Sasuke tried hard to ignore the loud slurping sounds his supposed 'best friend' was making beside him as he ate his morning meal. He could never remember Naruto being much of a morning person yet here he sat, happily devouring the food before him and it was barely 9am. True, last night was the first opportunity any of them had to get a decent nights rest in nearly a week and the entire group was exhausted by the time night had fallen. Regardless of his fatigue the night before, Sasuke had been unable to immediately sleep and left the room they placed him in.

As he soundlessly slipped down the hallway, he noted the slumbering chakra's of those he past. Kakashi, Shikamaru, Sai, Naruto's loud snores carried through the walls - no need to check for his chakra. He didn't know them by name, but he recognized the medics on Sakura's team sleeping away in their rooms. He reached the end of the hall, moving down the staircase and out of the inn before the absence of her chakra struck him. He leaned against the sturdy post doing its part in holding up the small, thatched roof overhanging the porch. A frown marred his face as he thought about the lack of her presence inside. The rest of her team was sleeping away comfortably in their rooms so where was Sakura? Was it possible she was still in the hospital?

He pushed away from the post, taking long strides back to the busy hospital. He half expected to find her passed out on the side of the road as Itachi had found her once before. Sasuke wasn't sure why he was bothering with fetching the stubborn woman, only that he found himself mildly irritated at the fact that she was continuing to work while the rest of her team slept.

As he knew he would, he found her working away over some patient on the third floor of the hospital. The loud cries that he and Kakashi had to listen to earlier were gone, replaced now by the soft sounds of sleeping shinobi and the occasional beeping of a monitor. He glanced around at the familiar faces lining the beds. Many of them were resting with the help of his sharingan.

Trying to subdue the rage they experienced without harming them in any way had been a bit more difficult than he'd anticipated. Kakashi repeatedly told him – to the point that he was annoying – not to strike the men and women who broke through the bindings holding them.

He never said anything about genjutsu.

After the third man broke free of the restraints, Sasuke – having past the limits of his short patience – activated his sharingan and sent the patient into a harmless sleep. Though he received a few reproachful glances from the medics, they said nothing else about the matter.

He saw none of those medics as he stepped out of the stairwell and closed in on the pink haired woman tending to a patient. Whatever she was doing distracted her enough that she never noticed the patient in the opposite bed rip off his electrodes and sneak up behind her. His large hand covered her mouth, preventing her from calling for help as he began dragging her back towards his bed.

Sasuke knew she could get out of the man's grip – he clearly remembered seeing her display of strength when she fought her mentor – but she must have recognized the man as a patient and wasn't using her abilities to free herself. His irritation welled up once more. Was she so devoted to her profession that she would rather allow her patient to hurt her than to free herself from his grasp?

That was little more than stupid in his opinion. Obviously she hadn't changed that much over the years; she still needed someone to save her.

The annoying girl.

He flashed up to the pair, making quick work of knocking out the confused man behind her before he pulled her away from the hospital. Sakura's chakra was low, bags hung under her eyes, and he could feel her muscles trembling with exhaustion. He forced himself to release her arm lest he began truly hurting her with his grip. If she was the medic then why was it she was about to break one of the first rules they adhered to? How was she supposed to care for everyone else if she worked herself until she dropped?

While she may be one of the more intelligent kunoichi he knew, she was still surprisingly stupid.

He disappeared into his own room while she checked in. While he readied himself for bed, he heard the shower in the once empty room beside his turn on. He listened to the steady beat of the running water as he finally closed his eyes.

Though he had awoken early, the rest of her team was already back at the hospital. Sasuke flicked his eyes over to the Nara who sat at the end of the the table, absently munching on toast while he looked over his notes. So far, the investigation wasn't turning up much information. There had been no signs of a fight, no wounded shinobi, nor anyone missing that they could tell. Kakashi and Sai had searched the perimeter of the village and found no signs of anyone forcing their way into Suna either.

According to the reports Gaara received from the few council members not poisoned, there had been nothing to indicate they had been attacked in any way when everyone began showing signs of the illness. Everything they found so far supported that statement. That still didn't explain how this mass poisoning happened.

"Good morning Sakura-chan."

Sasuke looked back to the doorway at Naruto's call to the pinkette. Her hand came up to cover the yawn that escaped her before she gave a tired smile back to the jinchuriki.

"Morning Naruto."

Naruto's bright smile wavered as he studied her. "You still look tired."

Sakura sat in one of the empty chairs and poured a cup of coffee from the still steaming pot. "Just a little; nothing some caffeine won't fix." The smile she added did nothing to remove the dark circles under her eyes.

She selected a banana from the bowl in the center of the table – peeling it while she turned her emerald eyes onto Naruto once again. "Are Yukihito and the others still asleep?"

"They're at the hospital." Sasuke answered before Naruto was able to.

"Oh," her hands paused in their task as she took in the surprising news. "I guess I need to head there myself."

Naruto frowned a bit. "Sakura-chan..."

"I'll see you guys later," she interrupted and left the room with a quick wave over her shoulder.

Sasuke glared at the uneaten fruit and the cup of coffee left half-full.

"Morning." Kakashi walked in, his hand running through his gray hair before settling into the chair opposite Shikamaru. "Where's Sakura off to?"

"She's going back to the hospital." Naruto answered.

"Ah. Well, what's our plans for today?" he directed to the still silent Nara.

Shikamaru folded the paper he was studying and placed it into his pack. "I think we need to concentrate on the village."

"Since we didn't find anything around the perimeter that sounds good."

"And nothing with the shinobi to indicate an attack."

"There might not have been one; at least not in the way we were looking for." Kakashi answered.

Shikamaru's knowing eyes caught his. "According to Sakura, this poison was inhaled. If that's the case, we might not find anything at all to prove who did this."

Naruto pounded his fist onto the table in frustration. "We know Kabuto is responsible for this."

"True, we're almost certain this was his doing but we would like proof of that Naruto." Kakashi reminded him. "Besides, if we can find any clues that he was here, maybe we can find out some other information on him as well."

"Like where he's hiding or what his next move is." Shikamaru added.

Naruto's shoulders dropped and he sat back in his chair; he knew what they said to be true.

"We'll leave after breakfast."

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Though it had been sometime, he could remember how hot it could get in Konoha. Throughout his travels over the past four years, he'd also experienced various heat waves the other countries went through. Sasuke could honestly say none of them had the problems Suna had.

It wasn't just that the sun beat down past a cloudless sky that produced the unbearable heat. The desert area was so dry and dusty that even moving was uncomfortable.

Walking around the village during mid-day - when the sun was bearing down directly overhead - wasn't helping matters. All it managed to do was play havoc with his every fraying temper and frustration.

This was the third day the group from Konoha had been in the village and while the medics were making great progress in helping those affected by the poison, Sasuke and the rest of Kakashi's team weren't having much luck. It sounded simple enough when Shikamaru brought it up at breakfast the other morning. Focus the search area on the interior of the village. The perimeter was clear, the shinobi they were able to question weren't involved, so any answers to be found had to be in the village.

Three days of searching had turned up nothing so far.

It didn't seem feasible that Kabuto would be able to slip past the guards of the village and introduce a bio-weapon into their midst without leaving a trace but Sasuke was beginning to re-think that scenario. They'd had their time to search the village uninterrupted but come up with nothing. Now, some of the patients were being discharged from the hospital and going back to their homes and daily routines. The traffic flow did nothing to help with the search.

Sasuke settled himself on the steps of a nearby home, wiping the sweat from his brow and doing his best to cool down in the shade of the building. If this fruitless search continued tomorrow, he wouldn't be so hasty as to deny the canteen of water the inn-keeper's wife tried to give him. He kept his eyes downcast, trying to avoid the harsh glare of the afternoon sun - he would have missed it otherwise.

What looked to be the tail of some reptile lay peeking out of the narrow space separating the houses. He thought nothing of it at first and continued to relax in the slightly cooler space. Inevitably, his eyes would flicker back to the spot the tail lay. Time and time again there was no sign of movement from the animal. Curiosity ate at the Uchiha and he eventually threw a stray pebble towards the creature, wondering if the animal was simply too burdened by the heat to move as he was.

When there was no response to his actions, Sasuke walked to where the unknown creature lay. Though it was covered in sand, he could still discern the body of a small, green lizard. Sasuke's eyes shifted from the now dead animal to the small alleyway it had crawled towards. There was enough space between the buildings that perhaps one grown man could walk into it, but it was blocked almost entirely by a large stack of boxes in the entrance way. Sasuke was in no mood to move the parcels out of his way and simply leapt on top of the stack - though he was thankful it held his weight.

The sight that met him was unexpected and shocking enough that he quickly brought his fingers to his lips and released a high pitch whistle - a signal for the rest of the team. He dropped from his perch and began moving the boxes out of the way. As he lifted the last one, Kakashi and Shikamaru arrived at his side.

Shikamaru was quick to get to business as his intelligent eyes locked onto the Uchiha. "What did you find?"

"The boxes blocked the view of the alleyway." Sasuke simply stated as he stepped aside to allow the two men to peer into the shadowed corridor. Though the space wasn't that long or wide, several dead animals were scattered about on the hard earth. Three more lizards and a couple of dogs lay between the buildings - dead for several days.

"Well, that answers one question."

"What's that?" Sasuke questioned the genius.

"If the poison crossed the border between species."

Kakashi stepped closer to the alley way. "We still have too many unanswered questions. How did nearly everyone in the village manage to get poisoned and now these animals too? I just don't see how...Shikamaru?"

The young genius had crouched down next to the building, his eyes closed and fingers connected in front of him. He didn't answer to the calls of his name and continued to breathe evenly as he sat in thought. Kakashi was about to grasp his shoulder when the man's eyes flew open in a panic. Shikamaru shot upright and dashed off, leaping onto the nearest building to shorten his route.

Kakashi and Sasuke took off behind him, anxious to see what he'd discovered. He led them straight to the hospital. They cleared the doors right after him.

"Where's Haruno Sakura?" the genius demanded.

"Fourth floor." The men didn't bother thanking the wide eyed medic but flew up the stairs towards their team mate.

The sight of the three shinobi bursting through the ward doors had all eyes on them as the staff stopped what they were doing at the commotion.

"Sakura!" Shikamaru yelled out when his initial scan of the area failed to see her bright pink hair.

She came running out of a back room at the familiar sound of his voice. Her eyes scanned their bodies quickly as she approached her team. "What's going on? Is someone hurt? Has there been another attack?" she rallied off, stopping just in front of them.

"How long would this poison be dangerous?"

She stared back at him, blankly, for a moment. "I don't understand what you mean."

Shikamaru huffed out a breath in frustration and wiped the sweat from his brow. "This poison was inhaled right?"

"Yes."

"I'm asking, if it was spread out all over the village is there a chance that whatever was left settled and could still be dangerous to everyone?"

The group watched her brows draw in as she contemplated his question. The sound of a clip board being placed back on a bed drew her attention and her eyes scanned the area. As if she just remembered where she stood, she turned back to the staff with a smile. "Please take over things for a while Miku-san." A kind, looking older woman nodded her head and Sakura led her fellow Konoha shinobi off the floor.

"How do you think it was spread?" she asked once they entered the stairwell.

"Dropped over Suna, like a mist of some sort. I think Kabuto – or whoever he had do this – flew over the village and dumped the poison as he went by." Shikamaru stopped his explanation as they walked through the first floor corridor, waiting instead until they were outside and alone once again.

"What did you find?"

"I thought nothing about the dead animals I've seen around the village. A lizard down one street, a dead bird on a roof top...I ignored them as mere coincidences. However, Sasuke found an alleyway containing more bodies of dead animals."

Kakashi leaned against a wall as they stopped in a still empty part of the village. "That's too many to be considered a coincidence."

"And too largely spread over the village." Shikamaru added.

"Hmm...well, if what you think is true that would support my theories as well."

"What theories Sakura?"

"The poison didn't effect everyone equally. Vendor operators, children, and active shinobi are the ones who were the most critical when we got here. The shinobi off duty, housewives, those who work inside...most of those people who did get sick either have been or are being discharged today."

Sasuke met her eyes. "What they would have breathed in through the open windows would have been a much smaller dose than everyone outside received."

"Exactly. I just wasn't sure how it would have been delivered. I was thinking maybe a release of the gas in a central location or something."

"No, that doesn't fit the information I've gathered," Shikamaru interjected. "There's no one part of the village that was affected more than another. The only difference in the severity of the illnesses is the one you just spoke of. If it was spread out over the entire village like that, then there could potentially be a blanket of this poison covering all of Suna."

"It probably did cover the land and buildings at that time but we shouldn't have to worry about that any longer."

"Are you sure?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes. Even if you discount the high temperatures in this village – not to mention the fierce winds they often experience – remember, it's been eight days since the incident. If it was still active, we would have already gotten sick. Plus, there are still people who somehow avoided inhaling it that day. They've been in the village the whole time and have had no reactions to it."

"Well, that's one piece of good news we needed." Kakashi said, pulling away from the wall. "We need to discuss our findings with Gaara. Sakura, you should be present as well. I'll find Naruto and Sai and we'll meet at the Kazekage's tower."

She began the walk towards the tower behind Sasuke and Shikamaru. Little words passed between the trio as they trudged the sandy roads. She was glad Miku-san and the rest of the medics had everything well in hand; this discussion would last a while.

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Sakura ran her towel through her wet locks, gently massaging her pounding head as she went. The headache she'd tried to soak away in the hot waters of the bath was still causing a powerful pounding at her temples. Giving in to the need, she sent a soothing burst of chakra through her tired skull. Almost immediately the nagging ache went away – why she had waited so long to do that in the first place she wasn't sure. She would have been better off treating her pounding head immediately after that tense meeting with the Kazekage and his council.

It had went only slightly better than she'd anticipated.

The information they had to share with him – while positive in some aspects – left much to be desired. Sakura was only glad she was able to report the majority of the patients that were once in the hospital were making full recoveries. Many had already been discharged and were back to carrying out the daily activities of the village. Some of the women were also helping in caring for the children whose parents were still ill.

Unfortunately, she also had to report on their failure to save the dozen that had perished. While she fully understood not everyone could be saved, it didn't make the news any easier to deliver. Gaara had accepted the news without a change in his normal, stoic demeanor. She had been almost offended that he didn't care for the loss until he quietly announced they would hold a funeral service for those that had died when the village could morn them as a whole.

She berated herself quietly as the conversation continued.

Gaara – the Kazekage who had called the entire village to have a moment of silence for Chiyo-baa-san – would not have been so cold as to brush aside the death of any member of his village. Just because he wasn't as open with his feelings as Naruto was, didn't mean he didn't care a great deal for his people. She was ashamed of her momentary thoughts.

The news of everyone's recovery was the only good news of the meeting. Though they were able to report on the method of delivery of the poison, they couldn't name the person responsible for it – at least, they had no evidence of their suspect. There was no way to track which direction the assailant had come from nor which way he had left.

This incident had left a wary impression on everyone in the room.

Was this a specific retaliation on Suna or should they be worried about another village being attacked? How could they track someone who had not even been spotted a single time during this incident?

A heavy sigh left Sakura's lips. Stepping into the slippers provided for her, she made her way out of the room and towards the rear of the inn. A few days ago, she spotted a deck attached to the inn that was practically calling her name at the moment. The sun had long since descended beyond the horizon and the temperature had dropped to a comfortable level. Her chaotic thoughts weren't going to allow her to sleep, so resting under the night sky held a large appeal for her.

The cool night winds greeted her as she slid the door open, bringing a smile to her weary face. As she'd hoped, no clouds marred the sky and the open view she was treated to was amazing. A half moon hung overhead, casting a gentle glow on Suna's landmarks. She stared in awe at the glittering sea of stars that decorated the black of night.

"Sakura-chan?"

Barely managing to suppress her squeak of surprise, she turned to confront the owner of the voice. "Naruto?" her shoulders slumped in relief. "I thought I was alone out here. You startled me." She slowly made her way through the shadows towards his seated figure.

The jinchuriki smiled in apology. "Gomen Sakura-chan. Oh, the teme is over here too...just so you don't get scared again."

She could see the silent Uchiha as she approached the two. He only glanced at her before turning his face back to the village. Sakura sat down next to Naruto, nudging him with her elbow once she was comfortable. "I didn't say I was scared baka."

He chuckled in response and allowed the silence to stretch over them for a moment. Though she had been looking for solitude to sort out the mess inside her mind, she found herself not unhappy with the company she currently had.

"Kaka-sensei said we would probably head back to Konoha in a day or two."

Her emerald eyes searched for Naruto in the dim light. "Everyone's been medicated and those that are still in the hospital are no longer in critical condition. The medics are finally at a point that they can handle the patient load they have."

"That's good," the blond uttered softly. "I'm glad everyone is doing better."

"Me too."

She was surprised to hear Sasuke's deep voice add his own thoughts. "You know it won't stop at this."

She released a heavy sigh – leaning back on the building's wall as she turned to search for his dark eyes in the shadows. "That's what I'm afraid of."

"I may not know what all those things were he took from Orochimaru's hideout," Naruto began. "but I know they're dangerous...and especially in his hands."

"Understatement of the year." Sakura muttered.

"It'll be okay though Sakura-chan," he flashed her his grin and brought his arm around her shoulders to squeeze her affectionately. "We're gonna all work together and stop him."

Even though the potential dangers ahead of them were many, she couldn't help but to smile back at his infectious optimism. "Yeah, you're right. We'll get through this together."

"Believe it."

She sat quietly in his embrace a while longer, allowing the warmth of his body to ease her tired mind as they sat watching the stillness of the night. The days events were catching up to them and Naruto was the first to rise from his spot – a tired yawn escaping him.

"I'm gonna go to bed. I'll see you guys in the morning."

"Goodnight Naruto."

"Oh," he exclaimed, turning to face her once more. His hands slipped into his pocket, withdrawing a small, wrapped parcel she couldn't quiet make out in the dim light. "The obaa-san inside gave these to me. I couldn't finish them all but you may want 'em Sakura-chan."

She took the offered gift and he left the two former friends alone on the deck. Sakura nearly moaned in happiness as the smell of chocolate hit her nose the moment she unwrapped the bar. She broke a small piece off and savored the rich sweetness of the homemade treat.

"You still like sweets?"

Sakura snapped out of her haze, blushing when she realized she wore a satisfied grin and perhaps had uttered a sound of delight. However, his statement had her looking at the Uchiha in astonishment. When his eyebrow rose in question to her look, she floundered for a moment, trying to explain herself.

"I'm sorry; I was just surprised...pleasantly surprised but still."

"Why?"

"Just that...I didn't think you'd remember something like that."

He turned away from her, his ebony eyes fixating on some point in the distance. She started to berate herself once more when the silence stretched to an uncomfortable point between them. Why did she have to inadvertently bring up thoughts of the past four years when they'd been getting along well enough recently. She opened her mouth, ready to give an apology, when his deep voice reached her ears once more.

"I may have broken the bonds we held once before but...I didn't forget anything...about either of you."

The remaining worries and burdens she'd been carrying around all day melted at the warmth that statement brought her. Sakura was glad the darkness provided her some cover as she quickly swept away the few tears of happiness that leaked out at his words. Such contentment filled her that she feared she would burst.

There was promise in what he spoke. A promise that there was light sitting at the end of that long, dark tunnel fate had decreed the three of them would walk. A hope that – though things may never be exactly as they once were – there could be happiness and peace between them.

With her eyes dry and a warm smile gracing her features, she turned to him once more. "Nothing was ever broken Sasuke...just a little banged up." His look bordered on amusement and a soft laugh tipped from her lips. She rose from her spot, absently brushing off her shorts as she did. "But maybe...maybe we can work on fixing that. Goodnight."

He made no move to rise himself and she made her way to the door. Perhaps it was a trick of the moonlight but she chose to believe her eyes had not deceived her when she saw the barest of smiles come to his handsome face.

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A/N:

According to the update time on the story, I've made it before a month was out. For some reason, it feels like it's been much, much longer than that since I updated...oh well, my perception of time has always been messed up and with as busy as I've been I'll just trust those numbers.

Hope you all enjoy the chapter! Review are most welcome and appreciated.