𝓦𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝓢𝓪𝓴𝓾𝓻𝓪 𝓶𝓮𝓭𝓲𝓽𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓼, she gathers chakra to the seal on her forehead and focuses on nothing but the current of energy flowing through her channels. But she never had to meditate without enough chakra to do so before, and her brain isn't as cooperative when there's no energy flow to focus on.

She sighs and fidgets, trying to ignore the disappointment. Because if Naruto can do this, so can she, right?

But he can feel the world around him so much that it's probably what his hyperactive brain needs. And Sakura's not the son of the Fourth Hokage, a member of two prestigious clans. No, she's the baker's daughter, a civilian with no blood status. She can never get Naruto's sage mode or his chakra reserve. So if she were to send her metaphorical gaze outside her body, she wouldn't feel anything other than the chakra signatures of Team Taka. She wouldn't feel the grass growing, the wind whispering, carrying unintelligible words.

Save him.

Sakura snaps her eyes open.

"What was that?"

The bickering between the white-haired man and the redhead stops, and all eyes land on her. She tilts her head to the side when she meets Sasuke's calculating gaze.

"What?" he asks, eyes unwavering.

"Didn't you hear the woman?"

He turns to the redhead, Karin, but Sakura hurries to shake her head.

"Not that one. The voice sounded older... nicer."

Karin snorts and gets up, her bag in her hands.

"Weirdo," she mutters through gritted teeth.

"I think Pinky lost too much blood," Suigetsu adds, his unsettling purple eyes roaming over her body.

"Obviously. That much is clear," Sakura spits out with a frown. "It doesn't create hallucinations, though, not when the patient's body can function normally again."

"And how normally can your body function?" Suigetsu flashes her a flirtatious grin and steps forward, but Sasuke blocks his path by extending an arm.

"We heard no woman, Sakura. Now let's go before your Anbu friends catch up with us."

He heaves his bag onto his back, but she remains seated, her exhausted body protesting every time she moves a muscle. She won't tell him that, though, how weak she feels, how pathetic she is.

"I'm not finished," she whispers, cheeks heating.

"Obviously. It doesn't look like you're doing a great job at healing yourself," Sasuke states, standing right in front of her, arms crossed.

Karin laughs.

"That's because she can't. She had just enough chakra to close the critical wounds. She's been doing nothing for the past thirty minutes."

Sakura casts her eyes down at the girl's statement.

"And why didn't you tell me?"

"You never give us time to relax in the morning. I took advantage of your soft spot for her."

"I don't have a soft spot," Sasuke says, taking hold of Sakura's arm and yanking her up to her feet. "We're leaving. Do I have to ask Jūgo to carry you?"

Sakura's face wrinkles in disgust.

"No one is carrying me."

"Alright, but if you slow us down, I'll knock you out—"

"Of course you will," she interrupts him.

"—and let Suigetsu carry you."

Sasuke leaves the cave then, and one wink from the white-haired man sends Sakura scurrying after her ex-teammate.

"You can't do that."

"I can do whatever I want. In case you haven't noticed, I'm in charge here."

She rolls her eyes but falls in steps with him.

"People will ask questions once they see my bruises."

He glances at her from the corner of his eye but remains quiet. Deep down, Sakura hopes a part of him still cares. She knows she's not over him—and will never be—and it hurts to see that he is.

"Then we'll avoid the villages," Sasuke says, snapping her attention back to the present moment.

She frowns.

"I would very much like to buy a few necessities. I can't only rely on you to provide me with extra shirts. And I need bandages, a toothbrush, tampons."

"And with what money would you buy that stuff? Sounds to me you would have to rely on my money."

She pouts.

"I would reimburse you, of course."

Sasuke picks up his pace, and she can only glare at his long legs as she falls behind, panting, her body aching, and a sheer layer of sweat pearling on her forehead.

"Karin can provide you with tampons and bandages," she hears him say, although he's almost out of sight. "As for the toothbrush, forget it. You can use your finger. And you should cherish my shirt 'cause it's the only one you'll get."

"I thought I was guiding you to my friends," she mumbles, kicking the dirt.

"Sasuke-san doesn't like to travel too close to the Land of Fire if he can help it," Jūgo says, slowing down his pace to be at her level. "Tomorrow, you can take the lead."

"But we're losing precious time."

What if Naruto needs her? What if Kakashi's wounded? Who will take care of them while she's gone?

A snort from the redhead resounds in the forest.

"You think we're losing time because of this detour? Look at how slow you walk. I don't even understand why he's tolerating you."

Upon hearing Karin's words, Sakura tries to pick up her pace. The girl has struck a chord; Sakura knows she's slowing them down. But she never asked for them to follow.

"He needs me," she replies, hating the words as soon as they escape her mouth. "And he's old enough to weigh the pros and cons of having me on his team again."

Karin scoffs.

"I wonder what the pros are."

Sakura would never admit it, but she's with the girl on this. She doesn't know where Naruto is, only where he's heading. And there's no way for Sasuke to be sure his brother will be with the rest of Team Seven.

"From where I am, I can see at least one," Suigetsu says, and Sakura turns to look over her shoulder at the grinning man. His hands are linked behind his head, his eyes intently staring at her ass. She holds back a shiver.

"Don't flatter yourself," Karin says, lifting her chin. "Suigetsu flirts with everybody. You're not special."

Sakura shrugs.

"I think he's just trying to make you jealous."

Upon noticing the blush on Karin's cheeks, a smile emerges on Sakura's bruised face. Having a girl on her team might bring some comfort, after all. Come to think of it, Karin reminds her of Ino a lot.

"Faster!"

Sakura jumps upon hearing Sasuke's shout.

After that, they all fall silent, Team Taka because they're used to Sasuke's silent treatment, and Sakura because she has to put all her energy into staying conscious.

When finally the sun sets behind the tall trees, the pink-haired girl's many wounds have reopened, and her vision has blurred. They emerge into a clearing after following the scent of cooked fish and smoke for a while.

"Took you long enough," Sasuke says, and that's when Sakura notices he's sitting on a rock, legs extended in front of the fire, chopsticks playing with a piece of fish.

Sakura's eyes wander over the meadow, taking in the scenery of the golden hour, her favourite time of the day. When was the last time she got to feel the orange rays of light warming her cheeks? That she had time to lie down beside a warm fire camp, in the middle of colourful wildflowers, and stare as the stars slowly pierce through the purple sky?

A content smile stretches on her lips as she plops beside the fire on the other side of Sasuke's spot.

"What are you smiling about?"

She drops the corners of her mouth when memories of another Sasuke come rushing back.

"I've lost too much blood," she answers him in a whisper, brushing the white scar on her forehead. His eyes follow her fingers' movement, and he shifts uncomfortably.

She wonders if he remembers it—the first time he showed her some concern and realized she was more than just a shallow girl or a talentless civilian. Or has he already wiped out from his memory everything related to them, to his team, his family?

"Where does the fish come from?" she asks, ignoring the tugging at her heart.

"A small hamlet."

She freezes in the middle of her first bite and gulps down the fish hurriedly.

"You stopped in a village? Today?"

Sasuke leans forward, elbows propped on his knees, eyes glaring from the other side of the flames.

"You were so slow I even had time to take a beer."

Her eyes narrow.

"And you didn't think of buying me anything?"

He shrugs.

"Didn't think you'd want one."

"One what?"

"Beer."

She sighs, shakes her head, and stretches her legs forward.

"That would have been good, actually. Although, in times like this, I find sake a better remedy."

"Sake?"

She nods and takes a few bites as an awkward silence stretches between the five shinobis. Then, when she can't take the weight of Sasuke's eyes on her, she acknowledges his question.

"It's stronger," she offers.

"Didn't think you were that kind of girl."

She tilts her head to the side and tries to control her breathing as her temper flares.

"'Cause you think you know me?"

He narrows his eyes.

"I used to."

"Four years ago."

"Don't tell me my absence brought you to alcoholism."

"Of course, you think it's because of you," she spits, fists tightening. "The famous Uchiha Sasuke. Without him, my life has no meaning, and all my problems and pain are related to him. I cannot be my own person. I'm the stupid civilian girl madly in love with a fucking asshole."

She catches the widening of his eyes and tries to calm down a bit. She revealed too much and shouldn't have used the present tense.

"This is getting interesting," Suigetsu says, grinning.

"Shut up!"

Her voice mingles with Sasuke's, and she casts him a side glance. He holds her stare for a while, then closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose.

"Where are we heading?" he asks, taking Sakura off guard.

She clears her throat, straightening her spine.

"Before I lead you to the rest of my team, my best friends and only family, promise me you won't try to kill him again."

He lifts an eyebrow.

"Your only family?"

She diverts her eyes and remains silent. Sasuke doesn't need to know what happened in the past four years. He doesn't deserve it and doesn't want to, anyway.

"I honestly don't care about Naruto. All I want is for my brother to die," he adds.

Sakura rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Your good old revenge."

She sees him stiffen but ignores it.

"The only reason I've accepted the deal is because I want your brother to pay for what he did to me. But if you try anything against Naruto, I'll stop you. For good."

"Then you'll die."

"Or will I?"

A smirk stretches on Sasuke's lips, and to her dismay, her heart skips a beat.

"I don't know if she can kill you, Sasuke," Suigetsu says, helping himself with a second piece of fish, "but I believe she can survive almost everything."

There's a pride swelling in Sakura's chest at his words that only heightens at Karin's question.

"It's that seal, isn't it?"

"I don't know. I've never used it. Everything you've seen was just me and my civilian chakra."

"How did you expand your reserve?" Sasuke asks, his intense stare burning through the flames.

"How did you?"

She gets up and ignores her shaky legs as she walks to Karin's bag.

"I can hear water running. I'll go clean my wounds and change their dressings."

"As long as I don't have to help you again," the redhead replies, shifting closer to Sasuke and closing her eyes, head resting against his knee. "I'm everything but a healer."

"That I've noticed."

Sakura leaves the clearing after that, using the light from the shining stars and the crescent moon to find the little creek. She doesn't even spare a glance behind and tries to convince herself that the tears swelling in her eyes have nothing to do with Sasuke not pushing Karin away.

Because what if he replaced her? What if he had other girls in his life? She's replaced him, too. Or she tried, anyway.

But none of Neji's touches and kisses have ever erased the memory of Sasuke. He should have been her first and her last. She should have been his everything.

Sakura drops to her knees once she's reached the shore, her fingers digging into the dirt, eyes tightly shut. She won't cry, won't let him do that to her again. She's learned to live with the pain, the loss, the hurt of betrayal—she's better than this.

After a few deep breaths, she regains some peace and focuses on her wounds. She's taken to the healer job quickly because it provides her with elaborate procedures she has to follow word to word, to which she has to give all her attention.

Task #1: Discard the stained bandages;

Task #2: Assess the state of the many injuries;

Task #3: Wash the injuries (in her case, she probably should wash her entire body) while using chakra to keep infections at bay;

Task #4: Dress the wounds in new gauze;

Once she's finished, the memory of Karin's and Sasuke's proximity isn't as painful anymore, or at least, that's what she wants to believe. She holds on to her pragmatism and lets nothing remotely emotional brush her. That's how she survives.

Save him.

That voice again.

Peering through the night, Sakura gets up and steps forward, ignoring the water running around her feet.

He needs you. They both do.

If a woman hadn't appeared from the torn branches, Sakura would have believed she'd gone crazy. But thankfully, a beauty of ebony hair and alabaster skin steps out of the darkness and stops on the other side of the shore, her immaculate bare feet barely touching the muddy ground.

"Did you follow us? What do you want?"

Sakura shifts her weight from one foot to the other as a soft smile stretches on the other woman's lips.

You're beautiful.

Is she, though?

With all the bruises and the scratches altering the skin of her face, Sakura has a hard time believing the woman's words. A blush emerges on her cheeks, and she tucks a strand of pink hair behind her ear.

"Thank you," she answers after clearing her throat. "You too."

The smile widens on the woman's face. The wind picks up, and Sakura holds her long pink locks back. That's when she notices the stillness of the stranger's clothes and hair, the glowing light of the moon emanating from her center, and her blurry figure.

"Are you a ghost?"

The woman tilts her head to the side.

If I say yes, would pragmatic Haruno Sakura believe me?

"Believe it or not," she sighs, "you're not the first ghost to pay me a visit."

Your parents, the woman says knowingly, and Sakura frowns.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?"

He's changed.

"Who?"

When he's with you, he softens.

"Sasuke?"

He loves you.

Sakura remains silent, but the words hit home harder than she would ever admit. Because she still loves him—will always do. And she wishes the same would be true for Sasuke, but she cannot allow herself to hope and trust him with her heart again.

He needs you. They both do.

"They?"

Panic settles in, and she steps farther into the stream. The flowing water reaches her knees now, yet she feels nothing but her heartbeat quickening.

"Is it Naruto? Kakashi? What do you mean they both? Who are you talking about?"

The woman's feet leave the ground, and she remains on her side of the river for a while, floating a few feet above the ground with a painful expression. Then, blood pours out of her stomach, staining the woman's white nightgown, and a cry pierces the night. Under Sakura's widening eyes, the ghost lunges at her, mouth wide open, tears streaming down her face.

Sakura braces herself for the hit, closing her eyes and tightening her fists, and after the initial collision, she falls back under the strength of a powerful gust of wind.

My sons.

She gasps, snaps her eyes open, and comes to a sitting position only to find herself feet away from the creek, with Sasuke's hands wrapped around her shoulders.

"What the fuck was that?" he asks, brows furrowed, but Sakura doesn't acknowledge his question and gets into a kneeling position, wild eyes searching the woods on the other side of the shore.

She's sweating, shaking, and even crying. Her hand flies instinctively to her stomach, where she felt a kunai rip her open and the warmth of her blood flowing out of a fresh wound.

"So you saw her?" she manages between two panting breaths, eyes wide settling back on Sasuke.

He gauges her in silence, the crease between his eyebrows deepening as seconds turn into minutes.

"I saw you thrashing about on the muddy ground, eyes rolling back in their sockets, muttering nonsense to yourself."

"Oh."

Sakura straightens herself to a standing position, and he copies her.

"Why are you crying?"

Sakura's hand shoots to her face while the other still clenches at the black shirt covering her belly.

"I don't know. These are not mine... I think."

He engulfs his hands in his pockets, and the action looks so familiar that for a second there, Sakura almost tells him everything.

"Is there someone else living with you I should know of?"

She bites her lower lip, attracting his gaze to her mouth.

Your mother, she wants to say. But she knows the reaction she would get from those words.

"I'm fine, Sasuke," she says instead, letting her hands fall on each side of her body. "I'm just exhausted."

"Of course you are. You almost didn't touch your food."

She frowns.

"Can you blame me? In case you haven't noticed, a lot is happening in my life."

"And how not eating is helping you?"

"It doesn't," she concedes, arms folding. "Why do you care, anyway?"

His shoulders tense up, and he turns his back on her.

"I don't."

But that's when something catches her gaze on the shore. She kneels and takes the wooden stick in her hands.

"You bought me a toothbrush."

She sees him shrug.

"I just thought everyone would benefit from avoiding your bad breath."

Her lips quirk upward, but she keeps silent.

"There's toothpaste in Karin's bag."

And without a glance behind, he dives into the darkness. For a second, Sakura hesitates on the shore. But at the sound of snapping twigs, she hurries after the black-haired man, the fear of meeting more ghosts getting the best of her.

He turns to the side but doesn't quite look at her. She notices he's slowed down his pace, though.

"Suna," she says then, hoping she's not sending her best friend to the pyre. "That's where we're heading."

"How predictable," he answers, resuming his journey back to camp.

"Crossing through the Land of Fire would be ten times easier."

He stops this time, and she almost crashes against his back.

"I'm avoiding the border because of you, Sakura. The ones I'm usually evading are on my team right now or exactly where I'm heading. You're the one with a bounty on your head."

She falls into step with him, casting him a playful smile.

"And you say you don't care."

She strides forward after seeing his lips curl downward, eyes set on the crackling fire now visible through the trees.

A breeze tangles with her hair as she reaches the rest of Team Taka.

Save him.