Oh my gee, I actually am updating. It took me forever to write this chapter, partially because I kept deleting chunks of it and partially because I stared at the new chapters of the manga and had a brain fart on how to better proceed with the storyline. I decided I don't care. B/ It'll be even more AU than before, so there! (Pose of defiance)

Typically this chapter is more set-up for the next few chapters than actual story line. There will be big transitions from this point on as we start towards the climax of the story. I will still be doing a few more interludes, but generally the chapters will start focusing on one group of characters at time instead of jumping around. Look forward to it, it'll make for good character growth. :)

On that note, REVIEW RESPONSES that I can't do on an IM level:

CodeNameYankee: I-I am so touched. You have no clue how proud I am over the fact that I caused you all to waste valuable educational time upon my own work. Totally proud over that. I hope you continue to read!

Time Since Mission Start: 2 Months 2 Weeks

Chapter 11: Explosives

It was silk and satin falling between her fingertips, the wisps of smoke that circled in her mind behind closed eyes. So many times she had tried to hold onto the tails of those shadowy whispers only to watch as they slid through her outstretched hands. Dreams, that was what there were called, at least that was what Hawk-kun had told her they were called. Figments of a time before what she remembered, before mornings under the care of a gentle man behind a mask and afternoons basking in the sun next to a protector wearing a grin. Sometimes she heard people talking, faceless voices distant and muffled as if they were talking through a blanket. She could smell wind and water in those dreams, swirling around her and brushing against her skin. Other times she saw an outline of a face, the turn of lips into an arrogant smirk all framed with dark hair. She burned in those dreams, flames spreading from her chest and licking at her throat. Those dreams had her wake with tears dried on her face and a name she couldn't remember laying broken on her lips. The morning after those dreams Hawk-kun was especially gentle.

Nico was left in ruin. Where a once thriving border gate stood only rubble and injury was left. The ground was split and cracked as if lightning pushed thunder straight through the stone. It was a brand of destruction that Gaara and his siblings knew too well. After having as much experience in battle as they did it was hard to misread the trails left by your comrades, and the puckered craters and splintered clay were iconic to only a single master and her apprentice. The evidence made the Kazekage's mouth turn bitter. "… It's gotta be a copycat. You know?" His eyes shifted from the remains of what had been Nico, settling on the form of his brother. The puppet master was hunched over at the edge of one particularly large crater, his fingers brushing the jagged rim. Disbelief was evident in his voice. "Sakura-san… she wouldn't."

Gaara shifted his gaze away from his sibling finding his observations unnecessary. It didn't matter if the Sand Siblings believed in the Medic's innocence, the only thing that mattered was to control the issue. His border had been attacked, his people were injured, and without a doubt the news of who had done the act had already leaked past his realm of power. Things were already out of hand and every moment they spent sitting on their asses another chink in their brutally won peace was placed. There was no time to hesitate. They had fought too hard, bleed too much for such sacrifices and effort to go to waste over misunderstanding and confusion. The Kazekage's determination did not waver, nor did his trust and respect for those he held close to his person. Even in the wake of the evidence he knew Sakura was not to blame. The assumption only led to more questions than answers though. He had received no correspondence from Konoha to hint that there was something amiss within the comrade village. Though technically relationships between nations should be kept professional, Gaara at the very least had thought Suna and Konoha to be closer than most.

Apparently, there were still secrets being held.

"Kankuro. Prepare yourself to leave for Konoha." The young redhead crossed his arms over his chest as he turned his stance towards their allied nation. "… We have matters to attend to." As soon as news of what had happened reached the borders of neighboring lands they would be looking towards Suna to respond. Gaara would have no choice but to request that they hand over Sakura Haruno for questioning. If the apprentice wasn't within the walls of her village when his summons arrived though then the delay in her arrest could not be avoided. She was after all only a suspect to the crime, and therefore the envoy and accompanying party sent to retrieve the woman would only have to wait till she returned to complete their mission. He only prayed the winds would carry his brother there faster than the pressured justice of man.

There were many ways the ex-Root thought he would die. Most of them did not involve growing old with age. In truth, the life expectancy of a Shinobi was rather short. Those who reached 35 were extremely lucky, depending on your definition of the term. Sai had never hoped to ever be one of those. They saw those they care about die before them, cut down in flesh as their names were carved into stone. The man had only begun to learn what it meant to care and have a family, he did not think he could revert back to the way he was before if anything should happen to them. So, he wanted to die before they did. It may have been selfish to make them hurt and cry. He knew they would, they were bleeding hearts. But they could cope, Sai could not.

He did not, however, expect to die because Sakura blew up. That one definitely came out of nowhere. Part of him was rather annoyed to have been done in by his own hesitation; another part was somehow satisfied with the idea that he didn't die alone. At least he had taken the Sakura-Look-Alike with him. Thinking of the medic though caused him some distress. Even if she didn't remember him right now he had made her promises to come back and see her. She'd cry, wouldn't she? He didn't quite like to make her cry. Angry, yes. Passionate, even more so. But cry? He didn't like that, not one bit. Everyone else made her cry. Even when those tears were carefully hidden behind a smile, Sai could see the way others made her cry. To her, he didn't want to be like everyone else. Betrayal, abandonment, disregard; he may have done those things before he became attached to her but he doubted his ignorance could be counted against him. Now that he was aware he wanted to be different, to set himself apart. He wasn't part of The Original Team 7, so to set himself apart was the only way to be unique. His current state couldn't let him rectify that though. He was dead. Kiba would have to quiet her on his own.

Thinking back on it now death wasn't anything like the books said it would be. He didn't see angels of white hailing his salvation nor did he see demonic flames searing up into his soul. No, if anything death was very much like sleeping. He saw blackness, and where he knew he should have limbs he felt nothing but heavy fog. If he really tried he could wiggle his fingers slightly and flex his toes, but why would he want to? What need did the dead have for fingers and toes? It was best to leave them distended and asleep. Velvety darkness lay upon him like a thick blanket and all he wanted to do was fade into nothing. Then out of the stillness a voice broke from the distance.

"Those must be some good drugs they gave you. If I was hostile, you'd be dead."

… Damn.

Slowly the pale male forced his eyes open, staring at the dimmed lights of what was without a doubt the hospital. So he was alive and full of drugs. No wonder he felt like he was suspended in jello. His lips quirked slightly at the fact, it seemed Sakura would not cry over him just yet. His neck creaked in protest as he turned his gaze towards the sound of the voice, eyes landing on a familiar white-haired Shinobi sitting in the frame of an open window. His visible eye was crinkled in smile, completing his mask. Most would feel rather lukewarm about the lax man but the ink-user knew better. Beneath his expression Kakashi was electric.

The skilled jounin slipped down into the room, walking casually towards the edge of the bed. "It seems like you've been keeping secrets, Sai." His hand curled onto the edge of the bed rail, the warmth of his skin brushing against the injured mans' arm. "It wounds me that you don't trust me. After all, we're all part of Team 7. Sharing secrets is what we do." Though his reflexes were slow and dulled Sai could not mistake the aura that flowed off the older male. Kakashi had the reputation of being a loaded gun, all lethal force under a controlled exterior. He was powerful and dangerous, but virtually harmless. That is, until someone pulled his trigger. Team 7 was a rather big motivator for the lazy man to move. The only thing that surprised Sai was that it took this long for Kakashi to react.

The duration of his wait was not of his own doing though. Kakashi did not have the right to butt into Sakura's affairs, not after having pushed her aside for his other pupils so long ago. His overbearing protectiveness had only earned him several broken ribs handed by the very one he moved to guard. When Sakura had a mission, one that she took with great pride, it was best to let her do it on her own. She strived to prove her worth and strength, not to others but most importantly to herself. To get in her way only meant physical pain. When Yamato had come to speak with him earlier that day though in regards to their ink users dilemma Kakashi's thin restraint finally snapped.

Over the past few weeks circumstances were painfully obvious to the masked man, especially the physical lack of his pink-haired students presence. Oh, he had suspected there may had been something up long before, but as her traces disappeared entirely from the places she called her own his blood had started to pound painfully in his ears. Yamato's return with an injured ink-user had only served to bring the heat in his blood rushing to a boil, setting his nerves on fire. People were doing things with his students behind his back, and though he was more than aware of how capable they were the fact still stood that when push came to shove he would undoubtedly shove back. He had no real right to protect her. She, in truth, could very well protect herself. But she was still his, and he would be damned if he sat still like a good boy and wait for it all to go to hell. "So." He placed himself comfortably near the young man's feet. "Let's talk."

It was another day and Kiba was attending to his duties with Sakura. They were sitting under that familiar tree in that familiar courtyard with a Hawk Mask in place of the Ink User. They were going through picture books again, matching faces and locations to names and landmarks. Currently the book lay open displaying a photo of one of the many training grounds surrounding the village. There wasn't anything truly different about the picture, merely a patch of packed dirt. The only difference was that three poles jutted from the ground, set side by side.

Sakura had stared at that picture for a bit, her eyes fixated on those poles as her fingers brushed their outline. As he did with all the other photos, Kiba patiently waited for her to make her observations. He was sure she would name the location properly, she had done so before, but this time her green eyes stayed locked on those three poles. Seconds ticked by and just when Kiba decided to give her the answer a simple word passed her lips. "Bells."

It was a barely a whisper but his keen senses had picked up the sound. Off to the side the hawk-masked ANBU stiffened, snapping his attention in their direction. The importance of the word was lost on Kiba, who clearly saw nothing that looked like a bell. Maybe at a different angle? He tilted his head to gaze at the photo only to have water splatter across the page. That was odd, the sky was clear when they had arrived. Turning to Sakura to help her get inside he was met with the sight of wide eyes filled with tears. She was crying.

They were silent tears, rolling softly down her cheeks without a sound. She raised her gaze to meet his, confusion furrowing her brow, and then all at once it came rushing out. Her hands tore from the photo book as she pushed the palms of her hands into her eyes, stumbling back as if she had been burned. Both men jumped to attention, Kiba tossing the book to the side as if it were a bomb and Neji catching the woman against his chest. Gloved hands wrapped around her wrists as she ground her hands into her eyes. Her mouth was formed into a perfect scream, but no sounds came out. Instead, silent anguish raked her form. Behind closed eyes flashes of light brought painful afterimages burned into her skull. A man and two boys. Orange, blue, green. Black, yellow, silver. And though she could feel lips against her ear mouthing her name the only thing she could hear were the sound of bells, Softly tinkling in the darkness.

"You should have told me." His voice was laced with ice sharpened with edges of venom, the words dripping with anger towards the accused. If the Hokage had been a lesser woman she may have felt something at the cut of those words; but she was not. She stood before Kakashi meeting his glare of burning ice with one of enflamed reserve. Between them the prone form of the ink user could be seen, aware but so dreadfully drugged. It was only a matter of time before the Copy Nin had come to corner the vulnerable boy. When that moment arrived Tsunade was ready. Sai had no time to reveal anything.

"Tell you what, Kakashi?" To play dumb wasn't ever the smartest move, but though she had tried keeping tabs on the man before her it was an impossible task. For someone so incredibly lazy Kakashi was an amazing tracker. As such, he would know best when he himself was being tracked. More than once those she had sent to check up on him had come up empty handed, sheepish behind their white masks. She received them with a mixture of admiration and irritation, admiration because that declaration of his skills only proved how strong her Shinobi were and irritation because he was avoiding her reach. She needed to know how much he already knew to gauge how much more could be revealed. The last thing she needed was one of her most experienced to go on a self-appointed mission filled with a personal vendetta. The air crackled around them with sparks of blue electricity. Apparently, he wasn't happy with her response. He could see through her ploy. Well, they didn't call him a Genius just for fun. "You didn't need to know. Nothing was confirmed."

A violent crackle accompanied the clenching of fists. "Didn't need to know? I should have been among the very first to know." His eyes closed as he slowed his breathing back to normal. He came here tonight for answers. If he couldn't get them from Sai, Tsunade would be a fine substitute. The dark haired man seemed to blessedly gone to care either way, his eyes open but staring wonderingly into space. Tsunade tilted her gaze towards the incapacitated Shinobi before pointedly jutting her chin at the window from which Kakashi had come through. No sound was made as the two disappeared, reappearing now on the roof of the hospital.

Out in the wind Kakashi looked the vision of intimidation bathed in silvery light. Once again the Hokage felt a streak of admiration mixed with irritation. Really, her apprentice had a knack for gaining the appreciation of pigheaded men. Kakashi wouldn't defect, that much Tsunade was sure of. He loved Konoha too much, had much more to lose now than before. She was sure of this fact just as much as she was sure that he would burn in his own hell to save any of his students. There really wasn't anything else she could do. She couldn't lose him, not now. "A compromise. We'll talk about it, but on one condition only." Kakashi waited, silent and deadly. "Once you've heard it all, you act on my word and my word alone. No rogue vigilante shit. Got it?" Seconds ticked by that stretched into minutes, and slowly the silver-haired man nodded his head. Tsunade nodded back in acknowledgement.

They raced back towards her office across rooftops, his feet hot upon her trail. Though he followed obediently Tsunade was far from relaxed. She was too wise to believe that the Shinobi behind her would lay silent with the information he was about to obtain. Though obedience was vowed, one could only collar a wild animal for so long. Already their story was complicated and set to explode. She was not so foolish as to think they'd be able to keep the situation quiet for much longer.

No. All she could do was wait for someone to light the fuse.

-End Chapter

Time Since Mission Start: 2 Months 2 Weeks

General AN:

I have been commissioned to write a Shika/Saku fanfiction because of the "Shiver" interlude. It appears to be such a big hit with you guys! It'll be relatively short, perhaps a 2-shot at longest, but I hope you'll read it as well. As for an actual continuation to Shiver, I'll consider writing some. Though typically that was written to explain interactions between Sakura and Shikamaru further on in the story. Juicy interactions? Mayyyyybbbbeee. We'll see.

Minato/Sakura. You wouldn't BELIEVE the amount of people asking me to Lemon/Pair them. I want to try, I truly do… but I have this mental barrier that is all like _O NARUTO WILL NOT BE BORN! _…. Soon as I get over that, I'll give it a whack.

The next chapter WILL be a Neji/Sakura Interlude. Hu-hu-hu. Await it in anticipation.