Sorry for the late update! I took some time to rethink the plot I plan the future chapters and finally I decided on a scenario. This chapter is lacking the needed action and development so I'm sorry if you're a little bit disappointed. I promise things are about to get better ^^ (after my finals which are till the end of June T_T)

PS I do not own "Naruto" it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto ©

Safe enough to not let go,
scared enough to not release.
Open up to drink the wind,
you tear me up when you come in…

"Scarecrow" by Skillet

"Lean on me.", Sakura mumbled, reaching to grab Sasuke's hand as the Uchiha groaned in pain and fell back on the bed where he originally laid.

"I won't lean on you. Your leg's not healed. You'll fall and you'll get hurt… or worse… I will get hurt… I'm sick of this bed already! I haven't moved my ass for two weeks and I certainly don't wanna be pinned to it again!", the dark-haired boy grunted as he made another attempt to stand up. The tension in his chest where the hole had been, made his eyes teary but Sasuke clenched teeth enduring the pain and finally pushed himself up.

"Kakashi should have stayed longer… I don't have the strength to deal with your constant nagging and stubbornness….", Sakura growled and turned her back to the shinobi and exited the room with limping walk.

The Uchiha frowned annoyed and followed the kunoichi to the living room. Sasuke slowly sat on the couch and released the breath he was holding up till now. The weather outside was the same as always. The snow covered everything but the trunks of the pine trees and the sun was hidden behind the impenetrable cloak of grayish clouds. His eyes averted to Sakura. The girl just walked out of the kitchen with two steaming cups of herbal tea and sat next to him. The Uchiha wrapped fingers around the hot porcelain and let the transparent steam fill his nostrils.

The kunoichi settled on the sofa and adjusted her leg so that it was resting on the coffee table in front of her. She had started healing it as soon as Sasuke came to his senses. Sakura didn't want him to find out about what happened after he passed out so she even had a small wrangle with Kakashi who insisted that "this bastard should know what you went through because of him".

Ignoring the teaching of Tsunade, the pinkette healed first the surface wounds, paying special attention to the scar left from where Katsuyu reattached her limb. Now the skin on her calf was as smooth as ever but under it she still had some unattended wounds – few of her nerves were severed and the bones weren't completely healed. Since Sasuke was now awake, the kunoichi found it harder to continue her healing without him noticing that the injury was far from light.

"What are you thinking?"

His words startled her and she looked at him with widened eyes, "Oh, nothing.", she cleared her throat, "I wish I could spend more time with Naruto."

Sasuke smirked, "Well, if you could I bet you would keep him and Kakashi here permanently."

Sakura smiled sadly, "Not really." Sasuke sent her an odd glance. "They belong in Konoha. There's nothing here for them. Kakashi has more than 25 years of service, he won't just leave the village when Leaf needs him the most and Naruto… he has Hinata waiting for him. Things have changed quite a lot."

"Yeah. I realized it recently as well.", Sasuke smirked and closed his eyes, sipping from the hot tea.

"What happened after I passed out? Sakura is alive, right?"

"Yeah, she somehow survived with minor injuries.", Kakashi murmured as the lie slipped through his lips, sitting on the chair next to the bed where the Uchiha was lying, "If it wasn't for her you wouldn't be here now. But I guess you already knew that much."

"You're angry."

"No, I'm not."

"Come on. Admit it. You're angry that she's hurt because of my incompetence for the second time."

"Geez… You've gotten quite perceptive, Sasuke.", Kakashi replied sarcastically.

"You don't have to be a genius to see your thoughts, sensei."

The Copy nin sighed heavily, "But still, rationally speaking you should have kept her close to you. Two against one is always better. Shinobi do not risk their lives to protect a comrade. They only risk it to carry out the mission…", Kakashi raised the eyebrow above his normal eye, "So technically speaking, you did make incompetent decisions then. But I can't play the hypocrite and say that I'm not grateful for that."

"Is that your way of saying thank you?"

"Hm."

Sasuke grinned to himself as he remembered his conversations with Kakashi. He never thought a day would come when his former sensei would thank him for something. Well, not "thank you" in a straight way but even the hint he gave him was enough to surprise him. World was a mysterious place indeed.

"Have you thought about what we should do when the war breaks out?", Sakura sighed, staring at the empty space before her.

"Not really.", Sasuke sipped from the tea, "We might have done quite a lot already as we took Zetsu down."

Sakura sent him annoyed glance, "Naruto took him down while you were simply dying."

"Yeah, so that I could give you a chance to run away.", Sasuke growled and glared at the kunoichi.

Sakura's expression stoned and she averted her gaze to the window, "You shouldn't have."

Sasuke furrowed his brows and placed the cup on the table in front of him with grunting sound, "That isn't something you want to hear from the mouth of the person you just saved."

"I know. I'm sorry.", Sakura sighed heavily avoiding his eyes.

"That's not what I want to hear either."

The kunoichi looked up at his face and then a slight smile lightened up her expression, "Thank you."

"That's better.", Sasuke returned the smile and reached to ruffle her hair with hand.

A chuckle escaped Sakura's lips, "So…What's the plan?"

"Plan? I don't know.", he shrugged, "We'll get stronger. That's the best we can do to help ourselves."

"I guess you're right.", Sakura relaxed her muscles and stared through the window. Everything was so calm. It had been almost two weeks since the fight with Zetsu. Kakashi left four days ago in a hurry when Naruto showed up to drag him back to Konoha, reminding him about Tsunade's meeting with the Raikage. Sakura wished she could spend a little bit more quality time with him.

His image emerged in her mind. Waving, with his patented eye crease. He behaved as if everything that happened in Konoha was just another wishful daydream of hers. It was driving her out of her mind. At one moment he was gentle and kind, bathing her in his warmth and a second later he was cold and distant once again. The harder she tried to understand him, the more confused she became. It was as if his mind was an endless labyrinth and when she finally managed to find the right path the walls would always shift, pushing her back to square one. How hard could it be for him to simply tell her his feelings? "Well, probably at least as hard as it is for me to ask him about them…". She sighed defeated. If he really wanted her to help him maybe he should consider letting her inside those wall or at least giving her a tip about the way out of that maze.

Sasuke turned his head to the girl beside him. She was lost in thoughts again. For the last few days since Kakashi's leaving she had been daydreaming, probably, about him. The Uchiha clenched teeth. They weren't together but the way he looked at her, the way he talked was making it quite clear that he had feelings for his former student, far deeper than he admitted to himself. The young shinobi bit his lower lip and pouted. He knew that Sakura was probably fascinated by her former sensei. "He's like an older version of me – strong, smart, scarred, with demons haunting him" Sasuke grinded teeth annoyed. "That's right. She just redirected her love for me towards him. He was probably next to her, when I left, trying to soften the hard fall she had just experienced. That could actually stir the emotions of a twelve year old girl, right?" Sasuke looked at her more intensely.

Sakura felt a slight chill running through her skin and turned her head to the side to meet the staring Sasuke, "What?"

"Tell me.", Sasuke began, "How did Kakashi manage to fix you up?"

The kunoichi raised an eyebrow, "Fix me up?"

"After I left."

"He didn't.", Sakura smiled and continued to look through the window, ignoring Sasuke's pout.

"Then was Naruto the one who helped you get over my disappearance?", the Uchiha kept on asking.

"No, Sasuke. It wasn't Kakashi, nor was it Naruto or Ino in that line of thought. After you left, our sensei vanished without a trace to only God knows where and Naruto left with Jiraya to train. Ino, she's an airhead you know, plus, she wasn't exactly in condition to comfort me as she herself was depressed over the same thing … It was just me who stayed back in Konoha, so I decided to become Tsunade's pupil and fill my days with something different than sobbing and self-pity."

The Uchiha widened his eyes, "Sakura, you..."

"I don't need your sympathy, Sasuke.", the kunoichi interrupted him, "I'm not a little girl anymore. You're not a little child either. As a matter of fact, I don't think you've ever been a child, or at least since I've known you.", Sakura carefully lifted her leg from the coffee table and placed it on the floor. She looked at him with a lingering smile on her face, "Don't look at me like that, it wasn't me who hurt the most. It was you and Naruto. I was merely a girl, in love with one of her teammates, it was necessary for me to be on this team; otherwise the love triangle wouldn't have been formed.", Sakura winked at the boy, sitting on the sofa. "I'll go and prepare the lunch. I'll call you when it's ready." The kunoichi stood up and limping walked to the kitchen, leaving Sasuke staring at the empty spot when she had just been.

The Uchiha shook his head. He couldn't tell the difference between the sarcasm and the truth in her words. Maybe it was better this way, otherwise, the burden of guilt and shame would just get heavier. Once again she considered his feelings before hers. Her heart couldn't have forgotten him; he had left far too deep mark on it to just fade away with the time.

The Uchiha's face frowned in a regretful expression.

Kakashi stared at the mirror studying his reflection. Few drops slid down his cheek and the man brushed them away with the back of his hand. It's been a few days since he last shaved. Feeling the smooth skin under his fingertips made him slide his hand once more and slap it lightly enjoying the sound it gave out."The night Sakura came to my apartment I wasn't shaved."

He remembered seeing few reddened spots on her face before falling asleep, which were different than the teeth marks left on her neck. Now he knew what caused them. But she hadn't said anything. Was it because she enjoyed it? A smirk appeared on Kakashi's face. "Maybe I should ask her the next time we meet."

The Copy nin sighed and dried his face in the towel, hanging on a small hook behind the door. He was probably already late for the meeting with the Raikage. Well, it didn't matter anyway. Tsunade was going to kill him either way, the least he could do was to die shaved, not like some furry monkey albino.

The Copy nin finished dressing up and headed to the Hokage tower. Streets of Konoha were as lively as always and the silver-haired shinobi crinkled his visible eye and nodded to a few people who greeted him. A glimpse of a familiar chakra reached his senses and Kakashi shivered, turning quickly behind the nearest corner in attempt to avoid meeting Guy who was only a block away from him, probably talking passionately about the "Power of Youth".

The Copy nin noticed Yamato and Ino drinking coffee in the bar on the street and he waved in a hello sign when his eye met with the ones of his kohai. Since Tenzo and Ino started dating, he was practically glowing, well, as much as a former ANBU wood user could possibly glow but still better than nothing. Kakashi was genuinely happy about him. At least one of them had a bit of luck in love. Kakashi smirked under his mask and continued his walk. As he passed by the shops on the street a clock grabbed his attention – four thirty – he was awfully late. If he had any luck the Raikage might have left already and there wouldn't be any reason for him to stay there.

The ten days he spent with Sakura at the village had definitely spoilt him. He had told himself countless times that the next time he saw her, they'd have the talk but alas! With her injury and Sasuke's critical condition he didn't really find the time to even talk to her calmly and even the few times they shared a cup of coffee on the couch she seemed rather distant and lost in thought. Was it that his mind was playing games with him or just she couldn't handle the anxiety in her heart and it was taking the toll on her? Yet the hanging question between them remained unanswered and now he felt the uneasiness inside him growing.

Kakashi mindlessly climbed the stairs when suddenly somebody slapped him behind his neck making him stumble. The Copy nin turned around and saw Naruto grinning.

"Hello, Kakashi-sensei. Daydreaming much?", the Jinchuuriki laughed and went down two steps, putting a safe distance between them.

"Yo, Naruto."

"Tsunade-baachan is waiting for you."

"How mad is she?", Kakashi frowned.

"Actually she sent me an hour ago to find you but I got distracted at the hospital wing.", the Jinchuuriki blushed.

"I see, it's Hinata-chan's turn to take shifts in the hospital. How's she doing?", the Copy nin grinned under the mask and a devilish spark appeared in his coal eye.

"Now, she's better.", Naruto smirked, still a bit flushed.

"Oh my. In the end, you couldn't help but get corrupted by that old prick."

"Look, who's talking! Old pervert.", Naruto stack out his tongue and grinned.

Kakashi snorted out but smiled, "Guess you're right. What did you have to tell me?"

"Oh, yeah!", the blonde fixated few locks messed by the wind and drew closer to his former sensei "Tsunade-baachan is sending me to Suna.", Naruto grinned widely and winked at the other man, "To a vacation. You were supposed to see me off, that's why you're late."

"I see. Then get your ass off here before someone saw you.", Kakashi patted him on the shoulder.

The boy nodded and waved across his shoulder as he ran away.

The Copy nin sighed. Suna, ha? He bet his right arm…no his unique signed copy of the Icha Icha Paradise that Jiraya was the one who came up with that idea. The silver-haired shinobi walked quietly down the hall and knocked leisurely on the big wooden door. When the invitation reached his ears, he pressed the handle and entered the office.

The shinobi bowed down politely, "Good afternoon. Tsunade-sama, Raikage-sama.", Kakashi fixated with eye the white-haired young shinobi eased on the wall and frowned, "Darui."

The blond kunoichi raised an eyebrow and smiled, "How did it go?"

"I sent him off safely, Hokage-sama.", Kakashi drew closer and stood behind his boss with blank expression.

"Good.", Tsunade glanced at A and smiled again, "What were you saying, Raikage?"

"One of my men learnt the approximate number of the white Zetsu clones.", the man made a short pause, "You're not gonna like it."

"Surprise me.", the kunoichi stared at him with calm expression.

"10 000 clones. That's what his source told him."

Kakashi and Darui's eyes widened and the shinobi shared a look but remained silent. The Hokage bit her thumb nail and murmured, "That's too much for us to handle."

"Talk about yourselves, Hokage. My men aren't co…"

"It's not the suitable time for prideful talks, Raikage!", Tsunade interrupted him, "Face the problem rationally. That would definitely minimize the victims and the damage." A clenched his teeth but said nothing, letting the woman in front of him to continue what she had to say, "You called this meeting to share the new information right? Is there anything you would like to add?"

"Not that I think of."

"Good because I asked Hatake Kakashi to inform us about the recent event which took place since he was the one whom I sent to follow in Sakura's steps in order to observe the events."

"Hey, I thought he didn't know!", Darui exclaimed from behind pointing his finger at the other shinobi.

"Naruto told me some time ago.", Kakashi's blunt answer made Tsunade frown.

"I thought that since he's one of my most trusted subordinates I could overlook Naruto's mistake. And actually I'm glad that I did.", the Slug Princess cleared her throat.

The Copy nin noticed the sign the Hokage gave him. Was she for real? Did she really want him to tell the Raikage about Zetsu's death and more importantly, did she want him to tell the truth? No way! But first things first. He couldn't remain silent or they'd suspect something. He needed to think of a cover story and he needed to make it up fast.

Kakashi made a step forward, "As you may know, Haruno Sakura was sent on an undercover mission…" He cleared his throat and continued."Two weeks ago, the investigation led her to Zetsu's location. Unfortunately, without the antidote she didn't stand a chance against him so the reasonable choice was not to take any action. But then something curious happened. She wasn't the only one chasing Zetsu. Uchiha Sasuke confronted him and killed him in a quite vicious battle…"

"Weren't they comrades?", the Raikage interrupted the Copy nin.

"We thought so too just until recently.", Tsunade answered with growing anxiety in her heart.. The story that Kakashi had been making up until now had the potential either to turn into one of the hugest lies Tsunade ever heard or to partially blend with the truth and eventually disappear. O-o-or the ancient saying that "half the truth is often a whole lie" was perfect for the moment and there was no way they could keep it up long enough to eventually drop it. "Continue."

"Yes. So, after Sasuke killed Zetsu, unfortunately was injured and thereafter poisoned. Sakura was lucky to manage save his life."

"I thought she didn't have the antidote."

"Correct. She transfused some of the White Zetsu's blood into Sasuke. That's what saved him. Obviously the blood contained the antibodies for the venom.", Kakashi adjusted the mask and continued, noticing the angry glares that the Kumo ninjas sent him. "In case you're wandering why she healed Sasuke, a rogue ninja, you should know that he is the only living successor of the Uchiha lineage. The Sharingan is Konoha's property and the Hokage especially instructed everyone who were in charge of hunting him down that he was to be captured alive. Killing him off is out of the question."

"So, he's been brought back to Konoha?", A asked with raised eyebrow.

"No. He's under Sakura's surveillance. She's convinced that he intends to leave Akatsuki, that's why he helped her out with Zetsu."

"But that's ridiculous! He can't just simply change his mind. And what is she to him that he'd risk his life for her? He's probably only using her to get close enough for him to kill her or he found out about her mission and tries to gather information about our movements. ", the Raikage grunted out.

"I highly doubt that because Sakura had been instructed that if she had ever been found alive she's to tell that she had faked her own death to flee Konoha. Even if you were correct she can't give him any information concerning our war preparations and battle plans. As you may know our communication with her is limited and she's the one contacting us because we can't know when the time is suitable.", Kakashi argued with raising uneasiness. He knew that this story would raise questions and even create discontent among the present people. But he needed to create a little bit of a base for Sakura to step on when everything was over and she came back.

"Moreover, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura. That's the original Team 7 with leader Hatake Kakashi which was formed after the kids graduated the Academy. The three of them had quite close connection." Tsunade smiled feeling the nostalgic tightening of her chest as if it was her who assigned the team, not the Third.

"Pft.", Darui snorted.

The Raikage raised an eyebrow, "When you think of it each and every one of them studied under one of the Sannin. They're ought to be special. The last successor of the Uchiha clan who killed his own brother – the prodigy Uchiha Itachi; the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki who completed the Sage training and the second best medic in Fire country who won the Tournament."

"The point is…", the Hokage interrupted, "…we may create antidote for the poison but the formula is too complicated and without it I doubt that we'll succeed. And if Sakura's intuition is right, we might have won another ally.", Tsunade declared with a slight smile. She only hoped that everything went according to plan because if the Raikage found out about their scheming she doubted that the alliance would continue to exist.

"No matter whom he killed or who his sensei was, Uchiha Sasuke is just another rogue ninja. Don't you think you're overestimating him too much? We fought and he wasn't something special.", Darui raised an eyebrow with a smug expression.

"That kind of thinking will get you killed, Darui-san.", Kakashi chuckled under the mask and shrugged his shoulders as Tsunade sent him a bloody glare.

"He's right. As far as I remember you reported your whole platoon dead, right? Chakra depleted, tired and probably injured and he still managed to slip through your fingers.", the Hokage nodded seriously. Darui clenched his teeth suppressing the urge to spill out everything, "If only they knew that their Jinchuuriki helped them escape… ". Tsunade continued, "There's been only four Leaf shinobi who we considered prodigies and as I recall you have personally met with one of them – Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage?"

A grunted, "So you're trying to say Uchiha Sasuke is as good as the yellow flash? Are you out of your mind?", the Raikage smirked.

"All I'm saying is that Hatake Kakashi here was Minato's student and I believe the Fourth himself declared that his student had surpassed him. I personally doubt that anyone can surpass the Yellow flash but it won't come as a surprise that the White Fang's son was at the same level with Minato. And after years of chasing Sasuke and few confrontations we came to realise he's close to fight on par with the Copy nin." Kakashi's eye fell down feeling the nostalgic crawling up his body. Indeed. His sensei was one of a kind and if anyone could ever surpass that man who fought on par with the Kyuubi was his son. Nobody else. Only Naruto.

"Fine we get it. He's strong.", Darui snorted with a frown but quickly regained his blank expression as A glanced at him.

"So, even if you encounter Uchiha Sasuke do not engage him in a fight until further notice from us.", Tsunade said with a smile.

"Fine. And I'll be waiting information about the antidote. If you manage to create it the only disadvantage would be in the number which isn't something we can't handle." A nodded and stood up from his chair reaching his hand for a handshake at the Hokage, "Good job."

Tsunade smiled and stood up as well. The kunoichi reached her arm to shake the Raikage's when suddenly a poof and a white smoke filled the air.

"Did I miss the party?", Jiraya grinned raising his hand in a hello sign. His eyes stopped on the reached arm of the Raikage and the Sannin shook it energetically with his, "It's good to see you too, prick. Hitting on ma' girl again?"

Tsunade closed her eyes tightly and bit her lip trying to put her anger under control.

Kakashi crinkled his eye and scratched his cheek through the mask, "He's never going to finish gathering the information about his book..."

Sakura sighed as she realised a movement nearby had pulled her out of sleep. Leisurely she opened her eyes and turned her head around to face the rest of the room. Sasuke was sitting on the bed putting on his socks with his bare back turned to her. The scar from his injury was nowhere to be seen as she had healed him completely two days ago demanding that if they were both injured she felt unsafe because if it came to protecting or fighting in general the Uchiha's skills were better than hers. He had agreed after she promised him that from now on she'd focus on her own health.

The pinkette stretched her arms and let a quiet grunt escape her lips. Sasuke turned around startled and looked at her sleepily, "Morning."

"Morning.", she replied and rose from the bed pushing the blanket away. As her feet touched the floor she glanced at the Uchiha who continued to dress up, "We kind of got used to sleep in the same bed. Remember how self-cautious we were at the beginning?"

"Yeah. Now that I think of it. It's true.", Sasuke laughed mutedly, "I might even miss you when you're no longer around.", he teased glancing over his shoulder.

"I highly doubt it.", Sakura snorted and stood up. Suddenly a sharp pain pierced her lower abdomen and the kunoichi gasped for air, quickly bending in two, kneeling on the floor. The moment she wrapped her arms around her stomach, Sasuke was already next to her.

"Sakura, what happened?"

Her pupils expanded as the light in them slowly dimmed. Colourful bubbles on black background danced in front of her eyes and the kunoichi felt that her ears deafened. She slowly lifted her head to look at where Sasuke was supposed to be. In two seconds of complete darkness and silence her vision cleared and she saw him talking something she couldn't hear. Sakura forced herself to listen. Words one after another started to slip in her ears and she sighed, gripping tightly her abdomen with hands. The pain hadn't stopped.

"Hey, Sakura, say something. You're pale.", Sasuke tried to lift her up but as soon as she moved and tried to stand up the pain in her stomach increased and she cried out kneeling on the floor again.

Sakura frowned. What was causing it? She had to think. A strange feeling in the lowest part of her abdomen gave her the answer. The kunoichi gritted her teeth and rushed to the restroom ignoring the sharp pain in the abdomen and her leg. Sitting on the toilet with arms around her waist she cursed.

"Oi, Sakura! Are you OK?", the muted voice of Sasuke could be heard on the other side of the door but the girl ignored him.

Of course. Usually she controlled her ovulation with chakra, making the menstruation painless and the duration short, no more than two days, in order not to get in a way with her duties as a kunoichi. Since she found out the tournament and her participation in it she stopped it completely as she calculated that the dates were overlapping.

And since then she had been suppressing it until her fight with Zetsu two weeks ago. The hard chakra depletion and the shock had made her loose the control over it. She should have thought of it earlier. The kunoichi grunted out as another wave of pain pierced her stomach and she ran fingers through her hair.

"Sakura, answer me or I'll just force the door open.", Sasuke's voice finally reached her ears and the kunoichi frowned embarrassed.

"I'm OK.", she shouted, "Don't come in no mater what.", biting her lower lip she raised from the toilet so that she could pull down her loose sleeping pants and underwear and sat again.

"But…"

"No matter what!", she shouted almost desperately. The only thing left was to see her like this. This wasn't something a guy should witness. Sakura closed tightly her eyelids.

"OK.", the Uchiha sighed a little bit relieved. If she had the strength to yell at him then everything was really fine, "Tell me if there's anything I can do to help."

Sakura frowned desperately as she looked down to the toilet, "Actually there it is.", the kunoichi clenched he hand in a fist and punched her head. Why didn't she think of that earlier?

"I'm listening." Sasuke replied with raised eyebrow as she was keeping quiet again.

"There should be pads in the back packet of my backpack. Bring me one…", she murmured ashamed to say it out loud.

"To bring you what? Talk louder so I can hear you, Sakura", Sasuke stack ear to the door and frowned tying to make out any sound that came from the other side of the door.

"Pad…", the girl repeated already heavily blushing.

"What pad?", he was confused.

"Just bring the damn thing from my backpack!", Sakura yelled annoyed. As if embarrassing her wasn't enough, he had to play dumb.

The Uchiha rushed to the bedroom and rummaged in her luggage. As he opened the back pocket, his eyes widened in shock. That kind of pads. Sasuke grinned foolishly and went back to the door.

"Got it."

Sakura cursed in mind and bit her lower lip, "Close you eyes and give it to me."

The young man chuckled trying to muffle the sound and closed tightly his eyes pressing the handle.

"Don't look!", he heard her yell.

"I won't.". Sasuke reached his hand from the door step and felt the pad slipping through his fingers as Sakura took it from him. Then he closed the door and eased his back on the wall next to the door waiting patiently the girl to come out.

The pinkette shook her wet hands over the sink and stared at the mirror. She shouldn't be ashamed. This was something completely normal for a girl. She took a deep breath and placed her hand over the handle. She pressed it lightly and went out. Her eyes stopped on the grinning Sasuke.

"What?", she snapped at him.

"Nothing. I just thought that if you didn't want me to find out about it why you didn't just ask me to bring you the whole backpack.", his expression was a mixture of smugness and mockery.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Sakura pouted and passed him by heading to the kitchen.

Sasuke fell into step with her, "Are you feeling better?"

Sakura shot him angry glare expecting to see his teasing grin but the look he gave her was genuinely worried and she softened her anger, "Yeah. A little bit better. Thank you." Indeed the pain in her abdomen dulled and now it felt only as a tightening similar to the one you get when you have been stitched.

As they were waiting for the water to boil he stared at her studying. Finally Sakura sighed and turned around to face him, "Say it. Whatever it is that is bothering you."

Sasuke hesitated for a moment but then his curiosity won over and he asked, "Is it always like that?"

Sakura laughed at the fidgety look he gave her, "Not really. It's just that everything I went through…it's affecting my body and its normal processes."

"I see.", he nodded.

"Geez. That's why men don't have menstruation. Getting stabbed, tortured, burnt is OK, but a little bit of natural pain every month scares the shit out of you.", Sakura giggled and patted his forearm.

"Pft. And here I am genuinely worrying about you and how do you repay me? Teasing and mocking.", Sasuke frowned, pouting.

"Come on. I was joking.", the pinkette said still grinning, "I'll give you a massage as compensation."

"Full body?"

"Head."

"Full body and I'll do the cooking today.", Sasuke bargained with pleading eyes.

"The only things you can do are scrambled eggs and some kind of soluble broth. It's not tempting at all.", Sakura waved her hand in front of her face.

"Then… give me a full body massage an I'll return the favour immediately.", he raised his brows expectantly with you-are-so-lucky-to-offer-you-that-kind-of-a-deal look.

Sakura scratched her cheek then her neck but finally nodded. She could use it. He body was kind of sore since the fight and no matter how she tried her muscles didn't relaxed, "Deal, but after breakfast. I'm starving."

The Uchiha bit his lower lip and went to place the herbs inside the tea-pot.

TBC