Sakura

My body seemed to levitate in midair in the darkness of my nightmares. I felt so weightless, drifting there on the clouds of darkness that surrounded me, cold and curling around my body like they were trying to suffocate me. I'd been here for a long time…not sure how long, but my best guess would be a year. Nightmares meant for torture watching the people around me die and suffer; I'd cry out and scream when my nightmares would come and attack me.

I wondered if any Jonin have found my body yet?

The next nightmare came on. Fiercely. Orochimaru's snake eyes were watching me with greed and wanting. I shivered and tried to shut my eyes, but all I saw was him. Then his pale, long fingered hand reached out for me and I screamed again.

"No! No!" I cried. I tried to open my eyes, but they were too heavy.

"Sakura calm down." I heard a stern voice say. I stopped moving and waited. "Open your eyes." My eyes slowly opened and I met the stern, strong featured face of my shishou.

I inhaled and exhaled deeply and swallowed the rising bile in my throat. All around me people were murmuring things and asking me questions that Tsunade would snap back at them to shut up and tipped a glass of medicine into my mouth.

After second I realized this medicine would make me drowsy and vulnerable to blurting out anything (Not good! Not good!). I shot up in my bed and attempted to spit it out, but Tsunade's hand clapped over my mouth firmly against my mouth and I fought her. Immediately her free hand moved to hit a particularly sensitive nerve which made my body cramp.

"You must swallow this, Sakura." I screamed against her hand and curled my fists with the fleece blankets and after a little more force I swallowed, chocking and gagging as I did so.

I gasped willfully and clutched my throat. "Never…do…that again." I threatened softly, clutching my throat as the tonic burned all the way down. I leaned forward resting my forehead on my knees and stretched back again.

"Sakura…" I glanced around and spotted two Jonin I recognized from the exams were here and Kakashi too, standing at the foot of my hospital bed too scared to come any closer.

"Sakura, what happened?" Kakashi asked quietly. "We know Sasuke left; we just sent Naruto and the others after him. We found you at the village gate early this morning." I hung my head in shame and a new wave of tears came on.

I tried to speak in the shortest sentences possible, making sure no information slipped.

"Sasuke left. He's going to Orochimaru…He wanted me to come too, but I refused and..." Tsunade nodded and put an arm around my shoulder.

"It's alright Sakura." She turned to the other Jonin bitterly. "Get out of here all of you. Go help get Uchiha back."

"Tsunade," I whispered when I heard them all leave. Tsunade rubbed my shoulder.

"Shhh, it's alright. I know you liked Sasuke and I'm sorry he chose that path. I had to deal with it too, when Orochimaru left the village. But I wasn't in love with him." She quickly added.

"No, I was weak I couldn't stop him. He used Sharingan on me..." Tsunade hugged me and, unlike anyone I'd ever known, let me cry.

~X~

Night had fallen over Konaha and Tsunade left my room to do a little paperwork and get some sake before she returned to check up on me and a few patients about a few hours ago. But I was guessing she hadn't come back yet because I woke to the sound of different voice.

It was Pein.

My eyes opened and I bolted upward. He wasn't wearing his disguise or his all black robe and he was still wearing his slashed headband. It was like he came here with a death wish. I looked into the deep orange eyes of my father as he smoothed my hair like he did when I was little. "Sakura...are you alright?" He asked in a worried whisper. I smiled and nodded. "I heard what happened and I was already coming to visit."

"I'm fine. A little sore, but okay." I reassured him. He smiled and his piercings reflected in the moonlight.

"Kisame told me you had taken a liking to the young Uchiha. Is that true?" I frowned, always straight to the point like he'd gotten his communication skills from a book. I removed the choker from around my neck and I looked at it as it sat in my hands just like it was a baby bird.

My father's gaze fell to it and tapped it with a long, pale finger. "They gave me this necklace for my birthday. Naruto gave me the band and Sasuke gave me the medallion. It says 'hime'." I didn't meet my father's gaze as he inspected the medallion further. "It's Uchiha gold. Someone said it'd belonged to his mother when she became engaged to his father, but I didn't want to think too far into it."

"Sakura..." I waited to be scolded for letting a boy, my teammate, get in the way of my mission –the most likely reason he was even here. But Pein decided to surprise me; he leaned forward and kissed my forehead. His face was carved into a rare smile. "If that Uchiha boy just left you just to gain more power than that boy is dumber than I thought." I almost giggled, almost.

~X~

When I woke again Naruto was in the hospital bed next to mine.

He was asleep and wrapped, almost completely in bandages. Only his eyes and mouth were showing. In his hand was a headband.

Sasuke's.

It was broken and blood stained, but Naruto clutched on to it. Even in his sleep.

Shikamaru sat in the chair next to him. His finger was broken and his face held worry. He wore his Chuunin jacket and kept his dark eyes on Naruto. A rare line of worry creased between his drawn brows and I could see him calculating the numbers and chances of survival in his head –I decided to pull him from misery.

"Shikamaru..." I whispered. He looked but and smiled.

"Hey Sakura." He said lazily. "I see you're finally awake. I had to handle that mission all by myself, so troublesome." His trying-to-be-happy voice died down once he saw my face.

"Did you get Sasuke back?" I asked. Shikamaru looked down and his face was frowning once more.

"And my very first mission was a fail. Chouji and Neji were half-dead when they were found. As for Lee, Kiba and me we would be dead if the Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara didn't help us." I tear fell down my face and I looked at Naruto.

The bandages…"Who...?" I slipped from out of my bed, not caring that the pain shot through my body and Saku's immediate commands to get back into bed rang in my ears. I touched the headband and then lower to Naruto's heart. It's slower…My hand glowed and I did a further inspection of the inside of Naruto's body.

Shocked by the amount of damage I withdrew like my hand caught on fire.

"Sasuke." That one word stabbed my heart once again.

Sasuke. The name had so many properties.

Sasuke the Uchiha Massacre survivor.

Sasuke the Avenger.

Sasuke member of Team 7.

Sasuke the friend.

Sasuke my first crush...

I bit my lip and nodded. "I'm sorry Sakura. We tried. Naruto tried harder, for you." I nodded softly and buried my face into my hands, forcing back tears I chocked on then quickly composed myself, fixing the superior look of a medic on my face, catching Shikamaru off guard a little. I breathed in and breathed out.

It's as easy as breathing. Breathe. Let go and let the wind carry what you've lost into the world, knowing it'll come back around. Saku recited her soft poetic advice and I forced myself to believe what she said.

"I need to go help…" Before Shikamaru could object I dashed out the door.

Naruto

My eyes opened and I stared at the blank ceiling for a moment.

It was white, like everything else in the room.

A hospital room.

My eyes landed on Sakura sitting at my bedside. Her face was anxious and her blue eyes were wide. "Naruto? Are you okay?" She leaned forward until she was standing halfway out of her seat, her hand fell to my forehead and I mumbled an almost inaudible 'okay'.

I started to sit up and she helped, slipping one hand under my arm and the other on my back. Then she propped up the pillows for me and let me lay back. "Where am I?" I looked around the room again.

Why did we always get the same hospital room?

"Tsunade-shishou decided to give Team 7 our own hospital room. Considering how much time we spend in the hospital." Sakura giggled and moved over to the window and unlatched it. "It's a beautiful day."

"Sakura..." She continued with her work, not looking back at me. "I'm sorry." She froze and her hand rested on the window's ledge. "I couldn't bring Sasuke back, I told you I would." She smiled.

"When did you promise that? I was out cold the whole time." I frowned deeper.

"I was there when they carried you into the hospital. Kiba got up early to walk Akumaru and found you then he took you directly to Tsunade-baa-chan and Shikamaru came to wake me up."

"Oh," Sakura walked around my bed again and sat down in her previous seat.

She looked behind her and grabbed her Chuunin jacket. She undid one of the many pockets and fished around for a moment. "One of the medic-nin took all your clothes and weapons you had on you even Lady Tsunade's necklace." She pulled out the light blue-green gem and dangled it in front of me. "I was able to save it."

I smiled and Sakura stood and clasped it around my neck. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." She waited for a moment. "Naruto...I know people who joined Orochimaru, not just Sasuke. The longer they stay with him the more he twists their minds and they soon become loyal to him. It's the power he gives that draws them in. It's intoxicating, really. He offered it to my family. But my father refused."

"What are you saying?" I asked.

"I saying..." she sighed heavily. "That I don't want you to go after him again." My eyes widened and she grabbed one of my bandaged hands. "He could kill you next time Naruto, that why I don't want you too."

"Sakura..." I was cut off by a loud voice.

"Yo! Naruto!" I looked out the window to see Pervy Sage sitting outside on a giant toad. "I came to talk to you about...oh...I'm I intruding on something?" He smiled pervertedly and I rolled my eyes.

Sakura sighed, releasing my hand, and went to the window. "Well, he's not listening to me Jiraiya-san. You give him a go." She turned and walked back to my bed and grabbed her jacket.

"Sakura don't go." I whispered. "Don't leave me with him."

Sakura laughed. "I have work to do. And you won't be able to move off of that bed, until Shizune-nee-chan comes in later." She side stepped and I tried to move.

She was right. Chakra ropes.

"Sa-ku-raaaaaaaa!" I whined. "Can I at least barrow your katana?" She didn't listen and walked out of the room.

Jiraiya was suddenly standing in front of me, his face grave. "Naruto I have to talk to you about something serious. It's about the Akatsuki..."

Sakura

I had listened to every horrifying word Naruto told me. About how the Akatsuki were after him and the Kyuubi, then about how he had to leave the village for a few years to become stronger. Jiraiya had said there were too many distractions here and he needed to be able to focus.

I was going to kill that perv next time I saw him. But there wouldn't be a next time. They were leaving in an hour and Jiraiya was all the way across the village by now.

Coward.

Naruto and I stood outside the hospital a few days later. Naruto and I both agreed it would be easier that way, he walked me to work then told me he'd try to send word to me just to let me know he was safe.

"You better try and send me some type of letter so I know you're alive!" I yelled. Naruto recoiled and then smiled at me.

"I'm going to miss you." Before he could see my tears I wrapped him in a hug.

"I'll miss you too. Don't get yourself killed." I pulled away from him then smiled. "And don't come back weak and useless." Naruto was about to object, but I just smiled and winked. "C'mon you know I'm kidding. With the Kyuubi you'll be able to do a lot of amazing things. Just don't let him consume you."

As I watched him go I heard Tsunade-shishou call me from the roof of the hospital –strangely enough. I rushed back into the hospital. If Naruto was going to get stronger I had to too. I wasn't going to be left behind.

I'm the daughter of Pein and Konan of the Akatsuki and, truthfully, I'm damn proud of it!

LAST CHAPTER!

Author's Note will be up tomorrow to express my feelings because I need to do something right now.

Please reveiw or I'll find you,

~QueenVamp