The Heart's Battlefield

Chapter 9

When Sakura awoke from her nap, she felt better than she thought she would after an interrogation by a Yamanaka. It took her a moment to get her bearings still and she noticed she was no longer chained to the bed and a certain few men were in the room talking in hushed voices.

"Guys?" she asked, surprised.

She couldn't believe her eyes as they turned around, and it was them. Hidan, Sasori, Deidara, Kakuzu, Kisame and Itachi.

"Guys!" she yelled and jumped out of bed to hug the six.

"Hey there Cherry," Hidan said with a laugh.

"Nice to see you again there young one," Kakuzu said as he messed her hair up.

Itachi, Sasori and Deidara said nothing but accepted the hug as Kisame did the same. It was then they noticed her crying.

"What's wrong, Sakura?" Itachi asked.

She looked up at them all with a large smile and shook her head.

"Nothing is wrong," she said happily. "I just can't believe you came for me."

The guys looked at each other and smiles erupted on each of their faces.

"Of course we'd come for you," Sasori said quietly.

"We're like family, hmm," Deidara said, laughing along with Hidan.

Sakura looked at them all and erupted into even more tears as she laughed with Deidara and Hidan.

"I'm glad."

🌸

It was a few hours later that Sakura had yet another visitor, this time a not so welcomed one. Sasuke knocked and entered without waiting for an invitation. He froze to find all of the Akatsuki in the little room including his brother who took one of the closer seats next to Sakura along with Nagato. He wanted so bad to ignore them all, but his brother's presence seemed suffocating all of a sudden to Sasuke.

"Can I speak to you Sakura?" he asked. "Alone?"

Sakura kept up the glare she had been giving him since he walked in.

"No."

Sakura didn't even have to answer as Nagato answered for her. She had already told the men she didn't want to speak to Sasuke. Itachi was saddened by it, but the reason was a good one. Sasuke just glared at the elder man then looked at his brother as he put a hand on Sakura's shoulder. Sakura looked at the elder Uchiha, and after a moment of just staring at each other she sighed.

"Out." It was a quiet command from the young woman, but the men adhered to it without complaint.

Nagato left last, and Sasuke's blood started to boil as he watched the elder man kiss Sakura's forehead in farewell. He hated it even more as she blushed and smiled sweetly at him as he left, the smile disappearing with the man as she turned to look at him.

"Out with it," she said in a nonchalant tone of voice.

Sasuke's rational thoughts were on a thin wire hearing her being so stoic, borderline dismissive, towards him.

"What-why..." he couldn't find the words he wanted to say to her.

Coherent thoughts turned to delusional thinking, and he ran a hand through his hair as he took a deep breath. She just watched him struggle with more pleasure than she let on.

"Why what, Uchiha?" she said with an impatient tone, hoping it would help to get him out of the room faster.

It only made him angrier. He quickly walked up to her and grabbed her wrists tightly. "Why the hell are you with them voluntarily?!" he hissed as he glared at her.