I was going to post it up on Sunday, can you believe it? But because you guys are awesome, I couldn't help myself. Have I mentioned that you are awesome? Well, you are XD And without further ado, I present Chapter Seventeen!

Disclaimer: I am not currently in the possession of Naruto.

Sasuke burst through the glass window into the office, almost hitting Tsunade. Said woman stood in shock and fright as the dark haired man scrambled around on the floor, a girl with pink hair in his arms.

"Sakura!" Tsunade cried upon seeing the girl. She looked at the man. "Sasuke?" She seemed confused, but Sasuke couldn't have cared less.

"She's been poisoned by the Azalea plant and has been in a coma for about twelve hours now. She stopped breathing a few seconds ago."

Tsunade swept all the items off her desk, an automatic sign for him to place her there, which he did so tenderly.

Tsunade's hands glowed green, opening Sakura's airways with one and coaxing her heart beat to return with the other. She could feel the poison wrapped around Sakura's heart and lungs, and knew that she would have to work quickly, else Sakura would die.

"What can I do?" Sasuke asked her. He felt so helpless. Sakura still wasn't breathing!

"CPR. Breathe for her." Tsunade ordered.

Sasuke nodded, immediately parting her lips and breathing into a body that had lost the will to live. He pumped her lungs three times, careful to not get in Tsunade's way, before breathing for her again. "Come on, Sakura!" He growled, forcing her lungs to work again, before going back to her mouth. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes, but quickly brushed them away. He couldn't give up on her! He wouldn't give up on her! She was all he had left, the only reason he had to live. He pressed on her lungs again, before going back to her lips and breathing. "Sakura, please… Live…" He begged her, working futilely on her lungs and breath. It had been a minute and she still wasn't breathing. She was going so cold. "Please, Sakura…" Tears were falling down his cheeks, and he couldn't have cared less about wiping them away. There was nothing but the girl before him. "Please, Sakura. Don't go where I can't follow you," he choked, breathing for her again. "Sakura, please… Don't leave me. I love you." He rested his brow against Sakura's, his voice barely raised higher than a whisper. Tears cascaded down his cheeks. His chest felt numb with pain. So this is what it felt like to have your heart breaking. He looked at Sakura, his love, his life, and willed her eyes to open. He would give anything to see her emerald orbs shine at him again. Give anything to have her breast rise in inhalation again. Give anything to hear her finish her last sentence… She was everything to him, and he was nothing without her. He loved her. It was a simple, honest and life shattering truth.

Sakura smiled. 'Gomen, mama, but I can't go with you. Not yet.'

Sakura looked peaceful as her chest rose minutely, almost as if she'd been breathing the whole time. Most would have missed it, but it was the one reaction that Sasuke and Tsunade were waiting for. Hoping for. Praying to Kami, and every other god that may exist, did exist, use to exist or had yet to exist, would happen.

Tsunade sighed in relief. The poison wasn't yet gone, but at least she was breathing again. She glanced at Sasuke briefly. She hadn't missed his few words, and was curious as to what had happened between the two. She thought that Sasuke didn't give a shit for Sakura! Apparently, that was no longer the case.

"I can take it from here, Uchiha. I'm going to take her to the hospital. Stay here, I'll need to talk to you." Tsunade picked Sakura's limp body into her arms and, in a swirl of leaves, left the office.

The next few hours were torture for Sasuke. He'd never felt so frightened. It was taking all of his willpower to not go to the hospital and see if she was okay. The only reason he didn't was because if he showed up there, he'd be arrested and there's no way he'd be able to see if Sakura was alright. So he sat there on a chair, letting none of his emotions escape.

Dawn was approaching when Tsunade reappeared back in the office. She had rings under her eyes, and was in a grumpy, but pleased mood. Upon seeing Sasuke's anxious face, "she'll live, Uchiha, and make a full recovery." Sasuke slumped back into the chair, relieved.

Tsunade noticed this as well. She pulled up a chair and sat facing him directly. "Now tell me, what the hell were you doing, smashing into my office in the middle of the night, Sakura half dead in your arms? And cut the bullshit. I heard what you said to her, I saw the worry in your face and I heard it in your voice, and by your fucking actions! So don't think you can say 'I found her on the side of the road and thought she needed help.' I won't fall for it!" Tsunade drew in gasping breaths. Of all the ways she had thought to find Sakura, this had been one of the last.

Sasuke sighed, running a hand through his hair. How much should he tell her? He saw the look in her burning eyes, and knew he had to tell her basically everything; she wouldn't accept less. "Back in December, I found Sakura in a clearing, with a group of seven men attempting to rape and kill her. I killed them and brought her back with me to… My hideout. There, Kabuto repressed her chakra -" Tsunade nodded at that. She had obviously figured something out of that kind. "- and I made her my serving girl. Shit happened, unwanted visitors turned up, Sakura got poisoned and so, here we are." Okay, so not everything, but no one had told him to go into detail. He wouldn't reveal too much, only what was necessary.

Tsunade leaned back, unsatisfied. "There's some things you're not telling me, Uchiha."

"There are some things that I am not at liberty to tell you." He shot back. Tsunade understood this and nodded.

"There are some things which I need you to know about her current condition." Tsunade began. "There is a block on her chakra, but I'll remove that slowly, once she's recovered. It was a concentrated poison from the azalea plant. If you had gotten here five minutes later, Sakura would be dead. It had infected her heart, lungs, kidneys, liver and brain. It was a miracle she survived as it is." Tsunade took a deep breath, before revealing the last thing to him. "Sasuke, Sakura was pregnant." Sasuke stiffened at that, his mind clouded, and his nostrils flared. He knew what she was about to say. So that's what the blood had been? His child…

"She lost the baby because of the poison. She wasn't far along, maybe only two weeks at most." Sasuke nodded, his jaw clenched. He would kill Kabuto, and damn the consequences!

"Sasuke." Said male looked at her. "It was yours, wasn't it?" Tsunade could see the rage in his eyes, but would have figured as much with or without that.

Sasuke nodded at her once, his thoughts consumed by a hatred which could only be matched by that which he had once held for his brother. No. Screw that. This loathing pummelled that sorry excuse that he had described as hatred, until it was no more that a cowering piece of filth on a dingy floor.

"Sakura should be recovered in a few days. You may stay with me until she is. I know that you don't want to stay here, and as my way of saying thank you for bringing Sakura back, I will let you leave uninhibited. But no one must know you are here."

Sasuke nodded at her again. "When can I see her? How?" He asked.

"When she is recovered enough to move on her own. I will bring her to you."

Sasuke nodded again and Tsunade sighed.

"I will bring you back to my quarters now. Please throw up a genjutsu so that people won't recognise you." Sasuke nodded, did the required hand seals, and immediately a glamour portraying him as an old man appeared. He followed Tsunade from the room, cloaking his chakra as he went.

xXx

Sakura slowly opened her eyes to bright white lights. Where am I? She thought. Am I dead? She thought about this for a moment. No, I can't be dead. My body hurts too much.

"Sakura!"

Tsunade? That was definitely Tsunade's voice calling her. Why was Tsunade here? Maybe I am dead. Tsunade can't be here… But then, why is Tsunade dead?

"Sakura is waking up. I need morphine!"

Tsunade again. Maybe I should try saying something. Wait, where is Sasuke? Is he alright? Did he get me to… All of her previous memories came streaming back to her, and she sat up straight with a gasp. "Sasuke!" She yelled, hoping that he was beside her. She looked down at her body and started feeling her stomach, arms, legs, face, chest. Well, I still have my body. She looked around and saw Tsunade staring at her. "Tsunade? Where's Sasuke?" Her eyes slowly managed to adjust to the light and she suddenly realised that she was in the Konoha hospital.

Tsunade looked at her with soft eyes. "You'll be able to see him soon, Sakura," she whispered softly, so that only Sakura could hear. Sakura nodded her head in acceptance and lay back down on the pillow.

"How long have I been here?" Sakura asked, feeling dizzy.

"Three days. We almost lost you. I managed to extract all of the poison, but your body is still very weak. You'll need to stay here at least two more days before you're recovered enough to walk around."

Sakura nodded again. "Where is Sasuke?" She piqued. How was he?

"He's staying with me for a little bit. Nobody knows he is here."

A nurse who Sakura didn't recognise entered then, a smile on her face. "Kon'nichiwa, Sakura San. Gomen, but I must give you this anaesthetic, as I'm sure your body must be quite sore from all that it has had to endure." She stuck a needle into the drip, and Sakura could feel all of the aches and pains start to disappear.

"Tsunade Sama, could I possibly have some food? I'm starving."

Tsunade nodded and went to get some food. When Sakura was munching happily on an apple, Tsunade said "I've partially started to remove the block on your Chakra. It's been repressed for a long time, so I'm going to slowly remove it bit by bit over the next two weeks. If I were to let it all go at once, it could kill you."

Sakura nodded at that. It was to be expected. Her body would go into shock because of the sudden Chakra rush. It could only be compared to when Naruto would have the kyuubi break free, only hers would be more violent on her body; Naruto's body had grown accustomed to living with the kyuubi over so many years. Sakura's had gotten far too use to dealing without the need for Chakra. Sakura would probably lose herself, go into shock, have multiple seizures, her heart and mind would give out, Chakra points would explode from the sudden onslaught of Chakra that they are unused to keeping, and she would die. "Arigato, Tsunade Sama. I'm just glad that the block is able to be removed."

Tsunade nodded at her student before standing. "I'm going to go and tell the Uchiha that you are awake and recovering well. I'll be back soon."

Sakura just nodded and Tsunade stood up and left.

xXx

Sasuke paced around the room slowly, his eyes on the carpet. He heard the door open and growled as Tsunade called him. What did the old woman want now?

"Sasuke!" She called again, going to find the boy. She found him in his room, walking with a scowl on his face. He stopped in his tracks and glared at her. Tsunade could tell that he hated being locked up.

"What?" He spat, but Tsunade just continued to look at him passively, a small smile on her face.

"Sakura has woken up." She stated simply. Sasuke appeared infront of her and clutched her shoulders, shaking her.

"How is she? Is she alright? Will she be okay?" The words flew from his mouth like desperate daggers.

"She's fine. She'll make a full recovery, as I said before. She will be able to walk by herself in approximately two days." Sasuke nodded and continued to pace. Tsunade sighed and left her home, heading back to the hospital.

xXx

Two days later, Sakura limped from the hospital, clutching Tsunade's arm. She had vehemently refused a walking frame, or stick, or wheelchair, or anything that she would need to rely on to be mobile, for that matter. Tsunade led the girl to the Hokage mansion. Nobody yet knew of Sakura's return, and all of the nurses that had helped her had been sworn to secrecy, under pain of being fired permanently from their jobs and unable to work anywhere except shovelling manure. Tsunade had thrown a genjutsu over Sakura, and anyone who enquired as to who Sakura was, was quickly told to mind their own damn business.

"Sasuke is still in my rooms. I'll leave the both of you in there to have some time to yourselves, but if he tries to take you with him, I will have him arrested. He already knows this, and I think it's only fair that you do too." Tsunade said to her student in a low voice, incase their conversation attracted prying ears.

Sakura nodded, giving her sensei a small smile. Her throat was dry with anticipation to see Sasuke again, and butterflies were going rampant in her stomach.

"You're nervous, aren't you Sakura?" Tsunade said, sensing it from the girl.

Ha. Understatement! "Just a little bit," Sakura replied, making a small space with her thumb and index finger.

"A little?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "I can feel you shaking like a leaf caught in a tornado!" She said, rather more loudly than necessary.

Sakura shrugged. "I'm prone to hyperbole."

"You can say that again…" They continued walking, Sakura getting a few looks along the way, but she just ignored them.

Sakura hadn't fully realised just how anxious she was to see Sasuke again until Tsunade and herself were standing outside of the door. All that is separating us is this one piece of wood… Sakura thought. She shrugged the thought off and opened the door.

Woot Woot! Sakura's alive! Teehee, I got you all so wound up XD I just want to say thanks for all of the reviews I've been getting. I actually have over a hundred now! I didn't think I'd ever get that many, and now that I have, it feels surreal! So thank you so so soooo much for that :)

Chapter 18 - Here Comes Goodbye

...He slowly opened the door and saw Sakura standing there, tears in her eyes. "Come back with me," he said one last time.

Sakura shook her head. "I can't go back, Sasuke. Konoha is my home... Please stay. For me. Stay with me. Please."

Sasuke crouched before her. "No."...

Oooh, wonder what's going to happen next? Well, you know what to do if you want to find out quicker :) x