruto an update on our status every month at best, giving him orders and telling him what to do. Only once did Naruto manage to get word back to us, and that was to say that you had been imprisoned and couldn't go anywhere. Naruto could not return to Konoha until Neji deemed it safe enough to do so. Being spotted in April put our plans back, and we didn't dare return to Konoha lest the enemy be there. That is why it took so long to get you home, Sakura-chan. If men from Otogakure came back to Konoha looking for me then they would recapture you and do Kami-knows-what. We had to wait and bide our time until we were certain that it was once again safe to enter Konoha and that the threat had been driven out."

She raised her eyes to look at Sakura. "And now we are finally home. My father has restored a sense of order to Konoha and there are no threats of invasion pending. We are finally home." She smiled, the grin radiating with happiness. "I don't think I've ever endured such a long nine months before. I hope to not do so again."

The stench emanating from the dungeons had Sasuke crinkling his nose. Burnt flesh, he was quick to identify, and upon walking past Kabuto's cell he was quick to see why it was so bad. Kabuto's legs looked half melted, the stubs where his feet had once been charred black. Sasuke cringed at the ghastly sight and continued walking towards Orochimaru's cell where Itachi was standing sentient.

"Has he said anything more?" Sasuke asked the elder Uchiha upon entry, and Itachi shook his head.

"He keeps telling us of this 'other one' but will give no clues as to who he is. Though he keeps saying he is dangerous and he has the potential to destroy us, so that has given me a few ideas, but nothing solid enough to be a theory."

"What are these ideas?" Sasuke questioned.

"Someone with power – a councilman or an enemy country. Someone who has the money and the influence and the power to destroy us. But who? My first thought was someone from Suna. Inoichi or Gaara maybe, but both of them would be stupid to risk war when both of our lands are to be allied soon anyway. And neither Inoichi nor Gaara is stupid. Gaara would not risk his sister's life, as she will be moving here soon for our wedding. Inoichi has no reason to attack Otogakure. We found and executed the culprit of his daughters poisoning; he would be foolish to wage war against us. I've thought of Konoha, but Orochimaru hates Konoha more than us, I'd presume. I can't imagine him ever swearing fealty to anyone in or from Konoha. So that would leave someone from our Council, but all of them have proven time and time again their loyalty towards us. I cannot make sense of it. I cannot think of who it may be."

Sasuke shook his head and placed his hand upon his brother's shoulder. "Itachi, you cannot stay down here forever. Come up to the castle for just a few hours and have something to drink. Breathe some fresh air. It'll do you the world of good."

Itachi nodded, the movement betraying his exhaustion. "Just for a few hours, then I will begin to arrange the prisoner's executions." He stood and turned, showing Sasuke the dark shadows under his eyes and the subtle slouching of his shoulders.

They walked in silence from the prisoner's cells, for once no screams bouncing off the cold stone walls, instead being replaced by the lingering smell of inevitable death.

Neither Itachi nor Sasuke noticed the orange slits that followed their movements as they left the prison.

The man smirked, bloodlust stirring in his veins as he turned towards Orochimaru's cell.

She found him sitting beneath the old oak tree in the garden, his eyes closed and his body relaxed. Neji's long dark hair fell over his shoulders and cascaded in a dark waterfall around him, a stark contrast against his pale skin. Sakura could easily remember how silky it had felt when she'd run it through her fingers all those months ago, and an instant desire flared through her to feel his locks again. She immediately pushed the thought from her mind. She had a job to do. She had to tell him that she no longer loved him. She owed him that courtesy at least.

"Neji?" she called, and slowly walked over to him. He opened an eye at the sound of her voice and smiled as she approached.

"Sakura," he said in greeting, his tone warm and inviting. "It has been a long time. Come here, sit by me." He moved across, giving her access to the tree to lean against. He didn't take his eyes off her as she sat down, an act which had red staining her cheeks.

"You're blushing," he noted, a smile in his voice. "Does that mean you haven't lost any of your feelings in these past nine months?"

Sakura cursed herself as she felts her cheeks grow hotter, though this time from guilt.

"Neji, there is something I must confess," she said softly, feeling everything she had to say bubbling forth, but unsure where to start.

"And that is…?" he prompted, turning her chin so as to look her in the eyes. His gaze was soft, speaking words which she knew she could no longer return, and she felt guilt rise up like a serpent inside of her.

"Please don't look at me like that," she whispered. "It makes this so much harder, and I don't want to hurt you, though I know that that is inevitable." She turned her head aside miserably.

"Sakura," he said firmly, and turned her back around to look at him. "Anything you have to say, please do. I swear I can handle it."

The roseate nodded and took a deep breath, closing her eyes before she began. "Firstly, I am no longer a virgin. I lost my virginity the night after I went back to the camp. I cannot describe the guilt I felt at being unable to give you my virtue, so please do not make me relive that." She opened her eyes to see him looking understandably at her.

"I did not want to let you go for that reason. I knew that the chances of you being returned to me pure were slim to nothing. But I care not, Sakura. I do not care."

"That isn't all," Sakura quickly interjected. "Your father is dead, Neji. In fact, your father is possibly the reason why the war started. Your father apparently attacked and killed the youngest Uchiha: Yue. Her death marked a lust for revenge in the Uchiha household, and that is why they waged war. That is why they were after Hinata: they wanted her life in compensation for Uchiha Yue's."

Sakura took a deep breath before continuing.

"While in Otogakure, I was also the Prince Sasuke Uchiha's… consort, I suppose. I shared his bed for the duration of the nine months I was in Otogakure. And… and after being with him for so long I… I no longer love you, Neji." She turned away from him. "I'm so sorry, Neji. I denied the waning of my feelings for so long, it wasn't until another pointed it out to me that I realised. I no longer love you because I am in love with Uchiha Sasuke. I still care for you so much, and I look back on our time together with only the most tender of affection. But when I look at you now there are no butterflies. If you were to hold me now or kiss me now, I'd only be wishing it were his arms or his lips. And I feel that you deserve to know this, before you make the mistake of trying to be with me. You deserve so much more than I can give you, Neji. I cannot be with you. I cannot love you. I am so sorry."

His silence shook her to her core; he refused to look at her; make a sound. Sakura had no idea what to do.

"Say something," she whispered.

"Say what?" he said after a time. "What can I say to that? I want to find that prince and make him rue the day he was born for taking you from me in almost every sense of the word, yet I cannot." He looked at her, and Sakura quickly turned her head aside, the guilt getting the best of her. "I would have waited for you, you know?" he said quietly. "I would have waited for you. For as long as it took. If Naruto had failed to bring you back I would have gone after you myself."

Sakura took a deep breath and closed her eyes, feeling tears being to creep across her eyelashes. "Neji, I -"

"Go. Just go, Sakura. I wish to be alone for a while."

The roseate nodded, hating herself more and more as time went on before standing and turning to leave.

"I'm sorry, Neji," she said softly before leaving the garden.

Sasuke's skin crawled in premonition the moment he entered the dungeons beside Itachi.

Something was wrong.

It was too cold; too silent. There was no ragged, pained breathing coming from any of the cells, and the smell of death permeated the air with a screaming clarity.

Neither of the brothers moved, both feeling a disturbing sense of foreboding washing through their system.

What had happened?

Cautiously they made their way down further into the depths of the dungeon; nerves alight for any out of place movement. Anything that didn't belong - wasn't supposed to be there.

"Where are the guards?" Sasuke muttered under his breath, but Itachi merely shook his head.

They got to the entrance of Karin's cell, but it was bereft of life. There was no one in there: no body, no breath.

They quickly moved towards the next cell: Kabuto's cell.

But that was empty too. Filthy with stale blood and piss and fear, yet nothing lived in that cell.

Slowly they moved towards Orochimaru's cell, the stench of dry blood filling their nostrils the closer they got.

The sight that met their eyes had them choking back bile.

The whole room was crimson.

Two guards were hanging from the ceiling, their throats half slit open and blood drenching their clothing and dripping off their fingers and toes, flooding large crimson puddles at their feet.

Kabuto laid a few paces away, his abdomen split open and his eyes bloodshot and popping. Sasuke and Itachi were quick to realise what the red rope binding the two guards were when they couldn't see Kabuto's intestines: the guards were hanging from them.

Karin was closest to them, her thighs sporting huge slits and the aorta clearly visible. She was surrounded by a pool of her own blood, and her features were contorted in an endless scream of agony.

Against the far wall Orochimaru laid, his head severed and resting on his breast, his arms across his pelvis and his legs beside him. But that wasn't what horrified the two brothers the most.

On the wall above Orochimaru, written in blood, were the words Your Cherry-blossom is next, surrounded by splatters of congealing blood.

Sasuke was quick to exit the room and empty his stomach onto the stones, the gruesome sight having been unlike anything he'd ever seen, even in war.

"Your Cherry-blossom is next," Itachi choked, his face alabaster white and his hands shaking. "Would that mean Sakura? But she is no longer in Otogakure."

"Itachi," Sasuke rasped, wiping his mouth of excess bile. "Who the fuck did this? It must be someone from Oto. We have no visitors here, and only you, the Council and I have keys to this area. You and I haven't left each other's side since we left the dungeons. We are each other's alibis. Who the fuck did this sick massacre?"

"I don't know, Sasuke," Itachi said quietly. "I can't think of anyone from our Council who could do such a thing. It doesn't make sense to me. Who has the ability to do this? Did they hire assassins or did they do it themselves? This merely raises more questions. Ones I do not know how to answer."

"Is it Sakura that they are threatening?"

Itachi was silent for a moment. "It is the only thing that makes sense. Neither of us own a cherry-blossom, and their use of capitalisation would suggest a human. We only know the one Sakura. I would assume so."

"I have to go after her," Sasuke told Itachi, resolution ringing in his voice. "If whoever has done this attacks Sakura I couldn't live with myself. I have to go after her."

"Why?" Itachi questioned. "She is not your responsibility. If a madman is loose in Otogakure, we need to be here and protect our people. I can't have you just gallivanting off to Konoha on a whim, Sasuke."

"This isn't a whim, Itachi!" Sasuke yelled. "Some lunatic has threatened Sakura; he could be on his way to Konoha right now!"

"Why?" Itachi countered.

"Because I have to, Itachi! Don't ask me why, I just have to!"

"You do not have to, Sasuke. She is presumably in Konoha by now. Why do you have to?" Itachi's tone was demanding, wanting Sasuke to scream something he had buried beneath layers of denial.

"Because I -" Sasuke stopped, his tongue becoming tied and his throat closing up in realisation. "Because I love her," he eventually said, infinitely quieter than before. "Because if anyone lays a hand on her then I will destroy them. I just need to know that she's safe, Itachi. If I don't I fear I'll spend the rest of my days wondering."

Itachi sighed and walked over to his younger brother, placing a hand on his shoulder and turning his eyes from the disgusting sight in the cell. "You are to be home within two weeks; otherwise I'm sending someone after you. Take one other with you, just in case. Someone you trust. Someone who will not fail you."

Sasuke nodded and left the dungeon, a plan forming itself in his mind.

A week later Sakura and Hinata were walking through the gardens, arms linked and smiles on their faces. They felt untroubled and carefree, as if all was finally going right in the world.

"Otogakure was huge, Hinata-chan. Bigger than Konoha. But it was morbid and felt like decay. Peasants were all through the streets and the court was full of corruption. There were no friends, just allies. And you always trusted your allies less than your enemies. It was horrible, and I am glad to be gone from there."

"It sounds awful, Sakura-san. I couldn't imagine living in a place like that: people stabbing you in the back at every turn. It would drive me mad."

"It nearly drove me mad, Hinata-chan. I can't describe how relieved I was when I finally walked through Konoha's gates. It was like coming up for air after being under water for too long. I cannot describe how much I missed you."

Hinata squeezed her hand before asking, "So you don't miss anything about Otogakure?"

Sakura lowered her head fractionally. "I miss Sasuke, Hinata-chan. That is all. I miss him more than I can possibly describe. It feels like a physical ache in my chest. As if someone had cleaved open my heart. I'd give almost anything to see him again. Over time I suppose that this feeling will dull and I'll be able to ignore it, but I fear that that won't be for a while yet."

Hinata looked at her friend empathetically. "Someday you shall find your other half, and it will be as if he was merely a passing comet in wake of a sun."

Sakura managed a small smile. "You are right, of course. I just wish I didn't hurt so much."

"Hinata-sama!" Both girls looked up to see Neji pelting towards them, and they stopped so the he could catch up.

"What is it, Neji-san?" Hinata questioned as he drew closer, aware of the tension between her cousin and the roseate.

Neji was careful not to look at Sakura as he said, "We found two men lurking outside Konoha's walls. They gave in without a fight, but neither will tell us their names or where they come from. They are currently in chains in the jail."

Hinata's brow creased. "I do not see what that has to do with me, Neji-san," she said politely. "Perhaps you should tell my father. That sort of thing is his business."

"It hasn't anything to do with you, Hinata-sama," he said, before taking a breath and turning towards Sakura. "One of them keeps asking for you," he said. "He won't tell us anything until he has seen you. I presume that they are spies come to take you back to Otogakure, so I need to place Naruto around you at all times as a constant guard."

Sakura nodded in gratitude, before an unfathomable curiosity welled up within her. "What does he look like?" she called at Neji's retreating back. "The one who keeps asking for me."

He didn't turn around. "He's quite tall. Well built. Pale skin, dark hair and dark eyes. His companion is a giant, with orange hair and brown eyes. They both looked like they could be dangerous if provoked."

If he said anything else, then Sakura didn't hear it, for she had frozen completely, one name circling around in her head like a mantra.

Sasuke.

And she ran.

So what do you think? Seriously, if anyone has any ideas as to what is going down then please ask me in a PM. If you get it right, your name will go up in the revealing chapter!

So, between almost constant examinations for the next 10 weeks, extreme stress, music psychoticness and attempts at starting a relationship I don't know when I'll get the next chapter out. I promise to do so as soon as I find time, but that probably won't be for a while. I'm so sorry.

Thank you so much to everyone who has put up with my spastic updating schedule, I really appreciate it :) And a thousand more thank yous to those who are still reviewing. They give me the incentive to continue, and I don't think I can describe just how much I appreciate it.

Please don't favourite without leaving a review!

- SapphireRivulet xoxoxox