They had been traveling for almost two weeks now, having only entered the forest two days ago. Sasuke had felt his body relax once he saw the lush grass, despite Naruto's consistent worrying over Sakura and her equally consistent assurances that she was fine. Thinking about their bickering caused him to glance back at Naruto, who held Sakura against his chest; while she hadn't developed paralysis due to her pills, she had developed a crippling fever that had her slipping in and out of consciousness most days. They had decided that she should ride with them, lest she fall off Varak and injure herself even more. Currently she was beginning to wake up from her slumber, Naruto's face hovering mere inches away from hers, anxiety clear on his features.
"Are you alright," Naruto asked; Sakura groaned, holding her head. "Does your side hurt? Do you need some water, because I have a lot of water if-"
"Naruto," Sakura grumbled, wiping the sleep from her eyes. Naruto halted his questions, watching her carefully.
"What is it," Naruto asked, his body practically raised from the saddle as he leaned closer to her. Sakura rolled her eyes, shoving him back down into the saddle as she straightened up.
"I'm fine," She muttered, stretching, "Just a little sore from sleeping is all."
"Well we can stop to stretch," Naruto suggested, "I'm sure no one will mind; right Kakashi? Sasuke?"
Sakura rolled her eyes again as Kakashi glanced over at Sasuke. "It would probably do us all some good to get a stretch in," Kakashi said, "Besides, we're not that far away from your clan's village, right?"
Sasuke shook his head. "At the rate we're going, we'll most likely get there by the evening; at the latest, we'll be there by the time night has fallen."
Sakura sighed. "Fine," She conceded; Naruto grinned as he stopped his horse, "But when we begin riding again, I demand to ride with Sasuke."
"What," Naruto exclaimed, clambering down from his horse. He grasped Sakura's hand, helping her down; she stumbled slightly, regaining her balance quickly. "Why would you do that," He asked, holding out a canteen for her.
"Because you're being far too overprotective," Sakura replied, taking the canteen. She drank from it, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand as she gave it back to him. "Just because I've been poisoned doesn't mean I'm an invalid."
"Well yeah," Naruto said, rubbing the back of his neck, "It's just, you're my friend, so…ya know, I just don't want to see you in pain or anything."
Sakura sighed, ruffling his hair gently, earning an annoyed pout from Naruto. "I'll make you a deal; every time I seem to be in pain, you beat up Sasuke. Sound like a good idea?"
"That sounds like a horrible idea," Sasuke said, frowning. Sakura merely smiled sweetly, her eyes shining with both fever and hidden mischief. Naruto grinned, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as he joined in her mischief.
"I think that sounds like a great idea," Naruto said, "Kakashi, what do you think?" He asked, looking over at the mage. Kakashi merely shrugged, watching as Rin happily flew around his hat.
"Whatever helps keep the peace between you three," Kakashi replied, Rin flying between the trinkets hanging from his hat. Sasuke glared over at him; Kakashi merely replied with a small smile.
"Traitorous mage," Sasuke muttered, climbing down from his horse. Naruto and Sakura laughed, for a moment forgetting about any dangers that may occur. While their guards were down, a small black and white bird observed them from high in the trees; it silently flew away to report what it had saw to its master.
Sai sat atop a tree branch, black eyes scanning the tops of the trees as soldiers scavenged through the mess below. From his point he saw a lake created by a large waterfall; he knew that the body of dragon's holder had already been removed, but he had still been unfortunate enough to see the carnage left over from the fight. A small chirping sound distracted him from his thoughts; glancing over his shoulder, he saw his bird flying towards him. He held out a scroll for the bird to land on, opening it to a blank page. As the bird touched down, it instantly melted away into ink, leaving in its wake a message to him. He read the message, rolling the scroll up as he finished. He stood, jumping down from his spot towards the soldiers below.
"Prepare yourselves," He said, landing on the ground. The men stopped what they were doing, turning to look at him in interest. He smiled, his face holding no real joy, only fake amusement at the news he was announcing.
"The last Uchiha is coming home."
Sasuke felt Sakura sigh; her back nestled against his front, her head resting on his shoulder. As he rode with her, he understood why Naruto was concerned, as every time their skin brushed it felt as if she burned him. He glanced down at her, the top of her head blocking a proper look at her face; though judging from the slight flush of her cheeks and the tenseness of her body, he assumed that she was uncomfortable.
"So…" Sakura began; it was only until she spoke that he realized that the silence had been insufferable. "What's your, uh, village like?"
"It's quiet," He began, mind searching for the perfect description. "Our homes are camouflaged in the trees, so it's almost as if we don't exist."
"You mean you actually live in those things," Sakura asked, gesturing towards the trees. Sasuke smirked, maneuvering to get a better look at her expression.
"Why," Sasuke asked, "Afraid of heights?"
"Of course not," Sakura replied indignantly, crossing her arms over her chest. "I just like to have something firm beneath my feet is all. It comes with being a dwarf and working in a mountain you know."
"Ah," Sasuke said, nodding, "So you aren't afraid per say, you just dislike it strongly."
"That's right," Sakura said, nodding. "Besides, you didn't look too comfortable in the halls of the Haruno clan; a bit claustrophobic are we?" She asked, smirking.
Sasuke felt the tips of his ears go red at her statement. "Hn, of course not," He replied, "I just strongly dislike enclosed spaces."
Sakura hummed in response, nodding against him. Silence overtook them again, though Sasuke felt as if she desired to say more. She fidgeted with the reins, causing Sasuke to sigh at her nervous behavior.
"If you want to say something, just say it," Sasuke said. Sakura looked down at her hands, still running her fingers over the smooth leather. He was about to prod her again, though she finally took a breath and decided to speak.
"What if they won't help," Sakura muttered, casting her glance to the side. Sasuke blinked, taken aback at seeing her act insecure. "What if, because I'm a dwarf, they decide to just let me…you know, die?"
"Do you truly think so lowly of my clan," Sasuke asked; Sakura glanced up at him, the top of her head resting against his chest.
"No," She began, "It's just…Well, there are sometimes those people that are just prejudiced. And, you know, when they're prejudiced, they can manipulate other people to do what they want; and if they want me dead, well…" She trailed off, waving her hand dismissively.
"I told you before in the village, didn't I," Sasuke asked, "Nobody is dying on my watch. That happens to include particularly irritating dwarves such as yourself. If anyone gives us any problems about it, then I will personally talk to them."
Sakura looked up at him, feeling her cheeks burn with something other than fever. He glanced down at her, eyebrow raised in question; before she had a chance to speak though, a shout from Naruto drew their attention away from each other. They glanced over, seeing him pointing further ahead, his face drawn in worry. They followed his gaze; Sakura felt Sasuke's body tense around hers as they watched smoke rise from the trees, signaling that somewhere ahead was a fire. She looked up at him, noticing that his jaw was clenched tightly, his hands gripping on the reins.
"Sasuke…" She thought worriedly, knowing that somewhere ahead was his village. Sasuke clicked his heels into his horse's side, setting off at a gallop, ignoring the protests of Naruto as Kakashi merely followed. It seemed like mere moments had only passed when they entered the area, fires burning in the trees where houses once stood. Sasuke watched in horror, scanning the remains of the village for any signs of life; his eyes locked in on a specific house, causing him to jump off his horse.
"Sasuke," Sakura called out, "Sasuke, where are you going?"
"To find my family," Sasuke shouted back, running towards the ladder. Sakura watched as he jumped onto it, barely noticing how Kakashi came behind her and began spraying water everywhere in an effort to cease the inferno. Naruto rode after him, eyes wide in horrid fascination at the spectacle before him.
Sasuke pushed open the door, running throughout the house. He slammed open doors, calling out for his parents and Itachi; as each second passed with no response, his heart raced even faster in his chest. Finally, as he was panting and out of breath, he came to his parents' room; hands trembling, he pushed the door open, only to be met with the sight of their corpses splayed across the ground. A shadow stood above them, seemingly inspecting them; it stood slowly, revealing a young man who looked almost identical to Sasuke.
"Who are you…?" Sasuke demanded; the man gave no response, further angering him. "What the hell have you done to my family?!"
"I have merely done what I was told to do," He replied, a smile on his face; Sakura's scream was suddenly heard from outside, causing Sasuke to rush to the window. He watched in helplessness as a black cloth bag was draped over her head, her body being dragged off the horse. He saw as Naruto and Kakashi tried to fend off other attackers, but the two of them were no match for the seemingly endless number of assailants. The last thing he saw before the man in the room smashed the handle of a sword into the back of his neck was Sakura's struggling body ceasing movements as soldiers knocked her unconscious.
Sasuke groaned, slowly swimming back to consciousness; how long he was out, he hadn't a clue, but he knew it was long enough to have been transported somewhere else. The dampness in the air and the rough stone against his cheek let him know that it was a cell. He sat up, holding the back of his head, cursing as it pounded relentlessly. He glanced around, noticing that he was alone in his cell, and that the one across from him was empty.
"Sasuke," Naruto's voice called out, echoing throughout the corridor. Sasuke stood up, pressing his face against the metal bars to get a better view of him; he could barely make out the blonde hair of the heir who was doing the exact same thing. "About time you woke up," Naruto called out, "I thought you were dead or something!"
"Where are we," Sasuke asked; he thought he heard Naruto shrug, though he couldn't have been sure.
"Not sure," Naruto replied, "All I know is that I was knocked out, and then I woke up here with Kakashi's ugly mug looking back at me."
"Is it really necessary to add insult to injury," Kakashi asked; Sasuke heard chains rattling, which he assumed to be Kakashi trying to move. Hearing the chains reminded him that he wasn't bound by anything; he wondered if the same applied to Naruto and Sakura.
"How's it looking with you, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, turning his attention back to the blonde. He heard Naruto shuffle around, seemingly examining the cell, before pressing his face back against the bars.
"Well, they gave me a bucket to do business in," Naruto replied cheerfully, "And I get to move around, so at least I'm better off than Kakashi!"
"Again, is this really necessary," Kakashi replied again. Although Sasuke couldn't see it, he was imaging Naruto pouting at Kakashi, his arms crossed over his chest as he replied.
"Hey, don't be mad that I'm just trying to be positive," Naruto protested, "After all, there's not much to be optimistic about, now is there?"
Sasuke heard a grunt from Kakashi, which he assumed was agreement. He noticed though that during the entire exchange, he had yet to hear Sakura's voice; worry began to gnaw at him. "Where's Sakura?"
"You mean she's not over there?" Naruto asked; Sasuke clenched his hands around the bars, thinking that if he could focus just the right amount, he might be able to break through these bars with magic.
"Don't bother," A voice called out as a door opened. Light spilled from the hallway, casting the shadow of an older man walking with a cane. Beside him walked an unknown guard who dragged Sakura beside him; hand tight on her upper arm. The man reached the cell across from Sasuke, opening the door; the guard tossed her in, causing her to cry out in pain.
"You bastard," Naruto shouted, "When I get out of here, I'm going to beat you senseless!"
The man smirked, turning to face Naruto; Sasuke saw that one of his eyes was covered in bandages, the other gleaming with malice. "I wish you the best of luck," He said, "Your cells are specially designed for each of you; one to block basic magic that elves like to use, the other to keep pesky mages like Kakashi from doing anything."
"Why are you doing this," Sasuke growled; the man turned to him, the smirk still on his face.
"Because, when Lady Kaguya desires something, she will do whatever it takes to get it." He explained. "She desired your clan's disposal, so I gave it to her; now, she desires the annihilation of dwarves and the Hyuuga, which I am slowly working on getting to her. Unfortunately, I don't know their location, so for now they are safe."
"And we'll die before we ever give it to you," Sasuke spat, hands tight on the bars. He smiled eerily, as if enjoying a personal joke told to him by a close friend.
"Ah, well I know one of you certainly will," He said, looking over at Sakura. She lay on her cell floor, panting, eyes screwed shut in pain. It was then that Sasuke noticed she was covered in bruises that hadn't been there before; it was obvious that she had been tortured. He felt as if fire was coursing through his veins, sparking every muscle into an uncontrollable urge to kill the man that stood before him. He chuckled at Sasuke's expression, turning his back as he began to walk away from them.
"I hope you sleep well," He called out to them, "Because I intend to have my information by the end of the week." He said; the door shut behind him, shrouding them in darkness.
A/N: So I moved in to a new place; spent this weekend unpacking and packing and yaaayyyy. I hope I didn't make anyone cry with this chapter (And if I did, I hope it wasn't TOO hard) Just felt that we needed some good 'ol fashioned Sasuke angst! (lulz, like we don't get that already)