The Heart's Battlefield

Chapter 2

Sakura woke up to her head pounding out a rhythm like a drum. That was the price of crying yourself to sleep. New food was placed beside her on the bedside table, simple onigiri and a hard boiled egg with a glass of apple juice. The food was made well and smelled more amazing than it should've and the young woman was reminded that she hadn't eaten since her abduction days ago. It took two, almost three, days to get to Ame from Konoha, and she had refused food from her abductors out of spite more than anything.

She had been taken during the night in her night wear, the clothing she still wore. Sakura could do nothing but sigh. She had to keep up her strength, even if she didn't want to, so she ate.

After eating her fill, the pinkette moved to the edge of the bed and stared at the clothing left at the foot of her bed. It wasn't unlike the clothing she had used to wear when she was younger and she couldn't help but reminisce. Her happy smile turned sour though as she thought back to her team. Only one person would notice she was gone, and he had entered her team later than the others. He was a replacement, but turned out to be much more than that.

Sakura sighed and changed into a red dress and baggy black capris. The outfit was completed with black, fingerless arm sleeves that trailed up to her lower bicep and heeled nin sandals not unlike her own pair in Konoha. A black and red cloak with red clouds outlined in white also sat at the foot of her bed.

The girl stared for a moment before reaching out a hand to gently stroke the cloak. It was like silk along her finger tips and she marveled at the deep black color of the outside and the bright red of the inside. She could tell the traveling cloak was made to last despite its silky feel.

Sakura sighed and shook her head. She couldn't believe she was even contemplating it, but finally she decided. She took the cloak in her hands and held it out as she stood up and noticed a mirror on the other side of the room. With stiff movements, she pulled the cloak on to one arm then the other.

It fit well.

It was then quiet footsteps and slightly heavier footsteps started echoing on the walls outside the door. Sakura knew the footsteps of the two shinobi well now after spending her last couple days with the two. A soft knock sounded through the room as Sakura made her way to the door and she opened it, finding exactly who she thought, Itachi and Kisame.

The former raised his brow at the girl's outfit and nodded to her as Kisame smiled. "Time for your answer kunoichi," the shark-like man said.

Sakura nodded and followed them out the room in the same line as the day before, Kisame in front, her in the middle, and Itachi bringing up the rear. Her answer should be clear as the day.

The three made their way through the corridors mechanically, Sakura no longer stumbling like the day before even though she'd only been through this way once. She had memorized the way without thinking, though she assumed that would be helpful in the coming days or months if she survived that long. It wasn't long before they stopped outside of Nagato's door and with a knock, Sakura was beckoned into the room.

"Nagato-san," Sakura said with a bow of her head. She looked around at the dim room then back to Nagato seeing Konan and Yahiko were not present. Curiosity swirled in her mind but she did her best to hide it.

"Yahiko and Konan are both off on business," Nagato answered, seeing the question in Sakura's eyes.

She nodded and sighed as she put her hands in the pockets of her pants. She knew he didn't have to answer her question which is why she didn't ask it. It worried her that he could read her so easily by just looking her in the eyes.

"My answer is obvious, sir," she said as she pulled her hands from her pocket and tugged on her open cloak.

Nagato nodded. "I figured," he said slowly, uncertainty tainting his voice.