A/N: Sorry for the late update! My training is eating up lots of hours and when I get home I'm so tired I just flop on bed and sleep. It took me quite some weeks to finish this chapter.

This is still UNEDITED so please bear with the grammatical errors, punctuations, syntax errors etc.

I'll post the revised chapter as soon as it was checked and edited.

Thanks for waiting!

Read and enjoy!

oOo

Chapter 9

"Sakura, what are you doing here?"

To his surprise, Sakura ignored him and focused her eyes instead on Karin, who seemed quite taken aback with Sakura's hard gaze. This brought him to immediately conclude that there was something wrong with her. Sakura is usually a bright and cheerful person; a social butterfly. A complete opposite to his dark personality.

"HOW COULD YOU!" Sakura suddenly bellowed, her loud voice jolting Sasuke out of wondering.

Karin stopped whatever she was doing in front of the mirror and turned to look at Sakura with a mixed expression of shock and confusion.

Her bright green eyes darkened with an unmistakable expression of anger. He saw her right hand formed into a tight fist, the veins becoming visible against her pale, taut skin. Then, he saw a familiar black item on her left hand.

A binocular?

How come she's using a binocular when she's been out of field mission for months?

"Sakura, what are you-" Sasuke tried to ask but his sentence was cut off when Sakura spoke out again.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Sakura yelled, her green eyes boring straight to Karin.

Questions filled his mind in rapid succession. What is she talking about? Why was she so angry with Karin?

He knew that Sakura and Karin were not enemies but they were not exactly friends either. As he had been told when he returned back to Konoha, Sakura had been the one who healed Karin and restored her back to full health.

But Karin had just arrived at Konoha a mere five days ago and she was mostly with him and Naruto everyday at the Hokage building, planning for their mission. Did something unfortunate happen between the two?

Slowly, Sakura walked towards Karin, her next words dripping with venom. "I SAVED YOUR LIFE, YOU SLUT!"

To Sasuke's absolute astonishment, Sakura slapped Karin hard on the face.

Karin held her side of face in absolute shock, unable to say anything in utter astonishment at what had just happened to her.

Sasuke stood behind them, at a loss on what to do. It must have been painful considering that it was Sakura and the force upon which the slap had been released.

Thinking that a shouting match would start, Sasuke decided to step backwards away from them. However, his prediction was wrong. Sakura jumped over and landed on top of Karin and started to pull on Karin's hair. On the other hand, Karin shrieked out loud in alarm and tried to fend off Sakura by pushing the latter's arms away from her. Yet, it was apparent that Sakura got the upper hand when it comes to physical strength.

It was a scene he had never seen before in all his twenty one years of life. Perhaps it's what they call "catfight" among women. If catfight is to women, then is dogfight to men?

He remembered the time when he and Naruto fought at the hospital rooftop when they were just twelve or thirteen and at the Valley of Death. To settle matters, men usually engage in physical fights. He did not know whether women engage in so called physical fights too because he only see the females fighting during competitions or on missions. He knew that women usually use their mouths instead of their fists whenever they have a misunderstanding. He remembered that Ino and Sakura used to bicker a lot with one another, their annoying high-pitched voices filling the air whenever they started to quarrel.

But this was different. He had never seen Sakura this angry before. Perhaps, this is what Naruto used to call "other Sakura." Yet, he was still wondering what happened between the two women that it came to this point.

Should he interfere?

No, he told his self. Just let them settle it on their own. Even though it was apparent that Sakura got the upper hand, he can't still stand to watch because of her pregnancy.

Karin was fending off Sakura's arms away and was trying to push Sakura away by nudging her legs.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Karin shrieked out and tried to push Sakura away.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw Karin caught Sakura's arms and forcefully pushed Sakura to the floor. For a split second, he saw a flash of grimace on Sakura's face. But it disappeared immediately because Sakura got up easily and grabbed Karin, who was getting up from the floor and started to tackle Karin once more.

This is not good, thought Sasuke. He can't just stand there and watch the two women fight because Sakura is pregnant and any physical blow on her might affect her pregnancy status. He grabbed Sakura from behind, encircled his arms around her midsection and started to pull her off from Karin.

"Let go of me!" Sakura cried in anger and started to bang her fists against his enclosed arms around her.

"WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?" Karin cried in fury as Sakura was started to be pulled away from her.

"YOU. ARE. MY. PROBLEM!" Sakura replied and pointed her finger shaking at Karin, every word dripping with anger. This seemed to incense Sakura further because she was able to wriggle out of Sasuke's hold and lunged after Karin again. She became more aggressive this time because she hit Karin pitilessly on the jaw and started to pull on Karin's hair again which caused the latter to shriek and cry in pain. Strands of red hair fell scattered on the floor as Sakura grabbed and pull some of Karin's red mane. "Think you can steal him from me, you slut! To think I saved your life before when I was asked to kill you?"

This time, Sasuke grabbed Sakura's arms and pinned it behind her back with one arm while he used his other arm to grab her around her midsection and lift her off above from Karin. However, Karin took this as an opportunity and out of hysteric, she tried to kick Sakura away from her. Seeing that Karin's kick would collide directly to Sakura's abdomen, Sasuke grabbed Sakura tightly and swerved her to the left and he received the sharp kick against his thigh.

Cursing inwardly, Sasuke struggled to keep hold Sakura and at the same time shield her away from Karin, who had gone hysterical.

"Let go of me! I said let go of me!" Sakura cried in fury, flailing her legs on the air.

"Sakura, stop moving!" He hissed directly on Sakura's ear. It was very difficult to hold Sakura still. It seemed that after being stagnant at the hospital for several months, Sakura was releasing all of her pent-up energy to Karin. The door behind them suddenly opened, revealing a smiling Naruto.

The smile on Naruto's face was instantly wiped out as the blonde registered the scene before him. "What's going on here?"

For a few precious seconds, his grip on Sakura relaxed. Sakura took this as an opportunity and pushed his arms away.

Sasuke tried to grab her arm but Sakura dismissed his arm away without looking, earning him non-purposed smack on the jaw. Sakura grabbed Karin, who was already trying to escape to the window and pulled her hair. To Naruto and Sasuke's horror, Sakura placed her hands on Karin's neck and tried to close her fingers while Karin digged her fingernails on Sakura's hands, trying to pry away Sakura's clamp-like grip on her neck.

Karin's immediately turned pale.

She's out of control, thought Sasuke with panic. He rushed forward and seized Sakura's wrists and pulled her arms behind her back while his other arm tried to protect her protruding abdomen. He turned to Naruto, who was still open-mouthed in shock and disbelief, the bag of ordered ramens forgotten beside him, for help. "Naruto, take Karin!"

Coming to his senses, Naruto went to Karin and dragged her to a safe corner. Karin panted heavily and opened her mouth to say something but she just coughed and gasped for air. Then, her eyes rolled and she lost consciousness.

Naruto looked at Sasuke and Sakura in confusion. "What happened?"

"Take her to the hospital," said Sasuke immediately. "We'll talk later."

Nodding, Naruto scooped Karin in his arms and disappeared in a thick, white cloud of smoke. Although Sakura swiftly stopped resisting, he did not relinquish his hold on her. Next, he performed a similar teleportation jutsu and transported both of them inside their own apartment. Once inside, he relinquished his hold on Sakura and turned her around to face him.

"Explain."

oOo

"Explain."

Surprised that his voice remained steady, Sasuke took two breaths to relax. His voice was of suppressed anger; like a calm before a storm.

Sakura averted her eyes from him and focused her gaze instead on the polished wood-panelled floor like it has suddenly become interesting to her. Her jaws were set rigid, a vein visibly pulsating against her jaw line and her small, delicate chin was slightly raised in a stubborn way as if showing him that she would not easily back down from him.

"Explain yourself, Sakura," Sasuke repeated firmly.

With her eyes still averted from him, Sakura replied. "I'm not the only one who needs to explain here."

Sasuke frowned, a small crease forming between his eyebrows. Is there anything he needs to explain? As far as he was concerned, it should be her who needs to explain after what happened. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Sakura looked at him with narrowed green eyes and a hurt expression. "Don't deny it, Sasuke. I've seen it."

Frowning even more, Sasuke said. "I really don't know what you mean. Elaborate."

Sakura removed her eyes from him and pressed her lips tight. Then, she suddenly turned around and started walking away fast from him. However, Sasuke immediately caught up with her, grabbed her arm and forcefully turned her around to face him. "You need to explain, Sakura. Justify your actions because soon we would be summoned at the Hokage office."

Removing her arm from him angrily, Sakura stepped backwards away from him, her face flushing red in resentment at him. "You were having an affair with her!"

Her voice broke down from a high-pitched tone to a cracked, almost sorrowful one. "After everything I did for you… This marriage for convenience to revive your clan…," she whispered to herself but which Sasuke still heard perfectly clear. "If you don't like me anymore, you should have told me in the beginning… Well, I forgot you don't really like me, this marriage is just for your goal to revive your clan."

"Why don't you just go and strike an affair with every eligible woman here in Konoha and impregnate them?" Sakura suggested with mocking sarcasm. "That would be the fastest way of reviving your clan."

Sasuke stared at her with his mouth partly opened in awe and wonder. He did not know what to say. In a matter of seconds, Sakura's expression ranged from hurt to anger then to sarcasm. He never knew that women are capable of so many reactions in a short span of time.

Women are really…complex creatures.

Furthermore, what she had just said that he was having an affair with whom? Karin? He shook his head disbelievingly and involuntarily let out a dry laugh. "Me? Having an affair with Karin? That's ridiculous."

However, it was the wrong thing to say.

"Don't you dare say her name again!" Sakura cried out hysterically. "I've seen both of you from the Hokage building to Naruto's apartment with my own eyes."

"A baseless assumption," said Sasuke coolly, wondering how Sakura can be certain that he was having an affair with Karin. And how did she know that they were in Naruto's apartment? It was just supposed to be the three of them, him, Naruto and Karin who were supposed to meet there to continue their meeting because of the brat's suggestion, Naruto, being the leader of the mission.

Wait, had she been watching their every move?

Then, something clicked into his mind. He immediately slipped his hand into the weapons pouch behind him and brought out an item which Sakura had dropped earlier. Both of them stared at it and he showed it to her face. "Have you been spying on me?"

Blinking in surprise at the sight of the binoculars before her, it took some seconds for Sakura to manage a decent reply without stuttering.

"O-of course not!" She replied haughtily, keeping her chin raised. "I was merely sightseeing Konoha's scenic spots."

"Sightseeing, I see," repeated Sasuke in an emotionless tone. "Is there anything you have not yet seen here for the past twenty one years of your life?"

"There's nothing wrong with that!" Sakura shot back defensively.

Sasuke looked straight to her eyes and held her gaze for a fleeting moment, trying to see through her bright, green eyes which she's been trying to avert.

"You're lying," he said simply.

He took a few steps towards her while Sakura seemed to have lost her confidence and started to back away as he neared her. "You're been spying on me. You've been using these binoculars for your foolish purposes, watching our moves. You saw the two of us enter Naruto's apartment and immediately jumped into conclusions, didn't you?"

Gulping noticeably, Sakura shook away her nervousness and discomfort and tried to get back to her footing. "Fine, I admit it! I'm not the only one at fault in here! Why on Naruto's apartment then? And just the two of you?" She shot back sardonically.

Sasuke just shook his head in disbelief and smirked. "You have nothing but speculations. I don't have anything to explain."

oOo

Sitting uncomfortably in a pale brown, worn-out leather sofa chair in an enclosed room adjacent to the office of the Hokage, Sakura tried to pass time by reading a newly furnished copy of a medical pamphlet lying at the side table. She browsed through the contents and read the topics idly but five minutes had not yet passed when she dumped it back to its place.

It would be her turn soon.

As Sasuke had correctly predicted, a chuunin arrived by their home and gave them a message from the Hokage, summoning them to come by at the office as soon as possible. What happened between the three of them had eventually reached Tsunade and she was sure that they, no, she would be receiving a lot of flak from the Lady Godaime.

Sakura inspected the waiting room which had not changed so much over the years. The white walls had already lost its pure color and had deteriorated to a cream-like hue while the chairs and tables were still the same ones from the Third Hokage's reign. The portraits of the past and present Hokages were all lined up across from her, like court judges pondering what verdict to give to her. She wondered who would be the next portrait to be placed next to Tsunade.

Aside from Naruto, Shikamaru and Kakashi were the strongest candidates to get the position. However, it seems neither of the three is ready to take the post. Naruto hated paper works and would rather go on dangerous missions than be cooped up inside an office while Shikamaru often expressed that being a Hokage is too troublesome and would only take much of his time and energy. On the other hand, Kakashi is pretty lazy and is always late and she was sure that their former sensei would only delegate his tasks to his subordinates and go read his favourite Icha Icha series while lounging indolently at the office.

Finally, the door opened and she turned her head to see Sasuke and Shizune exiting the room. She wondered what Tsunade said to Sasuke because as usual, she can't discern him with his usual expressionless look.

"Sakura-san, come in," beckoned Shizune, who still had the small piglet Tonton tugging on her heels.

Standing up, Sakura followed Shizune and walked past Sasuke, their eyes meeting for the briefest moment until Shizune closed the door behind them.

Sitting behind her desk with her feet propped up on the desk, Tsunade was resting her chin on folded hands, a serious but thoughtful look painted across her features.

"Tsunade-sama," greeted Sakura respectfully.

The Lady Godaime returned the greeting with a nod. "I assume you already know why I called for you."

Sakura did not say anything but maintained her eyes levelled with the Hokage.

"Now I want to hear your explanation."

Cold sweat trickled from her nape down to curve of her back as Sakura pondered where to start. She could feel their eyes on her, even the piglet Tonton's black, round eyes looking and waiting for her. "She was trying to elicit an affair with Sasuke."

Tsunade's blonde eyebrows rose high. "I see, Karin was trying to elicit an affair with your husband. How can you prove it?"

"I saw them," replied Sakura. "They were having an intimate conversation and I saw the two of them enter an apartment."

The Lady Godaime brown eyes grew large as saucers in curiosity. "Did you hear what they're talking about?"

"Not really, I just saw the two of them talking quietly."

"Where?"

"In an empty room at this floor," replied Sakura, anger starting to boil. Is Tsunade taking sides on this matter? This is unfair!

"I assigned that room for them to have their last meeting before their mission tomorrow," said Tsunade, scratching her chin thoughtfully.

"But just the two of them? Naruto's the leader of the mission, right?" Sakura countered, her voice rising.

"I see," nodded Tsunade thoughtfully. "And where are you when they were having these 'intimate conversation'?

Sakura suddenly averted her eyes from the Tsunade and focused it instead on the stack of papers at the desk. "I don't think it's relevant."

"It is relevant, Sakura," said Tsunade with emphasis. "You were right when you said that they were at the last room on the second floor. I'm wondering how you were able to see them inside that room. Because you could've only manage to do that if you were hiding in an adjacent room or you were in a high building and had telescopic eyesight."

Sakura swallowed her saliva as she groped her mind to find another excuse but could not find anything. She wondered whether Sasuke have already told them that he found her binoculars and Tsunade was only trying to see if she would tell the truth. "I was at the hospital."

"Hospital?" Tsunade frowned at this answer. "I gave you a two day vacation because you have already finished your research work. Furthermore, the hospital is quite far from this building, how were you able to see them?"

Sakura closed her eyes before answering. "I used my binoculars."

To Sakura's amazement, Tsunade laughed at this answer, obviously surprised at her answer. It meant that Sasuke did not tell the Hokage that he found a pair of binoculars from her.

"Binoculars, I see," smiled Tsunade, shaking her head. "Why?"

"I was already suspecting and I just wanted to be certain."

"However, Sakura, seeing the two of them having a conversation is not enough reason to suspect that they were doing something. You've got to have a solid piece of evidence like pictures or contents of their conversation."

"Fine," retort Sakura. "I saw them enter Naruto's apartment and stayed there for hours. What do you think they're doing inside? Chatting? Still having their meeting?"

"Calm down, Sakura-san," said Shizune and gave her glass of water.

"I'm not taking sides on this matter, Sakura," said Tsunade calmly. "I've heard Karin, Sasuke and Naruto's side already. Even though I have already arrived at a conclusion after hearing all your sides, I believe that this is a personal issue that only those involved could settle. Sakura, you are my best student and one of the top medics here at Konoha. What do you think people would say if news would spread about your behaviour? Moreover, this problem had created a problem for us. It would cause a great deal of delay on their mission."

"Their mission at the Earth Country?" Sakura asked, her jealousy over being replaced by Karin in Team 7 resurfacing. "I did not render her physically incapable. I'm sure she just sustained very minor injuries. They could still resume that damn mission tomorrow night if not on the morning."

Tsunade nodded. "You're right, I've seen her condition a while ago, nothing serious. However," she looked at Shizune and sighed tiredly.

Shizune smiled weakly and decided to tell Sakura the problem. "Karin decided to quit from the mission."

"Quit?" Sakura asked surprised.

"Yes," said Tsunade. "She is my perfect choice as part of the mission. She had lived at Earth Country for some years and knows a great deal of information about everything in the country. I had difficulty of convincing her to be part of this mission. I had to offer her a generous amount of money and some benefits just to make her grab the mission. You know why?"

"No," replied Sakura, feeling an amount of ill at what's coming next.

"As we all know, Uchiha Sasuke tried to dispose of her several years ago when he was still Madara's ally. You know that, Sakura, because it was supposed to be you to dispose of Karin upon Sasuke's orders to prove that you were loyal to him. Instead, you did not and tried to kill Sasuke instead which failed miserably."

"You mean-" Stunned, Sakura could not finish her sentence and just slumped on a nearby chair. Yes, she remembered that incident several years ago when she encountered Sasuke. She told him that she wanted to go with him. To prove her loyalty to him, Sasuke ordered her to dispose of Karin upon Madara's suggestion. However, she was not able to do it and tried to kill him instead. Sasuke almost tried to kill her twice if not for Kakashi and Naruto's timely appearance.

But why? She thought Karin had grabbed the mission as an opportunity to be close again to Sasuke again.

Tsunade nodded. "Yes, she was still very much wary of him. I convinced her that Uchiha Sasuke was already pardoned and have returned back to our side and Naruto would be part of the mission so she need not to be scared."

"The main reason she did not want to come back to Konoha is Uchiha Sasuke."

oOo

Her small shoulders were drooped low like she was carrying a burden upon her shoulders. He can't see her facial expression because her back was turned to him and he was viewing her from the third floor of the Hokage he was sure that she was not happy with her talk with the Hokage.

He stepped closer to the window, watching Sakura's small figure on the street below walking slowly like she was unsure where to go. The sun had already dipped half of its body against the orange and blue expanse of the sky, a sign that night is fast approaching. He was scheduled to have an urgent meeting with the Hokage and Naruto to discuss the mission at the Earth Country.

Apparently, Karin had withdrawn form the mission because of what transpired between her and Sakura. She was not injured seriously but he learned that part of the terms and conditions on why she accepted the mission from Tsunade was her guaranteed safety while still in Konoha especially from him. Even though it was not him who had attacked her, Karin partly blamed him for what happened.

If their mission would be delayed because of Karin's subsequent withdrawal from the team, then better. In his opinion, he and Naruto could still do the mission alone without Karin's help although he would have to admit that it would be not easy without the redhead. He had learned that Karin had worked in several countries for the past years including Earth Country, making her an indispensable ally because she knew a lot of contact persons and hidden data about the place.

There are only two possibilities: the mission would be delayed until a replacement would be given or it would still convene even with him and Naruto alone. Either of the two possibilities would be fine with him. The mission to Earth Country would take more than a month but he had already arranged matters with regards to Sakura's safety. He had already talked to the Hokage about the matter and she had agreed with his proposal. He was sure that Sakura would disagree and reason out that the unknown spy had already left her for good. Still, he can't take chances because he had this ill feeling that the unknown spy's motive was not just pure information gathering.

Besides, Naruto would be with him on the mission while Kakashi had not yet returned from his assignment, leaving him no choice but to take the matters on his own and decide for her welfare. Naruto and Kakashi were the only people whom he can fully entrust her safety and without either of the two, he needed to ensure that her life and of the unborn child's are out of any form of danger.

oOo

Clutching the small flower pot between her small hands, Sakura took three quick breaths as she waited for the door to open. She had tried her best to mask her chakra signature as much as possible yet she knew that Karin can still sense her. The pristine white door of the hospital door emitted a soft almost noiseless creak as it opened revealing an anxious Naruto.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto greeted in a fake cheerful way although it was obvious that he was anxious.

A soft flurry of voices coming from inside the room reached her ears. Sakura tried to peek through the small opening between the door and wall to see the people present inside the room. "I wish to talk to her, Naruto."

Naruto averted his blue eyes from Sakura, a sign that he is truly anxious and he did not know how to explain some things to her. "Er, I don't think it's a good idea right now, Sakura-chan."

Instead of turning away, Sakura pushed past Naruto and came to see the full view of the hospital room and people inside. Karin was perched upright on the bed while Shikamaru and Shizune were sitting on a sofa chair a few feet away from Karin. They suddenly stopped talking as she stepped inside and the atmosphere gradually thickened with a palpable tension.

"What are you doing here?" Karin snapped angrily at her.

Clearing her throat to speak audibly, Sakura said calmly and clearly. "I wish to talk to you privately and to see if you're okay."

"To see if I'm okay?" Karin repeated the words in a tone of intentional mockery. She furiously pointed an accusing finger at her. "You were the one who did this to me! You nearly choked me to death and now you're acting like you're concerned for my welfare?"

Karin's eyes glinted with anger. "Quit the sweet image and GET OUT."

Speechless, Sakura took an involuntary step backwards, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment and guilt. She was about to turn away when she felt Naruto come up in front of her and speak.

"Hey, that's unfair! Sakura came here to explain, you should hear her out!"

"Why, did she ever let me speak a while ago? NO! She just attacked me without any word of explanation!" Karin spat, springing up from the bed, looking eagerly as if she wanted to pour out all her anger to the two Team 7 members.

"Oi!" Shikamaru called out, coming quickly to restrain Karin from springing up towards Sakura. "Calm down!"

Even though Shikamaru had her physically restrained, Karin's mouth was still free. "First it was Madara and Sasuke who tried to dispose of me and now it's you. What's it with Uchihas wanting me dead?" She cocked an eyebrow at Sakura. "I swear I'm not gonna step foot here in Konoha again because I'm sure that unborn child of yours would try to kill me too someday."

This is going too far, thought Sakura. What does she mean by that statement? That just because of the atrocities Sasuke had committed in the past means that their child would be the same? "Watch your mouth, Karin or you're not going to live to see even that day."

"Get out!"

"Fine," said Sakura in a surprisingly calm manner. With her chin still raised in a dignified manner, Sakura spun around on her heels and turned around to leave the room without as any glance to the people behind. She walked along the hallway of the hospital in an agitated and violent manner that the floorboards have creaked in complaint.

"Sakura-chan!"

Stopping on her tracks, Sakura turned around to see Naruto catching up on her and raised a questioning brow at him.

"I want to hear your side."

Sighing heavily, Sakura motioned for him to come with her as she started to give her side and reason for the recent event. It would be her fourth explanation after Sasuke, Tsunade and Ino and it was already tiring to relate it again. Yet, she felt compelled to do so because was with them when it happened and as her best friend, he too deserved an explanation. "By the way thanks for standing up for me a while ago."

Shrugging as if it's just a natural thing for him to do so, Naruto said. "Nah, of course you're my friend."

Throughout her explanation, Naruto did not interrupt her and just listened until she was finished.

"But I was with them during the meeting," said Naruto after Sakura had finished. "Did Sasuke explain why I left and why they went to my apartment?"

"No," replied Sakura with a disappointed shake of head. "He said he need not to explain anymore."

To her surprise, Naruto chuckled. "Arrogant bastard."

"Actually," started Naruto. "I accidentally spilled my ramen on him during our meeting at the Hokage building and I offered to get him a replacement shirt and vest."

"I see," nodded Sakura absentmindedly. "But what are they doing at your apartment? And just the two of them? Don't tell me it's still a meting for your mission."

"It's still a meeting," said Naruto much to Sakura's doubt. "It's sort of a meeting slash welcome party before our mission tomorrow. I decided to have it on my place so we could relax. I even went to your house to invite you too."

Sakura's face fell at this explanation, remembering what she did just this afternoon. She did not really catch Karin and Sasuke doing something immoral. In fact, there's really nothing to doubt between the two. Like what Ino said, she was overanalyzing things and jumping into conclusions easily.

Naruto nudged her on the side playfully. "Sasuke may not be the talkative and sweet type of guy but I'm certain that he cares for you."

Sakura let out a dry laugh at this statement and shook her head disbelievingly. "Really."

"Of course," grinned back Naruto. "We're like brothers. I know him through and through."

oOo

"Go on, mock me."

"What?" Sasuke asked confusingly, sitting upright from the futon.

"You want to hear it right from me. Fine, I was wrong and it was my entire fault," said Sakura tonelessly while lying on the futon beside him, her green eyes staring at the ceiling. "Go on, mock me. Make fun of me."

Unable to say anything, Sasuke merely looked at her quite worried with her bizarre action. "What was done was done."

Sakura continued looking at the wooden ceiling as if it contained the answers she was looking for. "What will happen to your mission tomorrow?"

"It would still convene."

"With a lack of member?"

"I'm certain we can manage even without her," answered Sasuke, wondering what's going on inside her mind. Usually, he can read Sakura easily with her soft nature but outspoken personality. Now, she barely speaks and she seemed to be aloof and preoccupied with her thoughts.

"I'm sorry," she whispered quietly.

What happened that afternoon just showed the lack of trust and communication between them. It is not surprising though because in the first place, there was really no commitment on both of them. Their marriage was merely a ceremony, a formality to serve his purpose of reviving his clan. "Just forget about it."

Hearing no reply from her, Sasuke assumed that she had fallen asleep and went back to the futon, pulling the covers up to his shoulders. Closing his eyes, he was about to allow fatigue and rest to take over him when he felt a rustling of fabric beside him. Then, he heard a short shuffling of cotton slippers against the wooden flooring.

He did not get up, thinking that she might just go to the bathroom or to the kitchen to get some water to drink. Without moving, he remained steady in his straight sleeping position.

To an ordinary civilian, he might look like a person who was fast asleep. But in reality, even with his sleep, he kept his entire senses active, alert for any strange sound, movement or chakra presence. It is a habit deeply ingrained on all shinobis borne out of more than a decade worth of training and field mission experiences.

An estimated minute had passed but she had not yet returned.

All of a sudden, he bolted out from the bed when he heard the iron gates creaked open. He swiftly jumped out from the window, grabbed his sandals, put them on and went to catch up on her.

"Where are you going?" He asked in an angry, low whisper.

"I'm going to talk to her," replied Sakura indifferently. "Maybe I can persuade her not to back out from the mission."

"I told you we don't need her," emphasized Sasuke. "It's close to midnight and you're going out alone? What do you think are you doing?"

"I can protect myself," she said haughtily. "Besides, I was the one who started this mess and I'm going to fix this."

Sighing exasperatedly, Sasuke gave up and just walked alongside with her.

"You're going with me?" Sakura asked with a disapproving frown.

Sasuke nodded.

"What? No!" Sakura stamped down her foot in complaint. "I can fix this on my own."

"I would accompany you until outside the hospital room only," cleared Sasuke in a bored tone, putting his hands inside the pockets of his dark cardigan shorts.

"You don't really have to," complained Sakura, a light tinge of pink forming on her cheeks. "I told you I can-"

"You're lagging behind," cut off Sasuke with a smirk. "Walk faster."

oOo

"What are you doing here?" Karin snapped, sitting upright on bed and putting the glasses on her eyes.

In a calm manner, Sakura ignored her angry welcome statement and just said, "I want to have a word with you."

Karin's eyes narrowed at her with utmost dislike and distrust. The red-head turned to the young man in white uniform sitting languidly a few feet away from them. "Get her out."

The young man, obviously a genin with age ranging from 13 to 15, looked at Karin then to Sakura and spoke with obvious hesitation. "Um, Sakura-san, would you please-"

"If I said no, would you throw me out?" Sakura cut off with a sugar-coated voice and a testing smile.

"Not really… I mean I don't want to…" The young man searched for the right words, scratching the back of his head problematically.

"How dare you use your pregnancy and position here in the hospital to blackmail this guy?" Karin said with gritted teeth.

Once again, Sakura ignored Karin's comment and turned to the young man and smiled genuinely. "I just want to talk to her privately, that's all. You can have my word."

The young man blushed, stuttered an incomprehensible reply and bowed on his way out of the room.

"Now it's just the two of us."

Mouth opened partially in disbelief after her assigned security left her without a word, Karin spun towards Sakura. "Don't you dare come within three feet of me or-"

"Or?" Sakura repeated sweetly.

"I'm not going to hold back even though you're pregnant," said Karin in a serious tone.

An eerie tension-filled silence filled the room as the two women, one pink-haired pregnant standing calmly and the other red-head sitting upright on the bed, muscles arched and tensed, ready to spring for any attack. The two looked at one another, waiting for any wrong move that could trigger another fight.

"I came here to talk to you, that's all," said Sakura. "If you still wish not to hear me out, then fine I will leave."

Sakura stepped backwards and spun around on her heel, walking away when Karin spoke in a low, hesitant tone. "Five minutes."

A small smile tugged on the corner of Sakura's mouth as she turned to face Karin once again. "Thank you. Can I start now?"

Startled, Karin looked around the room for a clock and threw her a baleful look. "Yes."

"Since I only have five minutes, I'll make it brief. I came here primarily to," Sakura sucked a deep breath as if the words were too heavy for her to say. "-to apologize for what I did to you. I did it because I was jealous of you."

"Jealous?"

Nodding, Sakura continued. "Yes, I'm jealous of you because of Sasuke and Team 7."

"I…I don't understand," said Karin. "You thought I was having an affair with Uchiha Sasuke?"

Sakura nodded.

"But that's ridiculous!" Karin said, shaking her head. "He's the main reason why I don't want to go back here and even more to accept Tsunade's offer."

"Yeah, I've heard."

"Tsunade convinced me that he had changed and had gone back to Konoha's side. Still, I was apprehensive of him. And what do you mean with Team 7?"

Sakura sighed, her next words sounding foolish even to her own ears. "It's not just about you; it's also about Team 7. I felt like you're starting to take away my position as member of Team 7. You know ever since I became pregnant, I stopped accepting missions."

"That's silly. I'm only here just for that mission," said Karin.

"Well, simply put, I easily jumped into conclusions," admitted Sakura.

"Oh…" was all Karin said. To Sakura's relief, Karin smiled and extended an open hand to her. "I apologize too for my rudeness."

"It is to be expected," grinned Sakura.

"Now we're even," Karin grinned back. She pointed to the clock. "You still have a minute left."

"One more thing," said Sakura, turning serious. "I want to ask a favour from you."

Karin raised her brow in question.

"Because of what happened, you backed out from the mission leaving Sasuke and Naruto alone. I know it's too much to ask after what I did but," Sakura paused for some seconds. "Would you please join the mission again?"

"Oh," said Karin. Then, she smiled sadly at her. "I'm sorry, Sakura-san. But I'm leaving tomorrow morning."

"But why? I was the one at fault not Sasuke, Naruto or Tsunade. They will be shorthanded on their mission tomorrow."

"I'm certain they can manage without me. I already gave them more than enough information about the place and my contacts. What happened is like a blessing in disguise. I was really uncomfortable being around him especially after what happened years ago although I know and understand that he had really changed." Karin looked at the door as if seeing Uchiha Sasuke outside.

"A mission's success is partly behind the member's cooperation and camaraderie. I just can't fit in," she said with a shrug.

"You know when Naruto left us for a few hours this afternoon?" Karin added. "We barely talked and it was really awkward. I can't really stand being around him anymore. I hate to admit it but I'm still scared of him."

Sakura remembered when she saw them at Naruto's apartment that afternoon. Sasuke and Karin were not talking and they were distanced away from one another. Moreover, Karin appeared tensed and seemed ridiculously focused on fixing her hair and clothes.

"Is that your final decision? Can I do anything to make you accept the mission again?"

Karin smiled and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Sakura-san."

Sakura nodded. "Well, thanks for listening my side and accepting my apology. Five minutes had already passed. See you again sometime when I start taking missions again."

Sakura bid her goodbye and was about to leave the room when Karin popped an unexpected question.

"Why did you and Naruto accept him after all what happened? I mean he betrayed the village. He fought with Naruto and even aided Madara in capturing the Kyuubi. He tried to kill you too. Twice," she asked emphasizing the last word.

Sakura remembered the incident and just smiled. It was like a nightmare but it all belonged to the past now. "You know when you truly care for someone, their mistakes never changes your feelings because it is the mind that gets angry but the heart still cares."

Pathetic as it may be, but in her case, love is quite…blind after all.

oOo

A/N: Please REVIEW!