Angels Have Glass Hearts

"Sakura?"

It's been so long since I heard that voice…

The pink-haired kunoichi lifted her head slightly from its drooping position.

"You can talk to me, Sakura. I'm gonna get you some help."

"Naruto…" she mumbled, anxious tears filling her faded eyes. "Where's Mitsukai?"

The blond ninja glanced at the door, the only one in the room. "He's with the medics, they're just giving him a checkup, that's all. He's fine."

Naruto sensed Sakura's relaxation at that sentence.

"If you want me to help you Sakura, you need to tell me what happened. Nobody else is listening. You're safe here," he explained, placing a hand on her shoulder. The two occupied the only seats in the otherwise-bare white room. The plaque hanging on the door outside read "Interrogations."

Naruto's heart went out to her at the condition she was in as she inhaled a shuddering breath. It seemed as though everything about her was faded, as though the life had been sucked out of her. Her once-vibrant rosy hair hung limp from her head, only a faint pinkish tint to it now. He'd been shocked at first to have seen how pale she was, how dull her eyes had become. But soon he would know why.

"Why don't you start from the beginning, Sakura? From your last mission."

Naruto waited patiently as Sakura lifted her head again, as if internally debating what to do. After a few minutes, she sighed, and began in a hollow whisper.

"My…my last mission…the…the battle in the valley…"

"That's right," coaxed Naruto. "What happened at the end?"

"I was…sent out to…help the…the wounded…"

"And then what?"

Sakura's eyes widened a little as they met the blonde's blue pools.

"I found him," she said, as though she had just discovered it. "He was there."

Naruto nodded, feeling progress when she stopped whispering. "Yeah, we got reports of that."

Sakura stared at her hands on her knees as she sat, speaking as though to herself only.

"He…he was almost gone…I had to save him…so much blood…so much…"

"Sasuke!" Sakura shouted, breaking into a run across a crimson field towards her ex-teammate. He lay facedown on the blood-soaked grass, barely alive and gasping for his last breaths. His half-closed dark eyes were dull and hazy, the color of a faded night sky.

"Sasuke, can you hear me?" she asked, turning him over onto his back with some difficulty. "Can you hear me?"

When he didn't respond, she slipped off her gloves, placing both hands over his bare chest.

"Come on, come on, breathe, breathe…"

After a few seconds of absorbing pulsating green chakra, he coughed violently, a trickle of blood oozing from his mouth.

"Good, Sasuke, just breathe, just breathe…"

Her heart skipped a beat when his eyes closed, then fluttered open, meeting her gaze with an irate glare.

"S-stupid girl…" he coughed, wincing. "Just…let me die…"

"No, I won't!" she protested, not bothering to keep her tears from falling. "You won't die, you have so much to live for!"

He half-coughed, half-snorted, tilting his head to gaze at the piles of corpses littering the once-green valley floor.

"Heh…yeah, right…see all those? That…was me."

Sakura said nothing, but continued to send the healing energy into his blood-spattered body.

"If I…could do something like that when…I lose control…why should I stay alive?"

Sakura bit her lip, meeting his scornful gaze through teary eyes.

"Because we'll find a way to get rid of your curse. We'll cure you, and you'll live a normal life again."

"Normal," he spat. "Maybe in another life, maybe…but normal…no…this curse will have its way with me."

"You can't talk like that!" she blurted out.

"I'll talk…however I want to, girl. I'm…dead already. Your healing hands can't bring…back the dead."

"Sasuke…" she choked out, hiccupping through her tears.

"I've become him, Sakura. I'm…just what he was. A monster."

"No…no, you're not a monster…" she protested, placing one hand on his forehead, though he growled at her when she did. "You're a human being, you're Sasuke Uchiha, you're a Leaf shinobi, you're…one of my closest friends."

"…You realize how vulnerable that makes you?" he hissed. "I could kill you for my own gain. You're inviting your own death."

"I don't care," she murmured, removing her bloodstained hands and placing them on the grass. His eyes widened a little when she swayed dizzily where she sat, faint from using up so much chakra.

"…Stupid girl…" he muttered as she collapsed on the blood-soaked ground only inches away from him. "Stupid, worthless, idiotic…"

"And then?"

Sakura's eyes had acquired a misty hue. "He…while I was out, a band of thieves came roving over the battlefield, searching for anything worth stealing…he pretended to be dead to avoid them, but they found me alive…"

She closed her eyes as the memories came to life in her mind.

"They planned on kidnapping me…to use as a hostage for ransom from the village. Sasuke…even through everything he'd done…he…he wouldn't let them…"

"This one will fetch quite a price from those snooty ninja," laughed a bearded member of the gang, patting the unconscious Sakura's cheek while another hoisted her limp body over his shoulder. "And she's not bad-looking either."

Sakura…you naïve fool…

Despite everything he'd said to her, the motionless Uchiha felt more-than-a-twinge of guilt as the gang began trudging away, carrying off the body of his former teammate.

Serves her right, using up so much energy…I'm just gonna get wounded again, why'd she have to butt in? Stupid…

"Hey, she's cute. Can I give her a smooch?"

"Eh, be my guest."

They WHAT? No…she makes such a big deal of that whole "first kiss" thing, she'd never let it be taken by some sleazy kidnappers…Wake UP, you stupid girl…

"Pucker up, doll face."

Something in the very back of Sasuke's mind snapped.

The group of thieves/kidnappers nearly bolted when one of the seemingly-dead bodies leaped into a defensive crouch, brandishing a broken katana blade.

"Whoa, whoa," one of them said, holding a hand up in defense. "Hold it, we found her fair and square. Get your own."

"Let go of her," growled the Uchiha, managing to summon a weak Sharingan. "Or I'll kill you all."

Only one member of the gang wasn't shaking with fear. This one looked Sasuke in the eye with something like disdain.

"S-Sano," one of the band stuttered. "T-take him out. He's one of them."

The one named Sano nodded, silently reaching behind his back and unsheathing a sickle-like weapon with a curved blade.

"Well, well, looks like I get to take out the last man standing," sneered the man. "This should be fun."

He rushed towards Sasuke. It was obvious he was no shinobi, a frontal assault was the most reckless thing anyone could do in a one-on-one battle.

The other gang members flinched when there was a flash of reflected sunlight on metal, and a moment later a bloody, severed head fell to the ground, a decapitated body's fluids mixing with the already-scarlet dirt.

"Anybody else want to try?" hissed Sasuke, knowing their cowardly eyes were riveted to the blood dripping off his shattered sword. "Anybody?"

"Heh…number one rule of battle, kid. Never assume your opponent's dead. Always make sure."

Sasuke jumped back at the sound of the voice, mentally berating himself as the sickle-warrior swung at him again with lightning-fast speed over the corpse he had used as a shield.

I…I can't hold him off…used up too much in the big battle…Sakura didn't heal everything…

"He told me they fought for a long time…the gang didn't run, they knew they couldn't survive without their warrior…so they stayed."

Naruto nodded slowly. "And…?"

"And then…" Sakura gulped sadly. "…He…he lost it…"

"Ha-ha-ha-heh-heh…Come on, boy…is this all you've got?"

If I was at full power, I could take him, but in this state…

Sasuke winced as another partially-healed cut was wrenched open, adding to the steam of red mixed with sweat dripping from him as he leaned against his splintered blade. He'd ran out of enough chakra for the Sharingan a while ago, he was running on fumes by now.

Sakura, I…I won't let them take you…

"Yeah, Sano! Take this brat out!"

"You can do it!"

Shut up, shut up…

The sickle-wielder's eyes widened when a glowing mass of flame-shaped blotches began creeping across his opponent's blood-drained skin, even as the youth groaned in pain.

"Wh-what the…?"

"Die."

The gang of kidnappers could only jump in shock as a demonic fireball engulfed their unsuspecting fighter. The flames quickly died down, revealing a lone figure surrounded by a whirlpool of spiraling purple energy.

"What's that?!"

Sasuke glared at them, attempting to staunch the flow of blood from his gullet with one hand while the other gripped his shattered sword. In a desperate final move, his opponent had flung his weapon at him before being incinerated. Due to his slowed reactions, it had slashed open his neck, leaving a not-so-shallow wound.

He groaned from the pain emanating from both his throat injury and from his curse mark as it continued to spread across his skin. His fuzzy vision told him the band of thieves were backing away slowly, looks of pure, abject terror etched on their faces.

Somehow, the pain in his throat was being dulled. Any relief was welcome, but it seemed to have something to do with the fact that the black marks covering his body were expanding slowly, pale skin disappearing under tar-colored blotches. He glared again at the gang when the pain in his neck almost completely vanished, his teeth bared in a silent snarl. The member carrying Sakura lowered her to the ground gently, before the whole band took off running and screaming like frightened children.

He watched them go, a satisfied smirk playing across his mouth. He then stumbled over to Sakura's unmoving body, kneeling beside it as the swirls of purple energy slowly dissipated into the air.

He clumsily picked up her hand, relieved at feeling a steady pulse beat from her wrist and finding her sustaining no injuries, merely asleep and replenishing her chakra. Glancing up, he realized there was no way either of them would be safe staying on this blood-soaked valley field. Others like the ones he'd just dealt with would come. They'd have to leave as soon as possible.

"And then…?"

Sakura looked up at Naruto, seeming a little happier at relaying the next part.

"He…he took me away, to a cavern high up on a mountain…not even ninja could reach it, even the strongest wouldn't have enough chakra to walk all the way up the vertical wall of stone…we were unreachable, isolated… completely alone together…and that's when it all started."

"Sasuke?"

This was the first word to come into Sakura's mind. And the first word she timidly called out into the emptiness surrounding her as she sat upright on something soft.

"Sasuke, are you there?"

When she received no answer, her mind kicked into gear and took note of her surroundings. She was in some sort of cave, lying in a makeshift bed made from two blankets with her sandwiched in between. In a corner of the stone room was a blackened spot with charred sticks and straw, which she assumed to be a fireplace. On the other side of the cave, well away from the threat of catching fire, were some more blankets, a roll of bandages, and pieces of a destroyed sword tied in a bundle with a strip of cloth.

Where am I? What happened to the battle? What happened to Sasuke?

She turned her head toward the shaft of light shining onto the cave floor from its entrance. She was far back enough to be in the shadow, meaning she had to let her eyes adjust to the bright light for a moment after standing up and stepping out of the semi-darkness.

"Whoa…"

The cavern had been carved directly into the cliff-like side of a huge mountain. Creeping forward on all fours, she peered over the edge as the violent wind tossed her hair around her face. A dizzying drop led straight down to the forested countryside a sickening number of miles below.

"Uh…that's high…" she muttered to herself, backing away from the perilous edge. "Very, very high…"

Where AM I?!

She wandered back into the cave, anxious thoughts flashing through her mind.

Maybe…maybe Sasuke-kun wants me to wait for him…

She nodded to herself, deciding that trying to escape in her current state would be useless. She glanced back at the cave entrance and shivered at the thought of the high-altitude winds.

Where did he go…? How'd he get out of this place…? Maybe he had some secret way of getting up here…but why'd he bring me with him?

"I waited for…what seemed like an eternity before he came back…when I saw him, at first I thought…"

"You thought what?"

"…There was no way it could be him…but it was…"

At first she had thought it was her imagination. Then she realized that slow, rhythmic noise was coming from outside the small cave.

Is it…?

She stood where she was at the back of the cave, her widening eyes glued to the entrance as something appeared from below the thin clouds surrounding the entranceway.

Her mouth dropped open in a silent gasp of shock when something with huge, leathery wings rose up to the cave's edge, landing nimbly on the gravelly floor a few feet away from the tip's biting winds.

She stood frozen, staring in a combination of alarm and horror at whatever stood before her, shaking its head from the cold outside air. Its form was humanoid, but those giant wings proved otherwise.

Trying to keep from breathing too loudly, she pressed herself against the back wall of the cave before quietly sliding down onto the floor, hugging her knees as her heart pounded in her chest. It only beat faster as the creature approached her slowly, the clawed nails on its feet clacking against the stone floor. She clenched her eyes shut, knowing it had seen her through the cave's gloom.

There was silence for a few minutes. Cautiously, Sakura cracked open one eye and slowly raised her head.

Keeping her gaze low, she saw the being was kneeling in front of her, its arms extended towards her. The torn remains of what she assumed to be clothing showed that its humanlike body was covered in closed cuts and scars.

Her eyes rested on its outstretched hands and realized its clawed fingers were holding out a piece of bread to her. Her vision traveled up to its chiseled face, but its eyes were obscured by its shaggy blue hair, though a darkish, four-pointed star was visible decorating its nose.

"You…brought this…for me?" she whispered quietly.

It said nothing, and she thought it couldn't comprehend speech until it nodded slowly, never revealing its eyes.

"Uh…thank you…"

Cautiously reaching out with a trembling hand, her fingers brushed its dark skin as she took the bread, feeling in her stomach how hungry she was. She hadn't eaten since before the battle…

I know this thing's not going to hurt me…for now, at least…but I need to find Sasuke-kun.

"Um…Excuse me…" she timidly squeaked after scarfing down the bread.

The shaggy, blue head tilted to the side to acknowledge she had spoken.

"I…I was looking for a friend of mine…did you bring me here? If you did, did you see him back on the plains? He…would have probably been unconscious…he had dark hair, dark eyes, and injuries all over…tell me, did you see him?"

It said nothing. Then, it gave her a small nod.

"You saw him?! Is he ok? Can you tell me where he is?"

A clawed finger pointed to its throat as its head shook slowly. Sakura noticed there had been a wound there at one time, and a rather deep one at that. But, it seemed to have healed over by now.

"Oh…you…can't speak, can you?"

It shook its head.

Whatever hurt its throat must've severed its vocal cords…

"Tell me…is he alive?"

Her heart fluttered at its short nod.

"Is he safe somewhere?"

Nod.

"Do you know where?"

Nod.

"Can you show me where he is?"

She blinked in confusion at the being's shaking head. It knew where Sasuke was, but couldn't show her?

"Well…thanks for answering, anyways…it…means a lot to me that he's ok."

She watched as the creature got back up to its feet and went over to the opposite wall of the cave before sitting cross-legged on one of the unrolled blankets.

So…this is where it…no, I've got to stop thinking like that. It's not an IT, it's a HE, or at least HE looks like one…This is where he lives…all by himself from what I can gather…Probably survives by stealing food and supplies, there's nothing wrong with that…Maybe he could talk once, but he got in a fight and had his neck ripped open…I'm glad he's ok…

She watched what she deemed to be a him toss a small, green apple in the air before skewering it on one of his claws and biting into it. His razor-sharp fangs glinted as the apple disappeared, and despite his kindness to her, she shivered a little on the inside.

Even though his hair still veiled his eyes, he seemed to glance in her direction just once before lying down on his side, using another rolled-up blanket as a pillow. She gazed at him for a few minutes as he lay facing the wall, his bizarre wings stretching almost halfway across the cave floor. Whatever he was, he had given her food and shelter, and had not signaled that he wanted anything in return.

Thank you…whatever your name is…I wish there was something I could do to repay you…

Her ears pricked up at the sound of a steady dripping noise, and realized in surprise it came from a small trickle of blood running down his shoulder from an open cut and dripping onto the floor.

Oh! He's hurt…

Silently getting to her feet, she padded quietly over to the being's unmoving form. He seemed to be asleep, but with his hair blocking his eyes she couldn't be sure. Summoning the familiar green glow into her hand, she reached out to brush her fingers against his shoulder, causing the wound to close almost instantly.

She winced and gasped quietly in surprise and pain when his hand shot out and grabbed hers, his dark claws digging into her pale skin. She glanced at his face to be met with an icy glare from eyes with black instead of whites.

Her mouth hanging open in shock, she realized exactly what in those eyes was glaring at her.

The Sharingan.

A shadow of guilt flickered across that face, but now her wide-open eyes recognized it all too well. Guilt at her seeing what he had become.

"No…no, it can't be…" she whispered quietly as he released her wrist and turned away from her to hide his face.

"All this time…"

He said nothing.

"Sasuke, wait!" she shouted when he got up and began to trudge toward the cave's entrance. "Wait!"

Her mind showed her a flashback of when they had been in the Forest of Death. He had lost control, and she had run towards him and hugged him from behind, begging him to stop. How ironic that history tends to repeat itself so often.

"Sasuke…don't go, Sasuke…" she whispered, her tears rolling off her cheeks and onto his bare back as she held onto him. "Don't leave me…"

He said nothing, she knew he couldn't speak but was listening to her every word.

"Don't…Sasuke…I want you to stay…you…might get killed if you go out…don't go!"

His clawed fists clenched in suppressed anger.

"I don't care what you look like, Sasuke! I know it's you in there…and I'm not going to let you throw your life away!"

Just as the night he had left, he disappeared from in front of her, and the next thing she knew, she was shoved backwards against the cave wall, his powerful hands holding her in place by the shoulders as he snarled silently, his face inches from hers.

She gazed sadly into his altered eyes, in only a fleeting moment catching a glimpse of all the hurt and confusion they held before they clouded over with his stoic façade again.

"Sasuke…don't do this…" she whispered, tears continuing to roll down her face. "I love you…I don't want to see you in pain, you've been through so much already…"

He remained silent, lowering his head so his hair obscured his eyes again.

"I'll find a way to bring you back…then we can go home again…together…"

His shaggy head shook dejectedly at her words.

"What do you mean, there's no cure? Then we'll find one! I won't let you suffer, Sasuke…I won't."

His grip on her shoulders weakened, she shrugged off his hands, instead embracing him from the front this time. He made no movement to stop her, but stood and allowed her to cry, her crystalline tears sliding over the gap between her pale cheek and his darkened chest.

"Sasuke…You never deserved this…"

Her eyes opened in surprise when she felt him move his arms around her, holding her unusually gently as though comforting her.

"Sasuke…?" she whispered, tilting her head back to meet with his eyes, now half-closed and averted as though in deep sadness.

It's ok, Sakura…it doesn't hurt…but I wish I could tell you…how much I missed you.

He blinked slowly in surprise when her delicate hand cupped his chin, her soft, smooth lips meeting with the mud-colored skin of his cheek. She managed a teary-eyed smile at the sight of a tint of red appear on his face, as it meant he still had human feelings.

"Sasuke…" he heard her whisper quietly as she cuddled closer into his arms. The way she said his name, so peacefully and yet so filled with heartbreaking emotion…she really meant it. She wanted him safe from whatever dangers she believed would take his life.

Thank you, Sakura…for saving my life back then. I hope this makes up for how I spoke to you…I only wanted you to leave so you wouldn't get hurt…forgive me.

He felt her body stiffen, but eventually relaxing in his arms as his blue-lipped mouth met gently with hers.

I love you, Sakura.

"We lived there together…we were cut off from the world, but we were happier than ever before…"

Naruto nodded. "I see…"

Sakura smiled sadly as she continued to speak, gazing far off into the distance.

"He went out every day to look for food…I stayed behind and prepared things for when he got back. I guess I was his caretaker…I cleaned our cave, I sewed clothing, I cooked whatever food he brought back…But it made me so happy, just being with him. Sometimes he'd come back with a bleeding wound or pulled muscle, I'd always fix that for him…And every night we'd fall asleep holding hands and smiling for one another…Sometimes, when there was little to no moonlight…he'd let me climb onto his back, and we'd fly through the night together, always returning before anyone could see us…"

Sakura raised her head and looked Naruto directly in the eye with a saddened frown.

"After about six months of living together, I…became sick. Even I don't know what I had, but all I knew is I was in so much pain…Even though we'd made a promise to each other not to make contact with the outside world, he…kept me alive. He took me to see a doctor, a little old man who lived far away from any towns or cities…"

"Hm. Oh, my. Looks like rain, yes it does."

A bald old head glanced up at the darkened sky again, noting the stars had been obscured by the dark clouds rolling in.

"Looks like rain indeed. Hm? What's this?"

Something was speeding through the clouds towards the tiny wood-and-grass hut the old man lived in. At first it was just a dark smudge, but soon a distinguishable shape appeared.

The old man showed no sign of terror when what seemed to be a giant bird at first landed before him. Its nearness however, revealed it to be what looked like a human with huge wings growing out of his back.

"Oh my. You're a demon, aren't you? Oh deary me. I do hope you're not here to kill me or something dreadful like that."

The old man squinted, and realized the being was not alone. Cradled in his arms, wrapped tightly in a thick blanket, was a young woman, her face pale as she shivered and coughed weakly.

"Ah…I see. You need me to cure her?"

The being's head nodded quickly, staring pleadingly at the old doctor from behind his disheveled blue hair.

"Well…bring her in, I'll see what these old bones can do for her."

The old man led the being and his charge back to the little hut, noticing how the demon-creature constantly glanced at the face of the young woman with pure worry for her. Once inside, the old man busied himself with retrieving scrolls from a wall entirely covered with rows of wooden shelves.

"It's not every day I get a visit from one of your kind…lay her down over there, and I'll examine her. And you may call me Shi."

Obeying the small man's orders, Sasuke gently lowered the unconscious Sakura to the small cot, the only furniture in the room apart from a small table overflowing with paper and bottles. His hand squeezed hers reassuringly as she coughed again, the paleness never leaving her face and her shivering never ceasing.

Please let her be ok…I should've brought her sooner…

"Move aside, please."

Sasuke obeyed as the old man who called himself Shi picked up Sakura's hand between his wrinkly fingers, feeling for her pulse. Sasuke waited patiently, watching as the old doctor felt her forehead and scrutinized her breathing.

"Oh dear…"

Sasuke's ears pricked up at Shi's soft mumble.

"Tell me, my good man," he said, turning to Sasuke. "If you will, how long has she been like this?"

Sasuke held up two fingers.

"Two days?"

He nodded.

"Dear me…I'm afraid your lady has a very serious case of an old fever that used to plague these mountains and valleys. I was quite sure it had been wiped out, but I believe this is the last strain. She showed only mild symptoms for about a week, am I correct? Coughing and whatnot?"

Sasuke's eyes widened as he nodded quickly.

The old doctor turned back to Sakura.

"Poor dear…I must say, you're quite lucky you got here…without any treatment she would have only lasted another four days…"

Sasuke shuddered.

Sakura…forgive me…

"I have a little of the vaccine left, but…it won't be quite enough to completely destroy the illness. About a quarter of it will still remain in her body. After I administer it, we'll just have to hope for the best."

Sasuke nodded slowly, resuming his place by Sakura's side as the old man got up and disappeared behind stacks of equipment.

Don't…you can't die…I won't let you…We're going to save you, Sakura, just hang on…just hang on…don't leave me…

"You've got quite the soft spot for her."

Sasuke jumped at the sound of the grating old voice, blinking and realizing his eyes were unusually watery. The doctor Shi chuckled as he knelt next to him.

"I'll admit, you two do make quite the odd couple…But I suppose love crosses just about any boundaries when you must save the one you care for, am I right?"

Yeah…you old geezer…

"Now, I need your assistance, my good man. Hold her arm in place so I can give her the injection. With any luck, the vaccine will take effect and she'll be up and about by tomorrow morning."

You see, Sakura? thought Sasuke as he held her hand, watching the doctor swab a spot on her arm. He winced as the needle of the syringe pierced her pale skin. We're going to save you. You're going to be ok. Just rest, you'll need your strength…

"Heh-heh…young love…although, you could be thousands of years old, so I'm taking a wild guess."

Sasuke shook his head, managing a feeble smile as Sakura's arm was bandaged carefully by those gnarled old hands.

"Now…if you'll excuse me, it is quite late and I must be getting my sleep. I'm not young anymore, I'll have you know. You're welcome to stay here with her if you like."

Sasuke nodded, managing a grateful smile for the wizened old man as he got up, muttering about his joints as he shuffled off into another part of the small hut. Soon, a soft snoring came from the other room.

Sasuke turned back to Sakura, feeling at peace to see her no longer shivering, but lying calmly under the blanket he had wrapped her in.

You're going to be fine, I know you will…

"S…Sasuke?"

Sasuke jolted awake, glancing around himself several times before remembering he had spent the night in the doctor Shi's hut, to see if the vaccine worked on-

"Sasuke? Where are we?"

A very surprised Sakura had no idea why he was suddenly hugging her with enough force to crush a small house, but welcomed him nonetheless.

"Oh, I missed you too, big guy," she whispered, smiling as she ran her fingers through his tangled hair. "You brought me somewhere to get fixed because I was sick, didn't you?"

She smiled brightly at his enthusiastic nodding.

"Aww, thank you…I'm feeling much better now, don't worry about me."

She giggled when he kissed her cheek, giving her another squeeze as he hugged her tiny frame against himself.

I was afraid I'd lose you…but you're ok…

"The lovebirds are up bright and early."

Two heads jerked up in simultaneous surprise, blushing and turning towards the old doctor as he approached them.

"Young miss, be very grateful to your man," he told Sakura. "His words were none, but he brought you here on the very brink of death to find your cure. That is quite possibly the most dedication I've seen in a long, long time."

"Oh, well, uh, thank you, sir," said a blushing Sakura.

"Please, lady, I am but a hermit, called Shi by others."

"Oh…well, thank you…so much, Shi, for helping us…"

"No trouble at all, madam."

"If there was anything we could do to repay you…"

"No, no, miss. It's already been settled. Now…you two, go out there and value one another until the day you die. I must be about making some tea."

Sakura noticed the glint of gold hidden under one of the canisters in Shi's unorganized pile, but decided not to ruin the moment.

Sasuke gave him a lot…he's going to have to steal all month to make up for it, but…he made that sacrifice for my life. The least I can do is be grateful.

"Come on, Sasuke…let's go home."

"So…he saved your life more than once…" murmured Naruto. "What happened after that?"

Sakura, for the first time, looked straight at Naruto, with the most energetic smile he'd seen her give so far.

"We loved each other…so…he…"

Naruto's head tilted expectantly. "He what?"

"He asked…well, not asked, but…he asked me if I would marry him."

Naruto's cerulean eyes went wide. "He…?"

Tears began to roll down the kunoichi's face again.

"I don't know how he got it, but…one night, when the stars were shining and we were sitting together watching them twinkle, he…held my hand, and I felt something cold press into it…when I looked down, I saw a small, plain gold ring. He even knelt down and gestured to his heart…he wanted us to be together forever."

Naruto nodded in amazement. "And you…?"

"I did the only thing I ever would. I hugged him, began to cry, and said 'yes, yes I'll marry you, I love you…' It made him so happy…"

"So…you were married?"

"Uh-huh…but…it was in secret…in the dead of night, by a priest who cared more about money than anything else…We convinced him we were forbidden from each other by our parents, and had run away to live together…He 'believed' it after we offered him enough money. There was no grand ceremony, no confetti being flung, no crowds of well-wishers…but it was the happiest day of our lives…"

"If you two are ready, we'll begin…"

Sakura nodded, grasping Sasuke's hands in hers as the priest began reciting lines from the scroll he was carrying. She resisted the urge to brush a strand of hair out of her eyes, mentally berating herself for choosing a disguise form with long, brunette curls.

She glanced at Sasuke's face and smiled, barely able to see his eyes behind the black cloak he wore to hide his appearance. She attempted to blink away the tears that blurred her vision, but soon they rolled heedlessly down her rosy cheeks.

All three members of the group constantly glanced around them in case of any unexpected visitors. Their location, huddled behind a shrine in an old temple, was well-sheltered, but no measures were too careful.

I never thought…we'd make it this far…

"…Do, honor-bound, and forevermore…" continued the priest, wanting to get the quick ceremony over with as soon as possible.

Sakura almost missed her cue from nervousness, but quickly regained herself as the speech continued.

"Do you, Sasami Haruko, take this man, Sosuke Uzumaki…"

Sakura, I'll get you back for giving me a dumb fake name later…

"…To be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, through richer or poorer…"

Sasuke's probably mad at me for telling this guy his last name was Uzumaki…

"…Other as long as you both may live?"

Sakura smiled nervously as the tiny gold band was slid onto her ring finger.

"I d-do," she managed to stutter out, still smiling as her eyes spilled out joyful tears.

"And do you, Sosuke Uzumaki, take this woman…"

The name doesn't really matter…I love you, Sakura…You mean everything to me.

"…Promise to love and cherish each other as long as you both may live?"

The priest closed the scroll at Sasuke's curt nod.

"Then, by the powers vested in me by the gods in the heavens above us, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

This is totally different from what I imagined…and I love it.

Sakura, still smiling, leaned close to the hooded face she loved and brought her lips against his indigo ones.

I love you too, my precious Sakura.

"Well, now that that's all squared away," muttered the priest, glancing around again. "I must bid you two goodnight."

"Thank you, Sir," whispered Sakura. "Thank you so much for this…"

"My pleasure, Madam. Goodnight."

Naruto gazed at his old teammate. "So…you were married, and it was even by a religious official…"

"That's right…" was her murmured answer. "We were so happy…because we were safe. Nobody could come between us…I was Sakura Uchiha from then on…his wife. And…finally being a married couple, we…we wanted to have a family. I wanted him to be part of one again."

Naruto nodded with understanding.

"So…nine months after we were married…nine months of aggravating pain…I had our first baby."

"Sasuke…Sasuke…Ahh!"

He squeezed his wife's hand, worried sweat visible on his face as she lay on one of their patched-up blankets, every breath a gasp for air.

"It hurts, it hurts…"

He could only grip her hand while his other stroked her hair in an effort to calm her. The cloth full of cold water on her forehead only helped a little. He could do nothing for her internal pain.

"Ahhh! Sasuke, AHHH!"

Just keep breathing…just breathe, Sakura…you're going to be fine…

He glanced down momentarily at her bulging stomach, his hand floating over it before returning to drop the rolled-up cloth in another bucket of cold water. He met her eyes, their hazy green only filled with pain as she winced with every inhale. She had to be fine, the bodies of medics naturally healed themselves after things like this happened…didn't they?

"AAAAAH! SASUKE!" she screamed again, her fingernails digging into his palm as she nearly crushed his hand with her grip.

There was a slicing burst of pain that nearly left her blinded for a second, then a deep sigh of relief escaped her as she fell back in exhaustion. Her barely-functioning senses told her there was a high-pitched squealing coming from somewhere close by. Her fatigue prevented her from doing anything about it until a lumpy pillow was placed under her head, allowing her to sit up enough to wearily take in what her half-open eyes could see of her surroundings.

She felt a cool hand brush some sweat off of her forehead as the squealing noise suddenly seemed to come from right in front of her. She finally opened her eyes all the way, and smiled weakly after a moment.

"H-here, Sasu…ke…I'll take…it's a him, isn't…it…?"

Her husband's head nodded, placing the little bundle of cloth in her lap. He watched her smile as she gently pushed back part of the blanket, cradling the tiny body of the bawling infant inside it.

"Oh…Sasuke…"

She felt his comforting arms curl around her as she held their child. Its shrieks eventually quieted to whimpers as she whispered softly to calm it. Both of them felt their hearts melt when a tiny, scrunched-up pair of eyes opened for the first time, blinking slowly with bright green irises at the two overjoyed new parents.

"Oh, Sasuke…" whispered Sakura. "He's…he's perfect…"

He smiled, nodding before kissing her cheek.

"He's our little angel…'Mitsukai' means angel, doesn't it…do you want to name him that?"

Sasuke nodded.

Anything you want to, Sakura…

The newly-named Mitsukai gurgled quietly in his mother's arms as she held Sasuke's hand.

"He's our son…our baby…"

Mitsukai Uchiha.

"So…You were married…and you two had a kid to watch as well?"

Sakura nodded.

"He was his daddy's pride and joy…Sasuke had to work harder to feed all of us, but he never complained…As soon as he was old enough, Sasuke let me take him with us when we started flying again…he never cried when we were up in the air, he loved it…"

"You must've been good parents, right?" asked Naruto, smiling sadly.

"We tried our best…he never met any other children, but we had each other…we were Sasuke's second family, and he was determined not to lose us like he lost the first…"

"And then…?"

Sakura's face visibly darkened as she hung her head.

"And then…two years later…the shinobi came."

"What kind of shinobi?"

Naruto saw her hands gripping her knees shaking in anger.

"Konoha ANBU. Sent with a direct order to bring in Sasuke Uchiha. Dead or alive."

Naruto's eyes widened in genuine surprise.

"Dead…?"

"Part of the group could summon birds…they flew up to the cave, that was the only way inside…they demanded to know where Sasuke was, but…I couldn't tell them anything…"

"Sakura Haruno, by the order of the Hidden Leaf village, you are under arrest."

"I'm telling you, I don't know anything…"

She stayed backed up against the cave's wall, her wide eyes darting around the group of ninja like a cornered animal. They blocked the only exit, but beyond that was a thousands-of-feet drop. They had her trapped.

"I don't know where he is! Go look for him yourselves!"

It wasn't entirely a lie, she really had no idea where he was at this time of day.

Her knees wouldn't stop shaking, through all her efforts to still them. She couldn't try to run when the leader of the group began stepping closer to her.

"You're going to have to come with us."

"No!" she protested. "Leave this place!"

"Mama?"

She froze, glancing down at the bundle in her arms. From the ANBU's perspective, a tiny hand was clearly visible, reaching up to pull at her hair.

"Shh, shh, not now, Sweetie, not now…" she hushed, glancing up at the invading shinobi.

"You have the right to remain silent, Haruno."

"On what charges am I arrested?" she demanded.

"Abandoning the village, leaving yourself classified as a missing-nin, harboring an S-ranked criminal, and engaging in thievery from travelers in several towns in this area. You will stand trial before the Hokage, where your fate will be determined."

"Under what evidence am I convicted of abandoning the village?"

"You'll be informed at the hearing. You're going to have to come with us now."

"You have no evidence! Get away from me!"

"I didn't feel…the real jolts of panic until…they took Mitsukai from me."

Naruto's eyes widened as Sakura squeezed his offered hand, not bothering to hold back her tears.

"They took your baby?" he whispered.

She nodded, hiccupping. "I fought them…I heard him crying, 'Mama? Mama?' All I could think of was getting him back…before they took restraining measures. They…knocked me out, and the last thing I thought of was Sasuke…"

She glanced up trustingly at Naruto.

"I was informed…that another squad was dispatched to look for him…Naruto, please tell me…what happened to Sasuke? Is he…all right?"

Naruto shook his head slowly. "I wish I could tell you…but I don't know anything about him."

"Naruto…what if…what if they…kill him?"

"Shhh…" he murmured when she started sobbing into her hands. "It'll be all right…they were probably ordered to bring him back alive so he could be…as much as I hate to say it, studied first…now, he'd be sad if he knew you were so upset worrying about him, right?

She sniffled once, then nodded.

"See? He'll be fine, Sakura…I know he will. Just believe in him."

"O-ok…thank you, Naruto…"

The blonde smiled comfortingly for her.

"Now…to cheer you up, I bet your little boy's all done with his checkup. I'll bring him in for you?"

"Oh, Naruto…thank you, thank you so much…"

Sakura smiled with genuine happiness as Naruto got up from his seat, making his way over to the room's door. Sakura watched as the clicking noise of unlocking came from the outside before the door creaked open. She couldn't see who exactly Naruto was talking to, but her eyes lit up at the sound of a familiar whimper.

"Mama? Mama?"

The door clicked shut again as Naruto turned around, smiling for Sakura as he held a small child in his arms.

"Here you go, he's perfectly fine."

"Oh Naruto, thank you so much!"

"Mama!"

He smiled as he watched his old teammate's eyes light up when he handed her the two-year-old. The little boy smiled as well, his tiny hand grabbing a fistful of her hair as he giggled in her arms.

"Oh, sweetheart…I missed you too…" she whispered, stroking the child's head. "You're ok now, you're safe…"

The toddler looked up at his mother, blinking his grass-colored eyes, the same color as hers.

"Daddy?"

Naruto winced, noticing Sakura's expression fall.

"He's…" she murmured as the boy grabbed her thumb and stuck it in his mouth. "Daddy's fine…he…we'll see him soon."

"That's right," said Naruto. "You'll see him in no time."

"Thanks, Naruto…" mumbled Sakura. "For…everything. For listening, for…always believing in Sasuke."

"He's our best friend, Sakura. We've never given up on him."

She smiled, gazing into the wide, innocent eyes of her son. Sasuke's son.

"We'll see daddy again soon…" she mumbled, patting the thin, bluish fuzz on her baby's head. "He'll be just fine…and then…"

Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling encouragingly. "Then you'll all go home, of course."

"…Yeah…"

Naruto nodded, absentmindedly observing the stark contrast between Sakura's pale skin and the dark gray-brown of her son's tiny fingers.

"And maybe…someday he'll teach him how to fly."

"Yeah…"

As if in response, the child squirmed around in Sakura's lap, giving Naruto a clear view of the wings he only remembered seeing before on the back of his father.

"He'll come back…he has to. He has you and the little guy. He'll be back soon, I know he will."

"…Right…"

He has to come back to me…to Mitsukai…

Come back to us, Sasuke…

Come back safe…

Come back…

Please…

Just…

Don't die…

I love you…

Come back…

Ok...I know I'm probably going to get flamed for this.

This is the end of this story.

It is mean to be suspenseful and thought-provoking.

There is no definitive ending.

Now have fun with your reviews.