Ugh! School is killing me! But enough of that, here's the next chapter, and I hope you like it, even though it is a tad short (sorry) :S

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, only this story X)

Sasuke raced through the trees, holding Sakura's body close to his chest. All that was going through his mind was how to get to Konoha faster. It would usually take around three days to get to Konoha from the Bird Country. Sasuke had to get there in two, else Sakura would… No, he couldn't think like that.

He would need to run nonstop. No sleeping, no eating, just racing against time. Sasuke looked down at Sakura's face and felt his heart skip a beat. She was staring up at him through half lidded eyes. He could see that she was still in pain, but was trying hard to not show it. She didn't want him to worry. Typical. As if he could worry any more than he was. The last shreds of his world were being cruelly torn away again. But this time, there was something he could do to stop it.

He started to mentally count down the hours.

48 hours left…

46 hours left…

44 hours left…

42 hours left…

40 hours left…

He was just passing the border of the bird country, when Sakura screamed. Sasuke stopped for the first time, laying her gently on the ground.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" He asked her. She was weeping, clutching her stomach.

"H… Hurts…" She gasped out. She couldn't believe the pain that was ripping through her. And she was quite certain of what it was. Sasuke, held her, cooing softly, trying to get her to calm down, but she couldn't.

Suddenly, she felt something warm and sticky between her thighs. No… She thought. She had lost the baby. She knew that it was inevitable because of the poison, but she still couldn't believe it. She lost consciousness.

Sasuke held her, scared, worried and confused. What had just happened? Was it another effect of the pain? He felt something warm near his hand and brought it up to see blood. Another effect of the poison? Was it her time of the month? Either way, he felt a bad omen creep over him. He took to the trees once more.

xXx

Karin walked up to Kabuto, who was still shaking slightly.

"Sasuke wasn't in his room. Neither was the bitch. Orochimaru doesn't know where either of them are. Do you?" She tapped her foot impatiently. Kabuto shook his head.

"Sasuke knows that she is dying. Maybe he is taking her out for a final goodbye. Either way, she'll be dead in over a day. My end of the bargain is complete. Now it's your turn to pay up." There was no way that he was going to be tortured and stabbed without something good coming of this day. And besides, he felt horny when she was flustered.

Karin wiggled her finger at him. "I don't think so, Kabuto. I don't feel like you." She turned to leave, and that made Kabuto even angrier.

"Sasuke tortured and stabbed me! You owe me!" He screamed at her. She continued walking.

"That's your problem, isn't it?" She retaliated, smug.

He was so pissed at that. "If you don't, I'll convince Orochimaru Sama to never let you see Sasuke ever again." Karin froze at that, fury glinting in her red eyes.

"You wouldn't dare." She hissed.

Now it was Kabuto's turn to smile. "Just you watch me." He folded his arms over his chest in triumph. Karin faced him, hesitating for a moment.

"Fine. Let's get this over and done with." She strode up to him, removing her shirt as she went.

My eyes fluttered open to sunlight streaming through the window. I stretched my limbs and heard a few popping noises. Not good, I thought, before lazily stumbling from my bed. I looked at the clock. Seven a.m. You've got to be joking. I groaned, and almost flopped back down on my bed.

'Sakura!' Naruto was banging on my front door, and that made me pull on a plain blue yukata and go to the front door to answer it. His fist was relentless, and I could swear I heard some wood splintering.

'Naruto, stop it! You're going to break my damn door down soon!' I told him crossly as I opened the door. He just shrugged, grinning sheepishly.

'Baa – Chan wants you. I dunno why.' He told me, before letting himself in. 'Say, Sakura Chan, would you like to go and get some Ramen? Like, as friends, I mean, not as a date, unless you want it to be, in which case, I'd love to go on a date with you, but if you don't want to, then that's cool as well, I mean…' He stared at me with wide sapphire eyes, to which I rolled my jade ones.

'Naruto, you can't have Ramen for breakfast! Baka!' I told him, a smile playing about my lips. But just for fun, I cuffed him around the ear. He grimaced at me, and looked confused.

'Why not? I always have it for breakfast.' He started to scratch his head, closing one eye. With a shock, I realised he was thinking. I stifled a laugh. Naruto. Thinking. Who would have guessed?

'Yeah. Breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, entre, dinner, supper, dessert, midnight snack, snack in general… It's not healthy, Naruto. You have to have some fruit and vegetables.' I said matter of factly.

Naruto stuck his nose in the air defiantly. 'Vegetables, shmegetables. Ramen has vegetables in it. And meat. And… And… And Ramen! So there, it's plenty good for you!' He reminded me of a spoiled child and I just giggled. He was such a character.

I laughed, trying hard to not say "I use grammar good", in retaliation. 'Well, you said that Lady Tsunade is waiting for me? Even if I wanted to partake in eating Ramen with you for breakfast, I couldn't. Why don't you go ask Hinata instead? I'm sure she'd love to go for breakfast with you.' I suggested. He still didn't realise that Hinata loved him. I mean, seriously, the girl had told him that she loves him! What more proof could he possibly need?

'Hinata Chan? Why would she want to get Ramen with me?' Naruto looked confused again.

I walked towards the bathroom, shaking my head. 'Figure it out yourself, Naruto. I'm sure you'll get it eventually.' His whines accompanied me to the bathroom.

'But Sakura Chan! I don't even know what Partake means!'

Thirty hours left. Thirty hours left. That's what kept running through Sasuke's mind before he passed into the fire country. Sakura still hadn't woken up from when she collapsed. Blood had dried in a hard cake on her trousers. He sensed her eyes flutter open, and her struggling.

"It's alright, Sakura. We've just passed Amegakure." He assured her.

"No, it's not that, Sasuke. I just… I can't move my fingers or toes!" She sounded panicked.

Sakura chided herself. She knew that progressive paralysis was all a part of the poison. But still, it's one thing to study it, another to experience it. She grew cold as she realised what the next step was. Coma.

"Sasuke? How long have I been out?" She asked nervously.

"About ten hours." He answered back shortly.

Sakura quickly did the math in her head. She assumed that the paralysis had only started maybe half an hour ago. That meant that it would continue for another ten hours, give or take. After that, she would be in a coma. That could last anywhere between three hours and twenty. She turned cold. She had a minimum of thirteen hours left, a maximum of thirty.

"Sasuke," she whispered. He heard her and looked down.

"In about ten hours, I will go into a coma. After that, I could die anywhere between three and twenty hours later." She tried to keep her voice void of emotion, but couldn't stop it from squeaking occasionally. She saw his eyes go wide, and then he somehow went faster. The landscape was a blur. She could feel determination seeping from his pores.

Sakura continued working on the fingers and toes, arms and legs. Within an hour, she couldn't move her hands or feet, two hours more and she couldn't move her arms below the elbow or below the knee. She was so frightened. What if they didn't make it in time? She couldn't describe the fear that was coursing through her. Three hours later, she couldn't move or feel her arms or legs.

She only had about four hours left until she fell into the coma. Sakura felt like crying, but knew she had to stay strong. She had to see her friends again. She had to get Aya away from Orochimaru. She couldn't leave Sasuke. No, that wouldn't happen. She couldn't, she wouldn't!

She knew that she would grow up, get married, have children, grandchildren. Live a long life. She couldn't lose that future now!

Within three and a half hours, Sakura couldn't feel her body, and the numbness was creeping up her neck.

"Sasuke," she managed to mumble. He looked down at her to show that he was listening. "I'm sorry… I'm going to pass out soon, and I won't wake up. After that, I'll have a maximum of twenty hours. Probably only about ten or fifteen, though." She could feel her eyes closing, her body giving up.

Sasuke listened intently, not stopping. Every second counted. He was absolutely exhausted, parched and famished, but he couldn't stop. He did look down at her again, and saw that she was smiling softly at him. For him.

"A… Arigato, Sasuke. For everything. I…" She breathed, finding it nearly impossible to keep her eyes open. "I… Love…" Her head drooped back, eyes closing, as she slipped peacefully into oblivion.

Ooh, what's going to happen to Sakura? Well, I know what's going to happen ;) But you'll just have to stay tuned XD How's about that preview?

Chapter 16 - The Sound of White

... It was one in the morning when the few lights of Konoha came into view. Sasuke felt an immediate sense of relief rush through his body. He looked at the girl in his arms and almost had a heart attack. Her breathing had become shallow, and he could feel her heartbeat speeding up slowly...

..."Hold on, Sakura. We're almost there." He panted, closing his eyes and pushing forward with energy he didn't have.

X)