Two days of travel had only reaffirmed one thing in Sasuke's mind.

He no longer knew his team mates as well as he once did.

Naruto wasn't so much different than he was before. The dobe was still as loud as ever – but only when they were safe. When they took to the trees, to speed up their travel, he was surprisingly quiet. He asked his questions or made comments in normal tones, he kept himself aware of his surroundings, and, occasionally, would engage his sage mode to scout for any other shinobi in the area. Perhaps some of this awareness was because of the nature of their mission, but Sasuke doubted the entire change was due to that. The once loud, absent minded child he considered his only friend had grown into a very capable ninja.

While he wasn't overly familiar with the Hyuuga in their childhood, he got what he expected from the so-called genius of his clan. His orders were clear and concise, his chakra was moderately high, and his movements suggested he was highly skilled. Thankfully, he wasn't much for conversation as Sasuke had no intentions of engaging him in such.

The ex-ROOT member was still confusing to him; though, according to Naruto, he confused them all. He vaguely remembered meeting him at one of Orochimaru's hideouts and dismissing him as a non-threat. While he was skilled enough, Sasuke didn't believe he posed any real problems to himself.

The largest enigma out of the bunch was Sakura; the puzzle she presented was one he could not take his mind off of. Nothing she had said or done since his initial meeting with her had been characteristic of his memories of her. Even when she cried upon seeing him wearing the hitai-ate she acted unusual. In the past, she would have tried to hug him in her happiness; now, she seemed content to simply grace him with a smile and move on. Shortly after they began the journey out of Konoha her smile still lingered, but all traces of the tears were gone. She was nothing but professional as they made their way along the wooded landscape.

That was a first for him – and not an unwelcome one.

To be able to execute a mission, with a female, and not have her hanging on his arm or doing everything imaginable to get his attention was a refreshing change of pace for him. He didn't have to worry about her falsely injuring herself to get his sympathy or lavishing him with praise at every opportunity. In fact, as they stopped for camp, she brushed him out of the way to lift a fallen tree out of the clearing so they could sleep comfortably. When he raised his brow at her actions, she shot a smirk back at him.

Nothing like the young Sakura, but that wasn't a bad thing.

"We should make it to Haru-san's village in two days time at this pace."

"Who's Haru-san again?"

Sakura and Neji shared an exasperated look. She pulled her headband off, shaking the day's worth of dust from her candy colored locks. "He's Tsunade-sama's old friend, the one who wrote her about his village's problem?"

"Oh yeah, I remember now," Naruto said blandly and laid down, rolling to his side and giving the group his back. "Who's taking first watch 'cause it ain't me."

Sakura half-heartedly slung a pebble in his direction. "You can be so rude sometimes Naruto."

His loud snore was her answer.

"Honestly, he's such a pain sometimes," she muttered, adding another log to their small fire.

"I'll take first watch. I haven't seen traces of anyone having been around here, but we shouldn't be lax on our security."

"Alright, you can wake me for second watch," Sakura replied and watched as Neji settled himself against a tree at the edge of the clearing.

Their actions, while not premeditated, coincided with one another. Neji had positioned himself just outside of their area – enabling him to keep watch over them while they slept. Naruto was on the north side of the fire, Sakura was sitting on the left side, so Sai made his way around to sit on the right. If anything or anyone should attack them during the night, they were well seated to back each other up. While they didn't speak their intentions out loud, their own actions complimented their team mates.

That was not something he was familiar with anymore. Hebi would back each other if attacked, but the main concern for each member was their own safety. They didn't look out for one another the way the Konoha teams did. They didn't place the same innate trust in each other as these shinobi did.

Was there even a place for him in this life anymore?

The weight of his headband had not felt heavier than it did right then. What reason did these people have to place their trust in him like they did each other? None of his actions in the past four years were those of someone to trust. How many times had he raised his own hands against them?

He knew integrating back into life as a Konoha shinobi would be difficult, but he didn't factor in the toll it would place on his mind. Seeing the friends he once trusted more than anybody work so well with a...replacement...placed a strange burden on his heart. He didn't want to call the feeling regret - his reasons for leaving the village were too strong to go back on - but it was not a feeling he enjoyed. Second guessing any decision he made was not something he was used to.

"Sasuke?"

Sakura was leaning up on her elbow, peeking at him across the fire to the outskirts of the clearing where he sat. "You should come over by the fire. It'll get cold later."

There was nothing hidden in her emerald eyes. No flashes of pity for the outcast away from the group, no pleas for him to pay attention to her, no sexual invitation to share her bedroll – she was only trying to open a door for him. In the past, he would've turned away from her and done as he pleased. Yet now, for some inexplicable reason, he found himself rising from his spot and laying his bedroll on the vacant side of the fire. She cast a gentle smile at him and, with a softly uttered goodnight, closed her eyes once more.

Naruto snored loudly and rolled to face the fire. He muttered in his sleep – the word ramen was easy to recognize – and kicked out blindly. Sasuke gave a small smile at the sight. How many times in their youth did the dobe wake him up with his rambling and violent sleep habits? Somethings never changed.

The shadows of the firelight danced across the sleeping faces of his team mates. His eyes found Sakura as he glanced around the group. The easy pattern of her breathing assured him she was asleep. He watched her for a while, still curious to this woman he used to know. The soft look of her ivory skin belied the strength she held inside. The almost child like color of her hair helped give her the appearance of helplessness, though he knew that to not be true. He was glad she had grown from the kunoichi she once was, even if it was hard to believe sometimes.

Her smile ran across his mind once more.

It was odd. Coming from a time when they bared their blades at one another, that they could be at a point where they could sleep so close to each other was amazing. It was unreal that she could smile at him once more, that he could be wearing this headband once more.

Sasuke drew his blanket up to his shoulders and tried to clear his mind. Heavy thoughts such as those wouldn't allow him to sleep; it was only a few hours until his watch so every minute would count. He watched the dim light bounce across Sakura's face before he succumbed to a dreamless sleep.

"Sakura-chaaaaan..."

"Naruto!"

The pinkette growled towards her companion and silenced his bought of whining before it could begin. He had been that way all morning. Though they were nearing the village Tsunade-sama spoke of, Naruto had grown bored with the four days of monotonous travel. There was nothing but wooded areas broken every so often with long stretches of wide open fields to focus their attention on. It had been two days since they even saw another traveler. There was only so much conversation to be had amongst a traveling group of shinobi and the jinchuriki was restless with the inactivity. On the other hand, Sakura had her fill of listening to his endless complaints.

He cast his eyes to her more than once, but she ignored the pout lingering on his whiskered face. She saw him turn his head in Sasuke's direction and open his mouth to speak, but the glare the Uchiha shot back silenced him once again. Sakura vowed that if Naruto irritated their team mate to the point of violence, she was not going to intervene.

She shifted her pack resting against her lower back as they climbed yet another hill. Even in her agitated state, she couldn't deny the peacefulness the landscape brought to her senses. Wildflowers in a multitude of colors covered the grassy knolls, the leaves were fading from the deep green of summer into the beautiful golden hues of autumn. This picturesque area was somehow untouched by the war.

Sakura turned to Neji, her mouth poised to ask a question as they cleared the hill, when an explosion racked the area.

Each shinobi was immediately on alert – pulling their weapons free and racing towards the sound. Neji activated his byakugan, searching beyond what the others could see for the threat. He took point as they rushed along the barely traveled road.

"Find anything Neji?" Naruto asked, increasing his speed to come beside their leader.

"Aa. Just over the next ridge. There's seven chakra signatures near the explosion."

"So it's just some shinobi fighting?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Why do you say that Neji-san?"

He briefly turned his head to acknowledge Sakura's question. "The chakras are standing around the explosion; they aren't fighting amongst one another."

"Then who are they fighting?"

"I can see 5 other bodies. From the pattern of their chakra networks, it looks like they've never been activated."

"So...civilians are being attacked?" Sakura donned her gloves, anticipating the fight to be had.

"I believe so. In any case, we are about to find out."

The group took to the trees behind him, taking the shortest path to the fight. The smoke rising above the trees was their guide to the clearing. When they cleared the dense foliage, they saw the half-circle of shinobi surrounding what appeared to be the remains of a traveling party. One wagon was upside down and burning – the cause of the smoke they'd followed. The other was on it's side, the wheels on the back missing and large holes punched into the frame.

"Hey!" Naruto yelled to the men as they began approaching the wreckage. The seven turned towards them – enabling Team Kakashi to see the scratched through hitai-ate of Iwagakure on two of the men.

"Shit, scatter!"

The seven disbanded in every direction at the order. Naruto narrowed his eyes at the men and charged forward – ignoring Neji's order to stop.

"Damn it," Neji cursed as they arrived by the smoldering piles of debris. Sakura rushed forward, dragging the unconscious civilians away from the flames. "He still doesn't listen." Neji's enhanced eyes swept the area, noting the position of each fleeing man.

"Should we pursue?" Sai asked.

"Naruto is following two of them to the north. Two others are headed north-east, one to the west, and two to the south. The missing-nin are headed north-east and west." He turned to watch Sakura run her chakra covered hand over the body of an older man. "Can you handle things here?"

"Of course. These two are unconscious but fine. I'm going to keep searching the wreckage for the others."

"Sai head west about 300 meters. Sasuke, capture the ones heading south. I'll go after the others. We'll meet back here."

"Hai."

Sasuke cast a glance to Sakura before he headed off into the forest. Her attention was on the woman she was pulling from the overturned wagon, but he found no other chakra signatures surrounding her.

It didn't take long for him to catch up to the first man. He ignored his ramblings and dodged the shuriken thrown his way. When the shinobi ran at him with his kunai bared, Sasuke pivoted behind the inept man and crushed his windpipe. There was no need to draw his sword for such trash.

He left the body where it fell and began searching for the other man. When he had gone nearly a mile from the wreckage, he doubled back and searched the surrounding woods once more. He was sure there was no way the missing-nin could have made it that far already. Try as he might, he was unable to locate the other shinobi. There were no signs of him having been anywhere further than the already dead man Sasuke now stood beside. He walked back towards the clearing, carefully searching the area with his sharingan activated. Almost halfway back, he found some disturbed brush and traces of crumbled rock. The chakra still clinging to the leaves told him all he needed to know.

Sasuke sped back towards Sakura's position. In his haste to follow them through the woods, he didn't pay attention to forest floor. Sometime during his escape, the missing-nin made a clone to follow the other man and hid himself amongst the bushes. Now, it seemed he was heading back to possibly finish what they started with the group of civilians.

The scene that met him as he cleared the forest made him grind his teeth in anger. Sakura was kneeling over the body of a large woman, her kunai locked with the katana of the missing-nin he failed to capture. It was obvious she'd been caught off guard as her body was still partially twisted towards the fallen woman. She struggled for a moment before using her enhanced strength to push the shinobi back. He paused, gaining his footing once more before raising his sword against Sakura.

Sasuke would not give him the opportunity.

He flashed up behind the man, sliding his kusunagi cleanly through his body. For a moment, he allowed himself to enjoy the feeling of the cool steel piercing the man's flesh and the surprised and pained gasp that fell from his mouth. When he felt the shinobi's muscles going slack, he threw the body to the side, shaking the blood from his blade before sliding it back into the sheath at his waist.

Sakura's eyes followed the movements his hands made as he sheathed his blade. Her mouth hung open in surprise as she looked up at him. Sasuke took a step towards her kneeling figure and she shook herself free of his momentary spell.

"Sasuke...I didn't expect you to be back so quickly. Did you get the other guy?"

"Aa. I've already taken care of him."

A pained groan from the woman behind her had Sakura whipping back around, her glowing hands once more beginning their work. Sasuke saw the bodies of the other four members of the traveling party laid out in a row clear of the smoldering remains of the first wagon. Each of their chests were rising and falling with their easy breaths. Whatever their level of injuries, they remained unconscious but alive.

"Oh no. No, no, no, no, no...not this, please."

Sasuke heard Sakura's whispered words of prayer and quickly made his way to her side. Her hands were pressed against the woman's stomach, but he could see no blood. Sakura's breath was coming faster and her eyes were wide with what he could only assume was fright. When he knelt down opposite her, he saw the cause of her distress. The woman he had first called large was in fact pregnant. Sakura's hands were cradling her large belly firmly, but gently as she assessed her condition. The dress the woman wore was wet and clinging to her thighs. His eyes snapped back to Sakura's cringing face.

"Is the baby..."

Sakura barely heard Sasuke's words as her mind was desperately trying to remember everything she'd ever read about child birth. The stomach beneath her hands was clenching every few seconds as contractions racked the unconscious woman's body. The fluid pooling between her thighs only solidified her knowledge that this woman was in labor.

Damn it.

Damn it, damn it, damn it.

She couldn't do this.

She'd never done this, had only seen a vaginal birth once before in her entire medical career. She didn't even assist that time! What the hell was she supposed to do?

"Sakura."

Her head snapped up at Sasuke's sharp call.

"Is the baby dead?"

His dark eyes bored into hers – somehow his presence was slowing down her frantic mind. "No. No the baby's alright I think, but...but she's going into labor."

There was no time to savor the look he wore now, but she captured his face in her memory to look back on when this was all over. She believed it would be the only time she would ever see a look of stark panic register on an Uchiha's face. He looked back to the woman, withdrawing his hands from the close position to her body they were before. She saw his eyes flicker between her engorged stomach and the fluid clinging to her dress.

Of course he would panic. He was a male shinobi – a young one at that – who had no experience with pregnancy. She was the medic. It was her job to remain calm and help the two lives depending on her.

"Ma'am, can you hear me?" Sakura felt the woman's strong and steady pulse as she tried to wake her. Another groan escaped her lips and her eyelids fluttered.

"M...my ba-by. The...ba-by...it's..."

"Shh...it's alright," Sakura was proud of her unwavering voice for she felt none of the calm that she was displaying. "I'm a medic and I'm going to help you. I'm going to have to take a look, okay?"

Sakura moved down to place herself between the woman's legs and began to bend them apart. She saw Sasuke avert his eyes and found the first small smile she could muster under the circumstances. She wondered if he turned away out of embarrassment or curtsey.

She drew back the dress stained with amniotic fluid and pressed her fingers beyond the woman's entrance. Sasuke turned his head slightly, his eyes catching hers as she gently probed inside the woman. Her eyes – wide with panic – had him turning back around fully.

"Sakura?"

She quickly moved back up beside the woman, pulling up her dress and began pressing into her abdomen once more. Sasuke ripped a shirt from one of the unconscious men and draped it over the woman's lap – trying to afford her some privacy in this situation. Sakura was still pushing into the woman's swollen belly, her face pulled tight with stress.

"Sakura, what is it?"

Her lips drew in for a moment and she hung her head. He heard her draw a deep breath before her quiet words reached him.

"The baby's turned wrong."

He stared at the crown of her pink hair in confusion. "What does that mean?"

"It means the baby needs help being born."

Sasuke's eyes fell on the tightening belly once more. "What kind of help?

Page after page of medical text was swirling through her mind. Instructions she had memorized over and over were laying themselves out like a how-to manual. She stood from her spot and, marching over to the remain of the unburnt wagon, began searching for supplies. Fear crept up and down her spine but she pushed it away. This wasn't the time for her to deal with the insecurities she had; a life...no, two lives were depending on her. When she gathered what provisions she could find, she made her way back to what would now serve as her temporary surgical area.

"I'm going to need your help Sasuke."

Though he didn't say anything, the tentative nod of his head was enough for her. She understood his reservations, but she had no one else to rely on at the moment.

Sasuke tried to push aside what he begrudgingly acknowledged as anxiety growing within him. This was not a situation he would have ever thought to find himself in. He briefly took his eyes off the women in front of him and scanned the forest with his Sharingan activated. He stifled his curse when he failed to find a single trace of his team mates chakra. He would have been glad to hand over his part in this to even the dobe at that moment.

As there was no one else in the vicinity, he followed Sakura's instructions. He rolled the woman over and watched as she traced her spine – pausing when she found the area she was looking for and doing something with her chakra. When he laid her back down, he took his position at the woman's head as Sakura instructed. He brought her arms up and held them within his firm grip.

The next few minutes would, unfortunately, be burned into his memory forever.

No matter the wounds he had seen, and caused, on the battle field, he had never been so thoroughly introduced to the human body as he was right then. He didn't look away from the sight, but his respect for Sakura tripled as he watched her plunge her hands past the open incision she had made. Blood, fluid, and tissue spilled over the pale skin of her delicate hands. Her teeth dug into the tender flesh of her bottom lip as she concentrated on her demanding task. She whispered her begging pleas to the gods as she worked. Sasuke held the woman's upper body down as she now fought for consciousness.

The first sound of the baby's cry filled the clearing as the rest of his team mates arrived.

The men surrounded them, jaws slack as they watched Sakura tie off the umbilical cord. Neji dropped beside her as she called for his help. His arms were unsure as he held the crying infant, but he couldn't even speak to refuse the order.

Sasuke watched Sakura as she mended the flesh she had cut open with her chakra scalpels. The relieved smile on her face didn't reach her furiously blinking eyes. She continued to give out orders though, having Naruto and Sai check on the yet to awaken men. She wiped her hands on the blanket she found in the wreckage and placed her hand on the woman's forehead. After a few moments, the groaning woman began to open her eyes.

Sasuke stood and stepped back from the group, watching closely as Sakura propped up the new mother and told her what she had been required to do. She held the woman as she cried and thanked her profusely for her help, smiling down at the plump newborn who's lusty cries had yet to cease.

He saw Naruto approaching but did not move away from the clap his friend delivered to his shoulder. "Man, I go chasing down a bad guy and when I come back you and Sakura-chan have delivered a baby? How the hell does that happen?"

"You should have gotten back sooner," Sasuke growled.

Naruto chuckled at his friend. "No thanks. What I did see was bad enough. Glad you were here and not me Sasuke."

He saw Sakura stand and turn to her boys. "I don't suppose any of you saw a stream nearby did you?"

"There's one about a half-mile that way," Neji said, pointing in the north-eastern direction he had come from.

"Thanks Neji-san. If you all would please watch over these guys, I'm going to go wash up."

Sasuke's eyes followed her out of the clearing. Everyone around had given their responses without problem and gone about the duties she had given them. No one looked twice at her when she spoke. He heard it though, that slight hitch in her voice as she turned her back on the group.

The shinobi were helping the waking men to sit up and watching over the new mother and her baby.

No one saw Sasuke follow the pinkette into the forest.

The clear water of the stream turned a dull pink as she plunged her arms into the cold water. With shaking hands, she scrubbed the evidence of the woman's blood from her body. She was proud of herself. She had done so well while she was delivering that child.

Why then was her body beginning to shake so badly now?

Sakura gripped the edge of the river bank as her knees gave way. She could no longer even squat down by the water for her forceful shaking. Her arm wiped the sweat from her brow before she ripped her hitai-ate from her head. Try as she might, she couldn't stop the tears from leaking down her cheeks.

She didn't want to do this. They were in the middle of a mission and she couldn't stay away from the group long. This was no time for her to have a meltdown.

Her body wasn't listening.

The fear, nervousness, and adrenaline that she had so skillfully pushed aside came crashing back all at once. She felt her chest began to heave with the sobs she tried to hold back. She gripped her arms to her chest, gritted her teeth, shook her head...nothing was going to stop them.

She muffled her mouth into her hands and let the loud cries come as they wanted. It had been so long since she'd cried to this degree and her body wanted to let it all out. Sakura curled onto herself, trying her best to stifle her wails from echoing in the forest. Her body was shaking so badly but she couldn't stop it. She just let it come.

The harshness of her tears had lessened some when she heard the first signs of footsteps coming near her. She sat up, wiping the wetness from her cheeks though her tears still fell. Nothing would help the disheveled look she knew she held anyway. She searched for whoever was disturbing her moment of weakness.

When she met his ebony eyes as he stepped out of the tree line, she immediately turned back around. Seeing him had her chest tightening once more. She bit into her lip, refusing to let him hear.

"Sakura."

Her trembling lips opened but she was unable to keep her whimpers from escaping with her words. "W-What do you want Sasuke?"

He said nothing, only walked closer to her.

"What?"

Again, only silence met her questions.

"Just...just go away. I'll be back s...soon."

She gripped her arms as her trembling continued.

Why was he here? Why now, when she wanted a minute to allow herself to break did he have to come looking for her?

"Sakura."

"Oh just go away Sasuke!" Her tears fell harder once more. "I know I'm being stupid right now but I can't help it! You just don't understand!"

He stood over her, watching her shoulders shake with the harsh sobbing. "Understand what?"

She whipped around, her hair plastered to her cheeks in some places by her thick tears. Her normal bright eyes were puffy and tinged in redness. Fear still clouded her face. "I could've killed them! I've never even delivered a baby before much less help with a complicated birth. Everything I did was only from my memories of what I've read before!" Her breath hitched as she buried her head in her hands. "I was just...so...so damn scared."

He watched as she cried, unsure of what to do. He wasn't one to concern himself with women's tears and now questioned his own mind as to why he had followed her. When he watched her walk away, he knew something wasn't right with the medic. Why this bothered him and why he followed, he was still trying to figure out.

He should just walk away. She would eventually finish crying and come back to the group. They still had a mission to complete and were now behind schedule in arriving at the village. It wasn't his problem if she couldn't control her emotions.

His eyes turned towards the direction of the clearing, but he couldn't force his feet to do so.

He didn't like being unsure of himself and he hated being confused.

Why then was he sitting down behind her, letting his weight settle comfortably against her back? Why wasn't he ignoring her cries as he used to do?

Was it because he understood her fear this time? Because he knew the adrenaline that was coursing through her veins, as it was his, had no other outlet? Because for once he wasn't ending a life, but helping one be brought into the world?

Whatever the reason, he didn't move when her hand curled into the bottom of his shirt. When her back pressed against his own, he let her rest her weight against his.

He was going to step just a little further through that door she had opened for him.

Xx Xx Xx Xx Xx

A/N:

So I really should have said this last time but forgot to (not that that's too unusual for me).

I've been working on this story for over a year now! Good Lord, time flies! To top it off, the story is getting longer than I originally thought it would. I hope you all are going to stick with me through it!

So yeah...didn't quite make it for Mother's day but hey, a day late isn't so bad is it? And I swear this was purely coincidental that this chapter happened to be the one with the whole birthing scene and it being Mother's Day. I've got these chaps planned out waaaaaayy to far in advance for me to be coinciding with holidays and such.

Anywho, hoped you enjoyed the chapter and drop me a review!