Chapter 1

A/N: It began as a spark, and is now a fire...this idea, so I listened and began to write. I don't own Naruto

---

Sasuke looked up at the ceiling. Today was his sixteenth birthday, and of course, no one cared. It was just another day.

He was sitting in a large room, lying on his bed. The ground perfectly swept, and the walls scrubbed. It was a bland room, stonewalls, small bed, desk in the corner, torches lit, nothing extraordinary.

Kabuto and Orochimaru had found yet another hideout, this time near Mist Country. They had left for some "important business," leaving him behind to sulk. Sasuke could only imagine what "business" this was. If they came back with another orphan girl again...

A door slammed, and Sasuke perked up. He felt five people come his way, three female, two male. The males he knew, the other three, he wasn't quite sure.

Kabuto knocked on Sasuke's door, the wood giving off a dull thud. It resounded around the room, but the boy didn't get up. He called out, "Go away."

Kabuto's voice came back slightly muffled, "We got you a birthday present."

The Uchiha stiffened. So they had remembered. "I don't want it," he replied bluntly.

"I honestly think you need manners. You act as if you're above us. Who are you to reject the sight of a long lost friend?" Kabuto retorted, with the usual 'have-more-manners-you-lowlife' speech. It may have been only two sentences, but they were repeated at least thrice a day.

However, it was the last part that caught Sasuke's attention. He wrenched open the door to find Sakura looking as if she was about to beat Kabuto's brain to bits. From her reputation, he was sure she could.

Sasuke looked at the girl. She said nothing, but her eyes spoke for her. Closing the door in Kabuto's face, he went back to his bed. Obviously, Orochimaru's right hand man wasn't happy with this as he continued to pound on the brown door.

Ignoring this, Sasuke recalled Sakura's eyes. They were filled with hate, but mostly fear. Fear for him. There was something else hiding. The loneliness in her was what he focused on.

He had heard that there had been a terrible accident with the Akatsuki and Asuma, but that couldn't have made her look as if she was lost. Sakura's bright green eyes echoed his blue ones. The pain of being alone, pushing away anyone who wanted to help. Something happened, but what?

As the pounding persisted, Sasuke sighed and walked over to the door. "Listen, Kabuto, I don't care what Orochimaru has to say unless it's about training, so go away."

Kabuto stepped back from the irate teen. Lightning was beginning to spark from the boy. If you had even met Sasuke once, you would understand that now would be the time to run and find a rock to hide under. However, much credit to him, Kabuto held his ground.

"Orochimaru says that you are supposed to watch over this girl, until he deems it necessary to take her, or we head back to Sound, understood?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. That was low, even for Orochimaru. He was supposed to let Sakura into his room, let her see his life, for who knew how long?

Unfortunately, before Sasuke could argue, Kabuto pushed Sakura over the threshold and closed the door.

Sasuke and Sakura were in the same room for the first time in three years, and neither was jumping for joy. Sakura did throw up, though. "Ugh," Sasuke said, but nothing else. He sat down on the bed, his back against the wall.

Sakura didn't move. She stood in front of the doorway, any confidence she had had was gone. Only loneliness reflected in her eyes. Every other emotion became nonexistent.

The Uchiha rolled his eyes. Honestly, this girl was pathetic. She could never control emotions, crying all the time, but he expected her to shape up after he left. It seemed the opposite. He just ignored the girl and picked up a book.

Books had become his only escape, when he wasn't training. He only trained during the night anyway. Kabuto had begun calling him a nocturnal rat a few weeks ago, courtesy of his training habits.

Sakura coughed and he looked up. She vomited once again on the stone floor. Finally, he said, "I'm sure Kabuto has something for whatever it is that you have."

Sakura only shook her head. It wasn't like he cared, he only wanted her out of his sight. Her actions (or rather lack of) unnerved him, somehow. She would usually have said something by now, if she had been in her right mind.

He just shrugged it off and continued reading. The sun began to set, according to the window in his room, and still Sakura did not move. She only stood there, occasionally puking.

Kabuto came around about eight o'clock for dinner. By that time, the sun had completely set, and Sasuke was getting annoyed with Sakura's presence. He knocked on the door and entered. The wooden door hit Sakura, but she neither flinched nor moved. She only stared at the ground in front of her.

Kabuto saw the small pile of vomit, but for the moment ignored it. "Dinner's ready, Nocturnal Rat, unless you want to search the trashcans, c'mon girl." He motioned to Sakura. Still staring at her feet, she shuffled after him. Sasuke came, more reluctantly. He was still reading as he trailed behind the two.

Orochimaru and the two other girls were sitting at a large table. The three empty chairs were quickly filled as Kabuto, Sasuke, and Sakura sat down. Roast duck, ramen, inari, and dumplings filled the table.

Sasuke immediately filled his plate and began eating. Kabuto and Orochimaru followed suit. The two girls reluctantly took some food, but Sakura still didn't move. She only sat there as everyone ate.

Sasuke watched Sakura. She didn't speak, smile, not even move. This was beginning to worry him. Whenever he had seen Sakura eat, she would eat as much as Kakashi, sometimes even more.

Now, sitting there, staring at the wooden table, she didn't even make eye contact with him. Finally Orochimaru coughed and said, "Eat, girl, the food's not poisoned, you know."

Kabuto gave the plate of dumplings a nudge in Sakura's direction. She blinked, but didn't move. Finally, still staring at a burn spot on the table, she took a dumpling and ate it quietly.

The other two girls stared at her as they finished their plate of food. The first girl hadn't even chewed half a dumpling. There was something seriously whack with her.

Sasuke, Orochimaru, and Kabuto watched as Sakura set the other half on the table and wipe her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Well, Kabuto, show those three back to their rooms. Sasuke, I would like a word with you," Orochimaru said, slowly. Kabuto nodded to Orochimaru and did as he was told.

Sasuke remained. Opening his book, he pretended to zone Orochimaru out. The Sannin didn't like this, and got his revenge by grabbing the book and chucking it across the room.

"You should thank me boy, I just gave you a chance to revive your clan," Orochimaru sneered. Sasuke choked on his spit. So that was what the creepy man had had in mind.

The Uchiha really ought to have thanked him, but this only made Sasuke angry.

"You bastard! What am I supposed to do for you now? Reciprocity and all that? I know how you think!"

Orochimaru chuckled dangerously. "Is that so? I'm not asking for anything in return, so you can eat your words. Until you make up your mind on this, I'll have more blankets brought into your room."

Sasuke stormed out, too angry to practice, he had training with Orochimaru tomorrow anyway, and so one night didn't matter. Slamming the door to his room, he remembered he wasn't alone.

Sakura was huddled in a corner with Kabuto coaxing her to swallow three pills. He had succeeded with the first two, but was having trouble on the third pill.

"Oh, come on, don't make me force it down your throat," Kabuto groaned, prying Sakura's mouth open. She tried to wrench out of his grasp, but failed. He stuffed the pill into her mouth. Sakura gagged, but swallowed the pill.

Standing up, the Sound medic rushed out of the door, giving Sasuke a dry smile before leaving.

Sasuke scowled in Kabuto's direction and fell on his bed. Sakura sat, hiccupping, curled in a ball. Her eyes said she was terrified. She had been there for at least eight hours, but still not a word passed through her lips.

Sakura had sure changed in the half of a year since he had last seen her. It seemed as if she wasn't in her right mind, almost as if she was empty.

Her emptiness was frightening, even to Sasuke. He, however, chose to ignore her. She only sat there shaking until Kabuto unceremoniously threw blankets into the room. Sasuke picked the blankets up and set them next to Sakura.

She grabbed the top blanket, a simple blue one and wrapped it around herself. Sasuke retreated to his bed and lay on his side, facing his ex-teammate.

After an hour, she still hadn't moved. Sasuke began drifting asleep. He heard Kabuto come by and lock the door. The click startled Sakura and she squeaked.

That was the first noise Sakura had made since throwing up. Finally, Sasuke fell asleep completely.

He woke up to the sun shining in his face. Sakura was gone, but it didn't bother him. Stretching, he walked to the bathroom down the hall. Stripping off his clothes, he stepped into the cool spray of the shower.

After he had bathed, he went to breakfast and grabbed a bowl of porridge-like stuff. He gulped it down quickly before Orochimaru arrived.

"Show me your Chidori, all versions, even with your sword," Orochimaru said, and sat down. Sasuke obliged beginning with the original Chidori.

After five hours straight of training, Orochimaru called it quits. Sasuke had broken his left leg during sparring and he gingerly tested it. Wincing, he limped to his room.

"Oh, and Sasuke, any injuries you have, tell the girl to heal," Orochimaru called after him. Sasuke was inwardly going through a very long list of comebacks, but kept his mouth shut. His leg hurt too much.

When he got back, he found Sakura looking through his large stack of books. She would read parts of one set it aside, pick up another, read the title, and set it to the other side. Finally, she picked one and put the rest of the books back in order. Sakura still had the blanket draped over her shoulders, but she was dressed in blue capris, a baggy red shirt, and a white apron.

Sasuke limped over to his bed, thinking she would heal him without having to ask. He was praying for too much. She ignored him and opened the book. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He coughed to gain her attention. Placing her finger in the page, the girl looked up.

He opened his mouth a few times before words came. "Orochimaru wants you to act as my medic. I think my leg's broken." As an added effect, he pointed to his left leg. Sakura nodded, set the book down, and crawled across the room to him. Making hand seals, she placed her palms on Sasuke's leg. After five minutes, it was healed. She crawled back to her corner and her book.

Sasuke was getting tired of her lack of action. He had figured that the first second, they saw each other she would be begging him to go back to Konoha. Instead, she hadn't even uttered a word. Finally, he cracked, saying, "Are you going to beg me to go back to Konoha, like you did last time?"

Sakura shook her head. He was definitely irritated with her. "Why?"

Sakura looked up at him with pleading eyes. "It doesn't matter anymore," she whispered.

The first words she said, had cried out louder than anything. She spoke it so sadly, so softly, they echoed in his ears. "It doesn't matter anymore." They were the worst words she could have said.

Sasuke didn't push it any farther and she continued reading.

He judged the time by the sun, about three o'clock. They weren't due for dinner for five hours. Kabuto usually checked in about six thirty, so he picked up the top book and looked at the cover.

Glancing over at Sakura, he realized, she had taken his book. But, rather than steal it back from her, he just shrugged, and read the other book.

At six thirty-five, Kabuto knocked and entered. He held a pill for Sakura to take. Walking over to the girl, he ignored Sasuke. Sasuke only glanced up before continuing to read.

After forcing a pill down her throat, Kabuto stood up and faced Sasuke. "How's your leg?" Sasuke was about to take this as a serious question until he saw the slight smirk on his face.

"Die, Kabuto, die," Sasuke said, casually pulling out a kunai.

"Are you planning on throwing that at me?" Kabuto replied snickering.

"I'm still contemplating between stabbing you to death, or slicing you in two. I actually prefer the former, though." Sasuke laughed dryly.

Kabuto rolled his eyes and left.

Sakura pulled a face over in the corner. "Is there any reason why he gave me a birth control pill?"

Sasuke looked startled, then angry. "KABUTO!"

---

Five days later, the six headed back to Sound village. No one ambushed them, much to Sasuke's disappointment. Sakura still had the blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

Sasuke looked worriedly in the pink haired girl's direction. Kabuto saw his discomfort.

"We made it look like she was dead. Nobody will follow after us."

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke continued walking. As they continued on their way, Sakura began lagging behind. It wasn't long until she collapsed on the road, unconscious.

Orochimaru looked back at her. "Sasuke pick her up and carry her."

Narrowing his eyes, he walked over to the girl. Unwrapping her from the blanket, he put her on his back. "Pathetic little girl, you didn't use to be this weak. I told you, you weren't fit to be a ninja."

They trekked further, but Sakura still didn't wake up. Finally as dusk was coming fast, they stopped. Sasuke dumped Sakura off his back and Kabuto sidled over to her. Placing his hand over her heart, he pumped chakra into her body.

After a minute, he pulled his hand back and checked her pulse. An eyebrow shot into his hair. Kabuto shook his head, as if to clear it.

"What?" Orochimaru asked bored.

I told you we shouldn't have given her that extra pill. She had an allergic reaction to it."

Sasuke cocked his head. "An allergic reaction? I thought medics could stop themselves from..." He stopped. Medics didn't get allergic reactions, at least not one's they couldn't flush out of their system. So why did she...?

The teen's eyes widened. "Sakura's not the suicidal type," Sasuke said. The two other girls were edging away, but stopped when Sasuke spoke.

---

A/N: No, Sakura is NOT dead. Updates might take a while on this story, since I'm revising some of my other ones, and Sakura's behavior will be explained next chapter, whenever I post it.