the woods are lovely, dark and deep, (but I have promises to keep)

Chapter Nine: to stop without a farmhouse near

His hands were steepled under his chin as he stared at their latest guest, and this time, Sakura was certain he would be staying as such. For one, the Uchiha was an adult fully capable of protecting himself. For another, he was an alpha, and Sakura could feel himself barely repressing the urge to snarl and hiss at the unconscious form. The fact he was an Uchiha, or so Sakura was guessing from his outfit, was the only reason he was still alive – because who better to help smooth things over when he handed the baby omega under his care over to his clan...

The black-haired male was bound to the nearest tree opposite him, and Sakura had been very thorough with removing anything remotely weapon-ish from his person. Uchiha or not, he was not risking a fight. Not when there were baby lives there which would become collateral. So it was in the small clearing-den they had made that they waited in. Sakura had been careful to send the brats as far as he could away from the potential threat. He'd also healed half of the wounds on the man as a hopeful goodwill gesture, but shinobi always tended to be stab first, thank later people. Sakura was torn between the urge to gut him or tear out his throat if the male harmed him or any of the precious pack. Wards, Sakura reminded himself, gaze flickering over to where they sat.

Haruto was sandwiched between the two girls, snuggling up to Umi as she held the book of herbs, with Himari lying across his legs. Touch was good, especially between omegas of the same age. They tended to be more tactile than their alpha counterparts. Well, unless the omega in question wound up touch-starved for days on end, especially after a traumatic experience better known as rape. Touch was important. Comfort was important. Sakura wasn't going to let Haruto end up like he had.

Which was part of the reason why he wasn't throwing Haruto to the alpha and letting him take the boy back to their clan. The man could, after all, simply be wearing the clothes of an Uchiha. He could also be a terrible person. Which was why Sakura had his heart set on travelling through the Land of Fire. Whether the adult Uchiha would tag along, or whether he'd wind up buried in a shallow grave nearby was still up in the air for debate.

A twitch, soon concealed, was the only warning Sakura had as to his new prisoner's awakened state. Faking unconsciousness, of course, was a classic strategy of shinobi well learned in their trade. More time to eavesdrop, more time to think of a plan to escape, before anything fun happened. It was just unfortunate for the Uchiha that Sakura was a medic. He was attuned to patients faking sleep so they could escape the hospital with a broken leg, and several bruised ribs – hello Kakashi-sensei, suicidal maniac extraordinaire.

"I know you're awake," he said, voice ringing in the near silence of the clearing. Evening had fallen, the sun low in the sky, and Sakura knew he had to be vigilant. Night-time made the best time for escaping and vanishing into the darkness. He wasn't about to let the Uchiha do just that. He'd either be useful or dead. Those were his only two options. "And if your sharingan is activated when you open your eyes then I'm gouging them out... well, provided you actually have a set."

Eyes opened then, the irises onyx instead of that crimson red he knew so well. That he had thought oh so pretty once before. He still did, though the sharingan was soured by the thoughts of Sasuke. "Indulging in some kekkei genkai theft, are we?"

Sakura snorted at the taunting voice which rang out. Evidently he hadn't been captured all that much. Then again, the odds of being captured and actually making out alive were much slimmer in the times he was stuck in. Though it could only work to his advantage right there and then. "Well, I was debating between crushing them underfoot, feeding them to my summons, or maybe offering to replace them at a later date so long as you behave like a good little captive. Red eyes are so terribly last year," he drawled, smiling with far too many teeth.