Sakura sighed and stretched up her shoulders as high as she could, trying to ease the ache in her back as much as possible. She had been sitting for hours, it seemed and before that lying down. She couldn't properly stand in her cage and she couldn't find any other options. But worse than the grind on her joints was the grind of boredom.

When she had given herself up it had never crossed her mind that she would have to sit still, doing absolutely nothing, until Naruto finally showed up with the treaty. It was boring as hell.

There were a pair of guards sitting on opposite sides of her. They were deep in meditation to keep a seal on her manacles. They had never even made eye contact with her, let alone said a single word.

At least the sun had gone down now and they brought her dinner. Meals were the only break in the monotony. Of course, she did have to work out how to lift her food to her mouth with the manacles they had put on her. None of them could even put them on, they'd had to order her to lay her wrists over a scroll so the manacles could be summoned and clapped on her without lifting them.

It had pleased her unreasonably to watch their jaws drop open as she lifted the things in order to eat and drink. They thought they would get the amusement of watching her being forced to put her mouth to her plate. Sakura worked to hide how awkward it was to lift the chopsticks to her mouth and bite the large pieces of pork. They had refused to give her a knife. She huffed. As if she couldn't kill someone with the chopsticks if she really needed to.

"Hmph." Sakura sighed once more.

She kept her mind on that moment when Naruto appeared. He had better hurry. The idiot Iwa captain had sent some chunin who practically peed his pants trying to tell her that they were crossing the river into Earth country. The boy's teeth had chattered together as he explained the charges against her and that she would be put in front of a judge.

As far as she could tell they would leave at some point early the next day. Depending on the direction they chose it could take as little as six hours to reach a village big enough with a magistrate to convene a trial against her. And she was sure they would do that as quickly as possible. It would probably take no time at all to find her guilty. Sakura shut her eyes tight.

It wasn't bad enough she was stuck in a cage better fit for a wild animal with two shinobi in meditation poses at either side maintaining a seal on the cage, it wasn't disturbing enough that the captain was clearly not the sharpest kunai in the holster, it wasn't annoying enough to be insulted with manacles that would be heavy to anyone else, and the other little humiliations they put on her... but knowing that she was going to be dragged away from her own home country made her nerves even more pronounced.

Sakura had to face the fact that she had killed again. And without Sasuke to distract her she couldn't stop the thought that she didn't need to. She could have stopped those two without lethal means. She could have avoided fighting entirely if she had just been slightly more patient. In fact, she was forced to admit to herself, she had gone in picking a fight, hadn't she?

She swallowed. She had to believe that wasn't the whole of it. Otherwise she was no better than the murderer the Iwa accused her of being. She had to get Sasuke out of there.

Sakura felt the old coldness in her heart and shivered. She did what was necessary. Even if, in the end, it meant she took Sasuke's place as Iwa's subject for interrogation. There was no doubt in her mind that they would try to pry secrets from her. Her intel on Konoha would be more recent than Sasuke's.

Sakura shifted restlessly. They wouldn't be gentle. They knew she could take down a strong genjutsu type. Could she resist a sensory type rooting around in her mind? What if they figured out how to nullify her strength and ended up physically torturing her? If it were her, she would combine the two. Whatever they did they would want to work fast before the case against her was thrown out on the basis of it having been Fire territory all along.

...And the circle of thoughts came back around to Sakura's callous killing of the two Iwa shinobi two days earlier. She yelled at herself once more... She was such a-

A sharp breeze fluttered the tent flap, and faster than Sakura could really process it, Sasuke stood in front of one meditating shinobi and then in front of the other. They had barely the time to turn to look at him and then their presence seemed to slip away.

Sakura eyed Sasuke. His Sharingan faded to black. "Genjutsu?" She said softly.

"Aa."

She looked down at her manacles but the seal was still in place. She tsked.

She looked back at Sasuke as he stood on just the other side of the bars staring back at her. Her heart rate had already ticked up and it went up again when she spied a holster strapped to his leg.

Sasuke looked at the lock on the cage and at the manacles weighing Sakura's wrists to the floor of her cage.

Sakura could feel the little hairs on her neck stand up. She had forced herself to think about anything but Sasuke, anything at all but that kiss. It was... it was too much. But here he was and...

"Sakura." Sasuke's voice was hushed.

Her heart stopped.

"Do you want me to get you out?"

Sakura was so surprised she gave a sort of gasping chuckle, before covering it with a cough. It was best if they were quiet.

"Is that funny?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly but there was still much on his face that Sakura couldn't read.

"No. I just didn't expect you would ask that. But if you busted me out of the cage I would still have to run with the manacles." She lifted them to show the seal over the thick links. "If I break them this seal will knock me out immediately. I think even if I don't, if one of those two wanted to they could activate the jutsu." She made a face. It was a clunky plan on the part of the Iwa captain but it left too many unknowns for her to want to take any chances.

"They weren't exactly clear on whether I'd be knocked out for a minute or a week or what and I don't think you can carry me out of here as quietly as you got in."

"Hn." Sasuke had a rebellious look on his face. "You're underestimating me."

She smirked. Then the look faded from his face and he looked into her eyes again. "I'll get you free if you ask me to."

More goosebumps. Sakura's stomach felt funny. Had he...? Was he...? "Are you serious?"

Sasuke was silent a moment, then, "Aa."

Sakura's breath was short. She didn't want to breathe. She didn't want to move. What if she was dreaming?

Sasuke took a step forward and put a hand to one of the bars, "If-" He fell silent as they heard footsteps come toward the tent and then pass on by.

It gave Sakura enough room to think. She smiled and tried to swallow the lump in her throat. "Thank you, but no. If I really wanted to get out I would have done that already. I haven't because I want to give Naruto the chance to come through the with treaty." She scooted closer to the bars. "If I busted out I would be spitting in his face and in Konoha's."

"Hn." Sasuke reached down through the bars and lay his hand on hers. "They let you end up here."

There was a faint insult in his words. Sakura closed her eyes and concentrated on the warmth on her hand. "I did it for them. And for you, if you'll recall."

Sasuke spoke again. There was a smile in his quiet voice. "Kakashi said you don't like accepting help from anyone."

Sakura snickered quietly. "I hope he doesn't know you're here."

Sasuke shrugged. "Naruto said he was counting on your help with the Earth daimyo. He said the daimyo wants some other piece of land that borders Fire and Wind and if there was another week of negotiation he'd get it."

Sakura felt her heart plummet. "The Fuyu Marshes. Damn. Dammit." She tipped her head until it rested on the bars. She had really screwed up, hadn't she? "Fuck. That area is probably even more important to Konoha than this river, which is why that jerk Hidesaburo wants it so bad. Losing it would hurt our relations with Suna."

"I've been assuming the Iwa are going to take you into Earth country for trial tomorrow."

"Yeah, that's what I was told. They cross the river all the time. I think they're waiting for a group of high level shinobi to come here tonight with instructions from their Tsutchikage. Damn. As long as I'm here Hidesaburo - the Tsutchikage - can keep Naruto busy while his daimyo keeps pestering the Fire Country daimyo for the Marshes." Sakura silently berated herself as stubborn, violent fool. Her idiocy was going to cost Konoha dearly.

Sasuke cleared his throat. "Do you still want to stay here?"

Sakura's lip curved in a bitter smile. "I'm committed now. I've already broken enough orders to face some serious consequences when I get home. I can't just break my word on top of everything else."

"Hn. Home." Sasuke hand stiffened on hers.

"Yeah, home. Sasuke, Konoha is the only home I've ever had." Sakura wondered if Sasuke would invite her to travel with him. It hurt to think of it. Please don't ask me to go with you, she silently pleaded. Please don't break my heart again.

Sasuke studied her face. Sakura wondered if he could read her torn feelings in her eyes. "Naruto asked me to go with him in your place. He seems to think I could be some kind of diplomat."

There was a lightness in his voice like he still was amazed by the idea. Well it was completely insane. "You?" Sakura blinked. Then she pressed her lips together to keep from bursting into laughter.

A faint smile slipped over his lips before they returned to a frown. "He's still an idiot."

Sakura grunted. "Well... sometimes. But...not always. Did he tell you why he thought that?"

Sasuke hitched and then smirked. "He said not to tell you, but apparently we scare people into acting."

Sakura soured instantly. Of course Naruto would be completely tactless.

"Kakashi said I knew about life among common people, and the diplomats needed to remember that." He grunted. "But Kakashi isn't sure that's a good idea. He called it a crazy stunt."

That made some kind of sense. For just the briefest of moments she could see what Naruto was trying to do. And it kept alive her plan of making Sasuke take a stand. "Did you come here to decide if you'll go?"

"Hn." Sasuke withdrew his hand.

Sakura almost panicked and tried to think of something to say to bring him back.

Sasuke spoke first. "I was thinking it over and realized you haven't changed your bandages today." Sasuke opened his hip holster and began pulling out supplies. She recognized them as the ones that came from Genmei.

Sakura frowned at the change of subject. She hadn't gotten to change her bandages, she had been deprived of her tools and weapons immediately and she didn't want to tell the Iwa that she was sporting a nasty injury and still at less than 100% chakra.

"You can change your bandages now." Sasuke looked at her, some mystery in the back of his eyes.

Sakura's jaw twitched.

"Hn."

Sakura lifted her manacles. "I can't really do it with these on." She held them out to Sasuke. He frowned and put his hand under one of them. Sakura smirked and relaxed her hold so he could take more of the weight.

Sasuke hitched and eyes went wide in surprise as he almost dropped them before Sakura lifted them again. Shock was written plainly on his face.

Sakura's smirk deepened. "Turns out I am super strong."

"What are...?"

"As far as I can understand they've been treated with metal alloys that Iwa Earth style specialists developed. The matter is denser than any naturally-occurring material, so it's heavier too." Sakura gave an irritated sigh. "It's just that as long as I don't break them I can't make hand signs or do other complicated things."

She happened to look up at Sasuke and saw a simple little smile lifting his face as he looked back at her. It stopped her irritation completely as she felt herself blushing and smiling back awkwardly.

"It's pretty cool that you can lift it like it's paper."

Sakura giggled. "It's a bit heavier than paper. I can still tell the difference. And I have to use chakra to move it. After a few hours it could be a problem." Sakura sighed. "I'd have a hard time trying to take off this kimono, and I couldn't even change my bandages."

"You would have to trust me." Sasuke's voice was so low Sakura wasn't entirely sure she heard him.

"Hmm?"

"If you trust me." He repeated slightly louder. "I could do it. Just lift your arms."

The blush that had been receding came back full force and swept over her neck and upper chest. Wouldn't that...? But of course he had already...? But even so...!

Sasuke looked directly into her eyes. His expression was carefully blank.

Sakura swallowed. It was not like Sasuke to try to angle for a peek. He had treated her wound when it was still fresh. For heaven's sake he had tossed the kimono that she now wore to her so she would cover up! But he had also teased her about being naked at the hot water pools.

Sasuke chuckled at the look on her face and shook his head. "I swear I only mean to help you. I promise I won't do anything unnecessary. Or look anywhere unnecessary, either."

"Sa-sasuke..." No she still couldn't ask him. She would never forget the maddening thrill of his lips against hers.

Sasuke lifted a hand to her hair and gently pushed it behind her ear. "I swear to you, Sakura, until you can stand on your own feet without being obligated to anyone else, I won't do anything other than help you." He let his thumb slip along her jaw before pulling his hand back to his side of the bars.

Sakura realized there had been a look on his face that... it was just like the one he wore right before the Iwa pulled her away. But now that look was put away. Now he was a man who wanted her trust, with a look on his face of...

Sakura gasped as she made the realization - it was friendship.

Sakura gave him a shy smile and lifted her arms. She sat up on her knees and rested her hands on the bars where they met the roof of the cage. I'll have to see this all the way through now, she thought. If that's the only way to get him to do more than help me.

"Hn." Sasuke locked eyes with her while his hands worked deftly. Cool air met her chest and slight draft went up her back. Sasuke picked up a knife from his supplies, a very small boning knife with a narrow blade.

Sakura looked steadily back at Sasuke. She only felt light steady touches and then the wraps were coming loose from around her midsection. They stuck slightly in one corner but Sasuke massaged them free.

Sakura tried very hard not to think about what else his hands could do with so much access to her bare skin. She tried very hard not to let it show where her mind kept going. She tried so very, very hard to keep from thinking about anything other than their friendship as she looked at Sasuke but his eyes were so beautiful, his lips were so full...

Finally she wrenched her head to the side and buried her face in her arm. She could feel Sasuke's fingers move faintly over the delicate new skin of her wound.

Sasuke was moving and she hazarded a peek - he knelt down to look more closely at the wound. And then she felt his breath move over her belly.

With a light squeak she jumped away and managed to bang her head on the roof. She swallowed her curses and bit her tongue to keep from crying out.

Sasuke had stopped moving and looked up at her expectantly.

She swallowed yet again. "Sorry," she whispered. "Keep going."

"Hn." Sasuke pulled out a few more items and looked at her again. "I need you a little closer."

Sakura hitched and slowly moved back to the bars. Could she keep better control over herself?

Sasuke sighed. "I've been wondering something."

Sakura blinked and stopped moving. What could it possibly be?

"You started to tell me about a difficult mission this morning. I want to know more about it."

"Oh..." Sakura hadn't been expecting that. The day had been so long and so full of other unexpected events she hadn't spared a thought for an incomplete story. She resumed moving back toward Sasuke as she pondered it.

When she was back into position he patted an antiseptic lotion on with a cotton pad. It felt cool and slightly tingly. From the scent there was aloe vera mixed in and she imagined it may contain ground lichens as well.

"What do you want to know?" Sakura recalled a loud, dusty mess, with low visibility due to frequent eruptions. She let her eyes stare forward, over Sasuke's head, without seeing anything. Perhaps it wasn't the worst day of her life, but it was in the running.

"I don't get how Shikamaru and Kiba were caught."

She recalled her story and sighed. "I still think it's my fault that Shikamaru and then Kiba were taken down. But they don't agree with me. We knew the enemy had a poison user or two so I had a dozen antidotes ready to go. But they were effective at splitting us up and spraying the area with airborne poison. By the time I got to the position where I saw them last Shikamaru, Kiba and even Akamaru had been dragged away."

Sakura rubbed her face on her upper arm. "Hinata wanted to rescue them. But I could hear explosions from the giant ninja tool attacking the other squads. I wanted to complete the mission but I froze for a second." She glanced down at Sasuke. He looked up at her for a moment. "Of course I could hear Kakashi-sensei saying that abandoning teammates makes a person lower than scum. But what could I do? My other teammates were also in trouble.

"So Hinata and I agreed to split up." Sakura bit her lip. "And I went for the tower."

"What did you do?" Sasuke returned his attention finishing wrapping the bandages around Sakura's torso.

"I killed a lot of people." She whispered.

She told Sasuke how she used exploding tags to clear a way, leaping over clumps of flesh and groaning, mangled bodies. She caught kunai in midair without really even knowing what she was doing and hurled them back at their senders. When someone managed to step into her path too close for a paper bomb, she quickly parried the kunoichi's blade with her long knife and then slashed her throat without a second thought.

At the tower she joined Rock Lee and Tenten. Lee was hurt so Tenten defended them while she patched up Lee. They let her know that Shino and Sai's team had been stymied by the weapon and it was unknown how they fared.

Up close Sakura could see that the tower was huge, intentionally built for excellent defense. Charging meant exposing themselves while midrange fighters attacked. The monolith of stone ignored paper bomb explosions. There seemed no way they could fight their way to the top of the tower to try to take control of the tool. Meanwhile, the shinobi manning the tool kept firing volleys into the forest, presumably against Shino's team.

"Hn." Sasuke interrupted her.

"Huh?"

"I wanted to show you something."

Sakura blinked and made a confused face. Sasuke had carefully laid a patch of bandages over the medicated wound and wrapped gauze over it to keep it in place. "What is it?"

"Here," he traced a finger over her solar plexus. Sakura could see ink on the bandage.

"A seal?"

"Aa. If something goes wrong and you need hands that aren't in some unnatural manacles put your chakra into this. It'll transport me no matter where I am, unless I'm dead."

Sakura pressed her lips together to try to keep from smiling so hard her mouth might split open. Tears threatened in her eyes. If she was merely dreaming this new, thoughtful Sasuke, she never wanted to wake up. Of course, once she could speak she had to tease him. "You got that idea from Naruto."

Sasuke hitched. "Tsch." There was a slight blush on his cheeks.

Sakura allowed a small, pleased smile to settle on her face. "Well, even his jutsu isn't the same as the one the Fourth Hokage used; yours is closer, I think. And thank you, Sasuke, I really appreciate it."

"It will work only as long as the seal stays intact so if something happens to the bandages it won't work. And it'll only work once." He shrugged. "Just to be sure I want to put another layer of bandages over it."

"Okay." Sakura resumed her story. Between the three of them they finally agreed and proceeded on a plan. Rock Lee charged forward, neatly dodging jutsu's aimed at him. Sakura pegged as close to his shadow as possible. Tenten hung back and cleared the air of any weapons aimed at them.

At the last possible second Rock Lee threw himself to the side and Sakura reared up, pressed a foot hard into the ground and with a cry drove her fist into a key point in the wall.

It wasn't just about her fist, of course. She poured an extraordinary amount of chakra into the wall, and she sent it with a mission of finding and disrupting every point of pressure and every tension joint until the tower was only so many tons of granite particles suspended in space and rapidly giving way to gravity.

Rock Lee sprang up and carried her out of the way of the crumbling tower. Sakura watched over his shoulder as shinobi tried to flee what was once a fortress but was now their biggest threat.

The three of them had to run a ways away before they felt safe to stop. While they were running Sakura has spied a flare sailing into the sky. She remembered it was Hinata's signal so she could find her and the members of the team who had been taken prisoner.

Sakura's voice faded out. She could feel Sasuke tugging the bandages as he looped the final knot. He had expertly tucked the boning knife into the wraps. It wouldn't be simple but if she was desperate enough she could pull it free and have a small, sharp weapon in her hand.

She smiled at him.

Sasuke smirked and pulled her kimono shut, careful to duplicate the folds that had been in it before so it would close neatly around her smaller frame.

"You're still not sure if you're going with Naruto?"

Sasuke glanced at her, a little surprised by the question.

"I'll go on with the story in a minute, just... You're thinking about it, aren't you?"

Sasuke held her kimono closed with his hands. He didn't look her in the eye for a moment. "Even you think it's laughable."

"I think you would know exactly what to say to those fools. What I find funny is imagining how the elders' heads will explode if they see you standing next to Naruto."

He looked at her then, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Are you sure you don't want to get out of there and come see for yourself?"

Sakura grinned. "I wish I could, but that would mess up everything. So you'll just have to go and come back and tell me all about it."

"Hn." Sasuke pulled the ends of the obi that shut the kimono. "You and Naruto are way more sure of this than I am. I can't even believe I'm taking the idea seriously."

"It's because you're finally running toward something, instead of away."

The look on Sasuke's face became more serious, slightly aggravated. "I know your plan, Sakura. You still want to make me stand up for something. I know you were communicating with Naruto through Katsuya, did you work this out with him?"

Sakura started, she almost pulled back but Sasuke still held onto her kimono, black eyes boring into hers. She longed to reach out to him. "I didn't know Naruto wanted me to join him at the daimyo's palace, and I never would have thought he'd want to take you there. But please, hear me out! The future is going to come one way or the other, Sasuke. Konoha's next generation is already on its way. I will eventually get back home, and when I do I'll deliver Hinata's baby. This treaty is going to be part of that future. And this is your chance to take part, to build the future that you think is right."

Sasuke sighed. He pressed his head against the bars and stared at his hands as they finished knotting Sakura's obi. "You just won't stop. You don't-"

Sakura had moved softly but quickly and pressed her lips to the corner of his mouth.

Sasuke pulled back in surprise, hauling his arms through the bars and blinking at her.

She tried to give him a smirk but the melancholy in her heart wouldn't let her achieve it. "I didn't make any promises."

Sasuke closed his eyes and his arms fell to his sides and for a moment he was the cold, beautiful bastard Sakura had always known. Then he spoke, "So you do have feelings for me."

"Hmm." Sakura suddenly felt weary. "Yeah, but I feel a lot of things, Sasuke. I feel coldness most of the time. And a huge amount of protectiveness for the people I care about. And for you?" She shook her head and sat back. She set her manacled wrists on the floor of the cage. If she were wise she would have never said anything but she couldn't stop now.

"I'm still really, really mad at you."

Sasuke silently stared at her. She shrugged. It was true. She wanted to be with him every way possible. And she wanted to punch him into next week. She wanted to lay down and cry and, dammit all, she really wanted to let him rescue her.

"And I still lo..." Sakura wanted to finish the sentence. She wanted to say the words, even if it meant he abandoned her yet again. But her sad, tired heart couldn't bear it and her breath wouldn't support it. She tried again, "I am still in-"

"Don't." Whispered Sasuke. "Don't say it."

She looked up at him. She realized he was tense, his arms stiff and he was frowning, but it wasn't a frown for her. She hated herself for not having the courage to ask him how he felt about her.

"I don't deserve it, Sakura." His head tipped down so his hair covered his eyes. "No matter what happens, I swear tomorrow I will find you and get you free. They won't make you suffer for a second, I swear-"

"Sh!" Sakura heard Touru talking with someone as he neared the tent.

In the blink of an eye Sasuke had disappeared. In another moment the guards on either side of the cage each slowly toppled over as if he had fallen asleep. And then Touru came in with another Iwa shinobi.

"Hey there," Sakura called to him. "I guess I'm not much fun to babysit."

"Wake up, you idiots!" Ordered Touru. He walked over to one and prodded him sharply with a toe.

"Aw, let him rest. It's so tough guarding someone who already said she wasn't going to run."

The kunoichi who had entered with Touru studied her and shot confused glances at her captain. Sakura studied her. Where Touru was average height with spiky brown hair, the woman was statuesque with fiery red hair that hung in spirals. Sakura tried to remember if she had seen the woman in a Konoha bingo book.

The guards began to rouse, groaning and Sakura rolled her eyes as Touru screamed at the guards for falling asleep. It seemed neither could understand how he had passed out.

Finally the kunoichi stepped forward and asked for a chance. She made several hand signs and laid two fingers on the forehead of one of the guards. After a couple seconds she let go. "His chakra was altered slightly. It's getting back to normal."

She walked to the other guard and repeated the process. "Same here."

Both she and Touru looked at Sakura. "What did you do to them, Haruno? Put them under a genjutsu?"

"Wouldn't that be something?" She sneered at him. "A genjutsu when I can't mold chakra."

Touru looked back at her with a sneer of his own. "We'll just find out, won't we? This is Hisako. She's very good at interrogation because she always knows when someone is lying or when their chakra is active."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "You have no right to interrogate me."

"Oh don't worry, Haruno, we're not going to look for any deep Konoha secrets. We just want to know more about your altercation with Kishi and Toshi. And now that it's come up, if you did something to these idiots." Touru gestured to her guards.

Sakura snarled quietly and moved to the back of the cage. "You won't touch me," she hissed. "If one hand comes into this cage I'll consider it an attack and break every bone in it!" She held her manacled hands aloft to prove it wouldn't even be difficult.

"You don't understand," spoke the woman. Blue eyes pierced her own. "I don't have to touch you to see if you believe the things you are saying. I can get inside your head just fine from here."

Sakura frowned. Had the Iwa figured out the Yamanaka hidden jutsu? She struggled to hide how nervous she felt. A dim memory of a page in a bingo book floated up in Sakura's mind, an Iwa shinobi named Hisako Yamaguchi, tall with red hair. There weren't many details, only that she was an extremely talented intelligence operative. There was a modest bounty on her head - a payday far lower than Sakura's own.

"It would be better for you if you answered my questions honestly, but even if you don't say a word I will learn a lot."

Sakura wanted to stare down Hisako but it would take just one good question from her and everything would fall apart. Sakura resolved to hold still and remain silent. She stared at her hands, weighed down against the cage floor.

"Did you and the Uchiha plan to fight Kishi and Toshi together?"

Sakura couldn't help her lip twitch, but she said nothing.

"No? Very well. Did you know the Uchiha was in this area?"

Sakura fought to keep her breath steady.

"Apparently not. Have you been in contact with the Uchiha since the end of the Fourth Great Shinobi war?"

Sakura could feel tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. This evil bitch had no idea what she was digging at.

"That seems like a no, Captain Touru. They weren't collaborating."

"Hm. Damn, that would have made things interesting."

While they were conferring Sakura blinked away her tears and tried to think things through carefully. Obviously the woman was a sensory type but she wasn't hunting directly through Sakura's mind like the Yamanaka secret mind jutsu. Was Hisako reading her body language? Sakura was careful not to move.

She patiently went through the possibilities she had studied - if her tells weren't in her body and Hisako wasn't in her mind... then it had to be her spirit, or rather her aura. Yes, some jutsus that sensory types practiced could read chakra auras and detect emotional state as well as surface thoughts.

Touru and Hisako turned back to her and Sakura's mind raced to come up with a counter strategy.

"Do you know what happened to make the guards fall asleep at the same time?"

Sakura stared placidly at her hands. Sasuke happened, she thought. Damn, I have to think about something else.

"Yes, you do. Did you have something to do with it?"

Sasuke came to see me... There was something in that line of thinking. She closed her eyes and let her breath even out.

"So you did. Don't even think you can hide just because you closed your eyes. Was it your jutsu that knocked them out?"

Sakura recalled Sasuke's black eyes. She pictured them staring back at her, waiting for her to say whether or not she wanted to leave with him.

"No..? Very well, do you know exactly what caused this?"

Sakura thought hard about Sasuke. About his hand resting on hers. About how he wanted her trust. About his breath on her.

Hisako hummed and muttered to herself. "Someone you work with? A member of your team snuck in? Who? Kakashi Hatake, perhaps?"

Sakura moved as much of her thought and feeling into remembering Sasuke's lips as she could bear. Read this, you hag! She thought.

"Damn." Hisako muttered. "She's hiding something. Maybe it was..." Hisako's voice fell away for a moment. "Touru, this would be easier if we could be more...firm."

Sakura concentrated. Sasuke's hand on her waist...

"No, not yet. When she's found guilty we can apply all the force you want."

Sakura held onto a small amount of awareness while she dove deep into her memory of Sasuke holding her.

The barest movement of air made Sakura's eyes pop open and reflexes went into action before her mind registered that Hisako had gone around the cage to reached out to Sakura's head. Now Sakura had her arm hauled as far into the cage as it could go, twisting the hand so the wrist threatened to break.

"WHAT DID I SAY?!" She hollered. "WHAT DID I FUCKING SAY?"

The kunoichi screamed in agony. Sakura snarled at her and flicked the hand. She heard a bone pop. Hisako's scream went higher in pitch.

"Stop it! Stop it!" shouted Touru. Out of the corner of her eye Sakura saw Iwa shinobi racing into the tent, weapons drawn.

She turned, about to pull further on Hisako's arm to try to dislocate it when she saw one of the silent guards staring at her. He moved his hand and a bluish white flash seemed to leap from her manacles and directly between her eyes.

She fell back and onto her side, losing her grip on the kunoichi's arm. She could only see that blue-white even though she could hear everyone shouting. Hisako still screamed in pain.

In a few seconds the sounds blurred together to obnoxious thunder. White in her vision dimmed and faded through gray to black. The last thing she knew was her heart beating erratically, praying that Sasuke was well on his way from the camp, and still holding onto the treasure of his kiss.

-傷-