Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or their backstories, they all belong to their rightful owners. I only own my plot.

"WHAT?!" Sakura winced as her mentor yelled at her again. "So not only did you run into two Akatsuki members, and didn't recognise them, but it was two of the most dangerous? Admittedly, we don't have the leaders face in the bingo book, but you should have noticed his cloak at least." Once her hearing had recovered, the pink-haired kunoichi answered.

"Yes, ma'am.", Tsunade simply looked at her, half glaring into her soul and half deciphering the information Sakura had given her. The Hokage stood up from her chair and walked over to the door to her office. She called in Shizune.

"What is the problem, Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked, she must have heard all of the yelling, as she glanced at Sakura with a shimmer of pity in her eyes. She had been yelled at like that before, Sakura sometimes witnessed it.

"I want you to go and get Yamato and Kakashi. They will be back from their mission today, tell them to come straight here, and hurry." Shizune simply nodded and started to walk off, "And get Naruto in here as well!" Tsunade yelled after her. The blonde's twin ponytails swished as she walked back behind her desk and sat down with a sigh. Sakura couldn't even begin to comprehend what was going through her mentor's mind right now, especially with all of the attacks that had been going on recently.

The village had been attacked a few times in the last week, though two of the times had been thwarted by Konoha's best ninja, the most recent came out of nowhere. They still don't know how they had gotten into the village, but once they did, over 16 ninja had been killed because of them. The first ten minutes of the battle had been pure confusion, Konoha didn't know who was attacking, and they still didn't, but whoever they were, they had been trained well.

Tsunade's sigh brought Sakura out of her thoughts and the door behind her opened to reveal Naruto, while both Kakashi and Yamato appeared at the window. Tsunade let them in, both landing with a small thud against the carpet. Sakura could already see the anticipation on Naruto's face, as well as the stress on Tsunade's.

"Now that you've seen his face," Tsunade grimaced and Sakura finally found her grasp on the situation "he's going to want to find you." Sakura's face fell as she realised that she probably wasn't going outside the village any time soon.

Pein POV:

He had only woken an hour after first closing his eyes, but it was enough to have allowed his mind some rest. He had dreamed for the first time in a while, all thanks to a certain pink-haired woman, who had filled his dreams with laughter instead of the usual horror that plagued him. She had danced and twirled in an imaginary battle, managing to avoid each and every kunai he sent in her direction. In the back of his mind, he quietly admitted to himself that it was a nice change, even if he might have to kill her for discovering what he looked like. He had worked hard to keep that a secret.

It wasn't long before Pein had gotten sick of lying motionless on his bed, so he decided to walk through the base, looking for something. Though that something was not here. Somehow he felt incredibly empty, emptier than he usually had been in the past. The protector of Rain approached the entrance to the hideout, armed to the teeth with weapons and a new found determination. He would find her again, he had to, or else he would never sleep peacefully again.

Sakura POV:

The walls of her apartment, though not bare, had never felt more like prison walls. Tsunade had put her under house arrest, assuring her that she hadn't done anything wrong, that it was simply for her protection. Sakura was currently sitting at her dining table, reading through a few scrolls that her mentor had given her to pass the time, while simultaneously listening in on the guards who were placed outside her front door have a conversation.

The two male shinobi usually would have been sent on high ranking missions, but they were assigned to her protection detail by order of Tsunade. Though Sakura didn't have any interest in what they were saying, but a particular word caught her attention.

"The Akatsuki has apparently been spotted in Suna, so the Hokage said that she was going to send a few groups over to investigate." The larger shinobi spoke in a hushed tone, so as not to arouse the attention of a certain pink-haired kunoichi who was already listening in.

"I hope she will send us; I'm getting bored of babysitting the girl." The other replied in a voice slightly louder, most likely in order to catch her attention. Sakura didn't feel like listening anymore, especially when the idiots thought only of her as an annoyance to be watched.

Sakura stood from her seat and walked towards the balcony door, which no doubt was also being watched. She stared out the window and tried to forget the face of the man who haunted her dreams, either through mysterious meetings, or standing above her in nightmares while she died. She slid open the door as quietly as possible and slipped away into the fading light of the forest, praying that the lack of light and the rather large coat she was wearing would hide her face. She hoped, when she arrived at her special place, that she could finally get some peace and quiet, and hopefully relax.

Pein POV:

The orange haired ninja watched as the Konoha kunoichi left the safety of her apartment and leapt through the trees into the forest that surrounded Konoha. He quickly followed through the shadows that the large trees cast over the forest floor, shielding him from her view. Pein silently watched as the young shinobi landed in a clearing where many would most likely train, only to be met with the sight of her removing her shoes and coat, then lying down in a particularly soft looking patch of grass.

She wiggled around for a few moments, but eventually settled down and quieted her breathing. It was only after a few minutes did he realize that she had fallen asleep, out in the open, with no one watching her but him. Pein decided that he wouldn't get another chance like this, so as quietly as a snake would sneak upon its prey, he approached her unmoving body… and stole her.