I haven't written fanfiction in years.
This feels awkward. And weird.
Large amounts of artistic license taken. I plead the first.
Sakura's birthday date is canon.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Move along now.
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.private behavior.
-chapter one-
by a-happy-love
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Winter. A few miles from the border of Kirigakure
He was almost there.
There wasn't much point in diverting himself from the objective. The three stages of accomplishing any ninja goal were briefing, preparing, and then the mission goal itself. This was all in accordance to prepare for another mission. Nothing more.
Anyways, she probably wasn't alive. After all, she had served no other purpose than to heal him. The thought of him even having had to rely on another individual sickened him. He was becoming weak.
-Or already weak-, he thought darkly, dragging his useless leg behind him in the snow. He didn't have to look behind him to guess the trail he was leaving, one even a four-year old could follow. At least in the snow his blood would flow sluggishly, leaving wounds that did not bleed as freely.
In the howling wind, he allowed himself the small private comfort of imagining her on the day he had left, devastated and broken. He thought of her eyes and how they had changed as she grew older, from round, widened orbs to a hardened cat-like slant, cool and calculating.
Like him.
Only in the blizzard where the snow buried everything deep did he allow himself to imagine her losing sleep over him, wasting tears for him. He imagined her lithe frame, shaking with tormented anguish resolutely locked inside, delicate fingers curled into angular fists.
He could sense the structure fast approaching, quite possibly the only spot of color in a bleak and empty landscape. As testament to his skillful memory, he had remembered every trap from a mile away to here and avoided them all, blinded.
Grimly, he placed one hand on the frame of the door, favoring his right arm over the injured left. The conversation inside suddenly come to a lull and various chakra signatures extended out to examine him.
He remembered the day he chose this exact location for their hideout, the timbre and quality of the wood selected for the framework, and each singular cloaking jutsu cast upon it.
However, for the life of him, he could not bring himself to recall the exact brilliance and hue of her eyes.
nine months earlier
Mid-spring. Evening in Konoha, Hi no Kuni
"Three more minutes, Sakura-chan!"
The shopkeeper paused from his routine wipe-down of the glassware to watch the addressed girl swat playfully at a tall, grinning blonde. It was a Sunday night and the small ramen bar usually took the end of the weekends off, but today was an exception. Considering his best customer was the one who had arranged the celebration, he could hardly complain. When that Naruto was around, ridiculous amounts of ramen followed.
It was a cheery bunch, outgoing and noisy in their companionship. The shopkeeper recognized many familiar faces, having seen them all grow from tiny children, eying their first bowl of noodles suspiciously, to brand-new certified ninjas, beaming under shiny, plated headbands, all the way to what they were now.
The raucous Naruto was easily the leader of the group, his wild antics both shocking and delighting the party. However, the party currently revolved around a shrieking rosette-haired girl, currently doubled over in laughter.
She was pretty, the shopkeeper mused. A heart-shaped face with a pointed chin framed large, emerald eyes that blinked back tears of mirth. Light pink locks brushed the sides of her cheeks, bringing sweetness into a face that showed resolution and will.
"I-Ino, s-s-stop," she choked, doubled over on her stool. Her attacker, a fair-haired girl with a mischievous grin merely tickled her friend with renewed determination.
"No way, Sakura! You will succumb entirely to the mercy of my.. Tickle no Jutsu!"
Another gaggle of ninja surrounded a lazy looking man, who was captivating his audience with far-fetched tales of extraordinary mishaps.
"..And so, when her jealous past lover found the garter straps, lacy slip, and rubber duckie in my apartment, he put two and two together and took a poisoned katana to my face while I was sleeping later that night. Any questions?"
A large-set boy with an appetite that put even Naruto's to shame chewed his noodles thoughtfully before asking, "And that's how you lost your eye?"
"..Yup."
An inebriated Gai spent the next few moments attempting to follow up Kakashi's masterpiece with tales of his own debauchery, which fooled none but the accepting Chouji.
-Oh well-, he thought, finishing up his seventh bowl of the night with a satisfied gulp. Shikamaru had always warned him about the so-called fairer sex. Maybe this was just a strengthening reason as to why girls were so nasty in general.
As an adoring Lee cheered on his team leader's shameless fables, a willowy, dark-haired girl with startling pale eyes giggled, clasping the hand of a cheeky Naruto who was teasing a bored looking youth.
"And here we were, thinking you'd be first to ANBU. Neji's got you outranked, and now Sakura too?"
The Chunin, Shikamaru merely gave an unaffected shrug. "Too much effort. It's so troublesome to go through with all those exams. I rather just stick with where I am now. Who knows. Maybe raise some deer. The quiet life, you know me."
The boy behind him gave a snort. "Exactly the reason why you became a ninja, I'm sure."
"Don't. Move," Sai grunted, swiveling to a new position. Kiba rolled his eyes but froze. The quiet ROOT member was painting the scene, a feat almost impossible due to the capering and all-around disruption of a certain Naruto Uzumaki.
Said ninja gave a great leap and collapsed onto the bar behind his teammate. "Oi, Sai, you're making me look cool in your drawing, right? Can't have dopey drawings of a future Hokage being produced." He prodded the irritated artist a few times to further emphasize his point.
"First off, it's a painting, not a drawing," Sai replied. "Second, I draw what I see. Which in this case is a dickless idiot."
For once, Naruto didn't deign to reply, being too wrapped up in other issues at hand. "Hey, everyone! Hey! Three second countdown, three!"
The rest of the bar quickly broke off from their individual conversations to join in happily.
"Two!"
"One!"
The shopkeeper made the wise choice of closing his fine china drawer with a 'click'.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAKURA!"
The entire bar erupted into voluminous noise and a crowd soon formed, composed of friends, teachers, and life-long companions all eager to clap the kunoichi on the back and offer their congratulations.
"Happy 16th, Sakura!"
"Congratulations on ANBU!"
"We knew you could do it, Sakura."
"Haha, congrats, Sakura-chan! Wow, I guess I'm the only non-ANBU left on our old team!"
The pink-haired ninja laid a hand on her teammate's shoulder, looking up into his shining blue eyes. Sakura could no longer remember how she had ever lived before knowing Naruto. He acted as her closest confidante and best friend. Having planned this surprise celebration for her showed the deep care he felt for her, a sensitive side to him sometimes overshadowed by his blustering exterior.
"Thank you, Naruto," she replied, genuinely meaning it. Sometimes, just hearing her friend's continued use of 'Sakura-chan' as an endearment for her kept her smiling.
Naruto placed his own hand atop hers. "You deserve this, Sakura-chan," he replied, his tone falling to a quieter level. "You honestly do."
Sakura had to repress a shiver as she felt the jolt of his immense chakra that came with both his serious attitude and the touch. Having perfected her skills in chakra sensing during her ANBU training, Sakura still had difficulties coming to terms with the raw power that exuded from the Kyuubi when she came into direct contact with him. It was staggering, to say the least, and Sakura had explained to a dejected Naruto numerous times during her initial training why she couldn't be around him for extended periods of time without becoming nauseous.
However, she knew this touch to be more than just a friendly show of affection. In his eyes, Sakura saw the hidden meaning underlying his spoken words.
With you in ANBU, we're one chance closer to getting Sasuke back.
Sakura suddenly felt incredibly exhausted from both the stress of having waited the entire day for her ANBU results and the mental strain that constantly accompanied her thoughts when they turned to their elusive former teammate. However, before she could so much as squeeze Naruto's hand back in understanding, a disruption from the other side of the bar roused her attention.
A sole figure Sakura recognized as Shizune hurriedly made her way through the crowd. "Orders from Tsunade-san," the young woman stated, sensing the curious looks directed at her from every corner of the room. "Best read it now, Sakura." She gave the young kunoichi a sheepish smile, as though already apologizing for interrupting the celebration.
Intrigued, Sakura took the proffered scroll and scanned it quickly. "A mission to Suna? But it's dated.." She blinked, eyes widening in surprise. "It's dated for today." She looked up for clarification from the Hokage's assistant.
"Sorry, we got it late. The message came in through carrier pigeon some time this morning, but we didn't get around to it until just a few hours ago."
Sakura bit her lip, weighing her choices. In another ten hours would be her formal induction into ANBU, something she had waited all her life for. However, the mission outline, although lacking in detailed information, assured her it was of utmost importance and could not wait. Besides, as the ANBU was a highly private organization, the only attendees to the induction would be her, the Hokage, and a select group of friends she chose to inform.
Sakura had to repress a grin. Like she could really refrain from inviting them all. She could already imagine her mentor's expression as she tried to explain why there was a mass mob of drunk, hungover partygoers demanding entrance to her ANBU induction.
"They requested you specifically," Shizune's voice cut in, bringing Sakura back to the situation at hand. "We're guessing it must be some medical emergency."
Sakura blushed. She knew her medical reputation was beginning to precede her in many major villages, but it was still intimidating to think others knew of her before she had even met them. She nodded, knowing that her choice had been concrete before she even considered alternative possibilities.
She was a true ninja indeed, and Sakura was proud every time she found occasion to prove it.
"I'll go."
"Good," Shizune said, nodding her approval. "Gaara-san will brief you in on the technicalities of the mission in Suna. He'll be awaiting your arrival." She turned on her heel in preparation to leave.
"Wait!"
The members of the party all turned to look at a paling young girl, unused to so much attention.
"I-I'll go with S-Sakura-kun."
Sensing the Hyuuga heiress's distress, her gruff teammate Kiba chimed in, "Me too." He grinned, looking at the astonished pink-haired kunoichi. "Best way to get over a hangover quick is with a bit of exercise."
Chouji eyed Shikamaru's shifting form warily. Better save his friend from future lady problems while he still could.
"I'll go too," Chouji called, before his teammate had so much as opened his mouth. Across the room, Ino gave a smirk, not missing the slump in Shikamaru's shoulders as he missed out on a chance of visiting the Kazekage's older sister.
"All right then, it's settled," Shizune announced, before Sakura had a chance to protest. "I'll report to the Hokage and we'll arrange accommodations for you all in Suna. Report back to us when you reach the country." With thumbs-up, she turned her gaze to the bewildered new ANBU member.
"Oh.. and Sakura. Happy birthday. Hope you wished for something special."
With a spin, she was gone.
a few hours later
Morning. Gates of Hidden Leaf Village
Sakura laced up the finishing straps on her pack before hooking it over her shoulders with a quick shrug. The sun was peeking out from the high treetops of bordering forest, signaling a bright day ahead. Checking to make sure a good supply of water had been packed where it could be easily accessed, Sakura gave a quick nod to the gate patrolmen and walked out to where a small group was standing.
"Good day for traveling," Kiba winked, leaning over in long stretches. "Gonna be a hot one too."
Sakura groaned. The hurried arrangements had set her running for last-minute supplies all morning, leaving little time for even a tiny bit of sleep. Still, medical emergencies weren't questioned.
Hinata attempted to hide a yawn, failing miserably. Sitting in the dirt next to her, Chouji made the final checks on his rations, making sure both the emergency food and the emergency-emergency food were well over standard portions. Just in case, of course.
"Let's just get this started," Sakura sighed, shifting her bag knowing whatever position it took, she'd wind up with sore shoulders. She wanted to get started as quickly as possible, knowing the faster they got to Suna, the faster the emergency would be dealt with and the faster she could throw herself into an invitingly soft bed.
Her teammates nodded, and with a practiced motion, bounded rapidly off into the forest. Sakura lingered, giving one last look to Konoha before following.
-Wait for me Naruto. When I get back, we'll face what comes next.. together.-
meanwhile
Morning. Gates of Hidden Leaf Village
The man standing on the topmost tiling of the Konoha gates watched the tiny figures travel out of eyesight before releasing the pigeon in his hands. The bird circled twice, testing the wind before turning west at a direction perpendicular to Sakura's group. As it flew off, the man allowed himself a moment of reflection as he watched the tiny letter tied to the pigeon's legs flutter in the breeze.
-The Akatsuki will reach her soon,- he thought grimly. -Too bad they aren't big on chatting. I'd like to know what they have in store for that girl.-
Leaping skillfully off the rooftops, the man hurried back to the center of town. He could already tell he was late by the shout coming from a busy market lane.
Coming to a stop in a deserted alley just a few blocks from the source of the noise, the man carefully brushed himself down, leaving not even the tiniest wrinkle to show his prior behavior. He smoothed his hair back and placed on his head a folded paper cap.
It would not do for his best customer to be kept waiting much longer. With a smile, the man reached inside his apron and crumpled the remainder of the paper he had used for his messages, both the faked mission request sent previously to the Hokage and the alert written to the organization members. Slowly and surely, he placed the wad of paper into his mouth and chewed, musing over the only possible outcome of his actions.
-She will not escape them. The Akatsuki has her now.-
He swallowed the evidence and willed himself to relax. As he began his walk towards the ramen bar he owned, he allowed the genuine smile on his face to reach the depths of his eyes.
He could afford to be happy now. After all, he was on his way to seeing his favorite customer.
A/N: Trés cliché.
I have no idea when I'll update this. I'm a Myspace- and Facebook- addicted high school student with little time and a bad history with completing fics.
I spell DOOM.
I'm also looking for a beta who doesn't mind sporadic schedules. Please email me (address on profile).
