𝓢𝓪𝓼𝓾𝓴𝓮'𝓼 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓽 𝓼𝓴𝓲𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓭 a beat the moment his eyes landed on her. He wasn't prepared for this, to see her, of all people. When Karin had talked about a chase and powerful chakras, he had hoped to see Akatsuki cloaks through the foliage, not an Anbu squad cornering a too-familiar pink-haired girl.

It took him a while to register all the changes in Sakura's appearance. Despite the small stature, the pink hair, and the piercing viridian eyes, the kunoichi he used to know was hardly recognizable under the bruises, the defying glares, and the sharp edges of her face. And he's not even talking about how her clothes tightened around the curves of her body...

But past her looks, what surprised Sasuke the most was the trained shinobi she had become. Her impressive chakra control seemed to have surpassed even Kabuto's, and they had all been mesmerized by the ease with which her body meandered around her opponents, breaking bones and dislocating limbs in swift movements.

She was still losing the fight, though. And the whole situation made no sense to Sasuke. Weren't Sakura and the Anbu force supposed to be on the same team, both working for good old Konoha? And why would so many men be sent after one civilian kunoichi?

Not that it matters.

Sasuke has only one goal, and the life or death of a pink-haired kunoichi shouldn't be of his concern. Not anymore.

But who better than Sakura to know where to find Naruto? And what better than a Jinchūriki to attract an Akatsuki member?

That's what decided him in the end. Not the many wounds puncturing Sakura's body, the sheer sweat covering the pale skin of her brow, or the way those men were putting their hands all over her tired body. He had one goal and now needed her to achieve it; how ironic.

He never thought she'd be so reluctant to follow, so adamant about avoiding his eyes, putting distance between them, about choosing Naruto over him. And at first, he admits he found it endearing. But now, after thirty minutes of watching her stumble over everything and hearing her curse through gritted teeth with her chin held high, he believes he deserves compensation for saving her ass.

At that thought, Sasuke grabs Sakura's arm, tries to ignore the soft touch of her skin, and yanks her forward through their hideout's entrance. She drops to the cave's hard ground with the loudest sigh and settles her head against the rocky wall, her eyes closed.

"So, where is he?" Sasuke asks, kneeling in front of her.

Sakura doesn't acknowledge him as her chest rises and falls steadily. A curtain of long hair slides in front of her face when her head drops to one side, shielding her from view. He wonders why she's let her pink locks grow back to their previous length. Hasn't she learned from her experiences? It gives her opponents an easy grip.

He lets his fingers tangle in the knotted pink locks in reminiscence, then yanks her head back.

"Where is he?"

She snaps her eyes open.

"I thought you said I could sleep."

"Only if I'm satisfied with your answers," he replies, releasing her. "You're wearing your father's shirt," he realizes then, and her eyes widen. "And you don't have your bag. You're not on a mission; they chased you out of the village. Why? Do you have valuable information for them? Like Naruto's hiding place?"

She scowls and turns her gaze to the side.

"Not everything is about you, guys."

He sinks his fingers inside the wound on her shoulder when her eyes close again. She holds back a cry, her body squirming under the pain, but never lets out a sound.

"Look at me, Sakura."

Her eyes flutter open, and crimson meets viridian.

"Tell me where Naruto is."

He can see chakra coating her eyeballs and frowns.

"You forgot to say please," she mocks, shifting her head to hide her face again.

Sasuke can feel his sharingan spin as he takes in Sakura's lounging form.

"How did you do that? You looked into my eyes."

"I practiced. There's no way I'm ever going back there."

She means the Tsukuyomi.

He sits back on his heels and drops his hand to the side at that realization.

They never talked about it, never got the time to, but he remembers how afraid she looked, lost, deeply hurt. And that's when he left. No wonder she doesn't trust him.

"I want to sleep, Sasuke," she says with a tired sigh.

"And you will if you answer my questions. I don't want to hurt you, Sakura. Or him. You know what I really want."

She shifts her head to meet his eyes again.

"You've already hurt me."

Sasuke tries to ignore the pang in his heart that those words are creating, and they remain silent, gauging each other.

He knows she's right, but it shouldn't get a reaction out of him. He's hurt many people over the years but never felt bad about it before.

"Besides," she resumes after a while, "I won't talk under torture, Sasuke. I'm not the pathetic girl I used to be. Now I always get hurt, but it's just routine, and I'm never afraid of dying."

He eyes her for real then, his sharingan registering every detail, from her blood-stained shirt to her shallow breaths and translucid skin. If she had shown up looking like this four years ago, he would have brushed her cheeks, hands shaking with rage, demanding to know the identity of her opponents, wishing to kill them all. But if she's not the same girl anymore, he's changed too.

When his eyes return to her face, he notices her nostrils flaring.

"Dinner's ready," Karin whispers in his ear, handing him a bowl of steaming rice.

He notices Sakura's eyes linger on the redhead and wonders if it's jealousy he sees shining in her piercing green orbs. He hopes not. The last thing he needs is a replica of Ino's and Sakura's childish competition.

"When was your last meal, Sakura?" he asks when her eyes turn to the bowl in his hands.

A pink tongue darts out of her mouth, bringing in its wake memories Sasuke spent years forgetting.

"I don't remember," she answers, hand stretching, but he withdraws the bowl before she can reach it.

"If you speak, I'll let you eat."

She moans and thumps her head against the wall.

"You don't get it, do you? I'm not weak anymore, Sasuke. Nothing you'll do will make me talk. I'll faint long before you get your answer."

"Fine!" he snaps, discarding his dinner and turning to the white-haired man watching them closely. "But you need a shower first."

Suigetsu seems to get his meaning because he steps forward, hands rubbing together as a smirk stretches on his lips.

"Cold or scalding?"

"Ice cold."

Sakura gasps when a powerful gust of water hits her face, and Sasuke cannot refrain from staring as her shirt clings more and more to her body. Her lips gradually turn blue, but still no answers. Suigetsu casts Sasuke a questioning look before stopping his jutsu.

Sakura folds her legs against her chest, arms wrapped tightly around her shins, and keeps her eyes on him. He shifts uncomfortably under her intense stare and avoids looking at it by assessing the injuries altering the skin of her face: a split lip, cuts all over her cheeks, a big gash to the forehead, and a purple bruise emerging all around her nose, hiding her pretty freckles.

"So, can I sleep now?"

He glares at the obstinate girl, an uncomfortable pulse on his neck speeding up his heartbeat. Something must have changed in his demeanour because Sakura's eyes become wary as they land on his curse mark.

"Sasuke?"

She leans back with a gasp when he punches the wall inches from her face.

"Dammit, Sakura, just tell me where he is."

He yanks her forward by the collar of her shirt, ready to stare into her eyes until she runs out of chakra, but that's when he notices her gaze still resting on his neck.

"Is it still controlling you?"

She's concerned, and he doesn't like it. His hand closes around her chin, and he tilts her head to meet her gaze.

"If I say yes, will you answer?"

"If I tell you now, you'll leave me here, alone, again. I can't. Not tonight. Please, just let me sleep."

He keeps staring at her until the fire under his skin goes out.

So she still has a hold on me.

He releases her suddenly, as if burned, and she drops back to the floor, legs shaking, teeth clattering. He doesn't protest when her eyes close.

"Who is she?" Suigetsu asks when Sasuke joins the rest of his team around the fire, a bowl of cold rice in his hands.

When he stays silent for too long, Karin answers for him.

"His former teammate, of course."

"I know that," Suigetsu says, waving his chopsticks at her, mouth full, "but I mean, why have we only heard of the blond Jinchūriki and the famous copy-ninja?"

Sasuke shifts in his seat, eyes glued to the fire. "Sakura... she used to be nothing."

The other man snorts.

"Didn't think she would become that, did you?"

Sasuke glances back at the woman sleeping on the floor and only retracts his gaze when Jūgo rests a hand on his shoulder.

"Sasuke-san, are you sure you want to go through with this? I mean... torturing her? It feels wrong to me."

"Jūgo," Suigetsu says, stretching his legs. "It's not because she looks like a kitten that she doesn't bite. Don't let them fool you. Women are the worst."

Karin snorts.

"What do you know about women?"

"Well, I know you, and that's enough for me."

Sasuke pinches the bridge of his nose in annoyance, the uncomfortable feeling on his shoulder returning full force.

"Sasuke-san."

He sighs, tries to control his anger, and turns to look into Jūgo's amber eyes.

"If she wants to track down this Naruto, and you know your brother will be after him, then why not just travel with her? She can be useful to the team. She's a medic, after all."

The cave falls silent, and Sasuke shifts his gaze to the sleeping girl again. To an outsider, this idea might sound like a good one. It's true. Sakura has become a valuable asset. But one problem: he's drawn to her, even four years later. And perhaps their relationship has changed, but he still can't hurt her. This means she's the perfect candidate to gain the Mangekyō, and the demon inside him knows this all too well.

But there's one thing Sasuke wants more than protecting the pink-haired kunoichi, and that's finding his brother. So if Sakura can help him, maybe it's worth the risk. After all, he would have a better chance at winning with a medic—or brand-new eyes.

He ignores his gloating demon and turns to Karin.

"Jūgo's right. I'll try to convince her to team up with us tomorrow. In the meantime, we can't let her bleed all night."

The redhead scowls but still nods.

"Good. Suigetsu, you have the first watch. Be careful. They're probably searching for her."

"More fun for me," the white-haired man replies, grinning, as he walks outside with a skip in his step.

Meanwhile, Karin nears the sleeping medic, and Sasuke has to work hard not to react when she fetches a kunai in her pouch. He knows she won't hurt the pink-haired kunoichi, and it shouldn't matter that much anyway, but after years spent protecting the girl, his body is moving on its own.

He observes Karin cutting the medic's shirt with growing discomfort. The last time he saw Sakura in her underwear, she was thirteen. And there are changes harder to ignore than others.

"She looks like she's been through one of Orochimaru's interrogations," Karin remarks, red eyes assessing Sakura's injuries.

"What do you mean?"

She pushes her spectacles up her nose in irritation.

"You're lucky she's a medic. Otherwise, even with my help, she wouldn't survive the night."

It shouldn't surprise him. There's too much blood running over the smooth, pale skin.

"This one," the woman interrupts his observation and points to the hole in her shoulder. "I'll have to burn it."

She must have seen the hesitation in his eyes because she crosses her arms.

"I'm only doing what you asked," Karin begins with a scowl. "We have to stop the bleeding. She'll heal the wound upon waking up tomorrow."

Sasuke sighs, irritated at having been read that easily, strides to the fire, and puts the sharp end of his sword in the flames without hesitation. When the blade has turned a bright red, he returns to the medic with a hard stare and hands the sword to Karin.

"As long as it doesn't kill her. I need to hear what she knows."

While Karin inspects the sword, Sasuke kneels at the pinkette's head and leans above her, his hands gripping her arms firmly, faces aligned. His hold tightens when Sakura's body jerks awake, and a piercing scream escapes her lips. Their eyes meet, and she trashes harder under his grip until he brings his face closer to hers, his nose brushing her forehead.

"We're not torturing you," he says, softer than intended. "Go back to sleep."

Sakura holds his gaze for a while but gives up at last, and Sasuke doesn't know how long he keeps staring at her after that. He releases her arms and sits back on his heels only when Karin clears her throat.

"Jūgo," he calls with what he wishes sounds like an icy tone. "Help Karin with the bandages. I'll go make sure Suigetsu is doing his job."

"Of course, Sasuke-san."

The large man lifts Sakura to a sitting position with all the care in the world, and the sight of her beaten body against the broad chest makes Sasuke uncomfortable. He hurries out of the hideout, but instead of going after Suigetsu, he settles in a tree, head full of unwanted memories. Eventually, he falls asleep.

It's dark and cold when he wakes up. Still, he knows exactly where he is. He puts a hand on the wet wall to guide himself, the only sound reaching his ears being the splash of water created by his footsteps.

It's a dream. It has to be.

"Sasuke."

He reaches for his sword, only to notice its empty sheath, and looks down with a frown. Purple. He wears his old shirt, his Sound shirt. He looks smaller.

"Sasuke."

He glances up, but there's no one in front of him.

Where is she?

"Sasuke!"

The shout startles him. It isn't a dream. It's a memory.

Sasuke runs to the echoing screams, already knowing where to go and what he will find, and enters the too-familiar room illuminated by white, cold lights and smelling like blood and death. Hana lies on a bed, bones protruding from her skin, two men staring down at her.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun. I'm happy you could join us," Orochimaru says, eyes glued to his experiment.

Sasuke steps toward Hana, controlling his breathing.

"What are you doing?"

"Hana-chan wanted to be part of a clan. And since we truly miss Kimimaro, we did some experimentations."

"We tried on others before," Hana adds, attracting his gaze. "To perfect our technique. And I'm ready to face the pain, no matter what. You're not the only one with goals, Sasuke."

Orochimaru chuckles.

"We all have goals, my dear."

Sasuke's eyes follow a drop of blood rolling down Hana's shoulder, landing in a crimson puddle at his feet. He knows he has to get stronger and that collateral damages are bound to happen, but he's still uncomfortable hurting and killing people for his own benefit.

"I'm waiting for your first kill, Sasuke-kun."

Orochimaru's statement ignites something in the boy's belly. He turns two crimson eyes on his sensei.

"I already know who my first kill will be."

Both share a glare until Kabuto's chuckle diverts Sasuke's attention.

"We should have asked you to kill your precious Sakura when we had her. You're still thinking about her, her kindness, the feeling of your lips against hers."

"Shut up."

"It's up to you. Either you're serious about your training, or we kill your old team. Remember that if you kill precious Sakura-chan, that will grant you the Mangekyō."

"We do what we have to do to survive, Sasuke," Hana says between two coughs, and the black-haired boy is left wondering what she meant by that.

Was she talking about obtaining the Mangekyō or ensuring Sakura's safety?

As Sasuke ponders on this, Kabuto's cold lab morphs into a meadow of blue and purple flowers. A gentle breeze caresses the skin of his face as the sun warms his jet-black hair. He's tall again.

"Sasuke-kun."

His eyes land on a beautiful woman in a yellow summer dress. Her long pink hair tangles in the warm breeze and falls into cascades over her shoulders, stopping at the small of her back and brushing her round hips.

His feet close the distance between them on their own accord, and one of his hands reaches to cup her cheek.

This is definitely a dream, he thinks, heartbeat quickening. I can do whatever I want. No one will ever know. It doesn't have to mean anything.

His fingers tangle in her hair, and she sighs, eyes closing. He inhales deeply and brings his forehead to hers, his hand grazing the soft skin of her neck until it reaches her shoulder strap. He slides it down, and she takes a sharp inhale.

"You've hurt me, Sasuke-kun."

He meets her big bright eyes and can see that she doesn't mean it as a reproach, but it still stings to hear it.

"I know," he whispers, his lips hovering over hers. "Forgive me."

Her hand grazes his cheek before pushing away a lock of ebony hair.

"You've hurt me."

He kisses her lips before she can say anything else, and she grants access to his tongue, like that other time, in another life and a less romantic place. His hand slides from her shoulder to her hand, then to the small of her back.

"Please. Trust me," he whispers.

She smiles, and a tear rolls down her cheek. She brings her mouth to his ear, and goosebumps trail on his skin when her warm breath grazes his neck. His hand itches to glide lower, to feel her like he never did before.

"You're hurting me, Sasuke-kun!"

His heart skips a beat at her scream, but what really startles him is his hand piercing her chest, even though he doesn't remember doing it. There's the prickling of a Chidori at the tip of his fingers, an uncomfortable warmth flowing down his arm. He jerks his head up to notice a trail of blood at the corner of her mouth. Realizing, at last, the situation, he hurries to retract his hand and carefully lays her on the ground.

"Sakura. I... I didn't. I didn't want to do it. It wasn't me. Sakura?"

With one hand cradling her neck, he applies pressure to her wound with the other. Panic settles in when her eyes close.

"Sakura? Sakura!"

He wakes up with a start, a hand shooting to his heart.

"You okay, man?" Suigetsu's face enters his line of sight. "I said Pinky is awake."

"Sakura?" Sasuke asks in a raspy voice.

The white-haired man nods with a puzzled look. Sasuke runs a hand through his hair, then jumps down his tree. He hears Suigetsu follow behind and is grateful for the man's silence.

When they enter the cave, his eyes settle on the half-naked medic, searching for any sign of injury involving a Chidori. But there's no hole in the middle of her chest, and the girl looks anything but dead. That's when he notices her blushing cheeks and realizes what he's been doing: staring openly at her partially covered chest.

He clears his throat and grabs his bag by the fire.

"Here," he tosses her a shirt. "We had to tear up yours last night."

She turns the new piece of clothing in her hands, freezes upon glimpsing at the red and white fan on the black material, and stares at the Uchiha symbol with furrowed brows.

"I liked my shirt. It was my father's."

Sasuke shrugs.

"You can ask him for a new one later."

White teeth embed in her lower lip, but she remains silent.

"Sakura, I have a deal for you."

The girl's frown deepens, but she nods, puts her fresh shirt on and, at last, locks eyes with him.

"I'm listening."