I'll Follow You Into The Dark

Little Brave Girl

Thank you.

The two wonderful, warm words were swirling inside of Sakura Haruno's half conscious mind. All she could feel was the wind brushing on her skin, strong hands grasping at her legs and a ticklish sensation on her left cheek. Mind still fuzzy, she could only assume she was being carried on someone's back.

Voices would occasionally break the silence, mentioning words like "underground lair" and "Orochimaru". As Sakura's mind started to clear she only became more confused. Thinking back on her last encounter with Sasuke Uchiha, the boy she had been so desperate to keep home, she was firmly convinced she had not gotten through to him. So why was she waking up to this strange situation?

"I don't understand why you have to bring her with you. She's slowing us down significantly," said a feminine sounding voice.

"Complaining isn't going to speed us up. Just shut up and focus on taking me to Orochimaru," replied a voice all too familiar to Sakura.

Her body stiffened, realization crashing down on her. Sasuke, in spite of his behaviour and intentions, has taken her with him. Why had he knocked her out then, she wondered, if he never intended to leave her behind? No doubt the sudden change in her was noticed, but for whatever reason Sasuke chose to not outwardly acknowledge that he knew she was awake.

Well aware of the fact that she would get no answers by pretending she was asleep, Sakura inhaled deeply and, as quietly as she could, she asked:

"Sasuke..-kun?"

Eyes were on her the second she spoke. Neither Sasuke nor the other people Sakura could sense around her stopped running. Tension hung heavily in the air for a few long seconds, until Sasuke replied.

"You're awake." he said, simply.

Uncomfortable with the people around her, Sakura chose to remain silent for a while. Her eyes, now open, were adjusting to the morning light, and she realized she had no idea where they were or where they were headed.

As expected, Sasuke, too, remained silent, and Sakura received nothing but hostile looks from the odd people that were following the young Uchiha. Knowing all too well they could all hear her, even if she whispered, she still chose to continue asking her questions in an almost silent voice.

"I thought you were going to leave me behind. Why did you take me with you?"

For a few moments, Sasuke's hands tensing, applying a bit more pressure to her legs, was the only response that she received. She could not see his face, and even if she could, she figured there was not much she could read on his expression. For a brief moment her heart felt light, imagining a scenario in which Sasuke decided he couldn't possibly leave her behind. The moment of happiness was short lived, however, when Sasuke decided to speak.

"It would have been troublesome for you to wake up and tell the Hokage what happened."

Love stories of princes who could not leave their loves behind no matter what were a thing of the past for a kunoichi of Sakura's age, who was already acquainted with the harsh reality of the shinobi world. That did not, however, stop the pain she felt from being told she was there only in order for Sasuke to protect his goal. She was a nuisance he did not want that would only cause more problems if left behind.

"Why did you knock me out and act like you were going to leave me behind, then?" she asked, pleasantly surprised that she sounded more angry than sad.

"I didn't want you to see where we were going." he replied.

Sakura took note of the fact that he answered only half of the question. She did not push the matter, knowing Sasuke well enough to know that he would only get irritated. Conflicted, now that her head was clear, she realized that her conviction to stay by his side no matter what was strongly influence by her having to face his inevitable departure. Unsure of whether or not she was truly ready to leave her family behind, she felt deep desperation. It was replaced quickly with the determination that always seemed to overwhelm her when in Sasuke's presence.