1A/N – Summer's almost here!

.Disclaimer.

.Chapter Five.

With a sick gush, Sakura's body slid from the Earth-nin's bloody arm like beads from a string. Shikamaru watched in horror as Sakura crumpled on the ground. His eyes were wide, his mouth open in a silent scream. His throat seemed to turn to stone, he couldn't breath, gasp or swallow.

His vision swayed slightly and he realized he was shaking his head at the sight. It wasn't true. It couldn't be true. He had the Kagemane. That Nin was wrapped in the Kagemane. He couldn't have touched Sakura. Not Sakura. Not Sakura.

Then in an instant, Shikamaru's mind was in Konoha. He saw a clear, blue sky day. That day. The scene was so bright, it was almost washed out. The sound of cicadas buzzing was thick in the air.

"Take care of her, Shikamaru. Make sure nothing happens to her." He told him.

"Kakashi will watch out for her." Shikamaru said shaking his head and smiling at the boy.

"Team Seven's not like Team Ten." He said almost wistfully. For a second, the smallest of seconds, Shikamaru had been taken back by the look on his face. It was something like sorrow… longing even… Before Shikamaru could study it further, the expression was gone.

He had on that closed-eyed grin, that fox grin. "We're more trouble than we're worth and we're all too into ourselves." He folded his arm behind his head and laughed that obnoxiously loud laugh.

Shikamaru stayed quite looking at the blonde. He finally quieted down and after another moment spoke again.

"I think we need someone on the outside to watch out for us. Someone who's not so invested. Who sees everything for what it is…"

Shikamaru lifted a brow. "Which is…?"

He shrugged and gave an easy grin. "I don't know, I'm invested."

Shikamaru tilted his head to the side, looking at the blonde like he had never seen him before. It was indeed known to be true that every once in awhile, the boy would throw out nuggets of deep reflection and insight. But it was so rare, that it had become myth.

"I didn't even know you knew the word 'invested'."

"I'm full of surprises." He laughed shortly before his tone turned solemn again. "Promise. Promise me you'll keep on eye on her. Watch out for her."

"I promise, Naruto."

That bright day on the steps to the Hokage's office faded to black. The quite breeze rushed away and the buzzing insects stopped abruptly into silence. His eyes began to focus again, the corners of his vision blurry and dark, the center held the Earth-nin with Sakura at his feet. Her body was crumpled like a forgotten doll, a gaping bloody wound in her back.

The sound of her own blood dripping down from his arm and onto her skin was deafening.

"Hokage's apprentice, right?" The earth-nin chuckled as he reached down for her body.

At the sound of his voice Shikamaru's mind jolted, sending his thoughts whirling in rage and confusion, in denial and shock. The emotions were so overwhelming that he couldn't even think coherently. His body willed itself to go to her, but he couldn't move. He tried to scream, only to vaguely realize that he was screaming, but no sound was coming out. Frantically, he struggled, strained against the invisible binds to reach her.

His muscles screamed at the pain caused by fighting the jutsu he was under. Shikamaru realized he couldn't breath-

The Earth-nin pulled Sakura up, his dirty hand wrapping itself in her beautiful hair. Shikamaru's internal struggle increased, violently. His mind screamed at him to stop the Nin, to get to Sakura.

He held onto Sakura in such a way that she faced Shikamaru. His eyes darted down to her. The second he locked onto her wide empty eyes, his heart stopped in his throat.

Those bright, sea-green eyes, were now glassy, vacant. Empty.

"Don't worry, kid. Sometimes nothing can be done." The Earth-nin drawled as he turned and began to drag Sakura's body into the forest. Shikamaru watched her unseeing eyes, terror and rage filling him further.

Just before the Nin reached the line of the trees, he adjusted his grip on Sakura and swung her over his shoulder like a bag. He leapt up into the trees without looking back.

A scream pushed against Shikamaru's throat and with a frantic violent rush it erupted. His scream echoed in the broken clearing and into the dark surrounding forest. Shikamaru collapsed forward from the sudden release of the genjutsu, landing on his knees and forearms. Tears and sweat poured down his face and his left hand was sticky with blood.

His heart beat so violently that it felt like a hammer in his head. He could barely see the grass in front of him, his body shaking with massive tremors, causing his teeth to chatter.

Shikamaru squeezed his eyes shut and willed himself to calm down. Taking deep breaths he tried to reason with himself. It wasn't real. He was caught up in a genjutsu. Sakura was fine. She was safe.

Taking shuddering, open-mouth breaths, Shikamaru turned his left hand over to see a deep diagonal slash surrounding a bloody kunai. His brows dipped to confusion. He didn't feel any pain.

His eyes slipped closed for the smallest of seconds. He was mentally exhausted and shaken. He tried to push it away, but after being assaulted by two massive terror jutsus, Shikamaru could barley think straight.

It was a genjutsu, his mind repeated. Methodically, his mind went into autopilot, back tracking and explained the situation.

Shikamaru looked into the black sunken eyes, he heard that roar. Nothing but an illusion had occurred and he had broken it by focusing on the pain in his hand.

Another part of his psyche, the small whisper that always knew the truth spoke. The pain. He didn't feel any pain. Not then and not know. His body was numb. Whether because Shikamaru was exhausted or because he refused, he didn't hear it.

Shikamaru opened his eyes, allowing them to focus on the individual blades of grass between his forearms. An illusion. It wasn't real. Sakura was safe.

Slowly, to avoid a head rush, Shikamaru looked up. His eyes immediately went to the spot where Sakura once stood, only to see Lee slumped on the ground unconscious. He tuned his head frantically around the clearing, searching for her. He saw Akamaru and Kiba sleeping just behind him. His vision began to spin and his stomach rolled at his panicked movements.

Slowly he turned back to where Sakura had been. His eyes narrowed, and his hands clenched onto the grass. His eyes were intently focused on the ground where she fell. Shikamaru gripped the kunai blade, digging it into his fresh wound. Slowly, his body began to feel the sting of the blade.

Shakily, Shikamaru pushed himself up, his breathing labored and his eyes wide. Blood dripped between his knuckles and fingers gathering in droplets. His body was raked with more tremors as he made his way to Lee.

His eyes were glued to the spot where Sakura had stood, locked on what remained. They ran over the path the Earth-nin had taken, dragging her body. An illusion. An illusion. It wasn't…

"Sakura…" He whispered hoarsely. His mind fought the shock and numbness. It was an illusion, he had to find her, he needed a plan to find her. His mind was willing the next course of action, but his body wasn't registering it. Despite what he kept repeating over and over in his mind, every nerve in his being, every cell was telling him that what he saw was real.

By the time he got to Lee, Shikamaru collapsed beside him and with a gentle slap of chakra, Lee began to stir.

"Wha…" Lee pushed himself up, one hand on his head. With sudden recognition and alarm, Lee shot up into a fighting pose. He didn't notice a lost Shikamaru beside him. He looked to see Kiba and Akamaru sleeping almost peacefully across the clearing and then glanced down to see Shikamaru.

"What happened? Are you okay? Where's Sakura?" He rang off in a barely controlled panic. When Shikamaru didn't answer, Lee stooped down and grabbed his shoulders. Shikamaru looked at him with wide empty eyes, completely in shock.

"Where's Sakura?!" Lee repeated, Shikamaru's state making him think the worse.

Shikamaru's gaze fell back to where Sakura had stood and then to the tree line. Lee looked to see a fresh pool of blood and a smeared trail that stopped at the canopy.

Three Earth-nins ran frantically through the trees, as if their very death was chasing them. With their eyes wide and their hearts in their ears, each of them played back the scene in their minds over and over. It wouldn't be till two hours passed that they would pause at a small stream to rest for a few moments. The youngest broke the silence.

"What the hell happened back there?! And why the fuck was Akats-" Before the young Earth-nin could finish his sentence, his teammate grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against a tree trunk.

"Don't say that name!" He hissed, as if the entire organization would suddenly appear around them.

"Let go of him, Issui." Said the tallest and oldest of the group, his almond eyes narrowing in a glare.

Issui let go. He shook out his hands and turned his neck this way and that. He walked away from the sputtering boy as if he had just awakened from a nap. The boy sent an angry glare at him and then pulled himself together.

Issui....! The fact that they showed up was most likely all his fault! He always had to drag out fights. And not even in the fun way. No, he had to physiological torment his enemies. The damn sadist.

The young nin voiced his thoughts, "It was probably your jutsu that alerted them! Why'd you pull such a high level jutsu anyway? They were just a bunch of chuunin."

"Aww, Tonbo, I hardly ever get to do my Ninmen Juushin jutsu." Issui's tone was friendly and causal. As if he had just given the boy a friendly pat on the back instead of attacking him. Issui stooped to rinse his face in the stream. "Besides, that girl had pink hair." He added as if it explained everything.

Tonbo looked to the oldest and saner of his teammates, Kisen, and exchanged a glance. Tonbo shook his head disregarding the comment, then muttered under his breath, "We didn't even get the scroll."

Issui's demeanor changed on the spot, causing Tonbo to clench his fist. He looked Issui up and down with a scowl, prepared for anything. He was such a loose canon. No, maybe that wasn't even the term for him. He was just psycho.

"I was about to when they showed up." He said icily, his wide blue eyes snapping into a glare.

"Those Leaf-nin have to be dead." Kisen murmured as he filled up his water bottle.

Tonbo shook his head again. The simple truth was that as soon as Issui sensed their presence, he hightailed it out of there leaving Tonbo and Kisen to chase after him.

"How'd you sense them? Aren't they supposed to be semi-gods or something?" Tonbo asked. Kisen straightened and glanced at Issui, equally curious.

Akatsuki was absolutely infamous in Iwaga. Other countries like to keep they're existence on a need to know bases (usually meaning ANBU to a few high level Jounin), but even civilians knew of Akatsuki in Earth's shinobi village. However, they didn't know much. Actually the sum of common knowledge was that they were a group of incredible powerful missing-nins. Therefore they were more like legends than anything tangible to most shinobi.

"I felt that genjutsu slide on me." Issui muttered, looking serious for once, his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides "I was right in the middle of mentally killing that girl, and making her friend watch, when something hit me." His eyes darted to the side, narrowing in suspicion "… The whole clearing actually."

Must have slid over the Leaf-nin, Tonbo thought. He scooped a hand full of water and rinsed his face. Perhaps the Akatsuki had been hired for that scroll too. They were lucky to get out alive.

Issui went on with a shrug, "The second that went down, I knew I had to get out of there."

"Yeah, thanks for warning us." Kisen said calmly, the sarcasm needing no tone to come across. Issui laughed and leapt up into the trees.

Tonbo and Kisen watched him leave before looking at each other.

"I hate him." Tonbo finally announced before both shinobi jumped after him.

Kisame watched the genjutsu user approach the Leaf-nin. He spared a glanced at Itachi. Those red eyes swept the scene. He calmly ran through scenarios and formulated plans. Kisame's sharp eyes darted around the people below, his fingers twitching for Samehada. He glanced at Itachi again.

As usual, Itachi wasn't going to fill Kisame in till the last minute, and in situations like this, Kisame got impatient. To be absolutely honest, he got all excited watching the battle between the Leaf-nins. It was like a child watching kids play at the playground. Kisame just wanted to join in.

Kisame's mind replayed the most exciting scenes.

Her skin glimmering a beautiful green. Her hair floating as if it was underwater, glowing with raw power. No hesitation in her eyes, no fear. Only steely determination. The boy wrapped in that eerie darkness, wisping off him like smoke. His mind gone. Carnal. Pure instinct. A monster.

The collision of their power was both extraordinary and impressive. The shock wave ran through the clearing, lifting the edges of his cloak and ruffling his hair. For a few seconds he could feel that energy dancing on his skin.

Kisame's eyes had dilated at the sensation, and his mouth practically watered with anticipation. His muscles were tensed and coiled for release. Itachi actually had to put a hand on his shoulder to keep him from joining in.

And it's a good thing he did, because poor Kisame would have ended up very disappointed. The little ninja's powers proved to be fleeting. The impact drained them both completely. If Kisame had jumped in, he would have been left just standing there… awkwardly watching as the Leafs gathered around their teammate...

Still he was rather envious about the fact that Sakura got to go all out, use everything she had to stop her enemy. Kisame never got to do that. It really wasn't fair.

Then there was that other kid.

There was something both unsettling and exciting about watching that boy lose himself in the berserker jutsu. Watching him become a monster, a demon. There are few things that Kisame thought he should avoid. Things that he should look away from. Yet he couldn't. He should've. Kisame couldn't entertain thoughts of losing control.

He tried to remind himself why, but the temptation was too much. It was like asking a starving man not to smell the food cooking. Kisame watched that monster. Completely and utterly free. Reckless with raw power. No regard for anything.

Kisame was almost salivating at the thought…

It wasn't until she entered the fray that he was able to tear his envious eyes off that monster.

Even after the month of surveillance, Kisame had no idea she possessed such power. Watching her training, it seemed her power came from chakra reserves and summoning it at the right moments. Yet he didn't realize just how much she had reserved. Chances were she wouldn't be able to do something like that again for a very long time.

Though, the thought of seeing her battle again with such strength was tantalizing. Kisame's fingers twitch for Samehada. He was so ready to kick some ass.

Screw the plan. Kisame was ready to tear limbs apart. Like a little kid trying to sneak by the babysitter to the cookie jar, Kisame reached for Samehada. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Itachi's reaction.

Itachi's eyes quickly shifted form the scene below to Kisame. His brows dipped a fraction. That was all that was needed to tell Kisame that they would not be going in melee style, or another way that could possibly be an iota of fun.

Kisame let out a disappointed sigh and waited for Itachi to move into action so he could follow his lead. He flexed his hands and took a deep breath to calm himself down. Itachi was such a kill joy.

His eyes shifted to the scraggily Earth-nin. His sharp eyes looked over him. Genjutsu user, Kisame concluded. That berserk jutsu was indeed impressive, definitely an S-class.

His eyes darted back to her. Her chakra was dangerously low. Now she seemed seconds away from passing out. She stood close to that weird looking kid (the one that looked like the guy that kicked him in the head years ago… Kisame had yet to get that guy back…).

Kisame raised a brow at the shadow that was extending behind the Earth-nin, moving straight for him like a snake. It was the second time he'd seen the technique during this battle. It was from Ponytail-kid, and Kisame wasn't entirely sure what it did. At first he thought it froze people in their tracks, but Dog-boy had just jumped away like nothing.

Kisame watched with vague interest as a black hand emerged from the shadows and rose toward the Earth-nin's neck. The Earth-nin looked up to the boy, his eyes deep black holes, and roared.

Itachi's hands flew into hand seals and Kisame knew he was interfering with the genjutsu.

Kisame's eyes narrowed slightly. Great. Knowing Itachi he'd fight the whole damn battle using genjutsu.

If you asked Kisame, nothing was gayer than fighting without actually fighting. Not that anyone ever did….

Kisame let out an annoyed puff of breath. Sometimes he wished he had a partner like Hidan, or Deidara. Those two knew how to have fun.

Suddenly the Earth-nin looked at Sakura and then tensed up. Without warning he took to the trees and shot out of there. Sakura slumped to the ground unconscious while Ponytail-kid was still trapped in the genjutsu.

Kisame raised a brow and looked back at Itachi, who to his surprise, looked equally confused.

"What happened?" Kisame voiced needlessly, looking between the scene and Itachi. He was trying really hard to keep the growing smirk off his face as he drew his own conclusions.

"…I think he detected me…" Itachi admitted, looking almost baffled.

Kisame let out a small chuckle and a fanged smile began to appear. Itachi sent him a quick glare. This made Kisame laugh out loud.

"I think you're slip-"

"I'm not slipping." Itachi defended, his voice just barley emphasizing the word.

This made Kisame's eyes light up with mirth. It wasn't often that Itachi's acted like the 19-year old that he was. And this was defiantly a bit of young man's pride coming out. Perhaps Itachi had gotten too comfortable with being the best… Kisame mentally dismissed the thought, but pressed anyway.

"I think you're slipping." Kisame repeated, trying to get Itachi to further react.

Itachi refused to give Kisame .

Shaking his head Kisame glanced at the scene below, intrigued. His fingers twitched at the thought of someone being able to detect Itachi's presence. Really Kisame couldn't remember the last time Itachi was caught interfering in someone else's jutsu. He had perfected that technique himself. Man, Kisame grinned at the idea of fighting someone like that.

Itachi read Kisame easily and was quick to take away any smidgen of joy. "He was a genjutsu user, he would have just thrown you into one of those and the battle would have been over."

Kisame's grin was wiped clean and he looked deadpanned at the sleeping Leaf-nins below. With both prides poked at, both silently agreed not to bring up the issue again.

"Get the girl, Kisame-san. She should be out for hours, if not a few days. She's extremely chakra drained."

Kisame's embarrassment was forgotten at his realization. That was it? Kisame frowned as he jumped down to the forest floor.

How absurdly anticlimactic.

Kakashi couldn't remember the last time he had actually been around Sakura for longer than a few minutes. He was not pleased with the realization.

Though… it wasn't that he wasn't there. Quite the contrary.

When Sakura worked late in the hospital, pulling all-nighters, Kakashi was usually somewhere in the building, keeping an eye on her chakra signature. When she finally left well after mid-night, he made sure she got home safe.

At the tower, when she was cooped up in her office, Kakashi could hang out in the lobby, or the on-call room. He practically wandered around the halls for hours. Everyone assumed he had some business, so he was never bothered.

In fact, Kakashi didn't think anyone was wise to him. Sakura was either much too focused on whatever she was doing, or she was stuck in her head.

If he thought about it, it was actually something that made him nervous. That Sakura wasn't constantly aware of her surroundings. But whenever he would find himself mentally scolding her, he would stop himself, chalking it up to his ingrained jaded paranoia.

She was in the safety of her hometown, after all.

Besides, Kakashi looked out for her. Though, for the last two months he had been away on a mission.

So that's why he currently stood in the records room. He's been here countless times before, standing in front of a certain green tin cabinet, the third in the second row. Labeled "Ha. – Ho."

This habit of two years didn't start out like this. He's not sure when instead of just ambling into the records room (which, arguably, he had a right to do so… technically…), he began to creep in, silently, as if he was… infiltrating. Instead of the small preference to enter when the room was empty, he diligently waited until any Chuunins retrieving, adding or organizing documents were done. He used to casually come in when he had time, now it was a priority. He didn't always have to do this.

He used to go to Tsunade personally. She quickly got annoyed with his visits. She called it "Constant pestering and meddling (Kakashi was sure that she exaggerated the frequency of his visits).", saying that Sakura was no longer his student.

Kakashi never commented.

If Tsunade did not have the time or patience to update him, then Kakashi would find out himself. He simply began to read every evaluation Tsunade and Shizune wrote. Kakashi was so diligent in his checkups, that it came to the point that he began to place a seal on the file.

It was a common jutsu placed on scrolls or other important documents. Normally it was place on delivery items to inform the client if their hired shinobi had checked on the contents (the Hokage herself often placed it on packages).

When Kakashi used it, he knew when somebody had opened the file, presumably to write something new in (the handwriting always told him that Shizune was quite diligent in her posts. Tsunade was not).

While he was away, his seal was broken. So one of the two women had opened the file.

Kakashi gingerly picked her file out of the cabinet. Reflexively he scanned the small room and the hall outside. It was around lunchtime, and people were in their offices or heading out to pick up some fast-food. He didn't slide the cabinet shut, nor did he lean against the row of tall metal cabinets behind him.

He really didn't have to be so wary, so careful…

She's his student after all. His own comments are on her file. But he hasn't written anything in almost two years. He flicked opened the folder, his fingers running over familiar pages. Without really registering, his eyes scanned and read a few scrappy lines.

"Smart. Natural with chakra control. Good instincts. Lack of initiative." He frowned at himself; he always did when he saw that. It was written after Wave Country. While Sasuke and Naruto each had pages of evaluation, that was really all he had written for Sakura.

The truth was that neither Kakashi, the boys, nor herself, had expected much from her. He moved on quickly before his mind could expand more on the subject. His eyes scanned another page, from the academy. Her first year.

"Very emotional and self-conscious. While the other children are carefree and completely oblivious to their appearance, she is extremely aware of herself. Very sensitive to others and painfully shy. However, she is very quick to learn abstract concepts. Maybe a better home-base strategist. A civilian child may never be able to keep up on the battle field."

Kakashi flipped to one of the more recent evaluations written by Tsunade. "Raw talent. Serious. Dedicated. Amazing chakra control and a quick learner. Unbreakable."

A small smile of pride found itself on his lips. He remembered the first time he read that. Tsunade had written that after one training session with Sakura. He had been in shock. His Sakura? Serious? Dedicated?

His mind could roll over those words, consider them. Eventually justify them. But the last…

Unbreakable.

He stared at that word for a long time that day. It made him examine every single moment he spent with the girl. Rethink everything he knew about her.

Serious. Dedicated…. About Sasuke maybe.

Though the more he thought of it, he realized that Sakura was capable of giving up her entire being for a goal. Actually, she did.

Kakashi remembered the rare times in which he spoke with Asuma about Sakura and Ino. While Kakashi had a feeling there was so much more to the girls' relationship than what could be seen at face value, the bottom line was that Sakura gave it up. For a purpose.

While it appeared to be an asinine and completely delusional goal, executed in all the wrong ways, a fool still has to be given their credit.

The point was that Sakura fully and completely committed, and changed herself from that painfully shy girl.

Along with the other Jounin senseis, Kakashi had read the academy evaluations, and none of the other children had changed during those years. They each went in with exteriors that were outgoing, loud, quite, shy, lazy, or confident and graduated at 12, outgoing, loud, quite, shy, lazy, or confident.

Save for two. Sakura and Sasuke. Sasuke, for obvious reasons. And Sakura, because of her own will. And Kakashi suspected that Sakura changed from that shy little girl into the quick-temper adolescent for more reasons than just Sasuke.

So technically, Kakashi assured himself, he had already known that Sakura could be serious and dedicated. And it had occurred to him that they were admiral qualities for a ninja to have. That is, if they were aimed in the right direction. Which Sakura would eventually do. When she grew up, put away childish things.

However, Kakashi just didn't think that Sakura would grow up anytime soon. And to be honest, he didn't want her to.

In Kakashi's mind, growing up as a ninja meant something completely different than what's taught at the academy. And he didn't want that for Sakura.

He didn't want her to become a jaded shinobi. Someone who constantly looks over their shoulder, never letting their guard down. Someone who has to put an effort to see any color, any real beauty in the world. Someone who keeps people at arms length.

Because that's what happens to the best. The ones that are skilled enough to survive, the ones that will cheat death. They're left alone.

Sakura's young. She's emotional. She gives so much of herself without a thought, or even a realization of the consequences. And to Kakashi it's an absolutely beautiful and dangerous thing.

Naruto does it, in his own way. Naruto throws parts of himself left and right to people he barley knows. And Kakashi thinks that Naruto can do that. Because he's Minato's son.

Naruto's a fortress. Naruto's grown up unprotected. And because of it, e's a conundrum. Because while Naruto gives little pieces of himself out, he does keep people at arms length. He's learned to. He doesn't show them his grief. His pain. The boy isn't always composed of determined sunshine and loud cheery rainbows. Naruto has been though hardships no child should go through.

But Naruto has. Naruto has been hungry for love all his life. For someone to care for him. For someone to care for. He's had to experienced the excruciating pain of love being denied to him, and having no idea why. And Kakashi knows that when Naruto finally found people to care about, people to care for him, he was absolutely terrified of losing them.

Because Kakashi knows what it's like to wake up one day and realize that you have something to lose. And it's both exhilarating and utterly horrifying

And it's almost ridiculous, and pathetically sad, because when that happened to him, Naruto had no idea how to go about it.

Kakashi remembers being around Rin, and awkwardly trying to tell her, show her, somehow make her know that she meant something to him.

And a lot of those times, when he watched his three together, Naruto had that lost expression. Like he's trying so hard to do the right thing, to be good in their eyes.

Because Naruto is broken. He's not used to just being around people he loves. He's new to it. He needs constant attention, verbal confirmation that they remember he's there. Because there's nothing Naruto hates more than being ignored, forgotten.

And Sasuke.

When Kakashi looks at Sasuke he sees himself. So maybe that's why he's not so sympathetic.

Sasuke's cold. He pushes others away. He's single minded. He's arrogant. Sasuke has an ideal of what strength is. It's the same one Kakashi used to believe in.

No emotions. No attachments. No weakness.

Sasuke had said it was because they were distractions, and maybe Sasuke really believes that, but Kakashi knows the truth. Knows why those rules exist.

Because emotions are powerful, attachments are deep and sacred, and they can completely destroy you.

And Sasuke's been destroyed before. He's lost everything. He was betrayed by a person he loved and all his precious people taken away. Sasuke is shattered.

So Kakashi pushed Sasuke, he pushed Naruto. He wanted them to learn that they could have precious people. He wanted them to be strong so they could protect their precious people.

Something Kakashi won't even admit to himself, is that he is broken. Kakashi is shattered. And he doesn't know how to fix that. He can't fix the boys. No matter how hard he tries, he can't fix any of them.

All he knows, what he believes in, is that when he's stronger, he can protect the people he loves, and that gives him validation. He knows that Naruto's the same way. Naruto and Kakashi think that's all they can really do for the people they love, be strong.

Because even though Kakashi is broken and shattered, the people that he loves make him feel whole. Complete. Cherished.

And Kakashi wants the boys to feel that. He wants Team Seven to feel whole. Kakashi wants to fix the boys the only way he knows how, and he wants to keep Sakura from breaking, from shattering.

Desperately, he wanted to protect her. In the back of his mind, something that he never really consciously registered, was that the one thing Kakashi wanted most was to protect them. Protect them from everything.

He tried in his own way to protect the boys. Though, it was too late for Sasuke, and even Naruto.

But Sakura.

He could keep her from harm, emotional, mental, physical, everything. Kakashi could protect her from anything that sought to harm her.

Sakura was a normal, a well adjusted girl that acted her age. She had two parents that loved her dearly and encouraged her to follow her dreams. All her silliness, her snobbery, he didn't think he needed to fix it. They were childish traits that normal children had, things that she would grow out of with time. All of Sakura's faults would fix themselves, through growing up and life experiences. Sakura deserved to live her life and grow up at her own pace, she actually had the chance too. That couldn't be said for the rest of Team Seven.

Because the glaring truth is that while Naruto and Sasuke are broken and shattered, Sakura is whole and complete.

And Kakashi wants Team Seven to be whole and complete and revolve around the only member that actually is. Because Kakashi believes that somehow, someway, Sakura can fix them all. She can make them all whole.

And Kakashi can't even contemplate the possibility of anything ever happening to Sakura because she's the only thing in his life that isn't broken or shattered.

Because if she breaks, if she shatters, Kakashi knows that he can't fix her.

Kakashi reads that word again. Unbreakable. Kakashi's not quite sure if he believes it, but he would give his life for it to be true.

He looks to see that there are no new papers in her file, no new comments. He flips through the papers again, because he knows someone has opened the folder since he's looked last. His brows dip.

He is both annoyed at Tsunade and Shizune for not writing anything new and wondering who else would have looked through Sakura's file. He's further irked by the fact that it coincides with the time that he was away.

It makes it seem like no one has been keeping an eye on Sakura.

Kakashi hates that. Because not a day passes that Kakashi doesn't check on her and make sure she's safe.

Since Naruto left, his thoughts had been consumed with her safety. When he wakes up, when he's training, when he's away on a mission, when he's with friends, when he's falling asleep, his mind drifts to her.

If Kakashi was completely honest with himself, painfully honest, he's become obsessed.

And even if he did admit it, Kakashi wouldn't be all that surprised with himself. Because Sakura's the last part of his team.

There is something harrowing, absolutely demoralizing about having your students taken from you, having them seek out new teachers, for any reason. Whether for their own good or to meet their goals.

Because it kills Kakashi that he can't protect Naruto from Akatsuki. It destroys him that he didn't stop Sasuke. It's almost physically painful that Sakura felt the need to go find another teacher because she felt he wouldn't prepare her.

And he doesn't blame any of them, because something that Kakashi accepts as a blaring fact, is that it's all his fault.

It's a truth, a burden, a guilt that would drive any man to the depths of insanity. And Kakashi knows he would be mad by now. He would be dead if it wasn't for that promise. A promise that he made to Rin so many years ago. Rin, with those all-seeing russet eyes, is what keeps him sane.

He begins to put Sakura's folder back. He frowns to himself and places a flat palm over the top cover and places a new seal. Kakashi's brows dip as his mind runs over that fact again.

There's no reason for someone to open Sakura's file unless they were making an evaluation (himself excluded), which is the only reason Tsunade does.

Kakashi's shinobi instincts tell him something's amiss, and when it comes to Sakura, his paranoia doubles. He senses chakra signatures enter the building and he realizes lunch is over. He's been there for forty-five minutes.

He shakes his head. He's almost as bad as Sakura, getting lost in his head and letting his thoughts runaway with him.

He closes the cabinet and turns to leave the dim room. He glances at the open blinds. From here he can see the restaurant he's suppose to meet her at tonight.

For all that he's been watching her, checking on her progress, today was the first in a very long time that Kakashi had actually spoken to her.

He frowns at himself and it hits him how creepy that sounds. He makes another face and wonders if he's turned into that guy. He shakes his head. He has his reasons for being so sneaky, for not seeing her. And it's not all the missions he's been assigned lately.

But he's looking forward to seeing her. As Kakashi walks down the stairs and out into the sunshine, his footsteps are light. The corners of his mouth are pulled up and his eyes are soft. The sky is a crystal blue filled with full voluminous clouds. He realizes something, and it catches him off guard.

Kakashi is going to be with one of his students. Sakura. And he is whole.

Sakura stared at the only door in the room. Her hands clenched the sheets of the twin bed she found herself in. Her body was tense and her eyes wide at the unfamiliar surroundings. Cautiously she looked over the tiny little room.

The floors were a clean and dark wood paneling; the walls were covered in fresh, white, unframed rice paper. An old armoire stood in front of her and a small bedside cabinet was to her right. A simple lantern hung in the center of the room, barley hiding the bulb inside.

After the initial shock, Sakura reflexively checked to see if she had her weapons on her. Her mind whirled forward, calculating every scenario, and gathering every little resource. Just like she was trained too. Prepare for the worst.

For a kunoichi, waking up in unfamiliar surroundings was practically the equivalent of a flashing red sign saying, "You're kidnapped. You're kidnapped."

Sakura's mind automatically rolled over the basics.

So without weapons-

Wait.

Still in shock, Sakura had only glanced at her hips and had to do a double take to realize the leather pouches were actually there. She quickly opened them. Kunai, explosives, wire, poisons, senbon, light bombs, and smoke bombs. She checked the other side, a scroll, a file, mirror, antidotes, map, and more kunai.

What…?

Sakura scanned her surroundings again. In every scenario she had ever heard off or studied, the prisoner was always striped of their weapons. That was even Konoha's own prisoner protocol.

Sakura dipped her brows in confusion; almost absently she sent a simple chakra scan through her body. She looked for chakra altering drugs. If a shinobi is captured it's extremely rare that they are not given a chakra suppressant. After all, a shinobi's own body is their greatest weapon.

It took way too much effort and Sakura had to pause halfway to catch her breath. She clenched her teeth, she must have been drugged.

Yet she was allowed to keep her weapons… Her instincts still flared in suspicion. Something was not right. She glared at the little room in suspicion. Where was she? What was going on?

She sniffed at the air. There was some mustiness clinging in the air, just a hint. As if the room hadn't been used in a very long time, but was recently aired out. The corners of the room still had thick layers of dust.

Sakura clenched one hand into the beige sheets under her. She made an effort to take deep breathes. Think, she told herself. Remember.

After a blank moment, her suspicion began to give way to panic and her heart sped up. She placed a hand there and tried to push it away. Her heart wouldn't slow and Sakura's mind was suddenly bombarded with memories.

A red and black world. A burst of pain. A hand piercing though her beating heart.

Sakura gasped and her eyes widened. In a rush she tugged at the zipper of her red shirt, just enough to see her heart. She looked down to see her skin smooth and unmarred.

"Genjutsu." She murmured to herself. She slowly zipped her shirt back up and looked at her surroundings as if an enemy would melt out of the walls. She clenched her teeth, trying to gather her wits. What happened? Where were the others?

Kiba? Lee? Shikamaru? Akamaru? Worry and fear closed in on her, and her grip on the sheets tightened. Were they okay? Were they alive? Her body began to shake at the thought and she tried to calm herself down. Backtrack, she told herself.

That Earth-nin had shown up and she was caught in that genjutsu. She briefly considered the least believable scenario: perhaps they had been rescued? But an ally would have taken them back to Konoha, and she would be in her familiar hospital. Sakura's eyes darted around the room again, and then narrowed.

She had to assume the worst, till proven otherwise. Each shinobi was taught what to do when captured and to expect everything. Kunoichi, double that. However, this…

She wasn't bound and the more she looked over herself, she realized she wasn't actually hurt. In fact, at most she was feeling a bit lethargic—did they drug her?

Wait, that must have been from losing all her chakra reserves fighting Kiba. Other than that, Sakura was fine. Actually, that may have been the reason her previous scan took so much out of her.

Sakura had never used so much chakra in her entire life. If she hadn't been training so intensely the last two years, it might have killed her.

Tentatively, Sakura swung her legs off the bed and scanned the room for the umpteenth time. She desperately searched for some clue. Taking each step as if there was a booby-trap in the panels of the floor, Sakura made her way to the armoire. She opened it to find it empty save for two metal hangers. The bottom of it had a thick layer of dust, a few scattered buttons and lint. One of the armoire's doors had a mirror inside of it.

Sakura looked over herself and the only thing amiss was her bed-head. Out of habit, Sakura absently put a few stray strands in place before just shaking her hair out. She retied her headband and closed the armoire.

Sakura looked back at the bed and noticed her backpack at the foot of it, formerly out of view. Sakura raised a brow at this. She went and opened it up, finding that everything was in place. Her clothing, her money, her small bag of snacks, her toiletries, everything she had packed.

Sakura tried putting all the pieces together and it just didn't add up. If she was captured, why did she have her weapons, why was she completely conscious, why was nothing taken from her? There weren't any chakra altering drugs in her body, she wasn't even bound. She glanced at the only exit. Sakura had a nagging suspicion that that door wasn't even locked.

Sakura stepped toward the door and her hand hovered over the knob—

"Fuck you, Kakuzu!"

Sakura jumped away from the door, a kunai in hand. That was a man's voice, a very angry one. With tense muscles and wide eyes Sakura watched a shadow pass by under the door. That loud voice spoke again, much closer.

"Seriously, you're supposed to have my back! Not give them ammo! You're such a dick!" A second shadow passed.

"Did you honestly think I wasn't going to tell anybody about your little accident?" Sakura paled at the sound of this voice. It was rough and it sent shivers of fear down her spine. "Really, Hidan. That was the highlight of the whole mission."

"You didn't need to announce it in a meeting! This is why you don't have any friends, you fuck!" The voice went on and on. The scary voice never interrupted and that loud voice drifted away till Sakura was left with silence.

Her knuckles were a hot white, she was gripping that kunai so fiercely. Being alone, not having any idea where she was and how she got there was enough to deal with. Two angry and scary voices just added to the confusion. Sakura stared at the door debating what to do; now she wasn't so sure of going outside—

What was she thinking? She had to figure out what the hell was going on! Where were the boys? They could be hurt. With a new resolve of steel, Sakura went for the door.

Only to almost get her face smacked as it opened. Sakura jumped back and instinctively drew chakra to her hands. The chakra veins in her hands were still raw from overuse and it only resulted in pain. She clenched her teeth and pushed it to the back of her mind. She could still defend herself, her mind tried to convince her. Sakura looked to see who entered. Her eyes widen at the sight.

It was a man. …Was it? What looked like the facial structure of a man was surrounded by two huge leafy appendages. Sakura was instantly reminded of a plant she had read about in a book once.

The green leaves—if that's what they were-- stood up like jaws, sharp points facing each other and ready to snap. If that wasn't enough to make someone stand out, the man had two skin pigmentations that cut right down the center of his face, black and white. The leafs stretched down his chest, the jaws closed there, and disappeared under his black shirt. The collar was very wide and open, accommodating him. He wore a pair of black shorts, and he was barefoot.

"Oh, did Hidan wake you?" He asked politely, only for him to speak again in a gruffer tone "He's so annoying."

Sakura didn't know what threw her off more, the man's appearance, his casual attire, or his voice change. She ignored both and cut to the chase. Her tone was tight and harsh, "Where am I?"

Her latent hostility didn't seem to faze him.

"At the compound." He said, as if that single answer would alleviate all her doubts and fears. "I'm glad you're awake. The leader is waiting for you, please follow me." He turned to leave, and then paused briefly. "I'll advise you not to try anything. Every person you may encounter here is an S-class shinobi." He stated so casually, you would think he was commenting on the weather.

"Wait—" Sakura scrambled to wrap her head around the situation, the man's cordiality was like a rug being pulled out from under her.

"Just follow, brat." Cut off that harsh tone, making Sakura tense, before she could even make sense of it, he went on "Please just be patient, the Leader will answer all of your questions. "

Sakura watched him leave and cursed her lack of chakra. She felt naked without her reserves; she might have well as been weaponless. With a sigh of annoyance she realized she really had no other options. She needed answers.

As if she was walking through the gates of hell, Sakura past the threshold and into the hall.

She took in every detail. The hallway was very wide and tall, well lit with paper lanterns. The floor was a sleek dark wood paneling, much better kept than the one in her room. In fact, Sakura could see her reflection in it. The walls were the same white rice paper finish, but only reached down half-way, wood paneling matching the floor reached up to meet it.

Sakura was rather taken aback at the pleasant interior, when he said "compound" she had expected a dark and dank look, with stone walls, and candles, and concrete everything. But then again, that wasn't what her room had hinted at. She didn't know if that alarmed her further, or reassured her.

"Just a second." The plant-man stopped short and picked up something. Sakura peered around him to see it was a large black coat, with red clouds on it. "Burn it."

Sakura lifted a brow at his comment—that coat! Her mind flew back through Sand Country, to the Dango shop to Wave Country. Kisame! Kisame!

The plant-man, oblivious to her revelation, her shocked and frozen expression, walked on. Numbly Sakura followed.

Kisame was here, then it was okay—whoa!

She cut herself off again. She didn't even know Kisame, and what she did know was that he was an S-class missing-nin. A few encounters didn't change that. Especially the circumstances she found herself in.

"Where are my teammates?" She asked the man with more ice than was probably smart. She really was in no position to be giving attitude.

"Dead."

Sakura's heart dropped into her stomach and her blood froze. Her muscles locked--

"No, they're probably back in Konoha." He then assured politely.

It took a second to catch for Sakura to breathe again. She set him a withering glare, her jaw clenched. Was he trying to be funny? Her eyes shifted as it sank in. They were back in Konoha? She was here by herself?

Sakura clenched her fist, drawing chakra only to wince in pain. She was a weakling right now. Helpless without her reserves. Completely at their mercy. Sakura barley kept herself from screaming in anger. She hadn't felt this way in so long.

Sakura pushed away those feelings and concentrated on their path. She memorized every turn and twist. Right. Right.

He paused and glanced at her and then at the cloak in his hand. "Lemmie just put this away."

He entered a large door way, leaving Sakura to linger and peek into the room. Sakura was left even more confused.

It was a relatively big room with a plush mushroom-colored carpet. Sakura spotted another doorway on the wall to the left that was rather close to where she stood. There was a large open space in front of both doorways that ended at the back of a large sofa. In one corner of the room was a very nice big-screen TV with a big comfy looking armchair straight in front of it. Between those two items was a love seat and the large sofa angled towards the television. Sakura tried to take in more details, but the plant-man was distracting her.

She watched as he neatly folded the coat and then moved to the right, directly opposite the other doorway, to a shelf of movies. Sakura unconsciously tried to read the selections. Before she could, the plant-man began to fold the coat to an even smaller proportion and then slide the thick bundle of fabric between a few cassettes. Sakura tilted her head wondering why in the world he had done that.

The plant-man turned to her, seemingly satisfied with himself and then went out the other doorway. When Sakura just stood there, he called back very impatiently, "Hurry up."

Sakura quickly went after him; she stopped, seeing that she was in another open hall again, only this one seemed slightly wider. Directly in front of her was a pair of thick stairs that went down and another that went up, side by side. There were surrounded by sliding shoji walls, but all the doors were open leaving only "V" corners. Sakura ventured forward, the downstairs seemed to disappear in thick darkness and the upstairs was minimally lit.

"Do you want to die?"

Sakura tensed and looked to the right to see him standing there. "Please don't wander off." He added politely "We're practically there."

Why does he keep doing that?! Sakura was on edge and confused enough as it was, she didn't need this guy being nice and mean at the same time. Sakura walked toward him warily and he turned to the right, passing one of the stair's corners and then immediately turned right again and entered a room.

Sakura paused noticing that the room seemed to be surrounded by corridors. She looked at the corners closes to her and noticed seals. To add to that, she could sense a genjutsu on the threshold. She tried to sense what or who was in the room, but came back with nothing. Sakura's eyes narrowed, she couldn't even hear that plant-man in there.

"Get in here." The plant-man poked his head out of the doorway. He frowned slightly as she stood frozen next to the stairs. "The genjutsu you're sensing is simply a silencing jutsu, this is the meeting room. Please come in."

Sakura steeled herself, knowing she couldn't just stand there. Logically, if there was any funny business planned, it probably would have happened by now, and in a much different manner. Sakura walked the short distance and entered the room. The floors were a raised tatami mat and the walls were that dark wood paneling from floor to ceiling. A very wide, long and low traditional table sat in the center of the room, surrounded by red futons. There were tall shoji standing lamps set in the corners.

Sakura watched the plant-man leave the room out of her peripheral then turned to the front of the room.

At the head of the table sat a man with orange hair, the color popped like a firework in the quite surroundings. The style reminded her of Naruto, but that's were the similarities ended. Each of his ears were pierced along the edges with six thick rings, and a slender bar ran straight through them. Along the bridge of his nose he had three barbells.

He sat cross-legged, wrapped in that familiar coat. They eyed each other up and down, and Sakura knew she must have look like a cat with her hackles raised. She took a deep calming breath.

"Take a seat." He said simply. His voice was smooth, calm, and if he had been smiling perhaps Sakura would have perceived it as kind. But he didn't smile. Both his brows and his mouth were relaxed, any expression imperceptible to Sakura's eyes.

She looked over the two conical studs under his lip. Sakura had never seen piercings like that and she didn't know what to make of it. Carefully, she moved to sit down across from him, on a sturdy crimson futon.

She sat on her heels, ready to spring into action at the slightest provocation. Sakura schooled her expression to be as calm and collected as his. She couldn't relax her jaw and she knew that he noticed.

Not even a minute with him and Sakura felt like nothing could escape his notice. It unnerved her, but she tried to ignore it. Desperately Sakura pulled at confidence and strength. With a fortified will, Sakura met his eyes.

Immediately she knew that they were Doujutsu eyes. A stormy grey with rings of black. Sakura searched her mind for such an eye, for any reference, any clue to what they were capable of. She knew nothing of them.

"I am Pein. The leader of Akatsuki." He explained. He paused as if he's revealed all she needed to know.

Sakura frowns slightly. She's never heard of him or Akatsuki. She wasn't sure if she should nod and pretend that she did, or admit her ignorance.

Before she could decide, his eyes widen almost insignificantly. If Sakura hadn't been watching him like a hawk, she would have missed it. Her mind was alarmed at the tiny gesture, before she could figure out why, he spoke again.

"Akatsuki is an organization of highly qualified shinobi from various countries."

Sakura's mind shot back to Kisame's headband. "Missing-nin." She corrected with suspicious eyes. And from his sentence she's told one thing about him.

He's a diplomat.

Sakura's sat in on many political meetings. She knew how they talked, how they're articulate and elegant in their language. She knew that they'd tell you something without really telling you anything. They lie while they tell the truth. They conceal and reveal at their convenience. She's dealing with a diplomat, and Sakura's set even more on edge.

"Yes." He admits easily.

And again Sakura's thrown for a loop. Diplomats don't admit when they're caught, they explain away the truth. But he had no excuses. He went on.

"You were brought here because of your abilities. We are in need of your assistance."

"My assistance?" With a raised brow she vaguely noted that he's straight to the point. Sakura clenched her hands, her mind running over his meaning. And when Sakura thought of her own usefulness, the first thing to pop up is that she's the Hokage's assistant.

Sakura glared, and spoke as plainly as he did. "You won't get any information from me."

One brow lifted up at her comment and then realization dawned on him. "Nor do I want too. Rather we are much more interested in your ninjutsu abilities."

He went on before Sakura could interrupt, his demeanor ever cool, "Let me explain."

"Akatsuki's goal is to seal the nine tailed-demons. In order to do this we need to summon a tool. This tool is called The King of Hell. At present, the scrolls required to summon it are themselves sealed away around the known countries. I believe that you may have the chakra control to help us open these seals."

Sakura rolled the proposition around in her head. She knew she had exceptional chakra control. According to Shisho, it's the kind that's someone's born with every few hundred years. Sakura's been specifically requested for certain missions because of it.

"Why did you not simply issue a mission statement from the Hokage? A formal agreement?"

"As you stated earlier, our members consist of missing-nin. The Five Great Villages do not negotiate with Missing-nins."

"And why do you think I will?" Sakura sends back, her eyes slightly narrowed.

"Missing-nin are no different from other shinobi. They complete the same missions, they commit the same crimes. It's simply a manner of allegiance. They are not confined by the place of their birth, they chose and they live for themselves."

"What's the point of banding together?"

"Everyone joins Akatsuki for different reasons. May I remind you that not all ninja villages are as peaceful or righteous as Konoha. People don't leave their villages on a whim."

Sakura's mind goes back to him. She's twelve years old, screaming, and crying at his back, begging him to take her with him.

Not much time has passed since then, but everything has changed. Sakura mentally shook the memories away.

She looked across the long table, eyeing the man. She still doesn't quite know who she's dealing with. Her gaze hardened, "If I refused to help you?"

'You will be returned to Konoha."

"Just like that?" Sakura asked, sarcasm lightly lacing her words.

"Just like that." He repeated. And Sakura doesn't believe him for a second. "However, I do not ask you to do this for free."

"I don't want anything from you." Sakura can barley keeping the mistrust out of her voice.

"Every ninja has their price, their reason." He stated, and his eyes closed for a second. When he opened them again, they are focused and they locked on hers. "I believe yours is Uchiha Sasuke."

Her eyelids snapped wide open, and there's no way she could hide her reaction. The air in her lungs disappeared and Sakura couldn't breath. She clenched her palms and her nails dug into her flesh.

There's no way she could deny that he's right.

And it didn't even occur to her. Because in that second, that little girl, that desire to bring everyone back, is alive and consuming. She's clawing at Sakura's insides with overwhelming might.

And it's not just about Sasuke. Sasuke has always symbolized something to Sakura. And right now, he symbolized all of Team Seven. Kakashi. Naruto. Together. Complete and whole.

Her mind was running wild with the very idea of getting him back. Getting all of them back. The girl that Sakura's been trying to become for the last two years is struggling for control. And she's fighting for logic, and she's fighting to drive that raw desire for her family, back into the depths of her psyche.

Sakura let out the breath she'd been holding.

"You're lying." She said without any emotion in her voice. Because it can't be that easy. If it was, Naruto would have never left, Kakashi wouldn't be such a mystery and Sasuke would be home.

Instead of responding, he placed a folder on the lacquered table. With the flick of his finger, it glided across the length of the table and settled in front of her. Her eyes darted between him and the folder.

"Go ahead." He said with a nod.

Tentatively Sakura opened it, and she saw those obsidian eyes. It's a spy's picture. The corners are covered by blurred leaves, but in the center is Sasuke.

Her eyes drink in the sight. His dark hair is the same; his skin is still pale and flawless. His face is longer, the curves of boyhood melting away. There would be tears in her eyes; a smile on her face, her heart would be filled with happiness, hope and love at the sight of him. But her eyes are dry, her teeth are clenched, her heart has sank and it's filled with sorrow, despair and hate.

Because he's wrapped in that lavender rope.

His eyes are empty. He looks like a mannequin, not even a person. This is not the boy she remembers. Sasuke is changing. Sasuke has changed.

In an instant, Sakura knows that she can't wait for Naruto to get back to Konoha. And that single thought, that truth, is like a sledge hammer to the forehead.

Sakura has to save him before it's too late.

It's almost impossible for her to tear her eyes off the photo and shift through the other papers. There's more pictures. He's younger in some of them. And it's eerie how she flips through and watches him become human again, revert to a ghost of the boy she knew. The last picture is one that almost makes her cry.

Naruto's in it. They're at the valley. And it breaks her heart to see Naruto defeated and bleeding out on the wet ground. Sasuke is walking away, his back to Naruto. To her.

She looks away and sees that there are documents that explain Orochimaru's plan in detail. Her eyes are wide, her pupils dilated in shock at what she has in her hands. The exact jutsu that will steal Sasuke's body. There's another paper that shows a timeline. It tells Sakura that Sasuke's body will be stolen in a little over a yea--

The files disappear in sudden puff of smoke and Sakura's eyes snap up to meet him.

"I'm willing to give you all the information we have on Uchiha Sasuke and Orochimaru. That is, if you agree to help Akatsuki summon the King of Hell Statue."

Sakura is so close to screaming a solid yes to him, that she has to lock her jaw. Her logical side is fighting just to breath against the tide of emotions.

It can't just be that easy. It's not that simple.

Sakura still doesn't know who these people are. She can't agree to anything. He can easily read her discomfort. Before she can think of more suspicion, he gives her details.

"If you agree, you are committing to the equivalent of a year long mission."

"A year?" Her mind jumps back to that timeline. She sees Sasuke in Orochimaru's palm. A little over a year.

"As you are, you are not strong enough to open theses seals. We plan to train you, and teach you the required jutsus. After this is done, with the information you receive, you have sufficient time to find Sasuke." His cool tone took on a casual lilt as he added, "We don't want Orochimaru in possession of the Sharingan either. In fact, we would like him dead."

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Her mind, that twelve-year-old girl whispered to her. The little girl that she was, all her desires, all her hopes were beating her, desperately begging her to agree. She whispered all the wonderful possibilities that this could mean into Sakura's ear. In just a year she could be with Team Seven. They could be together and they could be happy…

And Sakura's eyes harden and she shoved that all away, because it's just not that simple and it never will be. Her mind went to the present, to the people that were still there when Sasuke and Naruto and Kakashi left.

"Where are my teammates?" Sakura asked, her tone sharp like a blade. If anything happened to them--

"Two of my members came across your team while you were trapped in a genjutsu. They saved you." He paused just long enough for Sakura to get the undertone. She owed them.

She narrowed her eyes at that, noting that he was coming at her at all angles. She pressed on, her fist clenching "And my team?"

He paused. Sakura lifted a brow as his eyes seemed to look through her, not seeing her at all.

…After a moment of his blank silence, Sakura began to feel extremely awkward and looked around with shifty eyes. Why was he spacing out?

His eyes suddenly focused on her, as if snapped out of a trance, and he spoke, "An informant has witnessed your three teammates, and their dog, reaching Konoha. All alive."

She narrowed her eyes at him, wondering what just happened.

"Let me propose a contract." His hand went into a horse seal and a long scroll appeared on the table, complete with a brush and ink block.

"I won't sign anything." Sakura declared quickly.

He said nothing as he picked up the brush and dipped it in the ink. Sakura watched as he began the document very formally. Suspiciously Sakura watched and read it from where she sat, having little trouble understanding the script upside down. After the basic introductory was written, he paused and glanced up at her. He wrote as he spoke.

"If you do sign this, you will be agreeing to aid Akatsuki in all manners concerning the King of Hell statue. The primary manner includes locating the scrolls, and unsealing them. You will also agree to learning the jutsus, becoming both a temporary student and an alley. While you are here, you are under the protection of Akatsuki. Your living expenses will be paid for and all amenities provided."

Sakura rolled that over in her mind, watching as he wrote it down in a much more formal and technical manner.

"Akatsuki will give you all information concerning Uchiha Sasuke and Orochimaru—"

"Indefinitely." Sakura cut in, her eyes hard. He looked at her for a moment, before nodding.

"All of the information gathered from this point on will be given to you." He wrote, then looked up fro her approval.

While Sakura hadn't agreed to anything, she couldn't help but say, "If any of your members come across either of them, I want them delivered to Konoha."

He seemed to think about this for a second, then nodded. "Would you like Orochimaru's corpse?"

Her eyes narrowed. "I want him alive." Sakura would do that herself.

He nodded again. Then he slid the document to her. Knowing that he was paraphrasing as he wrote, Sakura reread every line carefully, examining how it could be represented.

She's done this before and she knows what to look for. After a moment Sakura concludes that all that is written is exactly as he told her. What she would agree too and what would be promised to her.

Sakura looked up, "What happens when the year is up?"

"You will be taken back to Konoha.

"Just like that?" Sakura repeats. How can it possibly be this simple?

"Just like that." He repeats again, a ghost of a smile on his face for the smallest second.

"You're missing criminals. You don't think that in that year, I'll figure out secrets?"

"We don't have secretes." He said, "We have plans, but even some of our own members don't fully know it, and they function just fine. So will you. Besides, small precautions will be taken with you."

"I will not stay locked up in a room." Sakura can already see herself chained up in a dungeon. Taken out whenever she's needed, trays of food pushed through a slot in the door.

"Of course not. You will be able to roam the compound freely, though a member will accompany you for any reason that you may have to leave. We aren't doing each other favors. You have your purpose and you will earn your keep." His tone was still calm and perfectly cool.

"So at the end of the year I'll return to Konoha?"

"You're free to do as you will. You may even go after Sasuke if you like." Pein said with a shrug.

Sakura stayed quite, the offer tempting, watching as he pulled back the document, writing in what was spoken. He slid it back to her when he was done.

"You don't have to decide now; Zetsu will take you back to your room."

The plant man stood outside by the door. Sakura looked over her shoulder at him. She moved to get up.

"Take the scroll." He advised her "Read though it Think it over."

Sakura tentatively rolled it up and held it firmly. She sent him one more warily look, which he calmly took. She stepped out, the plant-man looking up.

"Did you agree?" He asked curiously.

"I don't know yet." Sakura admitted to him.

He nodded, and then said honestly, "You will be treated well here." He turned leading her back the way they came. "Unless you piss someone off."

While Sakura wasn't surprised by his oddness now, she was still confused by it. Keeping her distance, she quietly followed him back.

With white knuckles she clutched the contract.

"So what? She's like ten, un?" Deidara asked, biting a chunk of chicken off the skewer.

"No. She's like twelve." Kisame said reaching for his 11th skewer. Or maybe she was thirteen, something like that.

Kisame glanced over the mini mountain of yakitori that sat on a platter in the center of the table. He was glad Deidara had waited till Kakuzu and Hidan left to bring theses out. Biting off two pieces of barbecued chicken at once, Kisame still reached for two more skewers to place on his plate.

"She's fourteen." Itachi corrected, sending a admonishing glancing at Kisame. "In a week or so, anyway. You read her file countless times during the past month. Sasori-san, will you please pass the tare sauce?"

Kisame shrugged while Sasori handed the little bottle to Itachi. Like it mattered. Two years didn't make any difference. Kisame grabbed the bottle of shochu. Sasori held out his glass to Kisame. He filled it to the brim, and then Kisame filled his own cup. Out of the corner of his eye Kisame watched as Sasori took a drink.

Sasori confused him. Wasn't he…? Kisame was pretty sure he didn't have a digestive system. Yet…

Sasori finished his third skewer and went for a fourth.

Kisame glanced away. He was much too polite to ask. Besides, he figured, it was probably best not to think about it.

It was a trivial thing after all. Because apparently, as Kisame had witness many times, Sasori did consume food. Yet it made him wonder about other things. Like if Sasori had the five senses. He knew he had taste, because Sasori could be very picky. So maybe Sasori just ate for pleasure, rather than necessity. So he must perform other physical things for pleasu---

Eww. Not thinking about this anymore. Quick! Before the images appear!

Kisame took two skewers in each hand and attacked, his teeth chomping down.

"Kisame-san, slow down." Itachi chided, sending a glance at him as he sipped his tea.

"You sound like his mom, un." Deidara quipped, sending a smirk at Itachi.

Kisame sent a toothy grin at both boys. He instantly saw an image of Itachi bring home food and telling a five-year-old Kisame not to fight or have any fun.

Wait a minute…

"You are like my mom!" Kisame cried out in revelation before he thought it through.

There was a moment of silence were the words hung in the air.

Then Deidara busted into barks of laughter. He full out fell off his futon and Kisame watched over the low table as he rolled and clutched his stomach. Even Sasori was leaning forward, shoulders shaking; his eyes squinted as he looked between Kisame and Itachi.

Kisame glanced between the laughing men and Itachi, who was very still and staring straight in front of him. Maybe he should try to save this.

It wasn't meant to be an insult… It was just that Itachi's caution and avoidance of violence made Kisame think of what a mother would have been like.

Despite that, Kisame did try to salvage Itachi's dignity. "Uh, I mean… I mean in a manly way." He failed.

Deidara let out another boisterous bout of laugher. Sasori actually placed both hands on the table as he doubled over, his quite laugh finally reaching deeper than a mere chuckle.

Itachi didn't acknowledge Deidara. Or Sasori. Or even Kisame for that matter. He simply reached out for the platter which still had a quarter of the skewers left and took it.

"Hey!" Deidara shouted, but was still gasping for breath. Itachi was already half-way down the hall. Angrily, Deidara pulled himself up and shouted, hoping Itachi would hear him. "Nah, it's probably best you aren't a part of his family, Kisame. He would have killed you already!"

Kisame rolled his eyes, knowing Itachi wouldn't be fazed by the insult. He had to smile at Deidara for trying. Few people were brave enough, and stupid enough to do that. It always took a combination of both to want to piss Itachi off.

"Well, way to go, Kisame, you lost us dinner." Deidara muttered, picking at his teeth with his last skewer. "You owe me yakitori, un."

"You're the one that was messing with him in the first place." Kisame reminded with a light smile, pouring himself some more shochu.

Deidara rolled his eyes and let out an annoyed sigh, "He's such a tool, I mean--"

Whether Sasori purposely cut off Deidara's growing rant, knowing it could go on forever, or the words merely fell out, Kisame wasn't sure. "She's pretty."

Deidara pushed himself on his elbows, and Kisame looked over to see Sasori holding a picture. The folder it came from was previously forgotten on the table.

"Huh? Oh, the girl, un." Deidara pulled himself up into a cross-legged position, and leaned one elbow on the table cradling his cheek. He raised a skeptic brow, "Yeah, she's cute I guess, un. Maybe in a couple years she'll be a babe."

Kisame let out a snort, "You're the closes one to her age."

"I'm eighteen." Deidara said with a slight glare. As if it was absolutely ridiculous that Kisame could even fathom comparing him to a fourteen-year-old. Whatever, he always thought of Deidara as a winy teenager anyway.

"What's going to happen once we're done with her?" Sasori asked, his eyes intently focused on the picture.

"I don't know, un." Deidara murmured completely disinterested. "I'm still hungry…" He complained. "…Stupid Itachi."

Sasori glanced at Kisame. He shrugged, cleaning off a skewer. Honestly, he was trying not to think about it. Every time he did, Kisame felt... almost disappointed.

"Hmm." Sasori finally let out, placing the picture back on the table.

It was her official Chuunin picture. Kisame's eyes went straight to it. Pink hair, heart shaped face, wide forehead, big green eyes, pale skin. She really was just a kid.

Kisame suppressed a sigh. All he could really do now was hope she'd still be alive when they were done with her.

.To Be Continued.

A/N – Heh… Hi, guys. *sheepish smile* Been awhile.

I'm not too pleased with this, more was suppose to happen. Gah, but I got stuck. I decided that I'd just push it to the next chapter and upload this. Shortened the chapter, but I figured you guys wouldn't mind too much.

As always, if anything didn't make sense, or you just didn't like something (and why you didn't), let me know. I may be able to do something about it.

Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed it. Thanks to every single reviewer, you guys make my day.