Chapter Twenty

The rising sun filled the rooms through the open windows, as Sakura and Sasuke were packing fresh food for the trip. The other three were waiting outside for the couple to come out. Sakura's long pink hair fell from her head, getting in the way of what she was trying to accomplish. Turning her head she gives Sasuke an annoyed look.

"What is it, Sakura?" He asks while he zips up the bag in his hand.

"Maybe I should cut my hair like how I had it before. It's gotten long and more of a nuisance then I remember." She twirls a pink strand around her first finger, glaring at it with furrowed brows. Her hair had already grown past her mid back, it was the longest she had ever had it.

"I think it suits you." He states as he hauls the bag over his shoulder.

"So do you think I should keep it this way?" Sakura asked perkily.

"Yeah I guess so." Sasuke answered as scurried to the kitchen door with Sakura in tow.

"So the rumors were true! Sasuke Uchiha did like girls with long hair!" She smiled as she held a small bag of her own in hand.

"Hn." She smiled as he continued out in the front room of the mansion.

"I guess I'll keep it long for you, Sasuke-kun." Sakura told him lovingly.

"Do as you wish." He muttered as he walked out of the front door. Sakura ginned slightly as she tied back her pink locks in a low ponytail.

As she walked outside she saw Karin, Suigetsu, Juugo and Sasuke waiting for her. She could easily see Sasuke trying to hide the blush from his one ear to the other. Stepping off the one steps that led into the mansion, Sakura joins everyone as the leave the small area of houses on the island.

Before they all walked off of the beach Sakura turned around to the place she called home for the past two years. It was the most beautiful serene place she had ever been to, though she deeply missed being surrounded by everyone she loved. Sadness began to fill her heart as she worried if Sasuke would be able to return peacefully to Konoha with her.

"Go ahead of us, we'll catch up." Sasuke ordered to the other three, who all nodded in agreement as they went ahead. He turned around to look down at the fragile girl with small tears in her eyes.

"I'm scared it won't turn out. I don't want to go back to the village without you." Water welled up in the corner of her eye, but Sasuke quickly wiped it away before it fell. He gave her a reassuring smile.

"Everything will be okay, don't worry about it." Sakura grinned at his determined face with hope. He turned around to face the water they were to cross, but did not continue on.

"Aren't we going to leave?"

"Hold onto the back of my shirt, and close your eyes. Don't open them."

"Why?"

"Trust me." She could only agree to what Sasuke had told her. Grabbing on to the back of his shirt with her eyes closed, they left the island to travel through the land of fire.

The time it took to travel to Konoha was two day time and the group had already travelled half of it. Sakura's morning sickness began to start once again, so the decision was to rest until she felt good enough to walk. All five sat along the bank of the river that they decided to stay at. Karin prepared medicine for Sakura while the three men spoke with each other.

"Here. It should work, but it won't cause any harm." The Uzumaki spoke as she handed the medic a small cup of the mixture. Quickly she drank it wanting to feel more control then the dizzy nausea. As she gave her back the cup, Sasuke walked over to the two girls sitting under the tree.

"Was that medicine?"

"Yeah, it should help with the nausea." Karin repeated. "Are you feeling better Sakura?"

"I just took the medicine you know." She answered back directly while leaning back against the trunk of the fully bloomed tree.

"Right. Karin, did you check the perimeter for any chakra?" He asked focusing to the red head with glasses.

"Oh yeah, I'll do that right now." Karin packed away the ingredients she took out with care, and closed her eyes to use her unique power. She scanned the woods to find any other suspicious chakras. Sasuke and Sakura stared at her anxiously. Quickly her eyes snapped back open to immediately glare at Uchiha.

"There are ten of them, coming this way!" Everyone had heard and quickly took fighting stances. Sasuke and the others stood protectively around Sakura.

"We're outnumbered! They're Anbu too!" Suigetsu hissed as he examined all the masks that surrounded them.

"Sasuke, what do we do!" Juugo yelled out with his arms extended in front of them. Sasuke's face was stern as he thought of what they should do.

Before he would have easily taken them out but with Sakura's safety on the line, and their own records to worry about he couldn't find out what to do. Everyone but her frantically shouted out his name in confusion as one of the anbu members stepped out.

"Sasuke Uchiha. The team members of your organization called "Taka", have been charged with multiple charges including the safety of the five kage. Death is the first punishment to things like this, but the sixth hokage of the leaf fights this brutally. If you come with us to the village peacefully there will be no harm to anyone here. And Sakura Haruno, you have been charged with helping the convicted of escaping, the punishment will be jail or hard working service to the villages. Does everyone understand?"

"Sasuke!" Karin yelled out with anger to try to snap him out of his daze.

"We agree!" He yelled out to shut everyone up.

"That won't work." Muttered another anbu who stepped out from the half circle to show himself. The captain so it seemed turned quickly. Before he could yell out to stop the mystery man, the anbu shot forward with a sword in hand towards the group.

The three, Suigetsu, Juugo and Karin took defensive stances, but were quickly taken down by four more other anbu. The captain shouted out as he pushed forward to the defenseless Sasuke. Putting his arms in front of him daring not to move from protecting Sakura, readied himself for the blow with eyes wide open.

The flutter of pink hair blurred his sight as Sakura jumped in front of him with arms spread wide. The tip of the sword went clean through the girl, only breaking the skin of Sasuke. The anbu captain yelled out orders to his sane subordinates while Sakura fought hard to stay awake, trying not to lose consciousness from the nausea and sudden blood loss.

Weakly she placed her hand on her abdomen, where Sasuke gently cupped his hand around it. He held on to the weakening girl until they were ripped away from each other by the remaining anbu. Before her green eyes left the world once again, she saw her friends being tied up to each other as she was taken ahead to the leaf village.

The dark dingy cells they kept them in where well secluded and quiet. Sasuke could hear Karin in the next cell bickering with the guards on the other side of the bars. Suigetsu and Juugo quietly spoke with one another about plans to escape. All he could think of was the health of Sakura.

The hospital room they placed Sakura in filled her senses with memories. The days she would spend in the same building took her breath away. She'd already seen Lady Tsunade who gave her a thorough examination.

Her mentor had found out about the small chakra that churned inside her. The medic bombarded her with questions about the well-being of the tiny life. The fifth told her there was nothing to worry about she just needed to rest to keep her health up. Tsunade had mentioned there was someone who desperately wanted to see her who would be there in a matter of minutes. She already knew who would be barging down the hallways in the same loud voice.

"Which room is it!"

"The room right over there sir!" Sakura laughed to the fact that others were now calling the number one knuckle head ninja "sir." There was a light knock at the door with a familiar figure through the transparent window.

"Come in." Sakura answered with a bright grin on her face.

They had been sitting in the cells for over eight hours with no information on the problem. Someone from higher up was supposed to talk with them but there was no sign of anyone, until the voice that annoyed Sasuke so much when he was young could be heard from the heavily guarded door.

"I don't care what they have to say, I'm the hokage get out of my way!" The door flew open as Naruto walked straight through it wearing the chuunin vest and matching pants. He no longer wore the long headband from his teenage years. He looked older and more defined with a new short haircut. Sasuke stood up pushing himself as close as he could to the bars that bound him.

"Naruto." He hissed out between his teeth

"Sasuke, finally you're back in the village."

"Sakura, how is she." Naruto smirked with a sigh as he quickly broke the gaze with Sasuke. "What is it?" Sasuke barked throwing his hands against the cell.

"Well Sakura is," The sixth hokage sighed once again as he hesitated about informing Sakura of her current situation, and remembering what she told him.

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"Sakura-chan!" Naruto boomed as he walked into the hospital room.

"Naruto-kun, you look so grown up now." Sakura admired with a sweet smile, trying not to focus on the sadness on his face.

"Well look at you Sakura! Your hair is way longer than before, and you well look, way more pretty." Her happy reunion was ruined as the knuckle head was clueless as ever, but decided to brush it off for now. There was a bitter silence as Naruto sat down beside Sakura.

"Tsunade told me. She said you were lucky you didn't lose that much blood, or else it would have been bad for the both of you." Sakura looked down at the hands that protected her stomach. Her shoulder still hurt but it wasn't as bad when it had happened. Since she woke up all she could think about was Sasuke.

"Have you seen Sasuke yet?"

"No they won't let me, but I'm working on it. I should know in a couple of hours."

"How long have we been here?" Naruto sighed before answering.

"Two hours at least, and here? What you mean Konoha?"

"Sorry Naruto, I meant to say home." The blonde smiled as he lifted himself from the white bed.

"Naruto, could you tell Sasuke for me whenever you see him?" Sakura pleaded with tears in her eyes. He turned to face her with a smile.

"Of course."

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Naruto looked at his closest but very distant friend who was more transparent then he first knew him. The worry in the Uchiha's eyes even scared him.

"Naruto, what is it?" Sasuke said in a demanding voice.

"Sakura is fine, she's just exhausted." The both of them gave a matching sigh of relief, not knowing that either of them did. Sasuke sat back on the cot he was laying on when Naruto arrived.

"Sasuke, I argued with the council ever since you all arrived. They finally agreed to let me escort you to see Sakura. We can go right now if you want." Just as Naruto finished talking Sasuke was standing in front of the cell door. He smirked to his quiet enthusiasm.

The guard unlocked the door, but put shackles around his wrists. Naruto then escorted his friend to the hospital through the dark lifeless village. Only late shops remained open. The hospital came into sight, he remembered always coming in and out of here.