It was with great difficulty that she stood along the wall displaying no emotion on her face.

Explosions racked the large, open cavern in the hollowed out mountain. The walls shook with the force of his impacts. Silt fell from the ceiling, covering her hair in a fine sheen of dust. The screams of those unable to hide from his fury reverberated along the rocky outcroppings.

Yet, through it all, she stood there silently - eyes peering dispassionately at the spectacle fluttering in and out of her vision. Some of the unlucky had ran for her side, hoping that her presence would somehow offer them refuge. Before their outstretched fingers could make contact with her in any way, a swift kick to the abdomen would send them right back into his path. No look of sorrow filled her eyes as she watched them fall victim to his rage.

After all, if she stood in his way, she would fall next.

It was over an hour before his temper was appeased and when he was finished, their base was in shambles. He pulled the hood of his cloak back in place before turning cold eyes on her. "Prepare your things. We're leaving. We'll be stopping by there on the way."

The kunoichi nodded in reply and walked as calmly as possible to her room. Only when the door was securely closed did she allow the fear gripping her heart to manifest itself. Trembling hands slid along her face, pressing into her eyes as she willed herself to forgo the tears. Crying would solve nothing and there was no sympathy to be had among her present company.

Too long had it been since she'd felt pure terror for her life such as this. When the report came in that his 'creations' had all been slaughtered - the entire area burned to nothingness - he'd first cast those demonic eyes on her. She had been responsible for making sure the shinobi learned of that village. She'd given them such precise directions in order to ensure their arrival and for just a moment, she'd thought her life was forfeit. Thankfully, he took his anger out on the area and those unfortunate enough to be in his temporary employ.

The woman fought back the bile threatening to rise and hastily packed the few possessions she deemed unable to part with. It would take no time for him to be ready to leave this uninhabitable place and she didn't want to stoke his ire. His very aura was making her stomach roll.

It wasn't the first time she was questioning her decision to team with such an unstable man. But, just as every other time she had such thoughts, she reminded herself the end results were more important. With her sadly lacking in power, she would be unable to accomplish what she so badly wanted. Her mind was the only sharp weapon she possessed.

Now she simply had to hang on to the fortitude to see this through to the end.

It was clear skies that greeted Sakura the third morning of their stay in quarantine. The pleasant temperatures and picturesque scenery should have eased her feelings, if only a little, but they were useless in that regard.

All this morning meant was she had been detained for three days, unable to help her teammate, unable to research his condition, allowed to do little more than wait for the answers to come to her.

Sakura found herself detesting the inactivity.

"Such an expression on a sunny day?"

She did little more than turn an eye towards her former sensei as he fell in step beside her. How the man still managed to sneak up on her after all this time was a mystery. "We're still stuck in here and Sai's no better so yes, I think it's a perfectly acceptable expression to be wearing."

The copycat-nin chuckled - his uncovered eye crinkling with his hidden grin. "You should have more faith in Tsunade-sama."

"Faith isn't the problem sensei."

"But patience is."

She glowered at his smirking profile, but held back her words as one of the med-nins, decked out in the now familiar biohazard suit, ran towards them. "Kakashi-san! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Oh?" he questioned, nonplussed by the seemingly urgent statement.

"Yes and you know it." The med-nin huffed, out of breath from his search, and stood with shoulders back as he faced the man who clearly outranked him in every way. "Where are they?"

"Where is what?"

Sakura could see the medic's eye twitch behind the clear plastic. "Your books. I've had reports that you've been seen with them."

"Eh? But you searched my things already, right? I'm sure you have a list of the possessions I was forced to turn in to be incinerated."

"Yes, I do."

"And they were on there, right?"

The "yes" from the med-nin came through clenched teeth.

Kakashi crossed his arms and shrugged. "Then there's your answer."

"And the reports that you had them in your possession?"

"How could I still have them if they were on that list?"

The men stared each other down for several moments. One barely holding his temper in check while the other returned a cheery smile. The medic finally stomped past the pair, grumbling under his breath as he went. "This is not over."

Kakashi waited until he was gone before resuming his walk along their enclosed territory. "Kaka-sensei!" Sakura scolded. "Did you really not turn over those novels? You could be carrying a containment!"

"Sakura, do you really think I would place people's lives in danger?"

"Well, no but..."

"Then why worry yourself over something you shouldn't?"

An exasperated sigh left her lips, but she dropped the subject as they entered the dining tent together. There was no use talking to Kaka-sensei about his cherished Icha Icha novels.

At least one thing brought a smile to her face that morning. Hinata was seated at the table, leg outstretched in the hard cast, blushing under the attention Naruto was showing her. The jinchuriki was quick to place everything close to her reach that she could possibly need and was heard several times asking if she was in pain. She giggled at Kiba's exaggerated eye roll when he saw her. Unfortunately, Naruto also witnessed the act.

"Hey! What the hell Kiba?"

The Inuzuka yawned, showing his sharp canines, before he deigned to answer. "You're an idiot."

"What?!"

"Her leg's broke Naruto, not her damn arms!"

Sakura, though laughing with the rest, couldn't help the small twinge of jealousy that shot through her. She may not have been able to return Naruto's feelings, but he'd always been by her side. It wasn't that she didn't want him to find happiness and she knew Hinata's feelings ran deep, but it would take time to adjust to the loss of his presence.

Fighting off those feelings, Sakura walked past the open chairs before her and instead made her way down the table to where Sasuke sat. She gave Genma a cheerful "good morning" as she sat next to the Uchiha. He said nothing about her choice of seats and continued drinking his morning coffee.

The laughter and teasing of Naruto's actions carried on around her, helping to ease the slight sense of loneliness trying to take root within her. At one point, Naruto slammed his hands on the table as he leaned closer to Kiba, taking offense at something he said. Hinata placed a gentle touch to the jinchuriki's arm that had him calming down almost instantly. With a soft word to her team mate, he quieted as well. Sakura huffed a laugh under her breath. Why couldn't she accomplish that without cracking a few skulls together?

"I guess that the dobe's equivalent of peeling apples, huh?"

Sasuke's comment startled her and had her unsuccessfully fighting back a blush. While she did those things for him before she actually confessed that dark night, Sakura made no attempts to hide her rather strong feelings for him when they were younger. Sasuke openly making a statement like that made her a little nervous – especially considering the things going on between them lately.

When she chanced a glance at his face, he actually looked slightly amused by the spectacle before him. Sakura calmed down considerably after seeing his expression. He didn't mean anything by what he said – he was simply making an observation.

Why then was she disappointed?

"I guess so," she replied to his statement.

"You just wait until after we're done eating!" Kiba tossed back across the table to the somewhat mollified Naruto.

"Fine by me! Just make sure Akamaru comes with ya. Wouldn't want this to be too easy."

"What was that?"

Akamaru's accompanying bark echoed round the tent.

"Ow!" Hinata clutched her leg as her face twisted in pain.

"Hinata!"

"What's wrong?"

Both men were quickly hovering over the young woman, searching for the source of her pain and any way to make it disappear.

Genma chuckled beside Sakura.

"What is it?" she asked.

He turned those dark eyes and amused smile on her. "If Hinata-chan had a devious bone in her body, I'd say that was on purpose."

The day past all too slowly for Sakura's peace of mind.

Shikamaru wasn't around to ask her opinion about any of the information she'd given him. Tsunade-sama and Shizune-senpai were still working with Sai and standing firm on their instructions for her to leave his treatment to them.

Sakura was utterly bored.

She lay on the cot in her tent, staring at the canopy as she couldn't simply fall asleep. It was later in the evening; dinner had already been served and most of the men retired to the baths after eating. Sakura had already bathed three times that day from sheer lack of anything else to do.

A heavy sigh past her lips and she rolled over, face first into the blankets covering her bed. She didn't care if she was acting childish.

"Sakura."

The pinkette practically jumped out of bed when she heard the familiar voice of her shishou through the tent's opening. "Hai Tsunade-sama."

When the busty blond walked in, Sakura's mouth dropped in surprise. The greeting she'd prepared to say died in her throat.

"Come with me," Tsunade commanded and walked back out.

Sakura scrambled to follow her, doing her best to keep her voice down as it seemed her shishou didn't want to attract too much attention. "Tsunade-sama, your mask..."

She flicked her honey eyes at her pupil, the clear mask of her suit no longer standing between them. "I'll explain in a moment."

They stopped at one of the larger tents at the very rear of the enclosure. Before they could enter, Tsunade tossed a surgical mask to Sakura just before she put on her own. With their airways properly protected, Tsunade led the way into their temporary lab.

The putrid smell of days old blood and tissue decay filled every crevice of the tent. It was only from years of experience dealing with such horrible odors that Sakura was able to adjust to the repugnant smell. The corpse Kakashi sealed for travel was laid out on the cot, a single sheet covering the body from the waist down. From a glance, Sakura could see the autopsy on this body had been extensive.

The torso was still open; the sternum and attached ribs off to the side in a separate container. While the organs were present in his chest, it was obvious each one had been removed and carefully inspected. As they had been placed back in the cavity, she correctly assumed they were all normal.

"Come up here," her shishou called from just above the dead man's head.

The pinkette walked to her side, pressing against the mask covering her nose absently - ensuring her seal was secure. The crown of the body's head was removed and sitting in a sterile tray just beside them. From observation alone, Sakura knew something was wrong. What should have been pink tissue covering the bone, was a dull, gray, dried layer lining the inside of the skull cap. The brain had already been removed and was no where in sight.

"See these?" Tsunade-sama asked, pointing to tiny markings on opposite sides of the cranium. Upon closer inspection, they appeared to be small, circular areas that had somehow been drilled into. Her stumped gaze met her shishou's knowing eyes.

The experienced medic led her apprentice to a long table on the far side of the tent. The workspace was laden with numerous notebooks, microscopes, and a large, locked container that Tsunade pulled out a key for. Sakura watched with growing fascination as the busty woman carefully withdrew two glass containers from within. Each container was filled with a clear liquid in which a dark colored, thin object drifted - suspended in the liquid.

"We did a full autopsy," Tsunade began. "Shizune opened the chest and started there, but couldn't find anything out of place. It was when she moved onto the brain that she came and got me." Tsunade lifted the jar holding the larger of the two objects.

"What is that?" Sakura asked.

Intelligent eyes narrowed as Tsunade stared at the small creature. "Honestly, I don't know. I've never seen or heard of anything like it. It's a parasite; we know that much."

Sakura took the container, rotating it in her hands as she peered inside at the disturbing looking creature. At first, Sakura thought it was black - but it was actually a deep purple in color. Judging from the way the thin, legless body coiled and swayed in the liquid, she guessed it was around three inches in length. Their were no eyes on the flat, arrow like head. Instead, there were two wiry attachments to either side - measuring at least twice the length of the body. Even more surprising were the barb like protrusions at the ends of the thin strands. "What are these?" she asked, holding the jar closer to her face as she inspected the oddity.

"Anchors, we guess. Remember those two areas I showed you inside the skull cavity?"

"Yes."

"That's where those strands were attached. It was burrowed into the damn bone."

A horrified look crossed Sakura's face. "So this parasite...was in his..."

"Yeah, dug a hole in the right frontal lobe of this poor guy's brain and made itself at home."

Sakura put the glass back on the counter, carefully, and took a much need step away from the table. "That explains a lot about their behavior."

"This was purposefully introduced into their systems as well."

"How can you tell?"

"Needle markings. There was a small wound at the base of his spine that's clearly a puncture mark."

"Still," Sakura countered. "There's the possibility that something else could have created that."

"True enough, and when I considered that I tried to take a tissue sample from the area and found the tip of a needle still broken off in his skin. Maybe he tried to fight his attacker off or maybe the attacker got scared while they were injecting him. Either way, I think it's more than safe to assume this was, yet again, another attack of that bastards."

Sakura covered her mouth, squeezing the soft skin of her jaw as she exhaled deeply. "How could he have even accomplished this? How do you infect an entire town with something you have to inject into each person?"

"I don't know," Tsunade said - shaking her head in both sadness and frustration. "Genjutsu? Sleeping gas? There's a few ways it could have been possible. Especially if we're talking about a civilian village."

The pinkette shook her head in agreement and eyed the smaller of the creatures. "Was that one in him as well?"

"No. That's the one I removed from Sai's body a few hours ago."

"Oh no, Sai!" Fear colored her ivory features. "How is he? Did you get this thing out of him in time? Is he awake?"

"Sakura," Tsunade called her name sharply, breaking through the slight panic she displayed. She waited until the young woman's face relaxed before she continued. "We removed it from his upper back, right beside his scapula."

"Then...has he woken up? Shown any signs of improvement?"

"No, he hasn't woken up yet, but..." she stressed, halting the interruption Sakura was about to make. "His vitals are improving and his labs are stabilizing. This is the first time in the past few days that I can say I'm hopeful for his condition."

The news was a breath of fresh air to Sakura. Even if he hadn't regained consciousness yet, there was now every chance he should do so. She was so thankful they'd been able to determine the cause of his condition. As soon as she was done speaking with her shishou, she would go to his bedside. She wanted to see him, but more than that, she looked forward to the moment he could wake up and smile for them all once again – even if it was that fake one.

With her concern for his life now somewhat appeased, Sakura's mind could once again focus on the other problems staring them down. "I'm assuming you aren't done testing this creature yet?"

Tsunade huffed a laugh at the question. "Hell no. I'll have the researchers stuck in the lab for weeks on this thing alone." The hokage's eye landed on the slowly rotating parasite. "It's almost a shame that son-of-a-bitch is so twisted. He's smart, and resourceful."

Sakura saw Tsunade-sama's finger began to trace the lid of the glass jar; her eyes hopelessly locked onto the strange new species. Knowing her master could become utterly fixated on a new project – as she herself was apt to do – the apprentice stepped forward, picking up both jars, and sealing them once more into the cabinet. There was still much to discuss and the conversation would go no further if Tsunade-sama got engrossed with figuring out this discovery.

"I know there is still a lot we have to learn about his little creation here, but are you sure it's okay to lower the quarantine on us?"

Though Tsunade frowned a bit at her actions, she quickly recovered and leaned against the table – crossing her arms under her bountiful chest. "Yeah, there were no traces of that thing in any of your blood samples. Even after we removed it from Sai, there were none of the protein markers we'd previously picked up on in his blood."

"Any idea why?"

"Well, my hypothesis for the moment is it was transferred to him during that bite in an egg form."

"An egg?" Sakura's faced reflected her horror and disgust.

"It probably hatched once it was in a suitable environment and continued to feed off the host – growing and migrating in the body towards the brain where it would set up a nest. It wasn't fully mature yet and probably couldn't reproduce. If it had made it to Sai's brain, we would have seen him deteriorate into that state you found the villagers in."

A fine shudder passed through the pinkette's body at the thought. A fleeting image of Sai attacking them mindlessly in insatiable hunger had her shaking her head to try and removing the horrifying image. She took a deep breath, forcing herself past that damnable thought. "So we can go back to the village now."

"Wait until tomorrow. It's getting late as it is and I want to meet with everyone. Plus, my think tank is still at home and they won't be ready until in the morning."

"Think tank?"

A smirk tilted Tsunade's lips. "Shikaku and Shikamaru. They've been plotting every attack we were able to learn about on that map Sai made for you and compiling the information ANBU gathered during their missions." She pulled away from the table, skirting the autopsied body, and making her way towards the tent's opening. "Sai will be moved to the restricted access critical ward of the hospital in the morning. The rest of the medics and staff here will be going with him. As soon as they're gone, the council will join us here."

"You're bringing the council down?"

"Of course! I've been in contact with the other kage as well. We need to make some plans. I'm tired of Kabuto and I want him dealt with."

Sakura was going to respond, but a familiar baritone voice called from outside the canvas door.

"Tsunade."

After waiting a moment, Sasuke passed through the doors, nodding once towards the hokage. "Shizune is looking for you."

Her honey eyes stared through him as she made to walk past him. "Tch. Arrogant brat. We'll talk more in the morning Sakura." With a tap of her finger to the back of his left shoulder, the blonde left in search of her assistant.

Sakura moved to stand before Sasuke's still figure. Though his eyes wouldn't meet hers, she stared up at his handsome face – a smile forming and barely holding back her laughter. Beads of sweat were forming along his brow and his eyebrows were drawn down as if in concentration.

"You don't have to pretend."

His obsidian eyes flickered to hers briefly, but he turned away. This time, she couldn't hold back the chuckle from slipping past her lips. Her chakra wrapped around the hand she lightly placed on his shoulder. With a smile still tipping her lips, she stood on tiptoe and whispered in his stubborn ear. "I know that hurts."

The voice that answered was gravely and hushed. "Old bitch."

Sakura laughed as she soothed the now sore muscles in his body from Tsunade-sama's powerful tap. While he wasn't receiving full blows as Naruto sometimes did from calling her 'baa-chan', Tsunade-sama didn't seem very pleased with his habit of ignoring her title and calling her familiarly.

"She wasn't wearing the suit any more," Sasuke's voice had evened out – all traces of the pain he hid gone.

"No she wasn't, but we aren't going anywhere just yet. She said we'd meet in the morning."

Sasuke simply nodded his head in understanding as Sakura withdrew her healing touch.

"I'm going to see Sai."

"Has he woken up?"

Her pink locks fluttered about as she shook her head. "Not yet, but he's being transferred to the hospital in the morning, so I want to spend some time with him before then."

An odd look flickered in the Uchiha's eyes for the barest of moments. Before she could talk herself out of it, Sakura lifted on her toes and pressed a quick kiss to his warm lips. "I'll see you later."

Sasuke followed her out of the tent, watching her walk towards Sai's location with warring emotions.

He was becoming used to touching her, and being touched by her. It was distressing to his mind that he was pleased by her kiss before she left his presence. It wasn't until he watched her go into the medical tent that his feet moved once more. These events were outside of his usual character and he wasn't sure how much he enjoyed the very idea of that. His own thoughts were beginning to betray him.

"Would you still do anything for me?"

Sasuke was glad he'd been able to stop that question before he'd asked it of Sakura the previous day.

He wasn't even sure what he wanted her answer to be.

He ran an irritated hand through his raven locks as he aimlessly walked through the area. The sun was starting to dip below the horizon, casting shadows among their temporary homes. He turned to look at the sky's changing colors, and saw Naruto's form perched along the fence separating them from the rest of the world. He changed direction and joined the lone man.

Sasuke leapt atop the wooden barrier, settling himself beside Naruto. The height of the structure afforded them a grand view of the sun lowering itself beyond the thick tree line. He said nothing upon his arrival and it seemed Naruto was content to sit in silence as well – casting only a glance and a nod of greeting as the Uchiha joined him. Silent though it may have been, it wasn't uncomfortable as the friends basked in the day's dying light.

Eventually, an irritated sigh came from the jinchuriki that had Sasuke raising his brows in question. Scarred hands tugged at the blond locks no longer held back by the absent hitai-ate. Naruto didn't turn to his friend as he spoke; instead, his head fell back and he gazed at the ever darkening sky with a vast array of emotions warring for presence on his whiskered face.

"Have you ever missed something?"

The question was too vague and confusing – and Sasuke's silence and questioning eyes spoke volumes.

"I don't mean missed like you wanted to see something or someone," Naruto clarified. "I mean like something completely slipped by without you knowing. And once you did finally figure it out, you felt like the biggest idiot in the world."

"Mm." Sasuke settled for humming in acknowledgment. There was no need to openly admit he had felt that way – Naruto was fully aware of the circumstances behind his own lack of knowledge about his brother. However, the conundrum now racking the blond's mind was probably close to the former avenger's current problem.

The cerulean eyes of the village's hero finally turned on him – brows furrowed on the face of a man desperate for answers. "What the hell am I supposed to do Sasuke?"

He held his friend's eyes for a moment before slowly turning back to the picturesque view of The Land of Fire. Even if he wanted to help, he knew of nothing to say in this situation. A friendly clap on the shoulder was all he would afford the jinchuriki before leaping off the wooden barrier. "Sorry. I think you've got to figure out this one for yourself."

Naruto's soft curse followed him back into the temporary housing area. That was as close as it got for Sasuke's comfort level when talking about such...emotional matters. He may acknowledge Naruto as his friend and rival, but there was a line men simply didn't cross. The dobe had plenty of female friends to turn to for such problems. He and Sakura had obviously grown closer over the years; let him beg her for such advice.

Sasuke gave a barely audible groan. Now he was thinking about her again.

How the hell was he supposed to help Naruto when he couldn't figure out his own damn problems?

() () () () () () () () ()

A/N:

Wow, I just need to take a moment and thank the many, many of you reviewing, following, and even PM-ing me about this story! You are all so wonderful and thank you so much for the support! I'm baking a pound cake right now in thanks! (I mean...I'm gonna eat it myself but it's the thought that counts right?)

Sorry the update ran late but...yeah, gotta work hard for the money.

At least we've nailed down what's going on with Sai. (Nasty stuff, parasites give me the heeby-jeebies - so why in the hell am I writing about them?) ;)

Hope you enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think!