Sasuke tightens his grip on the hilt of Kusanagi as they make their way through the tunnels. The air is cool and frigid, and there is an ominous feeling in the atmosphere that makes the hair on the back of his neck stand. The walls and ceiling of the hallways are made of beautifully carved marble, and he wonders why they bothered if these passageways were meant to be secret.

Surely someone would've noticed the marble coming and going.

"Teme, this is the most exciting thing we've done in a while," Naruto whispers excitedly, oohing and aahing at the historical Elven structures and carvings in the walls they come across along the way and Sasuke resists the urge to snort. He is careful in his exploration, making sure his eyes never leave Hinata's figure, keeping a careful eye on her in case of someone lurking in the tunnels further in. She turns around to reprimand them with a glare, one that has Sasuke smirking and Naruto cowering and whispering apologies – and Sasuke thinks that Naruto has finally found the one. Unlike himself and Sakura, their relationship has been steadily growing. He can't image what someone like Hinata would see in someone like Naruto, and he definitely understands Neji's disapproval – but even in the deepest depths of his hearts, Sasuke has to admit that his heart fills with warmth when he sees them hand in hand, Naruto laughing awkwardly while Hinata flushes the deepest shade of red he's seen.

The three of them slip through countless winding but well-built passageways, and Sasuke is suddenly grateful Shikamaru decided to have just the three of them down here. His teamwork with Naruto is seamless, and they've been spending whatever time they could with Hinata to make sure they'd be able to read each other in battle. He nods to himself in approval – if anybody were to succeed in an ambush, it would be them. Provided that nobody is waiting for us at the other end. And that nobody notices Hinata's absence from the front lines, his mind supplies. Thoughts of the front lines immediately bring with it a vision of pink and green, and he feels the back of his neck warm at the thought of their last night together before they left Iwa.

His lips tingled and burned long after their too-chaste kiss, and he was sure he didn't start breathing until she had left his room. Sasuke doesn't know much of Sakura's language, and she had blushed furiously when he asked for the meaning of her words. She had refused to tell him, but the look in her eyes gave him a pretty good indication. "Maybe next time, Sasuke-kun," she had said softly, so heart-wrenchingly similar to the way Itachi used to. Overwhelmed by the affection he felt for her, yet unable to voice it, Sasuke had done the only thing he could think of, the only gesture of love and affection he has carried with him since his family died. His right hand reluctantly left her waist, two fingers coming up to tap the rhombus tattoo on her forehead gently. Sasuke remembers the nervousness then, unsure if she would be able to understand – but after a few seconds her face lit up and the smile she had given him was her most beautiful one yet – and he made a promise to himself then that he would pursue whatever it was that was between them after this whole thing was over. Satisfied with what she had come to achieve, Sakura then slipped out of his room as quietly as she came.

"I want you alive at the end of all this, Sasuke-kun," she had said before they parted ways the next morning, and Sasuke is excited at the prospect of having something and someone to look forward to for the first time after battle. For the first time in a long time, Sasuke allows himself to see a future that doesn't involve him being alone. He allows himself to see a future with enchanting green eyes and a too-bright smile, with pink hair splayed on his pillow and days that only spelled happiness.

They turn a corner, eventually arriving at a giant, heavily carved wooden door. Naruto's fingers twitch, but before he can lay a curious hand on the door, Hinata stops him.

"Stop, Naruto," she says harshly, omitting the affectionate suffix, taking Sasuke by surprise. He knows he shouldn't be – he has seen her fight and hold her own and knows that she is strong – but he finds it amusing that she can switch between two personalities so easily. To Sasuke, Hinata is kind and quiet and shy - always carrying herself with an air of naiveté – so to see her take charge when they are not in battle is refreshing. He wonders if all Elven women are raised like this.

"The door only opens if you touch it a certain way. Anything out of the sequence will set off traps. And you'll blow our cover." He watches as Naruto physically gulps, taking a step back. Sasuke's eyes watch with fascination as Hinata traces the Elven words carved into the door in a slow and methodical manner, whispering words he doesn't understand. Where her fingers brush, light shoots into the crevices, and she takes a step back and they watch as the carvings re-arrange themselves before the door slowly opens.

"Woahhh…this is awesome, Hinata-chan," Naruto says, dumbstruck as they follow her into the chamber. The giant door closes behind them as quietly as it opened, and Sasuke finds himself enchanted by Elven magic. He briefly wonders if Sakura would indulge him in more stories of her people's magic once this is all over.

"Keep your eyes open, Naruto, Sasuke. We're close. One more chamber, and we'll be inside Konoha." He watches as her expression becomes grim and her pale irises harden the way only a battle-weary soldiers' does, and he feels adrenaline thrum through his veins. He absentmindedly caresses Kusanagi's hilt again – the way he always does before battle.

…

"Fuck, dobe. Can't you do anything right?" Sasuke asks as he narrowly misses the swing of an axe. Naruto compensates by throwing a dagger into the elf's thigh, giving Sasuke the opportunity to slit his neck with Kusanagi.

Their ambush had gone well – they'd quietly taken out thirty, maybe forty elves – until Naruto knocked over an ornate vase, alerting everybody to their presence. Sasuke can hear the noise of battle coming from outside the walls, and sends a quiet prayer to whatever Gods existed for Sakura's safety.

"Dobe!" Naruto dodges the flying arrow just in time, and in an instant, the three of them are surrounded.

"Hinata-sama? What are you doing here? And with men?" One of them says.

"My loyalty lies with Sakura-hime, the rightful heir to the throne. I could ask you the same. What are you doing here, supporting the man who killed our king?"

"Kabuto-sama was the stronger candidate, Hinata-sama. You have to understand that this is all in Konoha's best interest. We may respect you, and what's left of the Hyuuga, but you know what we must do if you choose to fight us."

"Dirthara-ma," Hinata says coldly. Sasuke doesn't know what it means, but he watches as their expressions change. They look at each other, uneasy, before someone shouts "For Kabuto-sama!" And then they are all charging forward. Sasuke deflects a sword with his Kusanagi, shattering a kneecap with a strong kick and as the elf falls, Hinata takes him down with an arrow aimed at his eye. Naruto charges forward, beheading two elves before locking swords with another. He headbutts him, and the force of it sends the elf to his back, and Sasuke doesn't stop to think before slicing his guts open. By now, Hinata has taken out all of the long-range elves, and Sasuke and Naruto stand back to back.

"Ready, teme?" A grunt is the only response Sasuke graces him with, before they move forward, drawing their swords. Seamlessly, they tuck into a roll, slicing their blades across flesh and bone as they go, taking out as many elves as they can with the help of Hinata's volley of arrows.

…

"Art u na'din, Kabuto," she hisses, voice cold and fuelled with rage. All around them, their kin are engaged in battle – kin killers are what they've become. The smell of blood and death surround them, and the battle cries of their people as they give their lives for their sworn leaders only makes the fire within her burn stronger.

Sakura and Kabuto slowly circle each other, daggers gripped tightly in their hands and even though Kabuto towers over her, he knows the threat she poses. He's grown up with her, seen her first hand in battle, knows what she can do if she chooses to use the Byakugo. The way she looks at him – with flashing green eyes and a snarl on her face – is enough to unsettle him. He charges first, because he can't afford to let her be on the offence – and they trade several blows, parrying and swinging their daggers. It's ironic, he thinks, almost wistfully. They had trained together as children, and even when she started taking other lessons, ones that prepared her for the throne she would one day inherit, they'd been close. She'd always come to him in her spare time, and they'd train together. It was their way of bonding, of letting off steam they couldn't otherwise. He'd been fond of her once, Kabuto thinks, grip on his dagger tightening as he manages to nick the skin on her cheek. She'd been the sister he never had, the one person he knew who'd have his back – until the differences between them started becoming clear. He'd always be nothing more than an orphaned child, nothing more than a little boy Kizashi took pity on, no matter what he tried telling himself. Kizashi. That bastard had used him all along, and Kabuto had been foolish to think he could be the father he lost too young. Kizashi had made it clear, the day he gave him control over the army. "I took you in because I saw potential in you. Sakura's life, and Konoha's safety are in your hands. And I will see to it personally that you wish you died an orphan if you fail. Len'alas lath'din."

Sakura's defence is perfect as it always is, and Kabuto picks up his speed, hoping to eventually catch her off guard. He almost curses that they know each other's fighting styles so well, but his eyes glint at the thought of an even sweeter victory. She ducks a slash he attempts from above, and another one he aims from below, but she isn't quick enough to dodge a consecutive slicing arc he sends from her left, and he grins as he feels his dagger cut through muscle and tendon, her blood spraying across his face. She quickly gets up, and he thinks he sees a glimmer of sadness and disappointment in her eyes before her wound glows green, flesh slowly knitting back together.

"What happened, Kabuto? Where did we go wrong?" she asks sadly as she gets back into a defensive stance. He can't help but laugh at her words. "Tel'abelas. This," he says, arms gesturing around them, "has always been inevitable. Kizashi shouldn't have treated me like a tool."

"My father gave you a home!"

"He used me, Sakura! I was always just a pawn! Maybe you didn't look at me that way, but it's done now. If you say you'll follow me, I might let you live."

"Look around you, Kabuto. Your army is losing. Do the right thing, and you might just live to atone for your sins."

"Enough talk, Sakura. You cannot change my mind." And then he is rushing at her, daggers once again aimed to kill and once again, they are caught in a dance of offence and defence. Kabuto doesn't know how long they've been going at it – the cries around them all but fade as he focuses on Sakura – and he grits his teeth at the realisation that slowly, he is the one on the defence. She manages to side step the swing of his daggers, and in response she lashes out and lands a well-aimed punch to his jaw. The force of her hit is strong enough to send his glasses flying and for him to hear the sickening crack of bone. Sakura continues to advance on him, her rhombus tattoo glowing as the familiar black markings snake down her face. "I never wanted to do this, Kabuto," she says through clenched teeth, voice almost broken, as she takes advantage of his fallen state and kicks him in his chest, hard.

No, no no!

Kabuto's vision is starting to swim as she drags him up by the collar of his shirt. He wheezes – something's broken – and coughs up blood as she draws him closer.

"This," she says, arm drawing back for another hit, "Is for my father. Our father." He closes his eyes in a feeble attempt to block out the pain he knows is coming, when he hears Neji's voice.

"Sakura!"

She manages to bend over backwards just in time to avoid the flying axe sent her way. It causes her to lose her grip on Kabuto, though, and in an instant, she is surrounded by his men. Twenty, maybe thirty of them. Neji is making his way towards them, and she knows that she cannot afford to wait for his help. So she charges, trying to pick off as many as she can, and sucks in a deep breath as she plunges her dagger deep into the chest cavity of an elf who'd once been on her guard party. She yanks her dagger out just in time to meet the blade of another, and feels her heart skip a beat when she spots two other elves supporting an injured Kabuto.

She growls, and sends a chakra laden kick to the ground in desperation, and even though the earth underneath them trembles and cracks, it is not enough to stop them from throwing Kabuto onto the back of a horse. Sakura immediately turns her attention to the horse that is quickly gaining foot, but finds her path once again blocked. Neji arrives then, just in time, and she is about to tell him that they need to give chase before Kabuto escapes, when he stops her. "Focus, Sakura. We're here to reclaim our home, not chase after vengeance. His time will come."

…

Naruto and Sasuke eventually make it out onto the field – they've got the inside of Konoha stabilised with Hinata's influence. It's clear there is no more fight in Konoha's army. Kabuto is nowhere to be seen, and Sasuke watches as Shikamaru's men line the remaining elves up. His heart soars when he spots her – bruised and bloodied and looking a little worse for wear – healing the injured. His feet seem grow a mind of their own as he finds himself taking hurried steps towards her.

He watches as she turns around when she senses his presence, emerald eyes glowing and lips tugging up into a smile. "Sasuke-kun!" She squeals and waves, and her child-like excitement sends a burst of affection through him. Fluttering feelings of pride fill his belly at their accomplishment. Her accomplishment.

Sasuke doesn't know what's prompted him to do what he did, doesn't know if it was the right or wrong thing to do. All he knows is the yearning and desire and need to feel her against him that flares in his belly. So he closes the distance between them, rough hands cupping her cheeks, and presses his lips against hers.

…

A/N: Hi guys! Sorry this has taken so long, it was really hard for me to write and I lost the motivation halfway through. Having said that I'm excited for what's to come, so please let me know your thoughts. xoxo

Dirthara-ma – may you learn

Art u na'din, Kabuto – I will kill you, Kabuto

Len'alas lath'din – dirty child no one loves

Tel'abelas – I'm not sorry