Sasuke panted as he walked into the hideout. His ribs ached, his arm was almost nothing but a useless piece of tattered flesh hanging from his shoulder and his cracked shin hurt like a son of a bitch.
"Hang in there." Suigetsu said rushing past him. "I'll go get Sakura."
He nodded and leaned against the wall sliding down until he was sitting against it. His vision was blurry and his body was throbbing from the ache he felt. They'd accomplished their most dangerous mission so far, taking down one of the anti-shinobi faction's only brick and mortar hideouts. Unfortunately, he'd gotten caught in a trap and hadn't been able to evade all of the paperbombs in time. The pain had been worth it, having discovered the main headquarters while interrogating some of the scum bags hiding out there, but the cost had been steep. Too many had died to make him feel satisfied. As much as he hated the organization, he didn't hold such feelings for the members themselves. Most of them were simply misguided, self-righteous fools who were being manipulated by the higher-ups of the organization. Letting them die over such a stupid reason was an absolute waste. Damn, all of the blood loss was making him think like the blonde loser.
"Sasuke!" Sakura cried out rushing towards him. "Sasuke! Are you alright?!" she demanded her hands glowing green as she tended to his wounds.
"Please stop shrieking." He hissed at both the pounding in his head and the slightly uncomfortable sensation of his flesh knitting back together under Sakura's hands. "My head aches."
"I bet it aches like a son of a bitch." Suigetsu agreed. "Why didn't you get out of there as soon as you realized that self-destruct sequence was initiated?" He asked.
"I was hoping to save a couple more idiots." Sasuke replied.
"Oh Sasuke." Sakura breathed her hands drifting over to his battered side. "I haven't seen you this bad in a while. We need to get you to the infirmary." She said extending a hand to help him up.
"It's alright. I can do that myself." He replied shakily getting to his feet. "More importantly, how are you?" he asked scanning her with his rinnigan and sharringaan.
"I'm just fine." She assured him stepping out of the way to allow Suigetsu to support him as they made their way towards the infirmary. Her hand touched her midriff that was still flat beneath her clothing. "We both are."
He nodded and hobbled to the treatment room and was soon cursing as his wife tended to his wounds.
"Ouch!" He growled when as she yanked a piece of wood from his side. "Could you be any rougher?" He groused.
"I don't know. Could you be any more reckless?" She shot right back dabbing disinfectant on the wound before healing it. "I swear, you're starting to give Naruto a run for his money."
"Are you angry with me?" Sasuke asked softly.
Sakura paused her hands reaching for a roll of bandages. "That depends." She said after long silence picking up the bandage. "What did you do?"
"I was trying to get as many people out of there as I could. Too many of them were ignorant pawns." Sasuke replied with a grimace as she began to wrap his arms.
Sakura sighed and nodded. "In that case I suppose it couldn't be helped." She finished wrapping his wounds and laid her head against his chest. "Try to be careful out there. I'm not there to patch you up like I was before."
"Tsuma." Sasuke murmured tipping her chin up. "I won't be defeated easily. You know this."
"I know." She replied. "But I love you, I want you to be safe. It's not just about you and me anymore either." She took his hand and placed it low on her midriff. "I want this little one to know its father."
"I know." He replied flexing his fingers against her. "I'll be more careful from now on. Will that satisfy you?"
"For now." Sakura replied kissing his forehead lightly before she rose to put the medical supplies away. "You'll need to rest for at least three days and eat a diet rich in iron. You didn't need a blood transfusion, but you were pretty damn close to it."
The ink haired man sighed and nodded. "Alright. I get it."
"Good." Sakura said sauntering forward until she stood right in front of him. She trailed her fingers up his neck, along his jaw, to his chin and tipped his face up towards her. "If you're good and listen to the doctor's orders, I'll reward you." She crooned before leaning down to lay her lips against his ear. "I'll give you a personal demonstration on how my 'monster strength' can be applied in the bedroom." She whispered and a bolt of lust went straight to his groin accompanied by a pang of apprehension. "Unless the big, bad Uchiha doesn't think he can handle it." She said softly straightening and offering him a sultry smile before she walked out of the room her hips swaying seductively with every step.
Sasuke's lips curled into a nearly evil smirk as he imagined all of the ways to apply her strength intimately. She probably had some idea in mind to dominate him; and he, being the arrogant control freak he was, likely wouldn't let her hang onto it for long. It was sure to be a passionate battle of wills. He was so going to take her up on her little challenge.
SxSxSxSxS
"Where is she?" A low voice whispered from the balcony of a room overlooking the sea.
"I'm sorry My Lord." A shinobi with black and white hair replied. "I couldn't quite hear you."
"Sakura Haruno… My wife… My love…. WHERE IS SHE!?" Lord Sakamoto roared turning towards his body guard. "It's been months since I've seen her face. What kind of shit former ninjas are in this organization!? They can't even find ONE woman! MY woman!" He snarled a manic gleam in his eyes.
"I apologize My Lord." Subaru said bowing low. "No one has found a trace of her since that incident."
"Unacceptable!" Sakamoto hissed. "Where in the the Hell is that demonic fucker hiding her!?"
"Is there a problem?" A dark skinned middle aged man with a strange curved sword at his waist asked walking into the room.
"I apologize." Subaru said bowing a little. "My Lord is feeling… frustrated with the lack of information gathered on Lady Sakura as of late."
"I see." The man replied settling into one of the chairs in the room. "I understand your pain Lord Sakamoto, my lover was also stolen from me by Uchiha scum." The man replied crossing his legs delicately in front of him. "However, we must work together to find our lost ladies as well as exterminate the Uchiha clan and all of the disgusting shinobi in this land."
"You're right." Lord Sakamoto said rising shakily to his feet. "Have they found any sign of your Princess?" He asked.
The man's face hardened, his dark brown eyes flashing. "No, however I doubt it will be long before she shows herself. My princess is a kind hearted one after all. She can never ignore the suffering of others." He said a smirk touching his lips.
"Your Majesty, Lord Sakamoto." A young woman with tan skin said sweeping elegantly into the room. "Sasuke Uchiha and a white haired accomplice of his destroyed our last branch headquarters." She said bowing low.
"Damn him." Lord Sakamoto hissed.
"I couldn't agree more." The dark haired man said stroking his short goatee slowly. "He is becoming a true hindrance to our plans."
"I have an idea." A slim shinobi with blonde hair said walking forward.
"What is it Raiden?" Subaru asked.
"Kind Farid mentioned that his missing Princess has a kind heart and will show up soon because she can't stand the suffering of others right?" He confirmed. Several heads around him nodded so he continued. "Isn't Lady Sakura the same way?"
Several eyes widened. "Please elaborate." Subaru prompted his partner.
"Think about it. The only times Sakura's been spotted lately have been when biological weaponry has been used. The last village we destroyed, and when you used that tainted kunai and her hu-" He noticed the way Lord Sakamoto's eyes narrowed, swallowed hard and then cleared his throat. "Her captor," he amended to satisfy the Lord. "She's a medical ninja. They're generally discouraged from fighting on the front lines."
"Why is that? I was under the impression that all ninja are fighters?" The young woman standing next to the King said.
"They are." Raiden confirmed. "However, most ninja have specialties. Sasuke Uchiha's is infiltration and espionage, Sakura's is medicine. Those who practice medical ninjutsu are taught to stay off the front lines or out of direct combat as much as possible because if they're killed, there's no one left to heal their teammates dooming the rest of them to death or serious injury." He explained.
Subaru's eyes widened as understanding dawned on him. "Of course! That's why we haven't been able to draw her out. There hasn't been a medical emergency large enough to force her into the open."
"Exactly." Raiden said with a smirk. "If we injure or kill enough people, she'll have to come out of hiding, her duty won't allow her to turn a blind eye on the situation."
Lord Sakamoto smirked at that. "It sounds like we have a plan."
"Indeed." King Farid said with a smirk of his own. "Mina, go find your partner and prepare to attack. I'm sure Abu will be delighted to have some fun after such a long time."
"As you wish." The young woman said bowing before quickly leaving the room.
"I will take my leave as well." He said standing. "This attack will surely bring out my Princess." His eyes glazed over a little as he glanced out the window towards the sea. "Amira, my pretty little desert jewel. We will soon be together again." He murmured before striding out the door.
Lord Sakamoto also smirked walking over to the table that had a vase filled with pink flowers the same shade as Sakura's hair arranged neatly within it.
"My love." He whispered tracing the petals lightly. "You'll be in my arms where you belong soon enough." He turned to his body guards. "Raiden, Subaru, accompany King Farid's servants on this attack but keep yourselves hidden. When Sakura arrives, capture her immediately but do not harm her."
"And Sasuke?" Subaru asked.
"I don't care what happens to him, maim him if it pleases you, kill him if you're able but I want that girl." He growled.
"Yes My Lord." The pair of shinobi said in unison with a bow. "It will be done."
SxSxSxSxS
Sasuke laid awake his eyes focused on his wife who is sleeping somewhat fitfully beside him. His arm was draped around her waist for the moment but he'd had to shift if several times in the past twenty minutes or so. Sakura had been tossing and turning but seemed to constantly want his touch. When he'd moved his hand from where it had been resting on her stomach when the wiggling first started and shifted away to give her space, she'd let out the most pathetic whimpering sound he'd ever heard. It had stopped the moment he'd laid his hand on her arm though she still shifted and groaned in her sleep, and it wasn't her groan of pleasure, he knew that one better than anyone, it was a groan of pain.
Concerned, he focused his chakra and activated his sharringgan checking her chakra network and their unborn child. Both seemed to be fine but his wife's was shifting in a way that seemed a little strange to him, not enough for it to be harmful though.
"Sasuke?" Sakura suddenly whispered pulling him out of his little examination.
"What is it Tsuma?" He replied returning his gaze to her face.
"I… I'm so hungry." She suddenly confessed her stomach gurgling almost on que after making her blush red to her hairline. "Will you get me something to eat?"
Sasuke sighed and shook his head as he sat up. "Sakura, it's the middle of the night." He murmured touching his hand to his forehead.
His eyes widened a shiver of fear streaking down his spine when he heard the telltale sound of his wife cracking her knuckles beside him. Her moods had become increasingly erratic, particularly when it came to food. He'd heard rumors about women having food cravings but hadn't really experienced anything first hand until recently. He was quickly learning that arguing with Sakura about what she wanted to eat ended in one of three ways; a fist sized bruise somewhere on his body, normally his bicep, a large section of cracked wall with a Sakura fist sized hole at the epicenter, or the worst of all… Tears. Massive, shinning, endless tears spilling from those big jade eyes of hers and an expression so dejected it made him what to find the nearest hole and burry himself in it. He was not in the mood for any of those three outcomes at the moment.
"What do you want to eat?" He said quickly before she could decide which of the three punishments she would inflict on him.
Her body relaxed a little beside him and he breathed a tiny sigh of relief.
"Dirt." She said with finality.
Sasuke's eyes nearly popped out of his head at that and his jaw fell open. He was almost certain he was wearing the same expression she'd had when he'd announced he wanted to become Hokage during the war.
"Dirt?" He repeated his voice nearly cracking. "Are you feeling alright?"
She sat up and shook her head. "Yes, I feel fine. I don't know why but when it rained earlier, the smell of the mud was just so… appetizing."
She was losing it. His wife was absolutely out of her mind.
"I could suck on a rock." She mused touching her chin. "That would probably have a similar taste right?"
Sasuke could hardly believe his ears. She was serious, dead serious about wanting to eat dirt.
"I guess I can go-"
"No." He said cutting her off. "I'll go find something. You stay here." There was no way he was going to let her eat dirt or suck on a freaking rock over some random pregnancy craving. His only option was to find something that might have a similar flavor and hope she'd let this dirt craving go.
"Ok. Thank you Sasuke. Can I have that botany book sitting on the desk before you go?" She asked.
Sasuke sighed and slid out of bed pulling a shirt over his head and picked up the thick volume handing it to his wife.
"I'll be back." He assured her.
"Alright." She replied.
Sasuke stalked out of the room and thrust his hand through his hair. How in the Hell was he supposed to come up with a decent substitute for dirt?
He entered the kitchen and was surprised to find Orochimaru there brewing one his strange tea blends that had always made his nose twitch at the strange combination of smells.
"Sasuke, it's rare for you to be up at such an hour. Is something wrong?" The snake sannin asked.
Sasuke didn't want to tell the snake master about his wife's strange craving, but… the man knew more about the human body than just about anyone he knew. If talking to the snake kept his wife from wanting to suck on pebbles… then it would be worth it. He hoped anyway.
"What do you know about the cravings women get when they're pregnant?" Sasuke asked.
Orochimaru cocked a brow at that. "Well, no one knows for certain why women get certain craving or avoid certain foods while pregnant. Some theorize that craving is a way for her to satisfy a nutritional need that isn't being met, for example, if a women craves something sweet, perhaps she is lacking antioxidants, something that, in nature, can only be found in sweet berries."
"I see." Sasuke said mulling the information over in his mind.
"So what is Sakura craving that put such a perplexed expression on your face?" The pale faced shinobi asked.
Sasuke blinked a couple of times and finally decided to tell him. "Sakura told me that she wants to eat… dirt." He said his nose wrinkling on the last word.
"Dirt?" Orochimaru repeated his brows raising as he poured himself a cup of his strange tea. "Well that certainly is odd." He said leaning against the counter his brow furrowed in a way that Sasuke knew meant he was thinking seriously about something. After a few moments, the snake sannin's eyes brightened a smirk touching his lips. "Minerals. She's likely lacking minerals, some sodium too."
"What could I possibly give her to help with that and satisfy that… dirt taste she seems to want?" Sasuke asked.
Orochimaru thought for a moment before he answered. "I can't be certain but perhaps a root vegetable of some kind."
Sasuke's eyes suddenly widened. "I know just want to make." He said walking out of the kitchen and into the pantry.
"What a strange child." Orochimaru said with a smirk. "I never imagined that selfish, hateful, angry boy would someday become such a devoted husband."
"Here Sakura." Sasuke said handing her a freshly steamed potato wrapped in paper. Salt, pepper and a couple of other cooking herbs were laid out on a tray in front of her.
She cocked a brow at his offering. "This isn't dirt." She said in a matter of fact tone with just a hint of malice.
"I know." Sasuke replied. "I think you'll find it just as satisfying though."
Sakura's eyes flickered from his face, to the warm potato in her hand and back again several times before she sighed. "You're not going to let me eat dirt are you?"
"Absolutely not." He confirmed. "Try this anyway. I really think it will be better than you think."
"Alright…" She said skeptically taking the salt shaker and sprinkling some onto the brown root.
She took a tentative bite and her eyes widened before drifting closed a small moan rumbling in her throat. "That is so good." She sighed after swallowing her bite.
Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, I'm glad it satisfies you." He said reaching out to stroke her cheek affectionately before his hand moved down to her waist touching her midriff his sharringgan activating to see the chakra of their unborn child.
"It's fascinating isn't it?" Sakura murmured as she watched him. "How it grows a little every day. If I concentrate hard enough, sometimes I can sense it pulsing." She said closing her eyes.
"It is." Sasuke confirmed watching the little light flicker. "How much longer until you're in the stable period?"
Sakura glanced up, her mind clearly working through mental calculations. "Good question. I'd say in about nine weeks or so."
He nodded and then leaned up kissing her softly. "Is there anything else that you need?" He asked.
She shook her head and went back to nibbling on her potato. He nodded and sat down on the bed behind her pulling her back against his chest so that she had something to lean on and laid his forehead against her shoulder.
"Is something on your mind?" His wife asked.
"Finish eating and then we can talk." He replied nudging the arm that held her potato lightly with his own arm.
"Alright." She replied picking up the salt and a sprinkling a little on the vegetable before focusing on the task of eating it.
Within a few minutes she'd devoured the entire thing and laid the wrapper in the waste bin that had been moved into their room after a particular bad bought of morning sickness. The cause turned out to be the aroma given off by one of Orochimaru's regeneration tanks and had been drained shortly after but they still kept it there for her convenience.
"What did you want to talk about?" She asked laying down next to him.
"Sakura, I… I don't know how to be a father." He said softly. "My own father was distant, always worried about The Clan and Itachi. I knew he cared about me, but he hardly spent any time with me. After he died, I was alone. Lord Third tried I know but it wasn't the same. It got better when I was put on Team 7 with Kakashi but… I still don't know what to do." He laid his forehead against hers. "My father's obsession with power is what drove him and my brother apart."
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked stroking his cheek bone lightly.
"I told you once before that I also inherited Itachi's memories when I obtained his eyes. One of his memories is of the day he awakened his sharringgan. Obito attacked the paladin Itachi and his team were assigned to protect. It was total slaughter. His teammate, one who had never really gotten along with him stepped in to protect him and was violently killed. That was the moment that triggered the awakening of his sharringgan. He was quite young, I think only seven or so when it happened. When he came home from that mission as the only survivor, my father." He took a deep breathed and closed his eyes for a moment before he continued. "He praised him for awakening his sharringgan so early and encouraged him to keep training to increase his power. My kind and gentle brother was shocked and appalled. My father hadn't asked about what had triggered the awakening or offered any sort of comfort. It was the start of the deterioration of their relationship and the beginning of his attempts to protect me from the sadness that would one day awaken my own sharringgan." His arm circled her waist and held her close. "I don't want to be like my father but I…"
"You won't." Sakura said firmly cupping his cheek. "You know better than nearly anyone what a selfish quest for power will bring about." She kissed his forehead. "Sasuke you may not show it the way that others do, or as openly, but your heart is overflowing with love. You love so deeply which is why you've been hurt so deeply in the past. Those feelings of love you have for me and I for you that led to the creation of this precious life here and the love that you feel for our child," she said sliding his hand to her stomach. "They are all that you need to be a good father."
"But I-"
She silenced him with a gentle kiss. "I'm sure you'll make mistakes along the way just like I will. I'm not sure how to be a mother either you know, but we'll figure it out together. That's the way marriage is supposed to work isn't it?"
He sighed and nodded a tiny smile touching his lips. "You're right." He said pulling her closer his fingers sliding into her hair. "Even if I mess up, you'll be there to pick of the pieces."
She chuckled lightly and curled her arms around him, one of her slender legs slipping between his. "Of course. That is what I'm best at."
His hand slid along her neck and though her skin warmed and his own blood spiked with need, he could see how tired she was. He would sate his lust on her later, when her body was better rested. While in this delicate condition, her health and safety came first, period.
"The little one is taking quite a bit out of you." He mused.
Sakura nodded. "I took your advice about checking The Leaf Archives." She told him. "The reports I received back pretty much confirmed your suspicions. Uchiha mothers bearing other Uchiha didn't report abnormal levels of fatigue during their pregnancies, however, non-Uchiha members who married into the clan and bore Uciha children did. In fact, the more intense the fatigue, the more likely the child was to inherit the Sharringgan." She said nosing her head into the space beneath his chin, her pink locks tickling his nose a little. "It seems like the same concept that applied to Kakashi's sharringgan. It wasn't ingrained in his DNA to have the sharringgan so he struggled his stamina while using it."
"I see." Sasuke replied stroking his hand idly along her sculpted back. "Were these non-Uchiha mothers at higher risk for other pregnancy complications?" He asked.
Sakura shook her head. "Not really. They also had higher complaints of low blood pressure but that really isn't a very serious side effect."
The ink haired man mulled her newly discovered facts over in his mind for a few moments before sighing and pulling her closer to him. "Alright, just be mindful of your body. You've been prone to fainting spells since we were young. The last thing either of you need is for your body to hit the floor suddenly because you weren't paying attention."
"Yes mother." Sakura teased wrinkling her nose at him. "I'll be careful, promise." She snuggled closer to him her breathing already slowing and deepening. "I love you Sasuke." She murmured.
"I know." He answered pressing a kiss to the top of her head holding her gently as she drifted to sleep.
SxSxSxSxSxS
"Those bastards!" Sasuke snarled as he swept into the hideout.
"What's wrong Sasuke?" Sakura asked as she studied him her hands full of test tubes.
"They attacked another village." The ink haired man hissed itching to run his lightning blade through something.
Sakura's eyes widened before they hardened with resolve. "Let's go." She said.
Sasuke's own eyes widened before they narrowed. "What do you mean by that?" He demanded following her as she quickly went into the lab and started pulling vials, bottles, and scrolls from the shelves slipping them neatly into a square shaped case.
"We're going to save those villagers." She said grabbing a spray bottle from another shelf to put in the bag and then closed it. "We need to hurry. We've got only seventy two hours tops following exposure to have a chance at saving them."
He stopped her at the door. "You're not going." He told her.
"Sasuke, I have to go." She retorted stepping around him. "I developed the dispersal method and know the best way to deploy it."
He stopped them just inside the door of their room and grabbed her roughly by the shoulder. "Sakura! Don't do this. Karin can handle the medication. Stay here with Jugo."
"This isn't Karin's mission it's mine." She replied firmly. "I am not going to let someone else finish it for me. I owe it to Taka and all of the others these spineless cowards have murdered."
Sasuke's jaw clenched as he saw the determination and fire in her eyes. There was no denying what she was saying was the truth. She was the one best suited to treat the villagers. It was her duty to complete her mission and not pass it on to someone else. Everything she said was right but there was a terrible feeling like snakes writhing in his gut that whispered that something was wrong. With Sakura pregnant he wasn't sure his already over taxed nerves would be able to take it. He also knew even if he forbade her to assist, she'd show up on her own anyway which would put her in more danger. Even so, he had to try. One last ditch effort to get her to stay where it was safe.
He fell to his knees in front of her and clutched at her waist. "Please. Please Sakura. Don't do this." He begged his voice roughened with desperation. "I can't lose you." He laid his head against her stomach. "Either of you."
"You won't." Sakura said softly cupping his cheeks with her hands. "If there was another way I'd do as you ask you know that."
He flinched and clutched her waist tighter. He usually didn't mind it when she was right, but right now, he hated it.
"Sasuke, I stand by the promise I made you on our wedding day." She said lightly tipping his face up so he could see her eyes. "I will never leave you willingly. I will keep fighting, keep breathing, keep living until you come for me. I am not going to die and leave you alone. I promise you."
There was fire in her brilliant jade eyes that screamed confidence, commitment, and resolve. As uncomfortable as it made him, he knew that there was no way he was going to convince her to stay behind. In fact, she wouldn't be the reckless, warrior healer he'd fallen in love with if she'd backed down and done what he wanted. His jaw clenched once more in frustration before he stood up and crushed her to the wall soaking in the sensation of her body pressed against his, her breasts pressed against his chest just a little bigger than they were normally due to her pregnancy.
"I'm holding you to that promise." He told her feathering kisses along her jaw as his nimble fingers unsnapped the button of her shorts. "If you die, I'll follow you."
Her eyes widened as he pulled her shorts from her legs and her loose tee shirt from her body. "Sasuke." She whispered. "You can't be serious."
"I am." He replied unbuttoning his own pants and letting them fall to the floor before he pulled her bindings away and stroked her breasts. "You are my family, my home. Without you I have nothing." He tumbled them both to the bed his hand making quick work of her panties and his boxers.
Sakura gasped and then moaned when his lips closed over her extra sensitive nipple. He suckled and played with the stiff peak with tongue and teeth. Sakura's neck arched back and then whipped back and forth at the pleasure of it. Sasuke released it with an audible pop and then continued to map her skin with his lips. He knew they were short on time, but that feeling in his gut was driving him, forcing him to take his time, to feel her skin beneath his mouth and lips. To hear her whimpers, cries, and sobs of pleasure as he use his tongue and lips to make her shatter.
When he sheathed himself inside her their eyes met and a silent understanding seemed to pass between them. Each would do whatever it took to protect their family. No matter what happened, no matter how impossible the situation seemed, they would live through it and see each other again.
Sakura locked her arms around his neck pulling him tight against her body, shifting her hips so that he could reach the sweet spot that made her gasp.
"I love you! I love you Sasuke." She whispered in his ear pressing her forehead to his shoulder. "No matter what happens, I will always love you."
He tightened his grip on the sheets as he moved within her tears pricking at his eyes. It felt too much like goodbye. His heart pounded out of control in his chest and his breathing picked up its pace as his anxiety and pleasure reached its peak, the strange combination making a strangled half sob half shout fly from his lips as he emptied himself inside her. He collapsed on top of her his body trembling from both the after throes of his release and his fear of losing her.
"Shh…" Sakura crooned stroking his hair gently. "Everything is going to work out."
His arm tightened around her as he buried his face in her neck, kissing, licking, sucking and biting at the flesh on the top of her shoulder. Branding her with his mark.
"I will never let you go." He whispered. "I will walk back into the pits of hell to get to you."
"Hopefully it doesn't come to that." Sakura replied trancing her fingers down his back. "Come. It's time for us to prepare for our mission."
"If this dispersal and anti-biological weapon of yours works, your mission here is done." He told her as they both sat up. "Then you will stay in the hideout until Leaf shinobi we know and trust come to get you and then you will return home."
"As you wish my husband." She replied seeming to sense the desperation he was feeling.
In a few short hours they were dressed and ready to go, Karin and Suigetsu ahead of them as they approached the doors.
Sakura paused and turned towards Orochimaru and Jugo who were staying behind to keep their enemy from knowing just how close they were working together and bowed.
"If I don't see you two again before this mission ends, I wanted to stay thank you for taking such good care of me during the course of this operation. I have learned much from both of you and with you the best." She said.
Jugo smiled and reached out gently touching her shoulder. "It was a pleasure Lady Sakura." He said. "I wish you well. I'll make you anko dumplings again sometime."
She smiled brightly at him and gave him a quick hug that he returned before stepping towards Orochimaru who had a very brief flash of anxiety streak across his eyes.
"Don't worry. I'm sober and not quite as exuberant as my mentor. I'm not going to hug you… Or kiss you." She said a slightly evil smirk touching her lips. "I will shake your hand though." She said offering it to him.
His eyes widened before a smirk touched his mouth and he took her hand in his own. "I see. That is a relief to hear. It was a pleasure working with you Lady Sakura. I believe you may even rival your teacher in terms of your medical prowess and ninjutsu. I look forward to seeing you progress." He released her hand. "Be sure to care for the new life within you. With such prodigious parents, it is sure to become an extraordinary human."
"Of course." Sakura said laying her hand protectively over her middle. "No harm will come to our child."
"Very well then. I wish you all the best." Orochimaru said.
Sakura nodded and Sasuke lowered his head to his former teacher and teammate, his own way of thanking them for their assistance and slipped a hand around her waist guiding her out of the hideout and out into the forest.
"Are you ready for this?" Sasuke asked her.
"I am so ready. It's been forever since I've breathed fresh air." She said with a smile.
"Let's get going then. As you said before, time is of the essence." Sasuke said leaping into the trees with his wife by his side.
SxSxSxSxS
Sasuke crouched in a tall tree near the small town surveying it with both his sharringgan and rinnigan. They didn't have much time the chaos that had predicted the arrival of the two dark skinned people in Taka's memories. Abu and Mina were the names he remembered. He couldn't see any sigh of them and so he dropped to the ground where his wife, Karin and Suigetsu were concealed in the bushes awaiting his instructions.
"The disease is about to take full effect from what I can see." He told them. "Sakura, you and Karin move in and start administering the medication as soon as you can. Suigetsu, you guard them. I'll keep watch from the trees."
"Right." Sakura said standing with Karin.
"Whatever you say." Suigetsu agreed.
"Let's get this over with. I've about had it with your pregnancy personality quirks." Karin muttered.
Sasuke watched his enhanced vision scanning the nearby area for movement and chakra as Sakura released the seal on the unique jutsu she'd developed a scroll flying from her hands into the air. As it unrolled, a fine mist erupted from it and rolled over the village like a fog frightening several of the villagers.
"Stay calm!" Sakura called out when some tried to run away from the mist. "I am Sakura, a medical ninja from The Hidden Leaf. The mist is medication developed to nullify the genjutsu placed on this village as well the genetically enhanced parasitotic virus that is making you sick."
Karin rolled her eyes. "You village ninja and your pretty words." She muttered before grabbing a man who was trying to run away by the back of his shirt. "Listen up you shit heads! If you don't want to die a terrible death by drowning in your own blood, hold still so you can get a dose of the medicine that will save your sorry asses!" She shouted.
The man paled but stopped allowing the mist to engulf him.
"There. That didn't hurt a bit, now did it?" The red head said with a smirk popping out a hip. "These small villages freak me out. Everyone knows everyone and they're terrified of their own shadows."
Sakura nodded "It's true. Small town people tend to be a bit skittish." She touched a hand to her temple swayed on her feet.
"Sakura? Are you alright?" Karin asked moving forward.
"Sakura? The Leaf Village medical ninja?" A young man with half of his face wrapped in bandages said moving cautiously forward.
"Yeah. What's it to you kid?" Karin demanded.
"Wow, you're on one today." Suigetsu said walking forward. "It looks like your jutsu worked like a charm though." He said glancing around.
"Thanks." Sakura replied. "I hope it works."
"It better. I'd hate to think I wasted all of that precious time for nothing." The red head snarled.
The three seasoned shinobi on the ground and Sasuke stiffened and then went on high alert when the boy suddenly lifted his hand into the air and fired a device, bright red smoke rocketing into the air before exploding into a shower of sparks.
"Shit!" Suigetsu hissed pulling a katana from where it was hidden beneath his shirt.
"It's a trap!" Sasuke snarled leaping from the tree where he'd been perched listening and watching over his three teammates landing on a roof and sprinting towards them.
"Lady Sakura, it's been a while." Subaru said stepping out from the shadows of one of the buildings. "It was so good of you to come to us obediently."
"Stay away from me." She snarled drawing a kunai.
"Like the lady said." Suigetsu said leveling his blade at the man.
"Back the fuck off!" Karin snarled arming herself with several shuriken.
"It looks like the Uchiha bastard hired some bodyguards for his girl. How romantic." Raiden said walking forward.
"Let's just get this over with." Abu said drawing his curved blade, leveling it at the pink haired girl from behind. "Call that boy of yours over here so I can kill him or I might be bored and cut you up instead."
"You know that's not an option. We need to take her alive." Mina said striding forward. "Those were our orders after all."
Sasuke streaked through the air at the speed of his dominant element and landed lithely in front of his wife, his electrified katana knocking the dark skinned man's sword out of his hand and into a nearby wall where it stuck the part of the blade that had touched his blackened by the heat.
"Aim a weapon at my wife again and I'll cut off the limb wielding it." He said his voice cold, dark and calm as a late winter's night.
"So you have arrived." Subaru said moving forward. "I suppose it would be too much to ask you and the ones you hired to protect her to walk away and let us have Lady Sakura?"
"Absolutely." Sasuke replied his black eye shifting to blood red.
"Very well then." He said with a sigh. "Attack!"
Sasuke, Sakura, Karin and Suigetsu stared in shock as most of the villagers stepped forward most armed with farm tools ready to attack.
"Genjutsu?" Karin whispered as the three of them closed ranks around Sakura.
"No." Sasuke said a bitter smirk touching his lips. "These are what's left of the anti-shinobi organization. They must have known that Sakura would only show herself if there was a major medical emergency that only she was equipped to deal with." His eyes darkened. "She should have left these heartless scumbags to die drowning in their own blood like all of their other victims."
"Damn!" Suigetsu hissed. "What should we do?"
"You and Karin get Sakura out of here and to safety. They want to capture her alive so they'll be holding back." He replied. "No matter what happens, protect Sakura, do I make myself clear?"
"Alright." Karin replied.
"Sasuke, what about you?" Sakura asked.
"I'm going to hold them off until the three of you have made your escape." He replied.
"But-"
"You promised me." He said so softly that only Sakura and his teammates could hear his words.
Sakura stiffened, her eyes widening before she lowered her head. "Yes my love." She replied just as softly. "As you wish."
He nodded and began to unleash his chakra, enveloping his tall form in his ominous looking purple aura. "Go now!" He exclaimed unleashing his phoenix flower jutsu.
Sakura and the others complied leaping into the air unleashing their own volley of kunai and shuriken on the enemies around them before making a break for the edge of the village.
"What a pain in the ass!" Suigetsu hissed liquefying to avoid a flurry of throwing needles.
"Move it!" Karin snarled slashing the throat of an older man. "Come on pinky locks!"
Sakura gritted her teeth and threw a paper bomb behind her taking out several pursuers and raced after her two companions her vision blurring as she ran.
"After her!" Subaru shouted. "We can't let her get away! Our Lords have demanded it."
Sasuke gritted his teeth and fought doing his best to conserve his chakra as he went. When he felt a blade nick his shoulder he hissed in irritation and turned stabbing his blade into the ground. He didn't have time for this! He needed to get to Sakura! They had to escape and get her to safety!
"Chidori stream!" He shouted electrocuting ten men closing in on him.
He pulled the blade free and unleashed a fireball clearing the path in front of him hissing at the numbing sensation moving through his body resonating from the would in his shoulder. He knew it was laced with something. The bastards in this organization had no honor, using such a drug during battle and Sakamoto was likely getting desperate. Once he got to Sakura, he'd be able to get the medicine he needed to recover and protect her.
The sensation of a blade cutting into the flesh of his back startled him and he whirled slashing his own blade cleaving a deep gash in the dark skinned man's chest.
"Damn! You are good." Abu gasped pressing his hand to the wound.
Sasuke cursed himself a fool for relying too much on his sharringgan. This man and the woman called Mina had no chakra, though they seemed to have another power based on how the man was already healing. His visual prowess wouldn't be able to help him when it came to such an opponent.
"Shall we dance ninja boy?" Abu asked. "I've been dying to face off against a decent swordsman from this continent."
Sasuke gritted his teeth and attacked using his unique blend of one armed katana wielding mixed with his taijutsu as he forced the man back again and again. Even as he fought, he was taking blows and soon found himself losing the feeling in his fingers. It was the worst case scenario and he was out of options. He clenched his jaw and unleashed another potent wave of chakra.
"Susanoo!" He bellowed the massive giant forming around him.
"Shit!" Abu hissed. "No one mentioned anything about that! A fucking giant with four arms and a pair of wings! What the actual Hell?!"
Sasuke ignored him and the lightheaded sensation from both his blood loss, loss of sensation and his fatigue as he pushed towards where he could see the green tinged light of his wife several yards away, his view obstructed by several tall buildings.
"Sasuke!" He heard Sakura scream.
His giant crested the building just in time to see Suigetsu and Karin thrown back by a combined fire and lightning attack dealt by Subaru and Raiden. The pair of Sakamoto's body guards immediately fell on Sakura like wolves and he watched as she tried to fight back but seemed to be weakened by something as she swayed on her feet allowing Subaru to knock them out from under her and slam her to the ground.
Knowing his wife's delicate condition and the reason why she was curled in a ball on the ground with her arms wrapped protectively around her middle, he launched forward ready to cut them down when the loss in sensation suddenly overwhelmed him forcing him to release the jutsu and plummet from the sky.
"Sasuke!" Karin exclaimed leaping into the air and catching him before he hit the ground laying him down gently against a building. "What happened to you? You're so low on chakra. This doesn't make sense."
"Don't worry about me." He spat out struggling against the loss of sensation to try to stand and go to his wife. "Save Sakura."
"Sasuke, you're in really bad shape. If you keep going like this you could die." Karin protested trying to pull him back.
"Sasuke!" Sakura screamed as her arms were wretched behind her and bound with thick ropes.
"Sakura!" He shouted trying to reach her glaring at Karin when she held him down. "Let go of me." He snarled in a voice so dark the red head flinched.
"Let's go. Our business here is done. Whomever wants to kill the Uchiha is welcome to it." Subaru said loading Sakura into a carriage and taking off into the distance.
"No." Sasuke nearly whimpered as he watched her green tinged chakra move further away. "This can't be happening." His vision began to fade. "Sakura. SAKURA!" he screamed before everything went black.
Author's Notes: Thank you for favoriting, reviewing, and following! You are the best fans anyone could ask for. Thank you for your patience as I deal with the multitude of time eating curve balls life has seen fit to throw at me.
