Three for the Price of One

by AFrozenDuck

When Sasuke unexpectedly shows up to demand Sakura for a mission, he gets more than he bargained for. The bonds of Team Seven have long spanned time and distance, but will the strain of an unpracticed team be enough when everything goes inevitably wrong? Sakura-centric. Canon-divergence AU.

22. Chapter 22

Sakura lifted her hands, watching idly as the crystalline water glided down her wrists and back into the bath below. She stared aimlessly ahead as she sat in the warmth of the large underground onsen and tried not to contemplate how she got there. Tipping her head back, Sakura let it knock softly against the cool stone and closed her eyes.

Atsuhiko had commanded she be properly bathed and fed before any further discussions were held.

Sakura sniffed. She would've refused based purely on spite just to force him to sit through her smell and filth – something he took apparent offense to, considering she was now 'linked' to him. Curling onto her side, Sakura rested her temple against the smooth dark tile of the bath and stared distractedly at the hazy water around her.

She had been sent away with Ara as her most enthused escort, with instructions to comply. Sakura had flared in indignation and refusal, but that was only a small part of her. The rest of her was horrifically content to fulfil that man's command. Her body was telling her to listen, and yet her mind remained fraught with resistance.

At the moment, Sakura wasn't sure if that was a blessing or a curse. To still have some degree of her wits about her, and yet be glaringly helpless to do anything about it.

Regardless, the fact that she still could think for herself was what she chose to comfort herself with. Her mind hadn't been corrupted, and Sakura was going to put every ounce of her willpower into resisting giving that man exactly what he wanted.

"You're thinking awfully hard there, Princess." A silken voice called, the sound skating pleasantly off the dark, moist walls.

Sakura lazily drew emerald eyes up to stare at Ara leaning intently at the doorway, delicate crimson material draped over one arm and a basket full of trinkets perched in the other. The low torch light adorning the walls made Ara appear almost ethereal; long auburn hair catching the golden light and a dangerous gleam reflecting in her flaxen orbs.

"Enjoying your bath? I'm almost surprised you didn't try and make a run for it the moment I left you to your privacy." A flash of perfect white teeth and then Ara was pushing off the doorway and stalking in.

Sakura turned her eyes away and sunk deeper into the water, emerging herself to her neck. "I suppose it would be difficult for you to be surprised over someone not having a choice in the matter."

She had managed a modicum of bite to her remark and yet Sakura could only remain frustratingly docile.

Ara clicked her tongue. "Moping doesn't suit you, Hun. However, I know something that might cheer you up."

Sakura kept her back turned, not flinching as Ara sidled up behind her and reached to play with the ends of her hair from where it splayed around her in the water.

"Such pretty locks." She cooed, gathering up the wet pink hair and twisting it. "Though it could use some tender attention."

The words chased goosebumps down Sakura's flesh, and it was all she could do to sit still and compliant within the woman's feather grip while her mind spiked with warning and fury. Fingertips began dragging lightly across her scalp, and Sakura could only close her eyes and wrap her arms around herself.

She didn't want this.

A trickle of water descended down her face as Ara moved to pour some over her head. Then her fingers returned, this time in slow, purposeful strokes, sending Sakura further into a fit of unsettled placidity.

She dug her dull fingernails into the sides of her arms and squeezed.

"Such a beautiful treasure. I've never met anyone quite like you. From the pink of your hair to the fire of steel in your eyes. You're impeccable."

Languid soapy fingers dragged through pink tresses, and still Sakura did not move. There was a sigh and the movement against her scalp paused.

"You don't have to talk to me." Ara murmured. "That's fine. But you don't need to fear me... I don't hurt that which I appreciate. And I so appreciate you, Sakura."

The sound of her name stirred something in her, and without conscious thought Sakura edged open her eyes to stare unseeing at the charcoal walls.

"What is it that you want of me, Ara?" the words came out tired, only a tendril of apprehension lingering in the base of her throat.

The fingers in her hair twitched, and then water was once again cascading down her head in soft rivulets, rinsing her.

"What I want from you?" Ara echoed faintly with a pause. "Merely to open your eyes. Women are jewels among the coal of men. And you are the most spectacular and rare of all gemstones, Sakura. If you would give me, give yourself a shred of the piety of you have for those worthless men – "

Ara's voice trailed off and Sakura smothered a shiver when ruby lips pressed against the shell of her ear, whispering "I could make it so that your shine never dulls."

The words strung a delicate ripple across her mind and Sakura snapped her eyes open, having never realised they had shut.

She wasn't in the bath anymore. She wasn't bare and vulnerable. She wasn't trembling in fragile contempt straining for a semblance of returned control.

She was free.

Sakura was standing on top of the world – a vast expanse of opportunities and possibilities awaiting her. The sun was at her back, and the world was at her fingertips. Her chakra thrummed to life within her; her chakra. She was powerful, euphoric, ready.

And she was standing strong and untouchable by Ara's side.

"Don't."

The moment the words left her lips, there was a spasm – a flare of dissatisfaction interlaced into the very essence of the fabricated reality. For a singular moment the scene sharpened, the sun scorched and her chakra stung. Then it all melted away.

Sakura blinked back the dark windowless room that was her open prison and clenched her jaw at the harsh dispel of genjutsu.

Slim calloused fingers traced over her chin and Sakura's head was turned towards Ara, a curious look in her bright eyes. "Since you asked, I won't. Just think about it, Sakura… For only a woman can recognise another woman's true worth."

Sakura drew her head away and said nothing. She sunk back into the warm water and tried not to dissect the Ara's motives; tried not to let her puzzlement capsize her limited cognizance. There was another sigh and then her pink hair was once more being gather up and lathered in a new soap.

It smelt faintly of cherries and Sakura had a moment to wonder if the soap belonged to Ara herself. The thought swiftly vanished with the appearance Hansai, lurking at the doorway, however.

A spike of adrenaline rushed her, and Sakura jerked with the unrestrained reaction.

How…? Sakura froze, and yet her fight or flight response stayed with her, remaining a powerful notion in both mind and body.

Her brief confusion was overridden by a dawning of understanding and Sakura's green eyes widened at the realisation that she had no 'instructions' to be calm and compliant in this man's presence… Which meant that her link to Atsuhiko might require specification, and not pure impression of favour alone.

"What are you doing to the Princess, Ara-chan?" Hansai called with a curious grin.

Sakura inexplicably found herself sinking lower and backing up, restraint once again overruling her desire to test the limits of her calculations. Hansai was as unpredictable as he was talented, and as strong as he was insane.

Something traitorous in the back of Sakura's mind whispered that perhaps it was Atsuhiko's intention she be afraid of this man… That he wanted her to remain wary of him, that this was all yet another influence of her link to him. And Sakura cursed herself just that little bit more for considering the possibility with such certitude.

"Take another step Hansai and it'll be you I'll be drowning in this bath." Ara threatened, a senbon already imbedding itself into the wall by his head.

Hansai cackled at the warning, swaying as he was from his position half-hidden by the doorframe. The shaggy-blond was wringing his hands as he whispered to himself, all the while keeping Sakura under his intent silver gaze.

"I'll be good. I promise, Ara-chan." He grinned, though taking a deliberate step forward.

Ara sniffed. "Don't think I won't cut your eyes out if I catch you being disgusting. You know I will tell Yuki if you do."

Hansai turned rigid for a brief moment, his smile slipping as he went all but boneless, staring straight at Ara. "I promise I won't."

Sakura almost frowned at his sincere tone, watching carefully as Hansai backed up until he was completely outside the doorframe and sliding down the opposite wall to crouch in the shrouded dimness of the hallway. His silvery eyes remained locked on them as Ara continued to huff behind her.

Sakura shifted uneasily and Hansai twitched with her subtle movement. Under the waters' surface, she clenched her fist. She may be hopelessly exposed and momentarily outmatched, but she wasn't going to sit here and wait for him to decide how he was going to torment her. And if she truly wasn't subdued by Atsuhiko's link in regards to Hansai, well there was ways she could use that to her advantage.

"Have you ever heard the tale of the Boy Raised by Corpses?"

Sakura stilled.

"No? It's delightfully tragic really." Ara continued, shuffling to reach into the basket of trinkets and pulling out an ornate pearl comb.

Sakura found herself rigidly focused on Hansai's wild stare and curved smile as Ara slowly began to run the comb methodically through her hair.

"The story goes that a little boy once lived with his little family in his little village deep in the mountains. One day, he went out in the woods to play and got lost. And when he found his way back home two days later, his entire village had been slaughtered."

A soft gasp left Sakura's lips without her permission.

"A war between villages it was said. One just finally grew the balls to hire some outside help I guess. But the boy was too young to understand. Too small to really grasp the situation. So, he went home. He slept in his room where his sister lay, murdered. He woke up and ate in the kitchen where his mother's blood had been spilt. He walked through the streets as though they weren't littered with the bodies of his people."

There was an icy prick at her scalp and suddenly the comb felt like a scalpel.

"So, the little boy stayed with the dead and adapted. He talked to them, played with them, slept among them. But soon, the boy got tired of them not playing back. And that's when his chakra manifested itself. Perhaps he always had the innate talent or maybe it was the insanity that drew him to necessity, but he learned how to use chakra strings by practicing on the corpses of his village."

There was a casual wickedness to Ara's voice, a cruel smile Sakura could practically feel against her cooling skin as the woman spoke.

"But no one can stay cooped up forever. That little boy had grown into a young man and he was excited to find some new friends to play with. Only he didn't know how. Everywhere he went people scorned him, were scared of him, were asking for his death. The boy who played with corpses. So he ran. He ran until he finally ran himself right into Yukine. And Yuki, ever the righteous fool took him in, gave him food, clothes, mentored him. Hansai's first living friend."

Ara sighed, long and tired. She rested her comb against the tiled floor with a neat click and cast her eyes over to Hansai, crouched and lightly swaying as he listened raptly to his tale.

"I honestly don't understand why Yuki did it." Ara admitted softly. "Sage knows he's never been a people person. And yet, he took one look at Hansai and determined him salvageable… Personally, I think Yuki has a saviour complex."

Sakura heard the shift in tone and glanced down at the pool of water around her. Under the low light, in the glassy reflection of the surface, she could just make out Ara's features – a blur of wistfulness shaped by harsh lines.

"But we were talking about Hansai." Ara continued, cruelty back in place. "It's not his fault for being the way he is. All he wants are friends to play with… just like your little ex-husband. Hansai seems particularly obsessed with him. Then again I suppose he doesn't take too kindly to people rejecting him."

Sakura moved before she realised what she was doing. Water rippled and splashed around her as she turned her head sharply to glare at Ara.

"What are you talking about?"

Ara graced her with an innocent smirk. "Nothing important. Don't worry though, your darling little Uchiha isn't in any real danger while he's still alive and kicking. After all, Hansai only truly loves something once they're dead."

There was a howl of laughter behind her and Sakura startled back to watch Hansai collapse in on himself in hysterical giggles. A row of several senbon imbedded themselves perfectly into the stone behind Hansai's head and with a final whimper of laughter, the man scurried away.

"I don't know how Yuki does it with him. Insane fool." Ara muttered gathering herself up from the floor and traversing the small distance to a bundle of material.

Sakura's eyes lingered at the doorway, Ara's words repeating themselves in an eerie loop in her mind.

"You've got about two minutes before he comes crawling back for more." The toe of a boot knocked at her shoulder and a white sheet was dangled between them.

A towel, Sakura realised belatedly, narrowing her eyes as Ara cast her chin to the side in a gesture of privacy. She acted quickly, taking the advantage before Ara either changed her mind or Hansai returned.

It wasn't until she was engulfed in the soft material and being led towards the stack of crimson silk that Sakura spoke the words that had begun to permeate her mind.

"Is that what he did with you?"

Ara looked over her shoulder, curiosity clear in her eyes. "Excuse me?"

Sakura raised her chin to stare at the tall woman, perceptiveness emboldening her. "Yukine." She clarified. "Did he take you in too? Is that why you're all here?"

And just like that, whatever ground she had gained by initiated conversation with the woman, was lost with a guarded sneer. "You don't know what you're talking about, Princess."

The kunoichi began plucking the edges of the detailed cloth and Sakura took a step forward in a blind gamble, setting her hand upon Ara's own. The older woman went completely still.

"Then help me to, Ara."

Her plea was soft, and Sakura prayed Ara wouldn't see through her; wouldn't see the naked attempt to use her as way out. It was not her usual method – not her forte when she always used her fists to solve a problem that her brain couldn't – but Sakura was not above manipulation. She was a kunoichi after all, and best friends with a Yamanaka at that.

There was a soft furrow to the woman's brow as she carefully looked Sakura over. "That's the first time you've ever said my name, you know."

Sakura dutifully filed Ara's small smile and pushed on. "Why are you here, Ara?"

Ara paused, her lips twitching back into a straight line and a veil shifting over the lightness of her eyes. Sakura grappled blindly against her withdrawal.

"I can see you don't belong here. With them." Sakura said, stupidly, unthinkingly (and Kami, Ino would be so disappointed in her), and that was all Ara needed to slip her hand free of Sakura's tentative grip and shake out the cerise material.

"Girl time is over. Atsuhiko doesn't like to be kept waiting." Ara instructed, staring her down meaningfully.

Clenching her jaw, Sakura couldn't help but lament in the loss of opportunity. Ino-Pig always did run circles around me in subterfuge. Damnit Pig. She cast her chin to the side and reluctantly let Ara help her into the obscenely lavish scarlet kimono.

"You'd think a God would've learnt the virtue patience by now." Sakura couldn't help but mutter mutinously under her breath, shucking her arms into the heavy sleeves.

Sakura grudgingly dressed in the damp comforts of her stone prison, completely unaware of Ara's genuine crack of a smile hidden beneath a curtain of auburn.

---

The room was dipped in grim extravagance. From the red silken sheets laid across the bed, to the crisp navy tiles lining the floor and the sweeping arches of artistic tapestries across the awnings. Sakura couldn't help but stare as she stepped through the threshold.

The bed was large and imposing, heavy oak lining its frame and complimenting the strangely bare dressers at its sides. A fireplace sat across from the bed, a warm fire dancing in its hearth and heating the gothic room. The sharp gleam of a full-length mirror caught her eye next as it illustrated the dancing flames, and Sakura felt fleetingly grateful that she could not see her own reflection from where she stood.

A tall bookcase lined the walls on either side of the fireplace, and yet it was entirely empty; as though the material which once adorned the shelves had been swept away in offense to the rooms' inhabitant.

And as Sakura turned her gaze up to the sole occupant, she could hazard a guess as to whom.

Atsuhiko stood serenely at the lone window, bathing in the bleak blue light that filtered through its weathered glass. He was similarly garbed in fine silks; now a deep purple kimono, tied at the waist with a ruby sash. His long hair remained bound as it was, only the whisper of tendrils framing his ivory features.

His eyes warmed as they came to rest on her and Sakura wanted to be sick at how her chakra immediately fluttered in his presence. Her fingers clutched the ends of the sleeves of her kimono – a gift, Ara had murmured to her as they parted – and Sakura hated Atsuhiko's appreciative gaze.

He lifted a hand, beckoning.

Sakura narrowed her eyes, remaining unmoved. She ran her tongue along the sharp edges of her teeth, holding out even when a flare of urgency bade to heed.

Atsuhiko's eyes darkened. "Come, Woman."

With a physical twitch, Sakura winced as she moved to obey, fighting every step of the way. She folded under his gentle commands, lying down across the ruby sheets at his behest. She pressed her cheek against the cool silk and shut her eyes when Atsuhiko sat on the edge of the bed at her back. Long fingered hands ran through her pink strands and Sakura fought a shudder as they wound around the clean locks, gripping ever so gently.

"Red suits you, Woman."

Sakura grit her teeth in disgust at the sensation; at her situation.

Why is it so much harder to think in his presence?

It was like his very proximity induced a heady intoxication of complicity; like he suffocated her with awareness and influence. The closer he was, the more she couldn't deny the existence of his desires. And yet, the clearer her own will became; as though distinguished sharply against the blurred lines of suggestion.

It was a minuscule loophole. But a loophole all the same. She just had to hold onto it.

A warm hand moved to trace across the skin of her neck and Sakura's pulse jumped in her throat, her eyes snapping open.

"I was intrigued to note that your initial transfusion with my blood assisted in alleviating you of your mortal wounds." Atsuhiko hummed, gentling repeating the stroking movement. "A remarkable side-affect. You have the blood of a God flowing through you, Woman. Now, however, you look much the part."

"Screw you." Sakura parted through strained lips, her body tingling with his closeness, with his touch.

He paused, a singular finger trapping her rabid pulse in place. "Although there is some left to be desired, it seems. Tell me the truth, Woman – "

"I have a name – "

"The truth. Where is the Pomegranate, Woman?" Atsuhiko cut over effortlessly, moving to palm the entire side of her neck and stilling her completely.

Sakura breathed sharply through her nose, her entire body frozen under the dangerous touch. It was euphorically grounding and yet her mind sung with agitation. She grit her teeth. "I. don't. have. it."

The pressure of his palm increased against her neck, his voice a soft coo. "I wish for you to tell me where it is."

"…No."

There was a dip to the bed and then his hand withdrew from her completely. Sakura did not move as the bed shifted with the redistribution of his weight, and suddenly he was in front of her.

"Look at me."

Her eyes unwittingly met his and Sakura knew she had made a mistake.

Atsuhiko smiled. "Good. Now, sit up for me." She did, his lilac eyes only growing warmer with her unwilling compliance. "Well done. Tell me, what is your name?"

Sakura tried to shuffle back but something in her was stalled, and so she remained staring but inches from a God.

She frowned, mustering a small glare as the words forced themselves from her lips. "Haruno Sakura. But you already knew that."

He nodded, inviting, "And how old are you, Sakura?"

"I'm… twenty-two."

"Still so young. From where do you hail?" His eyes were a shining amethyst, so soullessly deep.

Sakura shook her head, blinking at the heaviness in her mind. "What are you doing to me?"

"Sakura." He said, his face drawing closer to hers. "What Village do you call home?"

"…K-Konoha."

"And you enjoy it there?"

She licked her lips; a curtain of fog creeping over her mind. "I…"

"It's okay, you can tell me." He assured, gently taking one her hands in his.

"It's my home." She whispered, willing her eyes away but only succeeding in letting them fall to his lips.

"Your home." He repeated kindly, and Sakura could almost taste the word as if she had said it herself. "And you wish to protect and preserve it, yes? That's why you became a shinobi?"

Emerald eyes flickered back up to his in mild disorientation. "I… It's – partly."

He swiped his thumb over her knuckles. "Sit back for me, dear. Very good. Tell me, are you fulfilled? Does your home, your life fulfil you?"

Sakura arched her back against the hardwood of the headboard and screwed her eyes shut. Something was wrong. Why was she answering him? Why was she doing what he said? Her eyes feathered open, confusion blanketing her.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I would like for you to answer me, Sakura." There was a touch at her temple, a strand of hair being tucked behind her ear.

Sakura lethargically shook her head free of the tiny sparks that fluttered under her skin at the light touch.

"No? Perhaps you would prefer an easier question." A small pressure increased around her fingers from where he gripped her hand. "What have you done with the Pomegranate?"

Lucidity sharpened back into focus within her. "Stop."

She had to concentrate. He was manipulating her. And she was letting him!

"Look at me. I wish for you to answer my question, Sakura."

She shook her head, brows drawn. "I-I don't – "

Snap out of it! Don't let him in!

Fingers at her chin and lavender eyes in her sights. "Your God commands your obedience, Woman."

"No!"

Sakura ripped herself from his grasp and pushed him away, rattling the heavy headboard in her violent reaction. Her heart was pounding in her chest so hard and so sudden she thought it was going to give out on the spot. Blinking around the onslaught of disorientation and crashed adrenaline, Sakura glared at her hushed audience.

Atsuhiko was frowning at her, thoughtful. "Very well. Lie back for me, Sakura."

And Sakura almost gasped at how quickly she sank back down onto the sheets at his slightest mention. Betrayal and confusion went to war within her at her easy acquiescence and perhaps Atsuhiko could see it as plainly as she felt it, for he smiled encouragingly at her.

"That's it. You follow my commands so well." He praised softly before turning reflective once more. "And yet you will not comply with my greatest wish. I do wonder at that, Woman."

Sakura fisted her hand into the silken sheet and pulled; a sliding horror swelling in her mind. It was all she could do to ground out her words against her bitter frustration. "I told you. I'm never going to give you what you want."

There was a laugh somewhere above her, and his hand once more came to play among her splayed locks. "It appears you intend to keep your promises."

Sakura retreated from his touch, lifting her head to stare into the depths of his pearlescent eyes. "Then I hope you understand me when I say I promise to destroy you."

A whoosh of air built in her lungs, carrying a tidal wave of denial and rejection to her words, but Sakura held it back, just as she held her ground under the God's souring gaze. She watched Atsuhiko's displeasure morph into amusement before finally settling on placidity.

"I have no desire to force you, Sakura." Atsuhiko began in smooth tones, and Sakura would've scoffed if she wasn't so scared breathing would undo her defence.

"My blood link relies upon influence and suggestion – to feel my desires as your own. In humans I have noticed the presence of a small amount my blood often times reflects in their ability as well. They become stronger, more powerful. To that end, the more they draw upon chakra to fulfil my goals, the greater my blood affects them."

Sakura hesitated at the information, her chest falling as the air escaped her in shock. Chakra feeds the link? She had been biding her time in accessing her chakra ever since learning it was connected to him, afraid even her slightest handling would alert him of her intentions. But this…

Atsuhiko caught her expression with a quirk of his lips, his head tilting and a strand of silvery-blue hair falling across his eyes.

"You, however, appear to be an outlier. Our deeper connection, our chakra connection, I fear is paradoxical. In the same way wherein that makes our link stronger, it also makes it weaker. A contradictory advantage if you will." Atsuhiko pursed his lips, "It appears I cannot force you in the same way you cannot completely deny me. Although you have yet to draw upon chakra recently so I do wonder if your refusal to do so is affecting your compliance. Perhaps something to test later, hm?"

Like a lifeline, Sakura's mind latched onto the loophole with greedy desperate hands. Chakra strengthens the link. So, I can continue to fight this as long as I don't ever rely on my chakra… our chakra. If I can just find a way to escape without using any chakra then –

"Nevertheless, it is as you say, between us we have an abundance of both time and will to get this right. However, those are not the only factors at play."

Her eyes pierced his, a trickle of severity steeling her spine and clearing her reeling mind. "Nothing you can do will change my mind. I won't help you, so long as I live."

Atsuhiko rolled his jaw imperceptibly as though expecting such a response. "As Yukine preaches, conflict arises where attachment is tested." He quoted, eyeing her knowingly, "You are running out of time to obey me before I start testing your will in other ways, Sakura. Your refusal to draw upon chakra is only delaying the inevitable. When put to the test, even you cannot deny your nature."

Sakura went to fight him; to blast in his face all the ways he would be sorely disappointed in the outcome of her 'nature'. But she was cut off by a polite knock at the door.

Relief was suspended against dread with the appearance of Yukine. Sakura felt a faint wave of calmness at the man's arrival and couldn't decide if that was Atsuhiko's influence or merely Yukine's own presence.

Yukine nodded in greeting at Atsuhiko, who only waved him over with a bland smile, and that was when Sakura saw it. The sterile silver tray which struck an unmitigated fear through her like never before. She didn't have to guess what he was here for, not when she could so clearly see the blood bag resting innocently atop the medical dish.

"Perfect timing as ever Yukine." Atsuhiko said, reaching over to pat Sakura's hand from where she reduced a portion of the sheets to a wrangled mess. "I do hope you are prepared for your next transfusion, Sakura. I look forward to our next conversation being a productive one."

And then he was leaving and Sakura swallowed against her absurd urge to reach after him; the distressed pulse in her chakra that screamed with the distance.

Just as he reached the door, Atsuhiko cast a gracious smile over his shoulder. "Oh, and Sakura. Do be good and don't fight him."

With a soft click of the door, she was alone with Yukine.

Sakura curled her fist and watched as the man turned to look at her. Despite his mollifying nature, she twitched as Yukine pressed forward, setting the tray on the dresser at her right.

Be good, be good. Don't fight, don't fight. A shiver traced up her spine and Sakura bit her tongue as the desire to comply went off like a firework in her brain.

But then her eyes strayed back to the blood bag and adamant refusal hit her like Shishou's kick to the chest.

No fucking way am I going to let them put that in me!

Sakura glanced at Yukine from the corner of her eye, calculating the consequences should she swipe the needle and puncture the bag. Or better yet, puncture something else…

"Cease your ill-formed intentions before you bring yourself harm."

Sakura almost snarled at the warning, narrowing her eyes at his passively disapproving face. His cautioning did little to deter her. It was instead obedience which stayed her hand, and stalled her thoughts. But just barely.

"You a mind reader now too?" She sniped, pent up hostility finding a slim outlet through her sharp tongue.

Yukine raised a perfect brow at her. "One does not have to be skilled in sensing to know you were going to make a poor decision, Sakura-san."

Sakura glowered and glanced quickly back at the syringe and blood stack. "Well if you expect me to take this lying down then you've got another thing coming." She backed up further on the bed when Yukine chanced another step forward.

What could she do? Chakra was clearly out of the question to fight him. But maybe she could knock him out and slip past? Use the plastic tubing to suffocate him? Use the syringe to –

"Sakura-san. I believe I have made my warnings clear."

Sakura blinked and he was directly in front of her now, poised and prepared. She tried not to squirm under his intent stare. Her body was screaming at her, don't fight it, don't fight him. But nothing could quiet the sheer determination of her mind.

"If you would prefer it," he continued, a bland compassion colouring his tone, "I can make it so you don't feel anything."

She scoffed, high on indecision and mounting adrenaline. "Is that supposed to be a kindness?"

"Yes."

She paused, her eyes finding his in his insincerity. "No." She said, "If I have a choice, then I refuse."

"Very well. Then I apologise for any discomfort you may experience." Yukine drifted a hand towards the tray and eyed her carefully, measuring her.

Sakura licked her dry lips, eyes darting fractionally. "You don't have to do this. If you're truly sorry then let me go. Stop serving that man." It was worth a damn shot.

Something akin to wry amusement twisted his face in mild disdain, "An emotional plea. How… pointless. I advise you to remain still, Sakura-san."

Sakura moved before she could think twice on it. Her hand darted out, feigning for the thick syringe only to swiftly change course when Yukine moved to intercept her. Her fingers jabbed harshly at the juncture of his neck as he bent, her aim ringing true. With a stifled grunt, the man took a knee, soon to fall flat into unconsciousness.

Sakura was off the bed and flying towards the door before his body could hit the floor, scarlet kimono fluttering about her in her haste. She had to get out. It was now or never. Her fingertips had just grazed the brass handle of the door when she was yanked harshly back by her hair and thrown bodily unto the bed.

A strangled scream left her lips as her breath escaped her lungs in a heavy choke. Sakura had a single moment to appreciate that she had screwed up before Yukine was atop her, a cool fire blazing behind his dark eyes.

Sakura grappled violently against him as he tried to restrain her, pinning her beneath his weight and locking her arms under his. Panic was beginning to set in. She couldn't risk using chakra to break his hold, or slash him with a chakra scalpel – not when it would lead Atsuhiko straight to her, or worse yet, seal her fate directly into his hands.

Fabric tore as Sakura kicked out with her leg, landing a blow to Yukine's side and succeeding in winning a hand free. She elbowed him harshly in the chest and reached blindly for the silver tray near her head, straining for a hold of the syringe. If she could just –

Yukine grunted and swiftly fought to reclaim her hand as she frantically searched for a weapon. Sakura arched and bucked under his superior weight and as the tray fell and clattered unto the floor falling free of both their reaches, she became desperate. There was a groan of stitching as her kimono tore at the seams of her shoulder, pillows tumbling from the bed and the heavy frame knocking against the wall with a firm thump.

Sakura changed directives, reaching for Yukine's throat. She could crush his windpipe with a singular flex of her fingers if she could just summon her chakra. Her blunt nails dug into his flesh and she felt his grunt through her palm as she squeezed. But Yukine was a shinobi in his own right, and with a steady glare he reached for her wrist and disarmed her with harsh twist. Sakura yelped at the pain and violently twisted as he sought to regain his balance upon her.

"Let me go!" She drove up a knee to incapacitate him, but Yukine only dodged, catching her leg with his own and repining it at a painful angle.

Sakura suppressed a gasp as she struggled. Something was happening to her, she couldn't focus straight. She could hardly manage the energy to raise her fist against him when her body was already so reluctant to fight, as though moving through wet concrete. How could she have let it get to this? Completely at another man's mercy.

The thought spiked thrill of panic through her. His body felt all too close upon hers. She couldn't breathe properly.

"Stop! Get off me!" Desperation was leaking out of her, taking her breath, her strength, her spirit.

Sakura drew her head sharply up to break Yukine's nose, but the man shifted with her movement, using the momentum to shackle both her wrists under one hand and press his other firmly across her abdomen.

Sakura stilled.

There was a heavy rumble above her, and suddenly she couldn't even muster the courage to look him in the eye. Her gaze was transfixed on his chest, where his once pristine emerald yukata was now an open crumpled mess. Against all reason, she spied a small crossed-shaped scar over his left pectoral and stared haplessly at it in stunted immobility.

"Cease this, Sakura-san." His order was hissed and something heated flared against her stomach, carefully stroking her chakra core.

Warmth spread through her, flowing in and around her very veins and slipping pleasantly across her skin as blissful peace overcame her. A familiar warmth; like resting under the tall elm trees of Konoha and watching the clouds on a spring afternoon. A peace; like summer nights spent cooking in her kitchen, Team Seven taking up every inch of space in her too small apartment, laughter ringing well into the early hours of the morning.

Sakura's body went lax, even as angry tears cornered her eyes.

Yukine stayed for a moment longer, his palm carefully held against her and Sakura felt his deep exhale through her body. He lifted off her, now certain she would not fight and righted himself at the edge of the bed.

She didn't move. Couldn't. Not when there was nothing left to fight but herself.

"I apologise for my rough handling, Sakura-san." He said to the door, as she laid ruined behind him. "You gave me no alternative."

And then he reached for the discarded tray and Sakura could only watch through glassy eyes as he prepared her end.

"I won't forget this." She whispered brokenly, her voice like water over gravel.

His nimble fingers stilled momentarily, before resuming with a carefully blank voice.

"I imagine you won't remember much of anything in time… This amount of Atsuhiko's blood has never before been transferred to another individual. I can only anticipate the results yielding a definitive outcome in his favour. Your resistance is only a detriment to yourself, Sakura-san."

Yukine turned to face her, grabbing her boneless wrist and methodically rolling up her sleeve to reveal the juncture of her arm. Sakura watched him apathetically, a damnable sense of peace preventing her from ever having a choice in hating what was happening to her.

She blinked up at Yukine when he made no move to begin the transfusion, her gaze idly transfixed on the skin of his neck where she had made him bleed.

"I can feel your conflict from here, Sakura-san. An impressive feat in itself at this stage. However, I feel compelled to warn you. Atsuhiko-sama is not above impatience, nor is he exempt from anger and dissatisfaction. Should you try a stunt like this in his presence… Your blood tie to him will be irrelevant in his retribution."

There was a sharp pinch to her arm, the needle finally biting into her skin and Sakura gazed up at Yukine from under heavy lethargy.

"I won't stop fighting. I won't let him use me. I would rather die."

The barest hint of pity flashed across his eyes a fraction before Yukine closed them in detached resignation. "Save your strength, Sakura-san. I estimate you won't be in command of it much longer."

---

Sasuke stared blindly at the carved wood beneath him, his eyes tracing meaninglessly over the knots and grooves of the timber table at where they sat. His fist clenched weakly as it lay along the wooden surface, the navy cuff of his sleeve mocking him from where it hung at his wrist. The clothes on his back felt itchy, wrong. And he distracted himself with their wrongness like his sanity depended on it.

They were Sai's… One of his spare Konoha Jounin uniforms. A uniform Sasuke never thought he would wear. The stitching of Konoha's emblem was a brand across his arm, a searing mark at his back. It was a significant weight he was used to carrying, only this time it was a black and red swirl, rather than a white and red Uchiwa. He felt like a fraud.

"Sasuke?" A knee nudged his from under the table, blue eyes dipping to catch his. "You still with us, Teme?"

Sasuke shook his head free of his thoughts and drew his eyes back up to the room at large. He hadn't stopped listening, although he sorely wished he could have. He didn't want to sit here and have Kakashi list all their failures back at them. Not when each one brought him closer to the end of his rope.

"Hn."

Another damn God. Another Otsutsuki. A God who had it out for him and was using Sakura against him.

Sasuke rubbed his aching eyes, consciously fighting to keep his Sharingan inactive from where it had flared and blazed upon the news. A deep ache had taken root in his chest, burying its vines into his soul and sucking him dry of all capacity for emotion. It had long left him hollow and withered. Anger was all he was settled with. It was all that ever seemed to stay with him.

He had wanted to vanish right then. To hunt down the dead bastard who had dared to target Sakura when their business was with him. But he couldn't. Not until he had all the information. Even when it pained him to hear the echo of accusation in Kakashi's voice whenever the man spoke. He had yet to repeat it, and still that one singular phrase had been ringing in Sasuke's head for the past several hours.

"They thought she was yours. Your wife."

Sasuke fought not to bow his head; a perverse longing and damnable loathing coming to war within him at the mere thought. He couldn't be burdened with their presence, not when those same two emotions had already moulded themselves into his very soul. The loathing was always there, a dull ache to his being. The longing, was the crueller of the two however, with its sharp pangs of hope.

How different things would be if the clothes at his back were his own. If the Uchiha symbol was stitched alongside Konoha. If there was a future for him behind those green gates. If he would have someone waiting for him every time he stepped through them. A Home. A Wife. A Family.

Unbridled, an image of Sakura, swollen with his child flashed to the forefront of his mind and Sasuke couldn't help but suck in a strangled breath at the wave of yearning it washed him with.

" – suspect their initial plan was to use her as bait… But when we used her to break the Seal, she became just that much more important to them."

He tried to focus back in to what Kakashi was saying; rip himself away from longing before it undid something in him.

"Important how, Senpai?" Sai queried from where he sat at Sasuke's left, spine straight and voice clear.

"The God that she unleashed by destroying that Seal, he wants her. He thinks she's the key to returning to his realm…" There was a heavy pause and Sasuke could practically feel the way Kakashi wasn't looking at him. "They intend for Sakura to give up the Pomegranate they're so desperate to find."

Sasuke frowned, glaring sharply at Kakashi and all that he wasn't saying, from where the silver-haired man sat with Yamato opposite them; the sparse remains of their meagre breakfast scattered between.

"Wait. What Pomegranate?" Naruto frowned.

Kakashi's steel eyes didn't betray whatever it was he was feeling. He had recited his version of events in an even deliverance since the start – the perfect solider. Sasuke had half the mind to appreciate that this was the man he had seen in the war. The man he had grudgingly come to respect after so many years righting him off as a fool of his past; wasted potential wrapped up in grief and tragedy.

Sasuke never spared a thought to take note on the similarities they had shared, not when he was too busy hating the man for everything he wasn't.

"It was behind the Seal when Sakura unlocked it. We didn't know what it was back then, but Sakura asked Katsuyu to conceal it in her realm. We found out later that the Pomegranate is actually Atsuhiko's godhood." Kakashi rolled his jaw. "He gets the fruit, he gains his power and immortality back. He becomes unstoppable."

There was a heavy itch behind Sasuke's eyes and he looked away before he could a burn a hole through Kakashi's head with his intense gaze. His anger, although mostly misplaced, could find an entirely easy outlet through his former Sensei. If he but gave in.

"And now no one but Sakura or Lady Tsunade can access it." Sai supplied thoughtfully, a dark furrow to his brow.

Kakashi dipped his head fractionally. "But they don't know that."

"Not yet." Yamato mused carefully.

"Sakura wouldn't tell them! Not ever."

"I'm not saying she would Naruto, but – "

"There's something else." The room hushed once more with Kakashi's stern voice. "Likely the real reason they're obsessed with her. The reason she could heal when she had no chakra. The reason they only ever took her away to interrogate, the reason she led us straight into a trap when we tried to escape."

"Sensei?"

"I think when she destroyed that Seal, she lost her chakra to that God. Something happened in the exchange. When we were out of those cuffs, I couldn't feel her – just like we haven't been able feel the 'summoned nin' we encountered. And then she led us straight into an ambush, accident or not. And the others, they just stared as though it was always the plan. Sakura, she… wasn't herself."

Yamato brought a hand to his chin, deep concerned evident "You think the God is corrupting her somehow?"

Kakashi merely looked at him as though inviting another alternative, but it was Naruto who began to speak the words that had spun themselves to life in Sasuke's mind.

"…The God. He has to be the real Summoner then. What if… what if whatever he was using on the other nin, he's now using on Sakura-chan?"

"Like a mind control jutsu?" Yamato posed between the two, his eyes searching.

Kakashi ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. All we had were theories. But its more than just chakra-strings or a genjutsu, that's for certain."

Sasuke didn't much care for theories. In fact, he didn't much care for time wasted talking about the insignificant. His fingers twitched in impatience.

"Well it doesn't matter now does it?" Naruto reared up, exasperation mounting. "We know Sakura-chan is in trouble so what are we waiting around for?"

"We need to think intelligently about this, Naruto. There are other factors involved, this is beyond just Team Seven now."

"Come on, Taichou –

"Other nations need to be made aware of this God's existence." Yamato's voice rose to cut over Naruto's. "It already doesn't bode well that it was a Konoha shinobi who allegedly 'released' said God." The man switched targets, "Kakashi, you should realise the potential political ramifications for trying to keep this sort of thing under wraps, particularly whilst we're currently operating in tentative hostile territory."

"Waiting around for bureaucratic red tape to be processed and cut would take time Sakura doesn't have." Kakashi cut back sharply, a slither of his own frustrations slipping though. "Atsuhiko would sooner take the opportunity our inaction would create to further his own agenda."

"What is his agenda?" Sai asked. "Do we know what it is we are attempting to prevent, precisely?"

Kakashi paused and glanced at him. And Sasuke only spied the subtle tick in his jaw because he was already watching; waiting for an answer that would surely make no difference to either of them.

It was an easy conclusion all the same.

They wanted his eyes. His Rinnegan most likely. They wanted something that could grant them power beyond all else. Something that would make their reach limitless. They wanted the same thing they always wanted – the world under their thumb.

And they were going to use Sakura however they could to ensure he would give it to them.

Naruto stood, throwing his arms in the air as he began pacing around the cabin. "Who cares about his agenda! He's got Sakura-chan and has been playing us for idiots. Obviously, it's a trap but that just makes us better prepared for it."

"Naruto, I don't think I need to remind you how well your last encounter with these people ended. The last 'trap' you stepped into had you almost at deaths door with that explosive chakra-strings user. We can't afford to rush into this, head first." Yamato reprimanded, his patience cracking like a fine split.

"I'm not saying we do! I'm just saying we are the ones that need to act. Not waiting on our asses for Baa-chan to tell us what we already know – to damn well get Sakura-chan back." The blond exclaimed planting a fist onto the table, determination blazing across his features.

"Naruto – "

Sasuke had heard enough.

"They can't send anyone to help us. No one can." He said quietly, failing to hide the resentment in his voice. But then again, Sasuke supposed he never really tried.

Sai cocked his head at him, "Sasuke?"

Sasuke raised his chin to stare at the men surrounding him. "Naruto and I were the ones to seal the last God. We don't need anyone else. They'll just get in the way."

It was the truth, and Sasuke didn't know why it had taken them all so long to acknowledge that the fight was never going to be theirs. They had wasted enough time as it was – time Sakura had spent in that God's grasp.

Something short of a scowl crossed Yamato's face, "Look, Sasuke – "

"They want my eyes." Sasuke said simply as he rose to his feet. He nodded at Kakashi. "He won't say it, so I will. They're after me. They abducted Sakura to get to me. This is my responsibility, my fight. My eyes for her life."

Kakashi still hadn't looked at him, but Sasuke caught the tightening of his eyes all the same. He barely noticed the way Naruto had drifted closer to him, an arms breadth away as though ready to reach for him should he give in and leave like he so wanted.

Stunned resignation quickly morphed into frustration as Yamato rose to his feet. "That's wilfully reckless and you know it. You can't just – "

"I'm not a Konoha shinobi." Sasuke cut him off calmly, his onyx eye tired as he spared the man a glance. "I don't report to your command."

And it felt like some twisted charade to be saying those words as he wore the colours of his once home.

"But you are part of Team Seven, are you not Sasuke-kun?" Sai spoke aloud, now standing at his side while Naruto hovered quietly at his right.

Sasuke drew his eyes from Yamato's taut frame to regard Sai; the man whose clothes felt like silken fire against his skin. And Sai merely stared him down, as though engaged in a battle rather than merely a halted conversation.

"You have always held bonds with Team Seven, Sasuke-kun. You could never outrun them… Well, Yamato-Taichou and I are also part of that team. And we won't be left behind."

"Sai." Naruto breathed.

Sasuke held the man's too dark eyes for a moment longer before casting an apathetic gaze back at Yamato.

"Send for whatever backup you think you need, but I'm not waiting around for them to arrive. The fighting will be done by the time they get here anyway."

With that, Sasuke quickly strode out of the suffocating room – his unshakable anger building up in his lungs he could no longer ignore.

---

Yamato watched Sasuke stalk out of the cabin, his jaw aching from how tight he had come to clench it.

"Based off his ambiguous response, I estimate you have about twelve to twenty-four hours to form a plan and begin execution of it, Taichou." Sai said in his wake. "Twelve to twenty-four hours until Sasuke-kun once more goes rogue in the name of misguided decision-making." Sai clarified with a minute frown.

Yamato blew out a heavy breath and nodded at the boy. His eyes found Naruto next, standing anxiously between wanting to go after his teammate and needing to stay for his team.

"Naruto," Yamato called the boy's attention. "Can you keep an eye on Sasuke and make sure he stays put for his assumed 'twelve to twenty-four hour' window? I would prefer not to lock him down under mokuton."

A flicker of relief crossed Naruto's face a second before he morphed it into a small smile. "Yeah, Taichou, you got it. Just… plan quick, yeah?"

It was only after Naruto left that Yamato turned his notice back unto Sai, standing thoughtfully still as though awaiting permission.

"Go on, Sai. Someone needs to keep those two in check. Can't have them getting lost out there again." Yamato encouraged, taking the tiniest hint of grim satisfaction in Sai's resolute nod as he hurried after his teammates.

Despite the alleviation of tension that dissipated with the boys' departure, the room still felt thick with pressure, and Yamato gazed down at the one man who had yet to move since the whole showdown began.

"Kakashi?" Yamato said, eyeing the man where he sat perfectly unmoving upon the wooden chair he had crafted. "Do I need to send you out under Sai-watch too? Or are you ready to engage in constructive conversation?"

A steely grey eye narrowed up at him. "The condescension is unnecessary, Tenzou." Kakashi said, finally shifting to his feet.

Yamato followed him as he traversed the small room to retrieve his canteen. He watched Kakashi's back as he knelt and drank from the flask, and Yamato got the distinct impression he was being avoided.

After another moment of his Senpai's silence, the split in his patience grew to an impressive crack. "Why didn't you say anything about Sasuke's eyes?"

"Would it have made a difference?" Kakashi replied calmly, lowering the flask from his lips. "The kid's got enough on his shoulders."

Yamato sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. "Kakashi, talk to me. Another God? You can't be thinking of doing this alone. It's suicide! We need backup."

Kakashi glanced over his shoulder. "Sakura is still with them right now. She's alone with them." He pointed out, verging on acidly.

Yamato sobered, calculating his next words. "You said she was important to them, right? She was going to be bait but more than that, she was important to the God?"

Kakashi exhaled, sitting back on his heels and dragging a hand down his face. "Yes, they were obsessed with her."

"Then they won't risk harming her."

Kakashi shook his head sharply, frustration slipping loose off his tone. "You don't know that."

"You're right, I don't." Yamato placated. "But what I can say for certain is that Sakura would have our heads if we came back charging in for her, without a plan and without proper support. She didn't give you the opportunity to escape just for you to march the rest of us back there on a silver platter."

Kakashi rose to his full height, eyes hard and heated. "What are you saying."

Yamato matched his stubbornness. "I'm saying we need to inform the Hokage."

"I am the goddamned Hokage!" Kakashi growled, marching past Yamato and roughly running a hand through his silver mane.

"No, right now you're a shinobi whose mission went way off the deep-end and now you're trying to deal with the consequences." He softened his voice at Kakashi's flinch. "We've both been there enough times to know… when the mission has got the best of us."

There was a drop to Kakashi's shoulders and then the man was turning to face him, pain clear in his charcoal eyes. "Tenzou. We can't abandon her. I won't."

And for some inexplicable reason, something in him splintered at Kakashi's beaten stance; the sorry look of defeat that held no place on the man's face when the battle had scarcely begun.

Yamato curled his lips back, almond eyes pointed. "If you have to question whether that would ever be a course of action I would take, then I have to question whether you're mentally sound enough to remain mission-active."

It was a threat. And damnit he was sick of dealing them out to Kakashi lately.

"Tenz- "

"Try me, Kakashi."

There was protest behind Kakashi's mask, but Yamato merely held his glare.

Recalling his past few days had done nothing to temper the man before him. In fact, Yamato was regretful to acknowledge that behind Kakashi's controlled and even recitation, there was an untameable desperation lurking beneath the surface. A desperation Yamato hadn't seen in the man for many, many years. Perhaps not ever like this.

Something was niggling in the back of his mind; a cautious curiosity that begged to be sated. Yamato wanted nothing more to leave it alone. And if circumstances were different, perhaps he would have. But he got the unfortunate sense that this, whatever it was, was imperative to both Kakashi and the mission.

"What is she to you?" he asked, point blank because there was no use in pretending with Kakashi.

The man didn't even flinch, and Yamato wanted to be surprised at such an out of place reaction to something that usually drove the man to run for the hills. But then again, he had been noticing things for a while now; things he had no business noticing and so ignored for better or for worse. However, ignorance held no place between them now.

Yamato was expecting a fight, but all he received was a weary dip of the chin.

"She's… more than she should be." Kakashi answered quietly.

The two men stood facing one another, the words no more a surprise to either of them than they would ever admit aloud.

Against all odds, something in Yamato lifted. A small swell of pride, rejoicing in Kakashi's found affection; to have the man recognise a love felt for another when his life had been led with a shielded heart. But it was overshadowed by sympathy. Complicated was another word that had followed his Senpai around for decades, and Yamato wanted to swear up and down at the Fates for never dealing Kakashi a straight hand, for once in his life.

"She doesn't know." Yamato said for him, because he had seen so himself for years now. Seen the evidence of Sakura's blindness to a love that was freely given, freely hers, should she but open her eyes to it.

Kakashi rubbed the back his head, eyes cast away and feigning a laugh. "Mah, what is there to know? I'm just an old man with his heart in the wrong place. And she's young, vibrant and strong. She's got her whole life ahead of her…"

The man drifted off, and Yamato grimaced at their collective conclusion. As of this moment, neither of them could say for certain just how much life still lay ahead of Sakura. His stomach turned at the mere thought, and Yamato could only commiserate that Kakashi likely felt infinitely worse.

"Kakashi. Sakura is…" What? Strong, going to be okay? Yamato sought for words and found himself woefully aware of the fact that there was nothing he could say to comfort his oldest friend.

Kakashi just stared at him, suddenly more exhausted than Yamato could recall ever seeing him. There was a pinch to his silver brows before it smoothed out completely.

"It's alright Tenzou." He consoled softly. "I…" his breath caught for a moment, and it came out in a stunted exhale. "I know."

Yamato wanted to object. Whatever Kakashi thought he was trying to say, surely he had misunderstood. Why else would he look so damn… crushed?

"Senpai – "

"Come on, we've wasted enough time talking about – " he waved a lame hand. "You're team leader. What's our plan?"

It was as much of an invitation as it was an order, and Yamato quietened a sigh as he followed Kakashi's lead in strategizing a confrontation that would likely push them all over the edge regardless of the outcome.

---

Sai watched from a distance as Naruto slowly approached Sasuke, all measured movements and deep breaths, as though handling a feral animal. And as Sai catalogued Sasuke's coiled posture and spinning eyes, a wild animal was perhaps too leaner a comparison.

There was a tension to Sasuke's shoulder's that was hard to miss; not when Sai had already watched the way guilt and frustration had built a home atop his frame the last few hours. Sai thought it was perhaps a burden too great to be baring alone when already his shoulders were a fragile keeping. He had seen to such tentative recovery himself after all.

As Naruto placed a brave hand atop Sasuke's newly healed shoulder, Sai supposed foolishness had finally won back his brother's finer senses. Impractical, dangerous, stupid to so freely touch a poised Viper. It was a simple equation for pain and disaster.

But then, Sai always did have the utmost faith in Naruto's ability for the incomprehensible.

That faith was proven at first misplaced when Sasuke immediately made a dive to direct a punch at Naruto, and at second rewarded, when Naruto transformed that punch into an embrace.

It was a curious thing to witness. A brash hostility turned uncertain rawness as gold and black intertwined – a tangle of arms and a knock of heads as though an embrace were a thing to be won.

Sai watched from a small distance as his Brother proved a wisdom not many would ever dare accredit him. He watched a pair of true brothers find solid footing in one another when their worlds had been set adrift. A familial anchor.

And Sai understood a little too well.

Pale fingers reached to tug at the clothes at his chest, but he did not step away. He did not leave the moment; not when he knew he still held a place there. Separate, yet undeniably within the frame.

---

Naruto took a silent breath as he approached Sasuke, already determined not to leave him to his spiralling a second time around. He couldn't watch that again. Screw whatever was supposed to be the 'right thing to do' in that moment.

"Sasuke."

"Don't Naruto." Sasuke warned dangerously turning just enough to flash his spinning eyes.

Naruto flexed his hands restlessly, before cautiously reaching for him. "Come on, Sasuke. Don't shut me out. We're all hurting here but – "

Sasuke spun widely, raising his fist in his ire. "I said d – "

And Naruto caught him.

"Just take a breath, Teme." he rasped, his fingers fisting Sasuke's shirt as he locked him in a painful clasp. "Breathe."

Sasuke dug his own fingertips into Naruto's shoulder from where he grappled, halfway between furious and beaten. "I did this to her."

"Fuck that Sasuke. Don't go down that road again." He beseeched angrily, knocking his head against Sasuke's own.

"Where else is there to go Naruto?" The shout was ragged at his temple. "I fucking took her from her home. I forced her into this. I – "

"Sakura-chan made her own decisions! She's her own person. Don't go trying to make this all about you Teme. She didn't sacrifice her chakra for that Seal just because you askedher to! It's just who she is…" And it was about time Sasuke recognised her for who she was.

Some of the fight left Sasuke's body, his arm slackening its grip. "She was a target because of me."

"She's been someone's target since we were fifteen." Naruto corrected gently, his own hold staying firm. "We don't walk this path without gaining a few enemies, Sasuke. But it's who our allies are that makes the difference."

There was a faint tremor to Sasuke's frame when he murmured, "I'll kill him. I'll kill every one of them."

Naruto pulled away first, cerulean eyes creased in worry. "You don't have to… Let us help. She's important to all of us. This isn't just your fight Sasuke."

"You have to save her Naruto." Sasuke urged gravely as they stepped apart.

Naruto frowned. "We'll save her together – "

"Naruto." He interrupted, eyes catching his in something short of a plead. "Just promise me you'll save Sakura."

There was never a question he would, that they would. It was a promise they had made to one another when they were thirteen, and in rare agreeance. And something tugged ominously at Naruto's chest now as he wondered at Sasuke's clear desperation for something that had always been a given between them.

"I promise."

Sasuke's face tilted, relief catching his eyes as his lips slanted wearily. "Thank you."

Naruto wasn't sure what else there was to do after that. But he stayed with Sasuke, however long he needed as morning crested into afternoon, then dipped into early evening. He sat with Sasuke on one side, wet stone against blade and Sai on the other, parchment drawn and ink pressed. Naruto stayed and watched as another day passed them by without Sakura by their side.

---

Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose as Tenzou reaffirmed the last of their strategy. Kakashi had once more raked over every skerrick of detail he could recall from his capture, down to the cobwebs lining the corners of his prison cell.

They had a plan. He was just not so sure he liked it.

"Senpai's, are we interrupting?" Sai called softly, sombrely leading the way in with Naruto and Sasuke at his back.

Kakashi blinked at entryway, the filtered light from outside now dimming a soft purple glow with the setting sun. He chanced a glance back at Tenzou whom was rolling up the last of his report to be sent back to Konoha.

"Not at all, boys. In fact, there is a lot we all need to discuss."

"What's the plan, Yamato? When do we leave to get Sakura-chan?"

"Slow down Naruto. If we're going to do this we need to remain level-headed and work together." The last part was directed towards Sasuke, although wisely no one choose to comment on it further.

Sasuke for his part looked just as disinterested as when he left. Of course that was only if Kakashi didn't care to look deeper. The worn lines around his eyes and mouth spoke of exhaustion, and the haunted shadow to his onyx gaze was all too easy to empathise with.

"I understand, Yamato-Taichou." Naruto said seriously, breaking Kakashi from his trance.

"We are prepared to do what needs to be done for Sakura and her safety." Sai echoed.

Tenzou nodded. "Sai I need you to dispatch this missive for me. Then I want you and Naruto to take your bird and map what you can of the area. Use the cover of night to detect any signs of civilisations and determine the chakra signals of any that could be deemed hostile or of higher classification. If your Sage Mode can find Sakura's chakra signal, even better."

Naruto frowned as he absorbed the information, turning to stare at Kakashi. "You… can't lead us straight to her?"

An itch of shame tugged at his stomach. "I wasn't quite myself when I left." He said instead.

Tenzou cleared his throat. "If you take issue with our plan then – "

"Not at all, Taichou." Sai answered, a small messenger hawk already summoned from his scroll. "We shall depart immediately. If you have any suggestions on which direction to initiate our search, then we will begin."

Kakashi winced at Sai's directed question and could only offer him a semblance of an answer. "I had been travelling from the north when Naruto and Sasuke found me… Before that, I couldn't say."

Beneath the cover of the table, Kakashi placed his palm atop his side – a painful reminder made painful still with his chakra continuing to leech from his being. Yukine had said he made a tear in his pathways when he broke out of those cuffs. And if left untreated… Well, he could put two and two together well enough.

He had to figure something out, before he became completely useless to Sakura and the team.

"Report back in four hours. Whatever ground you have covered by then will be enough for tonight." Tenzou dismissed, throwing Naruto a knapsack of supplies. "Be safe."

With a final glance around the cabin, Naruto nodded and clamped Sai on the shoulder as he led the way out.

"Four hours." Sai affirmed, before disappearing on Naruto's tail.

Kakashi pretended he didn't catch the deep breath Tenzou fortified himself with as he turned towards Sasuke, standing altogether wraithlike in his corner.

"You're to remain here with Kakashi and continue your recuperation until we return." Tenzou raised a hand as Sasuke opened his mouth to protest. "There is nothing that can be done until we find them. In the meantime, the best thing you can both do is recover."

Kakashi could tell from the obvious souring of the kids face that he didn't much like this part of the plan. And if Kakashi were honest, he shared the sentiment. But it was the intelligent thing to do, loathed as he was to acknowledge such rationality always had kept him from the things he wanted most.

"Am I understood?" Tenzou tested, eyeing down Sasuke. "I have no qualms keeping you under lockdown myself, but I sense we would both appreciate my time and energy being spent elsewhere."

If he had the energy himself, Kakashi might've raised his brows at his Kohai's authoritative command, but he supposed his was not the only patience being tested by their increasingly taxing circumstances.

"I understand." Sasuke conceded, his shoulders loosening as he tipped his head in acknowledgement.

It was perhaps a testament to the Uchiha's own exhaustion, or the Uzumaki influence that Sasuke accepted his orders with little question or protest when he had left on such a basis not hours before.

"Good… Thank you." Tenzou said sincerely, his eyes darting fractionally to Kakashi as if in verification of the kid's honesty. Kakashi would not contradict him.

"I'm going to replenish our supplies and patrol. I'll be back in a few hours. I leave the two of you in your own capable hands." It was until Tenzou had fixed his headband and checked his kunai holster that he paused at the threshold of the cabin. "But if I return to find the two of you either missing or on fire I will be sure to bury the both of you in a landslide and call it an accident."

And with what Kakashi could only describe as an impression of a ghoul, Tenzou left, the door shutting neatly on his way out.

Kakashi let an inaudible sigh slip his lips and glanced up to gauge Sasuke. He watched as the kid blew out a huff of his own before setting his katana to the side and sliding down the wall until he came to sit at its base. Sasuke knocked his head back against the thick timber and stared blankly across the room at the closed door.

"I won't run. So you can stop watching me like I'm some kind of liar." He said, not turning to meet his eye.

Kakashi sighed and lent back in his chair. "I never accused you of being a liar." He said softly.

Sasuke slide on onyx eye his way, a dull smirk twisting his thin lips. "Just a traitor, then."

And Kakashi could say nothing to that. He rolled his jaw and tipped his head back to contemplate with the ceiling; imagined the layers of snow that had come to pile atop its roof since its creation. His mistakes were as plentiful as the snow it seemed. Just another drop of ice added to his eternal winter; his darkest sins as ironically white as his hair. By spring it would all be melted away, but he would absorb it all and carry its weight. A lifetime of winters and sins, as invisible as the snowflakes themselves.

"I'm sorry." Kakashi said to the roof, though he suspected Sasuke was listening all the same. "I'm… sorry." He repeated lamely, for what else was there to say.

The pair didn't speak for a long while after that. Kakashi supposed he could've shared the strategies he and Tenzou had prepared, but something told him Sasuke wouldn't much care to know the details when he likely had his own self-devised mission.

It was that same 'Uchiha disinterest' that bade Kakashi to tend to his injury whilst no one else was around bare witness. With a stifled grunt, Kakashi sat back and rolled up the edge of his shirt until his abdomen was bared. It looked nothing out of the ordinary; an array of scars crisscrossing the cut of his muscle, only one newer, pinker line standing out among the rest. He twisted his lips in grim inspection. If nothing else, that little scar was the perfect visual aid to indicate his inner pathway tear.

Kakashi prodded the area with gentle fingers, wincing only at the surface pain. The thundering ache of his stomach and chakra core had been hammering away at him for hours now. He had to put a temporary fix on this while he still could. He'd heard enough horror stories to know what happened when ninjas got chakra poisoning. It would be neither pretty nor quick.

Hooking the edge of his shirt to his teeth, Kakashi reached for the discarded pot of ink resting atop the table and dipped his index and middle finger into the black ink. He tugged down the waistband of his pants with the other hand and leaned back to have a clear visual of his abdomen.

With a mild crease to his brow in recollection, Kakashi began drawing lines and swirls over his stomach with ink-dipped fingers. He sensed eyes on him as he worked, but Kakashi didn't heed Sasuke's intent observation. Instead, he reached for old sealing techniques laying all but dormant in his arsenal of tricks and trade. He cast back his mind, searching for tips whispered to him from the occasional drunk Hyuuga on chakra network intricacies.

In the end, a small area of his abdomen came to represent a rudimentary but stable chakra patch. Once activated it would freeze the area out of any chakra flow until either deactivated or broken. It was highly disadvantageous that the area it spanned was alarming close to his chakra core itself, but it would hopefully only hinder his use of jutsu and more prolonged uses of chakra. Otherwise, Kakashi resigned himself to the fact that he was going to have to rely on every other skillset before he could allow himself to reach for his natural course.

Wiping his ink stained fingers on a stray piece of parchment, Kakashi unhooked his shirt from his teeth and held it gathered in his hand, waiting for the ink to dry.

"What's that?"

Kakashi hummed, his attention focused on the slowly lightening streaks of ink. "Just a little chakra patch."

"Why do you need one?" Sasuke asked, a hint of concern tinging his obvious confusion.

Kakashi looked up and caught his eyes. "Because I am a man capable of many mistakes." The apology was there again. At least he hoped so.

Sasuke appraised him intently, his gaze dipping towards his ink covered side and turning a brief red before fading back to black. His frown was noticeable, yet Sasuke remained quiet.

Kakashi was tempted to ask him what he saw, but kept his mouth shut. The Sharingan was many things, but a Byakugan was not one of them.

Just before the ink completely dried, Kakashi placed his palm atop the seal and pulsed a small amount of his chakra into it. It burned for a brief second before it went completely cold, inside and out. Kakashi twitched as he felt his chakra attempt to move around his frozen-out pathways. It was highly uncomfortable, but he'd had worse.

Rolling down his shirt, Kakashi strayed a glance towards Sasuke, something in him urging to be said, to bridge the space between them – monumental as it had become.

"I ah… I haven't had to draw a seal on somebody in a very long time" He chewed on the inside of his cheek. "Not since I had this group of snot nosed, troublemaking Genin under my watch."

Sasuke closed his eyes, jaw tight. "Hn."

"It was a terrible idea, really. Assigning me as their teacher." Kakashi continued softly, letting his words lead before his mind could think better of them. "I was tardy, lazy… distant. I was responsible for a bunch of talented, young, remarkable kids and that scared the absolute shit out of me."

"I don't think you can still qualify as a Sensei when you don't actually teach your students anything." Sasuke sniped, tilting his chin to glare at him.

Kakashi nodded, the insult well justified. "I thought I could protect you from the only things I had to offer." He huffed a bitter laugh. "What could an ANBU Captain teach but how to kill and hurt and come out the other end worse off?"

Kakashi shook his head, his gaze trailing back up to the ceiling. "I didn't want that for you kids. I guess I hoped that I wouldn't rub off on you in the wrong ways. I failed anyway, huh?"

Sasuke didn't speak for a long moment, his eyes somewhere cast between judgment and resignation. Kakashi didn't think he would respond until he heard the kid let out a heavy breath.

"Two out of three aren't terrible odds."

Kakashi hid his smile when Sasuke met his eyes with a steady stare. A peace offering.

He hummed, "Sometimes I do wonder where I went wrong with Naruto. Was it that jutsu of a thousand years of death? Were we all doomed from the start?"

Sasuke scoffed, hooking his arm around his bent knee and tossing his head in his direction. There was a ghost of his smile on his lips when he said, "He was born to be an idiot. Don't take credit for it."

Kakashi smiled. "Maybe so… I think he's growing out of it though. It's almost bittersweet to watch." He studied the wood beneath his hands, lost in thought. "Soon he'll have a baby of his own running around giving his Sensei and teammates headaches to match, no doubt. Their dad's the Hokage, they'd say. And Gods they would be the most obnoxious little brats."

"Aa."

"He'd be a great father I think, once he's finished bragging to everyone about it though… Mah, but I'm sure Hinata will keep him in line." Kakashi paused, his words tentative. Softer. "Sakura will be sure to keep a close eye on him too. She can never go too long without fretting over everyone. She'd probably still host her little dinner parties every second week, sneaking medical exams between mains and dessert."

Kakashi trailed off, an itch to his fingers. "She'd make sure no one suffered any more than a toothache so long as she could help it, that girl. She'd… she would make a wonderful mother…"

"And you, where will you be?"

Kakashi startled at Sasuke's quiet utterance. It took him another moment to comprehend what it was he said.

He leaned back and scratched his chin, hoping for the world he would sound lighter than he felt. "Retired hopefully. Content to see my family thriving with little families of their own. …And you?"

Dangerous. But he started it.

Kakashi peeked over at his silent companion when his pause lasted a little too long. He tried to fight the sagging of his shoulders, the drop in his stomach at Sasuke's pinched expression.

"Right…" he murmured. Naruto would be devastated. Sakura would be…. Gods, Sakura.

"You put her first."

Kakashi blinked at the non-sequitur. "Pardon?"

"Sakura. You would put her first." Sasuke clarified slowly, a pained crease to his brow. "She… deserves someone who can put her first."

Kakashi's breath caught for a moment with his understanding. Sasuke, you…? He looked away; a tired rationality returning his breath, weighted with duty and resignation.

"Sasuke. I'm the Hokage." He whispered. "The village will always have to come first for me."

"If that's true then why are you here?"

The words struck Kakashi like a kunai to the chest. His eyes snapped up to meet Sasuke's firm stare – a calm, steady obsidian.

"Why haven't you told Sakura that you're in love her?" Sasuke continued, not a muscle in his face betraying his thoughts on the loaded question.

If Kakashi was surprised by such a point-blank question, he wasn't going to show it. Instead, he reached for age old defence-mechanisms, answering a question with a question.

"Why haven't you?"

It was a question he had been torturing himself with more than he'd care to admit. It was something that had kept him awake countless nights – a comfort, a sorrow, a terrible reason constantly throwing him between the 'yes' and the 'no's' of it all.

Kakashi knew who Sakura would choose if given the choice. So why was Sasuke avoiding the contest when he was already guaranteed the winner? It made him helplessly conflicted.

"You do, don't you?" Kakashi hedged, when Sasuke did nothing but hold his tongue.

It was with a grimace that Sasuke cast his chin to his chest, answering honestly, if softly. "Love doesn't tend to mean much coming from someone who is never there to show it… to share it." Obsidian eyes flickered up. "Your excuse?"

Kakashi felt his own shields of deflection melt away with Sasuke's sincerity. Just how many olive branches did they need to extend to one another for the message to stick. Kakashi drew his mask down over his chin and let out a deep exhale, baring his face. It wasn't much in the grand scheme of things, not what he wanted it to be, but it was the most he could give in the moment.

"I suppose I could pick one of several, all of them likely valid in the eyes of most everyone who could ever judge me." His slate eyes flashed up to Sasuke's impassive ones with an ironic smile. "But I suppose the only real reason is that, I won't burden her with something she doesn't want... Not from me anyway."

Maybe it was the coward's way out, or maybe he was being noble – avoiding subjecting her to something that could ruin everything between them. Either way, Kakashi had lost track of his countless reasons. It was all the same in the end. He loved her, and she… Well, what a poor soul she was to have two men in love with her and neither had the balls to actually tell her.

Sasuke was right. She did deserve better.

"Sakura doesn't… I'm not – " Sasuke grimaced, turning his face away in frustration.

"You know she has never been with anyone." Kakashi said abruptly, catching Sasuke's attention and cursing himself for the knowledge all the same. "Not a single person… Naruto and Ino are both worried about her."

Kakashi held his eyes. "For the longest time I convinced myself that it was because she was waiting for you, for that vague little promise you gave her. But I don't think even she knows what she's waiting for anymore. You two parted as friends, and perhaps she's convinced herself not to feel anything for you beyond that, until you say otherwise. But it's like she's stuck there. Not waiting but not moving forward either."

There was a spark to Sasuke's dark eyes, a flash of repentant hope.

Kakashi smothered his sad smile. "She's been guarding her heart for you. In fact, she guards it so well I don't even think she allows herself to realise how lonely she is, how much she misses you. Hell, I didn't even realise until Shizune dragged Sakura comatose to my office and demanded I assign her mandatory leave. You know how she likes to overwork herself to avoid confronting things? Or maybe you don't…" he said not unkindly, although that did nothing to starve off Sasuke's flinch.

"Anyway the point is, I fell in love with Sakura somewhere between her punching a Goddess and telling me I pull off the Hokage hat the worst out of all my predecessors." Kakashi lips curved into a smile at the fond memory, before settling into a thin line.

"Despite how strongly Sakura leads with her heart, she won't let herself be open to the love she craves. She can't. And I won't force on her something she isn't ready to receive." Silver eyes lifted to meet Sasuke's absorbed stare. "So, I'll wait. I'd gladly wait a hundred years for that woman, even if she decides she doesn't want me. But don't you dare make her wait a moment longer than she has to for you Sasuke."

Because Kakashi was old and jaded and Sakura was young and bright. And if he could help it, he wasn't going to sentence Sakura to a love like his. Not when everything she ever wanted was sitting right in front of him, just waiting for permission to make her happy.

"I won't." Sasuke promised quietly, eyes clear in sincerity.

No, if he could help lead her to the love she's always craved, then by all means he was going to do all in his power to make sure she got what she deserved. Even if that meant watching the woman he loved, love another. He was terrible like that. But Kakashi hoped this one decent deed might be enough to redeem one of them a happy ending. And he'd pick her happy ending.

Every single time.

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A/N: Thanks for reading another long-ass chapter. I appreciate your time and sacrifice. 3