Fourth Chapter.

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"Hola" Sakura said with a small wave, she slowly raised both hand in the air. Her eyes still trained on the muzzle aimed directly between her eyes. "Ummm. You mind moving that. It would really suck to live this long and to be killed by another human." The gun didn't move an inch. Annoyed Sakura looked away from the muzzle and tried to make out the person holding it. But it was too dark, all she could make out was he was tall and well built.

"You bitten?" He asked suddenly. Sakura was startled, his voice was deep and cold, pleasant to listen though.

"Nope," She replied both her hand still in the air, "just a little scratched and bruised. Bloods not mine by the way. Well," she amended, "Not all of it anyways." He hesitated for a moment as if sizing her up then lowered his M-9 handgun.

"Hn," he turned and walked away towards a fire in the distance. Sakura raised an eyebrow and followed. Inside she was having a fiesta. She finally caught up, she finally found another human that wasn't dying or about to change. Though his communication skills would say otherwise. She thought dryly.

She approached the fire and made out the figures of two others. A blond boy a year or two older than her and a man with silvery white hair who seemed to be in his thirties with over half his face covered by a mask over the bottom of his face and bandages over his eye. She looked back at her guide finally seeing his features and the teen in her jumped back into full action. Damn he was hot. Around her age maybe a couple years her senior with dark hair, pale gothic features and dark grey eyes...yum. Sakura breathed out and came into the circle. The blond was ogling her openly and the bandage man was looking at her analytically.

"Is this it Sasuke?" He asked. "Hn," her guide replied, "Yeah. This is what's been following us."

A tick appeared on Sakuras' head, "I am a person you know. I have a name. Jerk" She muttered the last part. Okay strike all delusions of jumping him. He was an asshole.

"Don't take it personally." The blond told her, "He's just like that cause you weren't something he could kill," he held out his hand. "Hey there I'm Uzamaki Naruto. It's been a while since we've seen another human who wasn't trying to eat us." Sakura took it.

"Haruno Sakura. And I must say I'm glad to be in human company again. It's been a long seven months."

"You've been alone seven months?" The bandage man asked. Sakura glanced at him surprised by the sharpness in his voice and nodded, "Yeah. Since the initial breakout."

"That sucks." Naruto said. "Kakashi, Sasuke-teme and I have been traveling together for, what four, five months?"

"Sounds about right." Sasuke said sitting down with a small sigh. Kakashi nodded.

"Sit down, pull up some ground. You look tired." He said. Sakura sat gratefully and pulled on her sweater.

"I've been tracking you guys for about a week now." She slung her rifle off and laid it beside her. Kakashi glanced at it and mentally nodded his approval for her weapon choice.

"We know." Naruto said, "Teme here sensed you." He jerked his thumb at the Uchiha who was now eating a piece of dried meat. He grunted and didn't say anything.

"Sensed?" Sakura asked.

"He's an Uchiha." He explained. Sakura was still confused. "The Uchiha is an old house rumoured to have almost telepathic abilities."

"Was." Sasuke interrupted, "Was an old house. I'm the last one." He told her. Sakura nodded understanding. She was the last Haruno.

"Yeah, anyways apparently those rumours were made true when teme was bitten." Naruto exclaimed. Sakura choked on the piece of bread she was eating.

"You were bitten?" She asked. Sasuke nodded. "And you're still alive?" Again he nodded.

"Well aren't you a lucky bastard." She replied grumpily. Naruto barked out laughter and Kakashi's lone eye crinkled in amusement. Sasuke just ignored her and kept eating.

"Ah don't get too ticked off Sakura-chan." Naruto told her, "We've all been bitten once or twice and gained something from it."

Sakura raised a brow and stared at the blond.

"Like what?" She asked slightly unnerved. Naruto thought for a moment.

"Well we've gotten faster and stronger." He said. "We heal faster than we should too."

"Teme's the only one who got specific extra powers. Damn Uchiha blood."

"Maybe your stupidity is your power moron." Sasuke said dryly.

"Asshole." Naruto seethed. Sakura watched this in fascination, thinking deeply.

"You must have noticed this in yourself Sakura." Kakashi told her. Sakura shook her head and looked down.

"Sorry but no. I've never been bitten." She told them. When silence greeted her answer Sakura looked up again, they stared at her.

"Holy damn." Naruto whispered in awe, "How hell did you survive seven months without being bitten?" Sasuke stared at this little girl. He had been an elite solider in the Japanese army and even he had been bitten more times than he wanted to count.

"Simple," Sakura replied, unnerved by their amazement, "I was careful." She shrugged it off, "I've been scratched and cut enough times. It's not like I've never been hurt in this Hell." She took a drink of water and began shrugging off her sweater. "That reminds me I got to treat this."

"What's wrong?" Kakashi asked standing up and walking over to the girl. She showed him her arm still bandaged. "I got this not long before I picked up your trail. So about two weeks ago. Some big ass Zombie landed one on me. Figured he might have been a body builder when he was alive." She began unravelling the dirty bandage with a little difficulty. Kakashi knelt by her and took over.

"Two weeks," He murmured with a frown, "You shouldn't have to wrap it anymore."

"I know right?" Sakura replied exasperated, "I have a number of scars from those things that healed all right but this one just keeps on opening up." She sighed and held her head in her hand As Kakashi examined the three long, jagged cuts. "With my luck it's infected"

"I would say with your luck it would heal up with no scaring." Naruto remarked with a grin still impressed by her never being bitten. At once her features darkened as she thought back to the beginning.

"I'm not that lucky." She replied her voice dead. Naruto's smile faltered and Kakashi glanced at her. Sasuke gazed at her steadily and noticed how haunted her eyes became. He huffed and looked away closing his eyes. They were all alone, that wasn't anything new with the Zombie outbreak, and each one of them were the last of their families.

'She's not that special.' He thought to himself, 'She's just like us.' He opened his eyes slowly. 'Alone.'

"But Sakura-chan," Naruto spoke again his voice gentle and his expression soft, "You are lucky. You met us right?" Sakura stared at him her eyes wide, surprised, "You're not alone anymore. Ne?"

Sakura was silent still staring at the blond, not quite comprehending what he just said.

"Hn," She looked over to the dark haired man. He was smirking.

"You do say something intelligent once in a while dobe."

"Psht, sometimes? All the time." Naruto replied haughtily. Beside her Kakashi chuckled as he began to treat her arm. Sakura looked between the three of them and giggled, soon she was laughing so hard she cried. It had been a long time since she laughed. Or cried for that matter.

XXX

"Where are you guys going anyways?" Sakura asked them the next day. They were walking down a highway leading away from Tokyo. Naruto looked back from the front of the group his arms folded behind his head.

"Pardon?" He asked.

"You seem to be heading in a predetermined direction." Sakura told him, "Remember? I tracked you guys for a week. I noticed there was no deviation, no wandering in your travel, you traveled steadily in one direction." Naruto nodded.

"That reminds me," Kakashi spoke up from her side, " How did you track us?" behind them Sasuke's interest perked up. He had been curious about that too.

"My father was a hunter. He grew up in the country so he taught me too." Sakura shrugged.

"That explains your choice in weapon." Kakashi commented rubbing his chin in thought, "It's a modified hunting rifle isn't it?" Sakura nodded.

"Yeah it was my Dad's. I made it into a semi-auto when I had the chance." Sasuke looked at the back of her head. The words 'was' and 'had the time' stuck in his head. If that had been her fathers, then it had been in her house. If she didn't have time to modify it before she left home then...shit. He closed his eyes and felt sick. Now he knew what she meant when she said she wasn't lucky the night before. He looked at her again. 'I'm sorry,' he thought before returning to his watch, making sure they weren't surprised from behind.

"You still haven't answered my question Naruto," Sakura said. Naruto grinned cheekily before looking forward.

"The breakout reached my place about a week after the initial infection so we had communication and everything. My Dad was a high official in the government so we received word of evacuations to a safe place. Sadly Mum and Dad were killed before we could get to the evacuation point."

"I'm sorry," Sakura said but Naruto shook his head, "Don't worry about it. I'm beyond it. Any ways we all know this started because of bad hamburgers right?"

"Yeah, I always knew McDonald's would destroy the world." Sakura commented dryly Naruto laughed.

"Well this safe place is an island country that didn't have any of the big name chain companies." He said, "So no outbreak. In fact when word reached them of the outbreak they closed their borders, any refugees were quarantined in individual rooms for a time of three days to make sure none were infected. Anyone who turned was immediately dealt with."

"Wow. Harsh." Sakura said.

"Well, wouldn't you if you were in their position?" Kakashi asked.

"I suppose," Sakura replied. "So we're heading for this Island?"

"Yep!" Naruto said cheerfully.

"How will we get there is it's an island?" She asked.

"We'll figure that out when we come to it." Sasuke said suddenly, "No doubt they're keeping an eye on what's happening. If we can we'll have to catch their attention and get picked up. And if we can't do that we'll take a boat." Sakura looked back at him when he had begun to speak.

"So you have maps," She said. Sasuke nodded.

"We're actually headed for the coast." Kakashi explained drawing Sakura's attention. "We're trying to find a port where we can acquire a boat to travel to the island."

"Does this island have a name? Sakura asked.

"The land of Fire." The three men replied together.

"Capital, Konoha." Naruto said.

"The last salvation of mankind." Sasuke finished.

End of Chapter