Author Note: Thanks for all the story watches and reads, nice to know people enjoy the story enough for that. Though, reviews would help me get a better picture on how people like the story. Honestly, the first five or so chapters are, in many ways, simply setting up the rest of the story, introducing some of the character dynamics, and the like.

The story will focus more on Sasuke and Sakura, even though this chapter has a somewhat heavy focus on Naruto and Hinata. However, the contrast between the two pairs is actaully intentional, and will show up more. And, sets up for some fun two-on-two fight scenes later. :P

Thanks again for reading, and please review! But even more then that, I must ask, how do you like how I'm handling Sasuke, and Sakura? I'm trying to stay as true to their characters as I can, but I actually find them far harder to write then Naruto or Hinata. So I'm curious on how people think I'm handling that.

To say that Naruto was not in a very good mood would be very much like saying Jiraiya was only your average, everyday smut peddler. It simply didn't begin to scratch the surface of the situation, and thus was the situation with the young Uzumaki. And, one likely could not fault him for such a mood either, given the circumstances. His frustration could be linked very clearly to the fact he was bed-ridden, wrapped in linens, and, for the first time in his life, actually hurt enough that he couldn't just shrug it off and get out of the hospital, despite the warnings of nurses and doctors. He had a reputation for that.

Unfortunately, his state was still one that he could barely bring his body to move much, let alone attempt a daring escape to acquire the liquid gold that was Ichiraku Ramen. What a great injustice this was, piled on top of the emotional and physical torment he had been subjected to as of late.

It wasn't enough that he had been injured to a degree that even grandma Tsunade hadn't ever seen it before, in a fight with his closet and strongest friend, who disappeared to go train under the asshole who had just attacked their only home, and in the process decided to drag along his other closest friend as well. No, they had to make it worse by trying to feed him this absolutely pitiful gruel.

Which was, of course, why he was happy to have that one little bright spot in this whole experience. He hadn't really expected it, even after she'd visited a few times before. He figured she was just there to check up on her cousin, despite everything he'd done, and of course on her teammate, Kiba.

From what he'd heard, though, Neji was already going home, and Kiba was going to be doing so fairly soon as well, though not under such good circumstances. His nin-dog, Akamaru, was in bad shape, Naruto had heard, and might not fully recovery at all. Kiba was taking that hard, and after how he'd seen them fight, he couldn't really blame him.

Akamaru was a close bond that, in a strange way, Naruto did understand. It wasn't quite the same as his own, but it was amusing to think of Sasuke as a dog, so he liked it anyway.

But, with both of them going home, Naruto figured it would be back to the lonely days of waiting alone for his damn injuries to heal up enough to get back to training, so he could go drag Sasuke back. It was with grim amusement that he thought that he wouldn't even need to drag Sakura, she'd just follow along Sasuke.

It hurt, a little, but he found that the humor was a coping mechanism he was more then used to using already. He hid his wounds behind a smile.

She wasn't so easily convinced. He had been happy, at least, to have anyone to talk to, really. Most people seemed to avoid his room, and he wasn't all that surprised. He was used to that sort of behavior. He didn't expect grandma Tsunade to stop by often either: she was hokage, she had work, and she couldn't be pulled away from that just to check up on one genin.

He understood that, he really did. Besides, she was nice, but she wasn't exactly his sort of conversationalist. He talked about how he was going to replace her some day, she talked about gambling. Not much overlap in interests.

But... then there was her. She... listened to him. Just, sat there, and listened, and acted as thought he was the most interesting person in the world. Which was good, cus he knew he was, and it was nice to see someone else appreciate that. Maybe she was just being nice, cus he was hurt, but she always had seemed nice to him, if a bit shy... and dark... and weird.

But she had done so well at the exams, and she'd really helped him that time before too. He hadn't been lying when he said she was the sort of person he liked. Because, in a lot of ways, she was just like him. Well, maybe not just, but... sorta. Maybe... kinda...

Well, who cares, she was there, right? And that was nice. Nice to pass the time. He never realized how much time she actually spent there. Naruto was never exactly renowned for his observational prowess. Still, as he overheard nurses talking about that 'snarky dog boy' getting out soon, and having already heard about that 'white-eyed kid' being released, he figured that his afternoon chats where going to come to and end soon.

He wasn't very happy about that, and Hinata, who was more known for her observational prowess, could tell. She was worried he was mad at her for something she'd done wrong, but shook that thought away. Naruto wasn't like that, and he never had been.

He was always kind, and caring, and maybe a little rough around the edges, but it only made him better. It made him human, and made the fact of his triumphs all the sweeter. She envied him, in a way. But, having him cheer her on, and then having the chance to return that favor. That had made her only want even more to earn his respect, and to see him smile.

And she would do whatever it took for both those goals. She loved it when he was happy.

But, he was not happy. He was upset, and she didn't quite know what to say. Indeed, she still didn't know, even when she did something that made his expression change to one of the biggest smiles she'd ever seen him have. She was being her, something she generally had been informed for a long time was a bad thing, though she had gradually been reverses by the combined efforts of her team and sensei, and even by Naruto.

It was a simple thing, really. They had been talking, or rather he had and she was listening, only for this to be interrupted by a low groan. Naruto's stomach rumbled, followed by his embarrassed apology that led into a rather lengthy discussion of why hospital food was so bad, which led into the lament that he was unable to get any ramen. She listened intently, simply reveling in the fact that, for once, she had his undivided attention.

She wanted to see him smile again, a true smile, not the half-smiles that he hid behind when he was hurting inside. Much like before, it was an instinctive thing. She spoke without much thought.

"Um... I... I could bring you lunch, Naruto-kun... from now on, if you'd like." she said, staring so hard into her lap that she feared she might burn a hole right through it. She glanced up, trying to hide her blushing face, which failed utterly when she saw that smile of his. A true, blue wonderful smile that took her breath away.

"For real? Ah, Hinata, you're the best!" he exclaimed, bolting upright as he did. He smiled intently for a moment before his face suddenly fell, and he quickly eased himself back into the bed, muttering something that sounded very much like 'owowowowow' as he did.

She brought her hand to her mouth and giggled, causing him to pout ever so slightly.

In truth, he was not really so excited because of the promise of finally having some decent food. He was happy about that, of course, but there was something more. He was so happy because it meant she was still coming to visit.

And that made him happy.

It had been eleven days since they left their home. It had been two days since they ran out of food, turning to their survival skills to forage and hunt for food. It had been twenty-one hours and nineteen minutes since Sasuke had said anything, and it had been seventeen hours and twenty-three minutes since Sakura had said anything to him.

She was not sure what to think of that.

She still had had no regrets of leaving, not a single one, which actually surprised her. She once had tried to, but found it impossible. Indeed, she almost felt bad for that, but found that too was impossible as the happiness she felt simply to be going off with Sasuke, regardless of their destination. Indeed, she had almost forgotten that entirely, or at least had compartmentalized it away.

Sakura was still in bliss from the previous night. That had been when he had spoken to her last. They'd settled down for the night, having spent the rest of it foraging or traveling. It had been the farthest away from Konoha she'd ever been. She noted that she did not think that it was the farthest from home, because home was where Sasuke for her now. She realized that with a smile.

But the previous night had been perhaps the best. They were exhausted. She could tell, having seen and worked with him for long enough, and having spent the last few days running and leaping along with him. She saw the signs, the little tells that betrayed his true state beneath the shell he kept up. It was a reflex, she knew, and she found that she could be happy she saw through it, even a little, rather then taking it as an insult that he would keep it up around her.

That was just his way, and she had fallen in love with that.

She had nearly collapsed against the trunk of the tree they had stopped by for the night, similar in size, she realized, to the one they had hid under during the chuunin exam. That seemed so long ago now, but it had only truly been a scant few weeks. How strange that felt to her, for it to see so long ago.

As she lay there, wondering how much farther they would be going tomorrow and how far they had come already, she was suddenly struck by a very warm thing being pressed against the side of her body, and in her tired haze realized that Sasuke had settled next to her and put an arm around her to hold her close.

"It's going to be cold tonight." was all he said before he closed his eyes and began to drift off. It took Sakura much longer to fall asleep. Much, much longer. The details of her mind were far too, for lack of a better term, 'girly' to get into with much depth, but suffice to say it was only due to exhaustion that she fell asleep at all. She was glad she did, however, as she found that waking up in his arms (or arm, but who is counting?) was even better then having it draped over her in the first place.

To his credit, Sasuke was not doing it solely due to cold, which was a reason. It had gotten particularly chilly that night, and he would have suggested that regardless. The fact of the matter was, he had the strangest feeling that he owed that to her, and he couldn't figure out why. Some contact, any contact. He didn't know why he felt obligated, and once again he was faced with something he did not understand. And he did not like having things he did not understand.

So he rationalized. He was building the bond. If she was going to be useful to him, she should be absolutely loyal. And while he thoughts she was, and by her own confession she would do anything, it was best to cultivate that and bind her closer to him, to the point she would do anything without batting an eyelash.

So he told himself, and once again, he believed it. And perhaps, just a little, it was true.

He awoke to find her staring at him, still resting in his arms, with a smile on her face. He grunted a simple statement and stood...

"Hello, Orochimaru." he said with an almost bored tone, looking at nothing in particular. He knew he was there, and Sasuke knew it was because Orochimaru wasn't even trying. The Uchiha's sharingan spun up, head snapping to the left. The pale white figure was there, suddenly and without any preamble. His lackey stood next to him, the four-eyed medical-nin that had, during the chuunin exams, helped Team Seven acquire their scrolls on time, and survive. Sasuke realized now he was doing that on direction from Orochimaru, or at least for the sannin in some way.

It was Kabuto who spoke first.

"How irreverent." the bespectacled man said with a grin, adjusting his glasses as he did. It was habit Sasuke would grow to hate over the years. Orochimaru simply grinned that feral grin he always had.

"Sasuke-kun... how nice of you to come. I see you've lost your escort, but picked up another one..." the snake-eyed man said, motioning for Sakura. She stood up with fear in her eyes, inching closer to Sasuke. Her hand reached out and clutched at the edge of his shirt like a child reaching desperately for their safety blanket. Orochimaru's grin only got wider.

"I see..." he said with a low tone, causing Sasuke to bristle. He did not know why.

Oh how he hated that.

"She's with me, and this is the deal." Sasuke said with a steely tone, "She learns too. To be useful to me."

She should have felt insulted by that, she knew. But she wasn't. Instead, she was only happy he had said she was with him, and that he wanted her to be useful. She could do that, for him. She had promised to do that.

Orochimaru's predatory glee never left. He waited a few dramatic moments before replying. "Kabuto... you're going to have a new assistant, it seems."

"I promised."

It had been sudden thing. They had been eating the lunch Hinata had brought in. It was not ramen, though he was quite fond of her homemade ramen, but rather a simple bento. Keeping the ramen warm was a fairly big challenge, and making it across town without spilling or the like was just as problematic. Of course, she could try to prepare it roughshod at the hospital, but the chances of mess and the fact it really just wasn't the same tended to make that an unappealing prospect.

So, she made a large bento for them to share, and brought that instead. Naruto, never one to turn down food, particularly as good as food that Hinata made, was not even close to complaining. And Hinata... well, she was simply happy to be so close to him.

Naruto, despite himself, was actually a courteous when it came to eating from the shared box, and managed to figure out which parts Hinata favored and steer clear of them. This was not particularly hard, as she made more then enough for both of them, and wasn't a particularly heavy eater in the first place. He would pick a bit, eat some, and between his bouts he would talk. Usually. Sometimes he wouldn't talk, usually when he was thinking about Sasuke, or about Sakura.

From how he spoke, the former had seemed to be more on his mind then the latter, though both were commonplace thoughts. Simply put, the bond that he had shared with Sasuke was utterly unlike the bond he had shared with Sakura. They were both strong, sure, but Sasuke was something different. Special. She had been bold when she asked him about it, and he had been kind in his response.

"He was the one who acknowledged me the most." he had said, a softer smiler on his face then she was used to seeing. She couldn't even begin to grasp what it must have been like to lose someone so close like that, let alone your genin teammates. Not simply to lose to death, but to have them leave. Death had not stolen Sasuke, he had stolen himself.

It was strange to her, even considering the possibility of her teammates simply leaving. It was not the same as dying, which was something every shinobi faced. It was somehow worse then that, and she found it so utterly unappealing that the thought exercise was something she had quit very quickly, less she fall into her own bout of depression. She did not bounce back so easily as Naruto.

But something about Naruto had changed. She still admired him, even more so really, after talking with him. But she could tell, even from her few interactions, that he had changed. It was like she had seen him, the day of the chuunin exams. Not just depressed, but dejected. Sasuke's betrayal had hit him hard, but there was more to it then that. She wasn't sure what it was until he had, in a completely alien voice, said so himself. It was quiet, low, and very much unlike Naruto.

She looked at him with confusion. It was the first real thing he'd said to her that day, aside from the smiling greeting he'd give, thanks for the food, and a few other Naruto-isms that she very much enjoyed, but knew were not truly from his heart that day.

He turned to her and smiled softly, explaining himself, "I promised him that I was gonna bring them back, no matter what it took, no matter how long it took." There was no need to define him, or them. She knew exactly who he had meant.

"Promise of a lifetime, I told him." he said, voice going low, he turned back, looking down into his lap. He had been able to sit up more easily as of late, though Hinata hadn't minded helping him eat earlier on. "And I meant it, I really did. And I will do it, I will... but I'm stuck here, for who knows how long."

He sighed, and said nothing more.

And much like all the other times, it was an instinctive thing. She acted without hesitation, no bogging down of her mind by the embarrassment she had crippling her before. Her close proximity to Naruto had weakened that, but it was still there, from time to time. But there was none of it here, no stuttering or halting.

"Naruto..." she began, getting his attention. She smiled at him, a happy and true smile. "I promise I'll help you, in any way I can. To get better, to get stronger... to make your promise come true."

He stared at her as thought she'd grown a second head for a long time. Eventually, her boldness wore off, and she found that rosy pink flush to her cheeks once more. She turned away, bringing a hand to her mouth as she did. Oh, what had she said. He was going to think she was so weird for saying something like that.

She was right, after a fashion. He did think it was so very weird to hear someone say that to him, something he never thought he'd hear. But Naruto was anything but disappointed. She glanced at him, only to find that his face had changed to one of those smiles she loved so very much.

"Alright!" he said, nearly shouting it really, and pumped an arm in the air. "Thanks, Hinata, means a ton!" he said, chuckling slightly in that oh-so-Naruto way. "And... I know you mean it too. Cus that's who we are. We never go back on our word!"

Hinata smiled softly as she turned back to him and nodded, "Because that's our Nindo... our ninja way."

She impressed him more often then he would ever let her know.

He was surprised how easily he fell into the routine of it. It was no so different from before, something that had frustrated him at first. Of course, his new trainer was immeasurably stronger then his previous, and it was a more daily and directed training, but Orochimaru was not exactly the most encouraging of teachers either. Of course, the relationship that Sasuke had with him was fundamentally unlike many of the others the White Snake had cultivated.

It was based around power, true, but unlike most of those others he had taken in his coils, it was a relationship that existed without any of the idol worship or pretension many of the others did. He did not call him sensei, or anything really. He was just Orochimaru, and it was so very impudent in how he spoke to his teacher, demanding, in his cool and collected way, that he teach him.

Orochimaru, for his part, loved it. It was refreshing, and it so very much reminded him of himself. The sannin loved himself, more then anything, and so it was hard for him not to like the bastard Uchiha.

For his part, Sasuke knew quite well that his new 'master' was going to be far more responsive to his normal attitude then the fawning that so many of his other subordinates did. Not that he didn't see the usefulness in that, of course. Loyal subordinates were always a boon. Which is why he kept her around, or so he kept telling himself.

And he was increasingly glad he did. Her passion was easily diverted; her loyalty to him was refocused on her training. She threw herself into it with all due gust, eager to please him. A glance of approval, or a smirk of amusement, it was all she truly wanted from him. Sometimes, he gave it to her.

In daily training, she couldn't keep up with him, but then again she never could. Nor did he expect her to; that would have been grossly unfair to the girl, and let it never be said the Sasuke Uchiha was being a bully. He was not forcing her to conform to unreal expectations in the least. He just wasn't letting her know that.

She was getting better. Each day, she'd last a little bit longer when she sparred with him. And they would spar daily, because the Uchiha found he could not deny that he enjoyed her company. She had spunk, and he could appreciate her candor from time to time. And he let her know, in his own ways. Her comments and the snark she showed was responded with approving smiles. Just often enough to let her know he was happy with it, but rare enough to keep her from forcing it.

They had a system. Six hours of sleep, then they would go through various exercises and warm-ups for two hours. Sometimes he let her do them with him, sometimes he did not. After that, they would spend time with their respective 'sensei.' She was learning from Kabuto, at first simply serving as a shill for his various experiments; an extra set of hands. It had been she who asked for him to train her, both to fight and as a medical-nin. She wanted to be useful, she said.

He had been reluctant, but Orochimaru found it amusing. With his approval, Kabuto threw himself into the training regiment. He treated her as an apprentice, a nearly 180 degree shift from his barely hidden contempt before. To her credit, she threw herself into the training with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. Which, given the approval Sasuke had given her for her proactive attempts at gaining strength, was rather high.

She had always been good at chakra control. Kabuto made her better. It was hands-on training, and Kabuto was a surprisingly good teacher. He was not Kakashi, preferring to let his students figure out how to learn on their own with only minimal guidance. It was direct and clear; do this, you're doing this wrong, good job there, now try this. She found herself thriving. Her already precise chakra control skyrocketed.

And she was getting better in other areas too.

Kabuto taught her Taijutsu. She lasted five minutes against Sasuke one day. Her idol gave her an honest smile then. He had been truly surprised and impressed, and he let it show. He took her with him when he got lunch, and simply talked with her that day, even though it cost him half a day of training. To reward her, he told himself. It wasn't that he honestly wanted to spend time talking with her.

This became more common. At least twice a week he would simply spend time talking. Orochimaru was reserved about the shift, but at the same time he was no fool. He saw truth where Sasuke did not. Sakura had more of an effect on him then Sasuke would admit; he fought harder after spending time with her, and in the few times they fought side by side...

It impressed even him. He almost felt bad about the fact that he would break up that little bond eventually. Almost. For now, though, it was as useful a tool as anything. And she was as loyal to him as much, if not more so, then many of his own peons. And so he said nothing about their time together.

They did not speak of Konoha, nor did they speak of him. It was an unspoken taboo. Sasuke had told her once that he had severed that bond; that only two bonds were important to him now. One was a bond of hate with his brother, of vengeance. He let the other trail off, but she had clung to his words and kept them close to her heart.

He never explained why he continued to wear his konoha hitae-ite.

But Sasuke was not always pleased with her, and he let that show quite clearly. She had done poorly, only a minute and she was already sprawled out, gasping. She felt his glare burning through him.

"Is that the best you can do? Hmph..." he said, contempt lacing his words. He was not surprised how easy that was, but he was surprised at why he felt it. It was not contempt for her weakness, but rather he found himself angry that she was wasting potential. He had seen her do better, he knew she could do better, and she had failed.

He would not tolerate failure, not in himself, and not in her.

"Get up." he said coldly, blood red sharingan staring into her prone form. "Get up. I've got no use for a weakness, and no use for someone who won't fight."

She flinched, but wasted no time in pushed herself up. A second wind, of sorts. Tears ran from her eyes, but it was not sadness that her face showed. It was determination, and anger. Anger at herself, for being weak. She could not be weak.

She had made him a promise. She was going to keep it.

Sakura collapsed seven minutes later. The last thing she saw was Sasuke's cold eyes staring at her as she fell... and the subtle approving grin. She did not feel him catch her, nor did she know that he had carried her back to her quarters, nor did she know he spent nearly an hour watching her as she slept away her fatigue.

"You're not weak." he whispered, staring at the girl he had just pummeled into the ground. "I'm proud of that."

She did not hear it. She did not need to. She already knew.