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Welcome to the Underworld
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WARNING! : slight violence and swearing.
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Click. Click. Click.
Haruno Sakura sighed as she adjusted the camera strap on her shoulder, using a tired hand to sweep back her long pink hair as well.
She pressed the buttons and images that she had just taken, slid onto the screen.
The graphitized wall stretching into the dark alleyway.
The shameless advertisements that were flapping lazily in the wind, stuck illegally onto the street lamp poles.
The crack and rusting in the wall and pipes.
"No." She told herself firmly.
This was not inspiration.
She slowly trudged unwillingly back down the road where there was a teahouse, and entered. A chime rang as she entered and she sat herself down on the hard wooden stool.
"Welcome."
"Hanami dango and green tea please."
"Of course, my dear."
Sakura gave an appreciating nod before the woman headed into the back of the shop then back out again, serving a steaming cup of hot green tea and a plate of dango.
As she slowly put the familiar, soothing treat into her mouth, her thoughts wondered in frenzied frustration to her current situation. She wasn't homeless, yet. She still had the cash that was jammed in the back of her jeans pockets presently. But things didn't look good for the future.
She had come to Tokyo in high spirits after winning that photography competition back in her small hometown and was awarded a trainee position in A-Week Magazine – a glorious opportunity that anyone who owned a camera and pen back in Sapporo would kill for. She hadn't expected the whole rush of the city. The fact that people could just throw some things together and it'd somehow end up perfect was a pressing concern on her mind – she had a lot to learn. But the job was crap; people paid her little respect, (what could she expect anyway?) she was constantly yelled at, messing up, and on the brink of being fired.
She took a glance at her watch. 8:00pm already. Only four more hours before her assignment was due in. Another 45 minutes would be wiped away for the train ride back into the city. She bit back on her lip, not willing her eyes to water – when suddenly a loud, piercing yelp was heard outside; an old man stumbled forcefully into the interior of the shop and launched himself onto the bar table. Sakura moved just in time as half the man's body hit the table. She was just about to yell out a string of profanities when she realized in horror that droplets of blood was falling from his side.
"You're bleeding!" she gasped. Without thinking she grabbed the paper napkin from under the dango plate and pressed it against his damp clothes. His head turned to look at her and she felt a fizz of alarm as she came in contact with shockingly clear, blue eyes. From his bald head, she could see a tuft of blonde spiky hair.
"What are - ?" she began with difficulty.
"Get him to the back of the shop! Now!" Startled, Sakura whipped her head to the female shopkeeper. She was mopping up most of the bloody trail left behind by the man and closing the front door firmly.
"Wha-what?"
"Now!"
"Ye-yes!" Sakura shot up from the bar stool and awkwardly took a hold onto his arm and waist. She dragged him alongside the bar and through the gap with a painfully slow pace.
"The…back room…cupboard" he croaked out. Sakura gritted her teeth and half pulled him onto her back. She groped around for the light switch as she opened the door of a room down the dark hallway from its frame with her foot. She used one hand to slide apart another door to a big closet where a pile of mattresses and blankets were shoved in. Hastily, she slid him off her back and down her shoulders and onto the soft mound.
"Thank-,"
BANG.
Sakura's breath caught in her throat as the sound vibrated from the shop in front. She could hear a small scream from the old woman.
"Hide." Hissed the man from the darkness of the cupboard. Sakura kicked the door shut before taking a deep breath and scampering back out into the brightness of the shop.
The front sliding door was tattered and broken, the cloth ripped. A tall, round man stood at large at the now broken doorway, in front of him was a woman with a beanie-like hat; her dull orange-pink hair splayed out messily from underneath, spiking to the sides. A malicious grin played about the lips of the female and she barred her teeth, leering.
They were both holding long tubes of metal and the girl had a lengthy knife tucked in the garter belt around her waist.
How handy.
"What…" barely escaped her lips when the two newcomers directed their steely gaze onto Sakura.
"Oi. Who is she?" the female gave the cowering shopkeeper a rough shove.
"My – my granddaughter, from the city." The shopkeeper stuttered out.
Sakura blinked in shock.
What?
She didn't want to be a part of this.
"I'm actually -,"
"Did anybody come in here just now?" the female shot her a flinty stare.
"No..." she whispered, not daring to look at the shopkeeper.
"Are you sure?" the girl raised the knife for a more visible view.
"Please, there is nobody here but myself and my granddaughter. This is just a dango shop."
"Oh really - ,"
"Tayuya." The man behind the woman finally spoke.
"Don't tell me what to do fat ass!" Tayuya rounded on the man behind her in annoyance.
"If he is not here, we are wasting time. He will be displeased."
Tayuya gritted her teeth but turned on her heel. "If I found out that you've been lying, you -" she jabbed sharply in the old woman's direction, "– and your shop – " then waved her hands around, " – will be gone."
She crushed her palm in and held out a fist, then turned on her heel and walked back out into the night, the large man following her silently.
Still feeling the shock like a slap in her face, Sakura remained still; starting blandly at the retreated figures. She half expected the shopkeeper to sink to the floor, but to her surprise, the old woman too, turned on her heel and headed for the back room. "Come!" she called.
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"Chi-chiyo baa, are they gone?" the man said hoarsely as the old woman knelt down beside him.
"Stupid brats. Gruh. I should have taught them a lesson. And you, careless fool, how could you let them catch up to you?" Mumbling to herself, she reached inside her apron and produced a handful of small clear bottles with different coloured liquids inside whilst the man laughed weakly.
Sakura was stunned at the woman's reaction to what had just happened.
"I'm sorry…but who were they?" she asked slowly.
"Later. Go get a wet towel; down the hall, toilet." The woman answered briskly.
When Sakura returned she caught sight of the shopkeeper mixing the liquids together quickly, before pouring the mixture into the now visible wound on the man.
She could see him wince in pain and didn't blame him when she saw how much blood was pooling around his clothes. She hurried forward, holding out the towel.
"You're not scared of seeing injuries like these?" the old woman arched an eyebrow.
Surprised, Sakura shook her head and pressed the towel to his deep cut gently.
"Tha-thank you." The man said. Then struggling a little, he reached for the top of his head and pulled out the skin coloured piece of plastic, revealing tousled, vibrant blonde hair.
Sakura's eyes widened. "Who are you?"
"Uzumaki Naruto." The blonde grinned. "Nice to meet you."
"Are you undercover or something?" the words spilled out of her mouth before she wanted them to. And she felt herself flame at the ridiculous idea. She felt Chiyo- baa twitch beside her but Naruto answered with an eager "Yeah!"
He sat up energetically and as he did, the towel fell away. To Sakura's amazement – besides the blood stains – the gash had completely disappeared.
"Old works of medicine." Chiyo-baa told her quietly. "Only a handful of people know these ways. And with this Leaf brat's enthusiasm – its effect cuts down half the time."
"Leaf?"
"Yeah! Leaf Organization! It's - ,"
"Noisy kid. Watch what you're saying!" In one swift movement, Chiyo-baa had an arm in front of the blonde's mouth. Sakura's eyes widened at such quick reflexes and the blonde's eyes did too before relaxing into a cheesy grin.
Sensing her presence was not ideal, Sakura rose to her feet. "I think I'll go now." She rummaged in her back pocket and pulled out a few coins but the woman waved them away.
"Leave them girl. Do you really think this is a real shop?"
Sakura hesitated before shoving her hand back in and turning back towards the hallway. As she turned past the door, the blonde's scratchy, loud voice rang out.
"Ne! What's your name?"
She looked back, her green eyes confused at his interest. "I'm – I'm Haruno Sakura."
The man looked thoughtful before shooting her another dazzling smile. "Sakura-chan, huh? You're pretty."
Her cheeks flamed. "Eh? Tha-thanks." And with a flurry of embarrassment, she turned sharply and continued her way back to the shop, gathered her things and left the scene.
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Snip. Snap. Snip. Snap.
Sakura absent-mindedly slid the top half of her mobile up and down, up and down, staring out at the passing countryside view. The appearance of those thugs and realization of how her life could've ended so closely had shaken her up; yet quelling that feel and causing an upheaval of another type of dread, was the panic of being fired. She had not completed her assignment.
"Will you please stop that?" A middle-aged woman dressed nicely in a grey and white patterned kimono, sat next to her on the metal, train seating, tapped her thigh sharply with a finger.
Sakura looked stared back blankly before she realized what the woman was talking about. "I'm – I'm sorry." She hastily shoved her phone back into her backpack before taking it out again and sliding it open.
9:15.
She closed her eyes in defeat, letting out a gusty sigh at the same time.
"Honestly! Are you alright?"
Sakura snapped open her eyes to see the woman next to her staring at her in half irritation and half concern.
"I'm…fine." She managed.
The woman sighed. "You an intern somewhere?"
Sakura's eyes widened. "How did you know?"
The woman laughed. "Experience. And I have a daughter about your age, I would guess. She found a job in Tokyo just about half a year ago. Came back just last week for a three hour visit. She looked horrible. So tired…and haggard. You wouldn't believe it was her!"
Sakura didn't reply but tore her gaze away from the woman's kind face and onto her lap.
"But she'll make it one day. So will you. Just takes time. You can't have everything in life."
CLICK.
"I know, right?" a rough man's voice gave out a cackle of cruel laughter.
BANG.
Red. Red everywhere.
Screams. Screams everywhere.
"AAAAAAAGGGGHHH!" still not looking up, Sakura sprang from her seat, grabbing her bag along. The sight that finally met her eyes triggered another shriek of horror and terror. A burly man with a black mask and hat stood tall and towering, gun in hand, a baseball bat in the other. The hole where his mouth was, showed an unpleasant grin.
She was drenched in blood. Around her, people scampered for escape, banged on the doors, pounded the windows and ran as far as possible. The train had stopped moving.
She couldn't move. Her body wouldn't allow it.
"Well aren't you a pretty one?" from behind the mask holes, the man leered at her. Behind him, Sakura could see more figures in black moving in on people in the other compartment.
"Don – don't…" was all she could stutter out.
The man roared with amused laughter. "Sorry doll. You can't have everything in life. Didn't you hear the missus back there?" He cocked his head in direction of the seating she had been moments before. Sakura dared not look; her frightened eyes transfixed on the advancing man. He raised his gun, directly aimed for her face. Tears streamed down her cheeks, mixing with the blood that covered her.
"Don't. Go – GO AWAY!" she screamed out. She shut her eyes tightly, squirming in no particular direction.
THWACK.
A loud crash sounded and something heavy slid to the floor. Sakura felt a hand on her arm and she let out another screech.
"Shh, shh, Sakura-chan. It's me!"
She slowly allowed her eyelids to part, catching sight of the familiar blonde hair.
"Na-Naruto…"
"Don't worry. I'm going to get you out of here." He grinned at her, then grabbed hold of her bag, slung it over his shoulder then heaved her up. He grabbed the dropped bat. It dripped with red liquid. Sakura shivered in disgust.
"OI! IT'S THE LEAF BRAT!" from the compartment on the left, a masked figure dropped the unconscious person he was holding and called for his companions.
"Shit. " In one swift movement, Naruto cracked the window into a million pieces with a practiced swing. "Get out of here. Run as fast as you can."
"To where?!" she cried as he pushed her forcefully onto the seating.
"Just RUN!" he bellowed as three thugs tackled him to the floor. "Go – damn you!" From behind her, she heard a series of fists, kicks and fighting.
She clambered onto the seats, ignoring the broken glass and not looking back, threw herself out of the window. Before she hit the ground, she crashed into something – someone.
They both rammed into the ground, rolling down the small slope from the track before coming to a rest in mild bushes. She was underneath the figure, her breath coming out in fitful gasps from the way her body was crushed.
"Get – get o – off." She wheezed.
The figure rolled off her swiftly, finishing into a standing position. She heard the clicking of a gun.
"I give up." Her body was battered with bruises from the fall, covered in blood and tears, there was no way she could avoid shot. Surprisingly, her voice was sturdy.
She raised herself to a sitting position, waiting.
Nothing happened.
Sakura looked up unsteadily. The dim light from the train blackened out most of the man's face but she could see his eyes.
Insanely intense and red eyes.
She had never met such a stare; it sent her shivers down her spine, half of fear and half of something she couldn't describe.
She opened her mouth to speak, maybe even scream at him What the hell are you waiting for?! but nothing came out.
"Sasuke-sama!" a man in a grey jacket with blue hair and pale purple lips appeared by the figure's side.
"He has gotten away." A second minion appeared. A woman.
Sakura gasped.
The female looked up from her kneeled, bowing position. She didn't need to. The long, lanky hair was already a giveaway.
"Tayuya." She mouthed, her legs shaking.
The apologetic eyes of Tayuya turned at once to confusion, realization then wicked amusement.
She stood up, threw back her head and laughed. "I remember you. My granddaughter from the city." She mimicked, her tone full of mockery. "Haru-something Sakura wasn't it? Haruno, Haruno – that's it."
"What is this." It wasn't even a question, more like a bored remark from the crouching blue-haired man.
"Sasuke-sama, I believe she is in alliance with Leaf."
"I'm not!" she shot out automatically.
Tayuya flipped out her knife from her waist and twirled it elatedly with her fingers. In the pale light, Sakura could see it was stained. "You're mine." She cackled. She made to stab and Sakura despairingly flung her arms above her head for protection that wasn't there.
"Stop." A single word. And she heard his voice for the first time. It was deep, merciless and ringed the very depths of her soul. She didn't realize she wasn't breathing until Tayuya let out a growl of annoyance. Sakura timidly raised her eyes. Tayuya was bent over, her arm thrust out, knife ready in hand and only a few inches from Sakura's eyes. A hand engulfed the knife and closer than the sharp blade stood the man with red eyes.
She didn't dare look any further and her gaze dropped back to midlevel.
"Get the squad together and get out of here before police start arriving. Collect any of the dead You know what to do with the remaining civilians..."
"Yes, Sasuke-sama." The two said simultaneously. Sasuke let go of the knife's edge and in a flash, the underlings had disappeared.
Silence fell on the remaining pair as the commotion from the train too, melted into nothingness and only the wind blew gentle swishes around Sakura's hair.
Gathering courage, she faced up. He was tucking away his gun into his belt, behind a thick, collared jacket, his head turned to the side.
"I - ," she mumbled in surprise.
His head turned to her. And with the lights from the train unplugged by the platoon, Sakura could now distinctly see his features.
Thick, ebony hair that spiked up from the back, eyes that were now coal black, a sharp chin, and emotionless face – she could feel her heart pound furiously at the anonymity of his eyes.
Before she could respond verbally, he looked away again and began walking in the direction the train came from.
"Wait! Sa-Sasuke, right?" struggling to realize her current situation, she jumped to her feet and called after him.
He half-turned, his torso twisted and his face gazing at her.
"I – uh…"
Am I safe?
"Uh…thank you."
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a first attempt at an AU :D . things are vague and hopefully the pace and sense picks up a little in the next chapter.
please review! and questions are more than welcome (: