A/N: So this is a first but I figured that I would not develop as a writer unless I put something out there. I originally started this story as a Freshman and gradually added to it over my high school career (so yes I edited this as I wrote it to be posted). Please let me know what you think so, review.

Chapter 1

"No, Sasuke, don't leave," Sakura cried in the darkness at the silhouette that was standing before her. "Please don't leave."

"I'm leaving and you can't stop me," Sasuke replied evenly as he began to walk off.

"Then take me with you or..." Sakura said through her tears. "Or I'll scream." Her voice rose at this last desperate attempt to convince the one that she loved to stay with her.

Sasuke suddenly disappeared before appearing behind Sakura. He stood there for a moment as a breeze blew past them and a cloud covered the moon, dimming the once bright night. "Thank you..." he whispered before he struck the back of Sakura's neck, sending her into unconsciousness.

"Sasuke..." Sakura whispered as she fell to the ground. Sasuke caught his teammate before she could hit the ground, picked her up, and placed her on a near by bench before putting his hands in his pockets and walking away.

Thats the last memory that I have of Sasuke. My last memory of him was nearly four years ago, when I was thirteen. Since then, I've spent my time as Tsunade's apprentice; learning medical ninjutsu and becoming stronger. I refused to chase after Sasuke or Naruto, since the two of them had left the village; Sasuke for revenge and Naruto for training with Jiraiya. It felt like Team Seven had broken up back then. I don't think we have ever been more distance from each other, I thought as I walked to Lady Tsunade's office and knocked on the door.

"Enter," Tsunade-shishou called from behind the door. Opening the door, I quickly scanned the room, even though I did not sense any chakra besides Tsunade's and Shizune's in the room. Tsunade was sitting behind her desk, with Shizune flanking Tsunade's right, and was glaring at a scroll that was no doubt a mission that needed to be assigned to someone. "What is it Sakura?" Tsunade asked with a sigh.

"I have a request, Tsunade-shishou," I stated respectfully as I stood before her desk.

Tsunade glanced up at me with narrowed gold-brown eyes. "What would that be?" She asked as she sat back in her chair, promptly ignoring the scroll that she had been glaring at seconds before.

I took a deep breath, unsure if she would take my request seriously. "I know that the chances are slim but I would like to go after Orochimaru and Sasuke," I said as my body tensed in preparation to dodge anything that she would throw at me.

"You WHAT?!" Tsunade shouted as she slammed her fist down onto her desk, causing the wood to groan as it tried to not break. Shit, I thought as I cleared my face of emotions. "Explain yourself," Tsunade growled. "Now."

"I have been secretly using my ANBU contacts to track them," I stated plainly. "My contact in Otogakure No Sato sent word that Orochimaru is there once every six months for approximately one month. My contact also stated that Orochimaru just arrived in the village. I would like the chance to infiltrate Orochimaru's ranks, to have him train me alongside Sasuke, and gather information on his operations. I'll travel with him to learn where he has been hiding. I also believe that I may be able to kill Orochimaru and return with Sasuke before Orochimaru takes over Sasuke's body. Orochimaru is weak right now. This opportunity will not last long."

Tsunade was silent when I finished, her eyes glaring angrily at me from where she sat. Shizune looked at me with a worried look in her eyes but remained silent. I simply waited, my body still tense. "I have followed your request to keep your ANBU status quiet from your friends but a mission of this scale is something that not even ANBU take lightly. Not only would I be risking losing one of the most valuable shinobi in this village, but you know full well that if any of them caught wind of this, I would have to worry about them coming after you. I also have to factor in the risk of you defecting and joining Orochimaru, though I know that that chance is small, I must consider it."

I waited silently, waiting for Tsunade to make her decision. Though doubt and worry began to eat at my mind.

Finally, Tsunade sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Very well," she said softly. "I will grant you this mission. I can see that you will not give this up and you have grown remarkably the past few years. I trust your judgment. You will leave tonight and report back every month so long as it does not risk your cover."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama," I replied as I bowed respectfully.

"Dismissed," Tsunade ordered as she looked back at the scroll on her desk.

With a quick nod, I disappeared.

"Do you think that was wise, Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked quietly.

Tsunade turned and looked out the windows that overlooked the village. The sun was bright, the sky a light blue, and people carried on about their day without a care in the world. "I am not sure," Tsunade replied. "But I do know Sakura. She will not do anything that is beyond her skills. Besides, we may finally find out where that snake has been hiding."

I sprinted through the trees, leaping from branch to branch faster than the eye could follow. The forest opened up before me and I paused on a branch with a silent thud. I crouched on the branch and steadied myself by placing my hand on the trunk. The Valley of the End laid before me. The deep gorge below me, the statues of the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara framing a tall waterfall, and the sun setting in the distance, throwing everything into shades of gold, red, orange, and grays. With a final sigh, I leapt over the falls, crossing the border, as the sun sank below the horizon.

"Ugh, stupid rain," I muttered as I walked along the road. It had begun raining the night I crossed the border two days ago. After meeting my contact in Fuuma Alley, I worked my way north towards Orochimaru's last know location. That had been a day ago. Now, with the rain soaking me through, I was beginning to get irritated as my contact had said that the location would be easy to spot. Finally, a low structure began to appear through the heavy rain. Finally, I thought as I walked towards the entrance of Otogakure No Sato. I slowly descended the steps as memories of a past mission filtered through my mind. Three years ago, at a similar compound, Orochimaru gave us the slip, avoiding capture. Shaking my head to clear it, I stepped into the darkness, hoping that my information was good.

"Ha ha ha," Someone laughed behind me. "Well, well, if it isn't Haruno Sakura. What has brought you here, my dear?"

I instantly recognized the voice, knowing that slight hissing undertone. Turning, I faced Orochimaru. I had reached a room that was vast enough that the walls couldn't be seen through the darkness. Tall pillars stretched upwards into yet more darkness and some candles were set on small shelves on every other pillar to give a dim glow in the room. I tensed as I saw a dark figure behind Orochimaru. I couldn't sense the person's chakra, so their identity was masked until they slowly opened their eyes to reveal the blood red and black design of the sharingan. Uchiha Sasuke. A small part of me was relieved that he was still alive. "Orochimaru," I stated coolly. "It seems that you haven't change at all. I can not say the same for you Sasuke."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed in irritation. "What do you want?" he asked coldly.

"I decided to leave the village," I answered nonchalantly with a shrug.

"What for, dear?" Orochimaru asked curiously, his head tilting slightly to the side.

"I have been training under Tsunade and realized that I couldn't learn anymore from her or the village." A smile began to form on Orochimaru's face. "So I decided to come here hoping that you could teach me more that would be beneficial," I stated neatly.

"Well I am not going to simply take you in. I have not seen what you are capable of. How will I know that you show promise like Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru asked chillingly. "Hmm, Sasuke spar with her."

Sasuke glared at the back of Orochimaru's head, his anger and irritation rolling off of him in waves that filled the room.

"Orochimaru-sama," I interjected with a small bow. "If it pleases you, I would ask to rest so that I may more accurately display to you my skills. I have not rested since I left Konoha and have been avoiding ANBU for three days."

Orochimaru smiled at the thought of a full display of skills. "That would please me, dear. Kabuto, why don't you show her where she can stay for the time being."

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto replied as he appeared behind Orochimaru. Sasuke remained silent though his anger continued to roll off him. "Follow me, Sakura-san," he stated as he turned and walked away.

I politely bowed to Orochimaru and briefly glanced at Sasuke as I followed Kabuto out of the room and down a dim hallway.

"So you are joining us?" Kabuto asked conversationally.

"If Orochimaru-sama will take me," I stated calmly, not too worried about the spar tomorrow.

"I don't think that Orochimaru-sama will send you away."

I looked at him curiously. "Why do you say that?" I inquired as we turned a corner and continued down another hall.

"Simply for new blood. Sasuke has only had me to spar with and we know each others skills and styles too well. Now you show up and have left the village. He thinks that possibly with some training, you may provide a new challenge for Sasuke."

"Hmm. The reason does not matter to me. I simply need to learn more."

"Why did you choose Orochimaru?" Kabuto asked.

I laughed casually, gaining a curious look from him. "First, he is one of the Legendary Sannin. I have trained under one of them so only another will be able to provide more training that is beneficial. Second, I truly doubt that there is anyone that could handle my training."

"I don't understand," Kabuto stated. "You trained under Tsunade. So how can no one but Orochimaru-sama handle your training?"

"I did well under Tsunade but I learned faster than she expected and surpassed her. I began to train on my own, but we would spar every now and then to check my progress. A few times we sparred, neither of us walked away from, literally."

"You mean that neither of you could walk afterwords?" Kabuto asked in astonishment.

"At first yes," I stated. "But as I began to surpass her, the dynamic changed. The last time that we sparred, I nearly killed her with one blow." I smiled at the memory. Tsunade and I spent the first 5 minutes staring at each other, sizing each other up. Then in a blinding fast movement and a light tap to Tsunade's chest, Tsunade fell to the ground barely able to breathe. The jutsu was based off medical ninjutsu and the Hyuuga's gentle fist technique. With a deadly push of chakra, just enough to stop the heart and isolate the lungs, the jutsu stopped the heart and prevented oxygen from getting into the blood stream from the lungs. All done with the gentle movement similar to the Hyuuga's gentle fist technique. I immediately healed Tsunade but that was the end of our sparring.

"Interesting," Kabuto murmured, pulling me from the memory. He began studying me, as if I had just handed him a beautiful challenge that he was determined to crack. A few minutes later, we stopped before a plain wooden door. "This is where you will be staying. My room is down the hall if you have any questions."

I nodded. "Thank you," I said, walking into the room and closing the door behind me. The room was nice, about fifteen feet by fifteen feet in size. To the left of the door was a door that opened to the bathroom and to the right was a walk in closet. A bed laid in the back left corner with a night stand beside it and a desk was in the opposite corner. I decided to move the desk into the closet because I didn't need it or the extra space in the closet. With a sigh, I decided to take a shower and go to bed. As I laid in the bed, I wondered what tomorrow would bring.

Everything was quiet. The woods were quiet and still. There was a thick mist covering the forest floor, wrapping around the trees and the dark figure in the distance. Sasuke. He stood about half a foot taller than my five foot seven frame, his hair in the same style that it had been when he left the village, and his onyx eyes gazed at my with appreciation and care. He looked at me and said something that I couldn't hear. He smiled at my puzzled look and slowly walked forward with love in his eyes. While he was walking, a dark snake rose up behind him and bit him in the neck. Sasuke screamed and fell to the forest floor, disappearing into the mist.

I woke up with a start. It was midnight according to the clock on the night stand. With a sigh, I stood and began to get dressed, knowing that I wouldn't get to sleep again. I felt the need to see the sky, the moon, and the stars. Making my way through the compound, I silently ghosted down the halls, my chakra masked and hidden from others. Once I was outside, I broke into a run and leapt into the trees. I jumped from branch to branch, higher and higher into the trees. I stopped at the top of a tall tree and looked up at the full moon. It was bright against the deep, dark blue of the night sky and the stars twinkled in the background.

"What are you doing out here this late?" a voice asked as his chakra briefly flared to announce his presence.

"I wanted to see the sky," I answered as I continued looking up at the sky. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that he stood a tree over. Sasuke's onyx eyes sparkled with life as he looked at me. When he was around Orochimaru, he didn't allow any sign of life to be seen in his eyes, keeping them dull and cold. I had been with them for about a week. When Sasuke and I sparred, we both drove each other to the brink of death, forcing Kabuto to work overtime to bring us back and giving Orochimaru a reason to keep me around. Since then, we had avoided each other as much as we could. This was the first time that we had spoken to each other. With a quick glance, I saw that he was checking me out from head to foot. "What?" I asked, a little bit of irritation slipping into my tone.

"Nothing," he replied. "Its just... you look more... relaxed... and natural here. Around Orochimaru-sama, you are tense and anxious. Its sort of nice to see you like this, like how you used to be."

"Its nice to see you like this too," I stated with a small smile.

"What do you mean?"

"You look more like you did back then; relaxed, calm, natural. Around Orochimaru, you look like a snake's next meal."

"I sort of am," he laughed dryly. With a quick movement, he leapt from his tree to mine. I could feel the heat of his body sinking into my skin because he was standing so close to me.

"I suppose you are," I smiled. "Your eyes are lighter as well. There is life in them that you don't allow others to see."

"Its easier to have them without life around him. Your eyes do the same thing."

"Hmm" was all that I could say in response. I knew that it was true. To show that you care about something or someone around people like Orochimaru, was to give them a foothold on how to break you. It was a startling realization that I learned during the interrogation portion of my ANBU training, one that I brutally paid for with blood and tears. Suddenly, his arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me from my thoughts as he pulled me against him. I leaned my head back against his chest as he sighed.

"It is nice to see you," he said quietly, his words gently blowing over my ear.

"It is nice to see you too."

He was quiet for a moment before speaking. "Sakura," he said quietly in my ear, pulling my thoughts from the sky. I glanced back at him. "I am not sure but I know that I do care about you. I don't know what this feeling is because I locked all of my feelings up when I left. But when we sparred... It all came out."

"Sasuke," I whispered. "I care a lot about you; I always have. That is the reason that I came here. I needed to get away from the village but I also wanted to see you. Maybe one day, I can go back and maybe you can go with me. But I doubt that that is possible."

"Why do you think that ?"

"I have lived without you. I have seen that life and I didn't like it much. Naruto left after you did. No one was there and I couldn't keep up with you two. That is why I trained so hard, so that one day I could keep up with you two. But now that I have found you, I don't think that I can go back to that life."

"Good," he said, it sounded like he was smiling. "I am not going to let you leave without me. I won't let you go back to that life. You don't deserve that life. I really do like you, Sakura."

I turned to look at him. His eyes sparkled and glimmered with an emotion that looked like love but I wasn't going to bank on that. I slowly lifted my arms and wrapped them around his neck, hugging him softly and gently. Surprisingly, he hugged me back. His chest was strong, his heartbeat steady.

"Sakura," he said softly, pulling back to look into my eyes. He slowly leaned down and rested his forehead against mine, his breathe flowing over my face like a soothing breeze. With a little bit of hesitation, he gently brushed his lips against mine. When I didn't pull away, he kissed me with more pressure, making me melt against him. The longer we kissed, the more I leaned against him, and before long; he was kissing me with passion and demand. One of his hands slowly slid along my side, going from my waist to tangle in my hair, while his other arm wrapped completely around my waist, pulling me against him. With a sigh, I laced my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. He pulled me completely against his body, molding us together from chest to thigh, as I melted into him. He started to pull back and I threw myself against him, upsetting our balance on the tree top. Suddenly, we were falling, the cool night air blowing past us. Pulling back, he took a deep breath. "Hold on tight," he said in a roughened voice.

"Don't worry," I replied as I tightened my arms around him. "I don't think I will ever let go."

He laughed and reached out to grab a branch as we fell past it. Swinging us in an arch, we landed on a sturdy branch. Looking at me with eager and loving eyes, he backed me up against the trunk of the tree and continued our kiss as if it as never been interrupted. I don't know how long we kissed. I tried to keep my thoughts clear. I sighed, knowing that this mission had taken a turn that I hadn't expected. With an internal growl, I knew that this mission has turned into the worst kind of mission, a seduction mission. I knew that I would have to do whatever it took to gather information and, hopefully, get Sasuke back to Konoha. Even if that meant making him think that I still loved him. Finally, he pulled back with a sigh. "I think that we should get back before Orochimaru notices that we are gone," he murmured as he tried to catch his breath.

"Really?" I said with a pout. "But I don't want to go. This is too nice."

"I know," he laughed. "But think about what would happen if Orochimaru woke up and both of us were missing. I don't know about you but I don't want to think about the consequences."

I shuttered at the possible picture he painted in my mind. Orochimaru would be beyond angry and that anger would be dealt out on our bodies. "I agree but do we have to go back to not speaking to each other?" I asked.

"I think that it is a good idea to do that so that Orochimaru doesn't suspect anything. But there is the benefit that our rooms are next to each other," he replied with a smile.

"Fine," I sighed. "I guess that is enough to get me though the day."

He laughed. "Lets go." He ran towards the compound, with my hand clasped tightly within his. We eventually reached the compound and walked into the darkness. With our chakra masked, he lead me down the halls and stopped before my door. "Good night, Sakura," he said before leaning in to kiss me. With a smile when he pulled back, he walked to his room and disappeared inside.

I sighed and entered my room, sealing the room to intruders before laying down on my bed despite knowing that I wouldn't get to sleep. I tried to figure out how to get through this mission. I had done seduction missions before, everyone in ANBU has at some point. It was true that I loved Sasuke in the past but after he left and shattered my heart, I had picked up the pieces and risen from the ashes. I realized that I only cared for Sasuke like I cared for Naruto, like he was a brother. Once I had gotten over him, I rose through the ranks in the village under Tsunade's guidance. With a sigh, I decided that I would simply keep my goal in mind and take one day at a time. Rolling over, I pulled the covers over me and tried to get some sleep.

I woke up with a start at the sound of someone knocking on my door. Wondering who it was, I growled and sat up, stretching.

"Sakura-san," the voice said pleasantly. "I suggest you wake up if you want any food this morning."

It wasn't Sasuke, but Kabuto instead. I groaned quietly. After laying in bed for hours I finally fell asleep around dawn. Now, I was behind and Kabuto was the first person that I had to deal with. "I'll be out in a minute," I called as I got out of bed and dressed, my stomach reminding that I hadn't eaten in hours. A few minutes later, I made my way down the hall and into the dinning room. Walking into the room, I walked up to the server and got my breakfast before walking to my seat in the corner, which was as far from Orochimaru as possible. Sasuke and Kabuto sat with Orochimaru towards the front of the room and I could feel the sharingan follow me as I moved around the room. I met his gaze, without fear of falling into a genjutsu, and nodded a good morning. He returned the nod and returned to ignoring me.

After breakfast, I went to the training hall to train alone. Orochimaru wouldn't ban anyone from the hall until noon when he personally trained Sasuke. Making the most of my time, I practiced my combative skills and aerobics. I worked through my katas and then worked on a little bit of tumbling that I used defensively. Once I was done with that, I began working on a few of my newer jutsu, going through them piece by piece so that no one would notice that they were S-rank jutsu. Finally, I sat down and decided to meditate, clearing my mind and briefly touching base with the ANBU HQ so that they would report that I was still alive to Tsunade. As my mind quieted, quiet voices began to filter through my head but fell silent when I growled quietly at them. Finally, I reached a state similar to the meditation that Sages use.

"My dear," Orochimaru called as he walked into the training hall, pulling me from my meditation. "I would ask that you leave so that I can train with Sasuke-kun."

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama," I replied as I stood and walked from the room. Once the doors closed behind me, I ran to my room and locked the door. Laying on my bed I preformed a jutsu that allowed my mind to separate and function without my body. I usually used this technique on surveillance missions with a partner to guard my body but I needed to know what Orochimaru was teaching Sasuke. With the hand seals completed, I felt my mind separate from my body and I looked down at it. It looked like I was sleeping. With a shake of my head, I walked through the door, down the hall, and into the training hall.

Sasuke was practicing with his kusanagi and applying chidori to it. The way that he worked with the kusanagi reminded me of the way that ANBU train and carry a katana. I reminded myself that I need to get two the next time that I was allowed into the town. Before leaving on this mission, I had begun working on a style using two katanas and needed to work on it. Eventually he shifted to working out some jutsu that looked to be A-ranked. I watched as he performed the jutsu until Orochimaru was satisfied with the result. Finally, Orochimaru called for him to practice with Kabuto. I nearly laughed when Sasuke nearly chopped off Kabuto's arm. That's what you get, smug bastard, I thought to myself. After that Orochimaru ended the session and sent Sasuke to get me for dinner. With a sigh, I returned to my body.

With a sigh, I stretched and sat up, wondering why Orochimaru wanted me to come to dinner when he usually left me to my own devices. A knock on my door let me know that Sasuke was here. So I got up, unlocked the door, and opened the door with a smile. "Hey," I said casually.

"Orochimaru sent me to get you for dinner," he said as he glanced over my shoulder and into my room. "And what happened to your desk?"

I laughed. "I wanted more space so I put it in the closet," I answered him. "I don't have many clothes so I really don't need a closet that big."

He looked at me with a puzzled expression for a moment before laughing quietly. He kissed me quickly before pulling back. "I think we should go and not keep Orochimaru from waiting. He never asks for people to come to dinner."

"Fine," I grumbled. He smiled as he took my hand and lead me out of the room.

Sasuke released my hand when we neared the dinning hall. We walked in, gathered out food, and went our separate ways. Sasuke sat at his usual spot at Orochimaru's right side, where Kabuto sat across from the Legendary Sannin at the square table at the front of the room. I turned towards my own spot in the back corner of the room when a voice stopped me. "Sakura dear, would you come sit next to Kabuto tonight? I must speak with you," Orochimaru called without raising his voice. Though he phrased it like a request, I knew that the command was anything but.

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama," I answered coolly as I walked to the table and sat down beside Kabuto, across from Sasuke, without a glance at the table's occupants.

"I am afraid that the two of you will have to get along for my plans to proceed. And you do not want for those plans to fall through, do you?" Orochimaru asked politely. I bit back a growl, some how suspecting that getting along with Sasuke would more than likely mean getting very close with him physically. The table was silent. Orochimaru sighed. "Well if the two of you are not going to work together, I will make you. Kabuto."

Following the command of his name, Kabuto reached over and placed his hand on my forearm. Nothing happened at first, but a moment later, I felt his chakra burning and ripping through my arm. With precise control, his chakra never strayed past my wrist or elbow as he ripped the muscles in my arm to shreds. The pain forced me to wince unwillingly. "Hai, Orochimaru-sama," I whispered through clenched teeth. Orochimaru smiled and Kabuto removed his hand. Faint waves of anger radiated from Sasuke as he glared forward with his sharingan, but he nodded none the less.

"Now that we are all working together, we will move on," Orochimaru stated with a smile as if we were simply talking about what we each were doing for the day. "In two days, I have planned a celebration in honor of Sasuke-kun's birthday, presenting Sakura to my people, and to maintain my position as leader of this land. This is a formal occasion. Sakura, I understand that you do not have any formal attire, so you and Kabuto will go into town tomorrow to rectify this problem. Sasuke-kun will go with you to get his attire but will return before you will," He said with that same creepy smile. "Neither of you will see what the other is going to wear because I have arranged is so that you are each others date for the night. To keep tensions down and a untied front on our part, you both need to look and act like you are enjoying the evening. Do you understand?"

"Hai," we both answered in unison.

"Good," Orochimaru continued. "Now you may continue your dinner together. Kabuto and I have other tasks to attend to. Sakura dear, do you need your arm healed?"

"No, Orochimaru-sama," I answered. "I can heal it myself." I bit the inside of my cheek as my arm was jostled as Kabuto stood, refusing to show the weakness to the snake that I was living with.

Orochimaru nodded and walked away with Kabuto a few steps behind him. Once they were gone, Sasuke dropped his sharingan and looked at me with worried onyx eyes. "Are you alright?" he asked, his tone saying that he wanted to help but didn't know how to help.

I bit back a groan as I stood and pulled my arm to my chest, cradling it so that it wouldn't move as much. With a small painful smile, I shook my head. "No," I replied. "I'm not. He ripped the muscles in my arm apart. I need to go heal it."

"You need to eat, Sakura," he stated with a hint of concern leaking unto his tone. "Then you can heal it."

Again I shook my head. "Sorry," I said as I turned back to walk out the doorway. "But I have lost my appetite."

The sound of his chair scooting back greeted my ears as he stood to follow me. Biting back a groan, I walked out of the dinning hall with him tailing me. He followed me to my room and stepped through the door before I could close it in his face like I wanted to. Without a backwards glance as I walked to the bed I called over my shoulder, "could you please lock the door? I don't want anyone walking in."

Without a word, he did as I asked before joining me on the edge of the bed. The worry and anger rolled off him in subtle waves. With a sigh I turned and looked at him. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"No," he growled. "I knew that I couldn't interfere but I could barely sit there and watch as Kabuto did that. I've never been that angered before."

"Don't worry about that. I can heal it but it will take me some time," I replied. Then I cursed myself in my head before saying the last thing that I wanted to say. "You can stay if you would like."

He looked at me with hope deep in his onyx eyes. It was the look that I was hoping to avoid but knew that was inevitable if I was going to achieve my mission. "I am not leaving you until you are asleep," he whispered in a soft voice.

"That is fine," I said with fake happiness. "Just don't get caught. I would hate for you to get in trouble with Orochimaru."

He nodded. "You better get started on your arm," he cautioned as he glanced down at my arm. "It looks pretty bad."

With a sigh I looked down at the mess that was my arm, which looked like it had been burned and beaten. Without a word I began to heal my arm with medical ninjutsu. A few hours of slow and painful healing, my arm was finally healed. I tested the resistance of the newly healed muscles with a few quick exercises before noticing that my chakra levels were dangerously low. I fell back onto the mattress and closed my eyes as my body began to relax into sleep. Sasuke slowly laid down beside me and pulled me so that my head was resting on his shoulder. I was too tired to argue with him right now so I let the movement go for now. As my eyes began to drift close, Sasuke shifted us so that our heads laid on my pillows. The steady beat of his heart was slightly comforting and his breathing was smooth and even. Against my will, my body began to relax further into sleep. With a mental struggle, I tried to stay awake. "I forgot that your birthday was so soon," I said with a yawn. "How old you will be? Seventeen? Eighteen?"

"Eighteen in a few days," he replied quietly, his voice vibrating through my ear.

"What is it?" I asked with feigned interest.

"Its nothing," he sighed. He paused for a minuted before continuing. "Its been about three years," he sighed. " Since Orochimaru last switched bodies. I'm worried that I don't have much time left before he wants to take mine. I was hoping to have left before then."

"I thought you left the village to find the power to kill Itachi," I murmured in confusion.

"I did at first but now you are here and that goal doesn't seem to be as important now."

"I don't understand. How could I change that goal?" I inquired. "I thought you cared more about killing Itachi." This conversation was adding layers and layers of complication to what I originally saw as a simple seduction mission. Now I had to acknowledge the fact that I would end up breaking Sasuke in a way that no one else could. He had developed feelings for me, feelings that I would have returned years ago, but now they only complicated the way that I could approach this mission. Now I had to fully act like I was still that love struck girl that he left behind years ago. Now I had to act like the girl that I had struggled to outgrow for years.

"Well I suspect that you love me, so that pretty much puts it in perspective. I really care about you, Sakura. I don't know how to say it exactly," He eventually admitted. "Do you remember when Kakashi asked us about our goals for ourselves when we became genin?" he asked a few minutes later. I nodded against his chest. "Do you remember mine?"

"You wanted to kill Itachi for murdering your clan."

"That was only the first part. The second part was to restore my plan. And I don't think I want to do that with anyone besides you. On either part of my goal," he said quietly, a heavy emotion deep in his voice.

I remained quiet. This was so much more complicated than I had originally imagined and I could only see this ending badly. But I knew that there wasn't anything I could do about it. Orochimaru wanted Sasuke's body and sharingan but Sasuke wanted to kill Itachi and revive his clan, with my help. "So you have to kill Orochimaru," I concluded with a sigh.

I felt him nod. "But I don't know how to," he admitted. "If I escape, he will hunt me down and kill me. The only way that my children will be safe is if I kill him."

"I understand," I murmured. We laid there in silence as I once again listened to his heartbeat and steady breathing. I couldn't help but begin to relax again. Much like how an infant is comforted by similar sounds because it is what they remember subconsciously from their time in the womb. I slowly drifted to into a half unconscious state, where I was aware of the world around me but could not react to it. After a few more minutes, he gently moved out from under me and laid me onto the pillows. He covered me with a blanket and left the room after whispering good night to me. Worried settled into my mind as I dreamed about what he had said about me and his goals. He had implied that he wanted a life with me and, as I dreamed about those thoughts, I eventually fell into a sleep so deep that it was virtually impossible to dream.

So that is the first chapter. Please review and let me know what you think. It would be greatly appreciated. Who knows hopefully people like it and I can add more :)