Welcome to Pendulous Threads. My name is Serena, and I shall be your guide through this tale that I've created with these lovely and borrowed characters.
Happy reading.
Naruto is not mine, but this particular plot is.
My world was built on shifting sands and in this unpredictable place, I suddenly find myself falling down.
A full moon hung heavily over the dark canopy of trees, letting its milky light filter through the gaps of the branches to form an unending dance of shadows. The chill air swept noisily through the foliage, disturbing the light just enough to reveal four cloaked figures flitting in and out of the darkness beneath the leaves. They stood, motionless, spread out in an uneven line amongst the branches of two great oaks. A huge, white dog stood next to one of them, soft growls coming from it as it bared its fangs into the night. Beneath the heavy hoods, the moonlight was able to catch against the white of their masks, revealing them as members of the elite. They stood silently, nothing but phantoms, listening to the sounds of the cicadas whispering loudly as the cool air swept through them.
As the wind slowly settled, a faint, almost silent whistle rang out through the trees towards the east. They all immediately straightened up, becoming more alert as another soft whistle was heard, much closer this time. The three taller silhouettes quickly came and stood next to the shortest of the four, who returned the soft calls with her own piercing whistle. Every white mask was turned towards the east, listening to the faint sounds drawing nearer.
A long tendril of pale pink was suddenly revealed as the wind swept past them, only to be caught and tucked back beneath the hood of the shortest figure by a black-clad hand. The blood-red scarf around her neck stood out against the darkness and separated her from the others, identifying her as the captain. A low, feminine whisper rang out from behind the mask as she directed the others around her.
"When they arrive, I want them flanked; Genma and Shikamaru on the wings, Kiba and Akamaru behind them. Remember gentlemen; Tsunade said that these shinobi must be protected at all cost. Expect minor injuries for sure, possible severe." she breathed, calculating the other possibilities.
"Whatever the case, these ninja have been through a lot and it's time to bring them home." she said quietly, her voice full of command.
The three men nodded and stood straighter, each unsheathing their swords. Silence pressed on as they stood, waiting for the shinobi they were to escort back to the village. Sakura sighed heavily as she shifted on her feet, glancing around wearily.
They had been in the outskirts of the forest surrounding Konoha since midnight. Having only gotten back from a four month long mission earlier that day, all of them were both physically and mentally drained. But unfortunately, they were also unable to refuse a direct order from the Godaime. Emerald eyes flashed haughtily behind her mask as she remembered the meeting with the Hokage just a few hours before.
Sakura was jostled awake by the heavy pounding that threatened to break her apartment door down. Startled, she quickly got up from her couch and pulled open the door before it was shattered. A kunai hung loosely in her hand out of habit. As she opened the door, expecting to see one of her teammates come to annoy her, she was surprised instead, seeing Tsunade's assistant, Shizune, standing breathless in her doorway. Immediately, Sakura snapped out of her haze and stood straighter, her green eyes narrowed at the dark haired woman.
"What is it Shizune?" she asked, a little annoyed.
Shizune nodded in greeting as she tried to catch her breathe before addressing the young kunoichi.
"Forgive me Sakura, but Lady Tsunade demands you and your team in her office at once. It's very urgent." she breathed.
Sakura's eyes widened slightly and she nodded, "Alright, we'll be there in a few minutes."
Shizune nodded before turning and walking back down the stairs. Sakura shut the door, leaning heavily against it. Part of her was angry that Tsunade had even bothered them, knowing they had just gotten back from a long mission a few hours before, but the other half was curious and also a bit worried of what was happening. The Hokage never demanded anything without a good reason.
Sighing, Sakura pushed herself away from the door and dragged herself to the bathroom where she splashed some cool water on her face to wake herself up. Shivering a little as the cold touched her skin, she straightened up and pulled her long roseate hair up into a high ponytail, securing the long strands away from her face. Glancing at herself in the mirror to make sure she was presentable, she quickly turned and walked out, the door clicking softly behind her.
She hastily turned down the main street of town, and immediately bumped into something hard. Stumbling backwards, she felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her shoulders and she was immediately crushed against a hard chest. Startled, she glanced up and was met with an annoyingly familiar grin.
"Well, good afternoon Captain. I was just coming to get you."
The low, flirting tone that was purely Genma grinned down at her. She huffed, rolling her eyes and gently pushed away from his warm embrace. Instead she fell into step next to him as they both turned and began heading towards the Hokage's Tower. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked up at him from the corner of her eye.
"Only you Genma could be up after a mere two hours of sleep, after a four month mission and still have this amount of energy." She sighed, though there was playfulness to her tone.
"What were you really doing, hmm? Trying to seduce the poor, defenseless, under aged girls again?"
Genma grinned.
"Why Sakura-Chan, is that jealousy I hear from those lovely pink lips? Are you mad that I'm seducing other girls?" he smiled mischievously, the ever-present senbon bouncing between his lips as he spoke.
Sakura just glanced up at him unfazed with his antics and gave a smirk of her own.
"So you do admit to the seducing of under aged girls?"
"Nonsense, sweetheart! I don't seduce, they come on their own." He grinned, taking a good hit off his own ego. Sakura just shook her head.
"Gennin, you are impossible."
She smiled, using that special nickname that only she was allowed to use for him. Genin. She remembered when she had first started using it. It was a while ago, maybe two or three years…Kotetsu had been one of the first to hear it and asked why she had called an elite Jonin, one of the best in town, the very term that they used to call the young ninja. Sakura replied,
"Well isn't it obvious? I mean really Kotetsu, think about it." She had said while motioning to a red-faced and irritable Genma,
"Sure, he may be a Jonin, but c'mon he acts like a child most of the time!" she smarted, smiling sweetly as Kotetsu laughed.
Sakura was roused from her thoughts when suddenly the rest of her team fell into step beside them, and especially by the warm presence on her left, who automatically moved closer to her, his arm lightly brushing hers. Sakura glanced up to be greeted by the droll stare and lazy smirk of Shikamaru, who winked at her with his dark eyes. Immediately her face warmed and she glanced foreword again, breaking eye contact. His soft, teasing chuckle drifted behind her. Now was most definitely not the time for that…
She sped up their already brisk pace and soon they were standing outside of the tall double doors that led to the Hokage's office. Sakura glanced around at her team quickly and took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. Each one of them looked just as tired and drained as she felt, and it pained her to make them come here. Sighing, she flashed them a tired smile and knocked on the door.
"Come." Tsunade called as the door swung open to reveal the four ninjas she had called for. Sakura entered quietly, followed by the rest of her team. Shikamaru and Kiba quickly fell into the two seats across from the desk. Sakura moved behind them, her hands resting on the back of Shikamaru's chair and Genma stood on her right, his arms folded across his chest, the senbon bouncing impatiently between his lips.
"You sent for us, Tsunade-Sama?" Sakura asked, her voice even. Tsunade nodded and gently pinched the bridge of her nose before speaking. Sakura couldn't help but frown at the gesture, for once, Tsunade was actually looking close to her true age.
"There has been an urgent message sent. Three shinobi are on their way back to the village and are in desperate need of an escort. All three are wounded and there is a high chance that enemy-nin are tracking them. I'm sending you four."
She explained as she wrote something down. Sakura's jaw clenched.
"You're sending us out when we've just gotten back? Nee-Sama, please, couldn't you send anyone else for this? We haven't even had a chance to catch our breath!" Sakura argued, her voice rising. Her temper was slowly growing towards the woman before her. She couldn't believe that Tsunade would call them in for such a simple…C-ranked mission!
Her team was the best of the elite, and was the Core field team of the ANBU Black Ops. There was no way in hell that she was going to send out her squad for such an errand… especially if it meant exposing them to enemy-nin during a weakened state. Her green eyes flashed as she glared at the top of the Hokage's blonde head. Tsunade didn't even look up from her paperwork, though when she did talk, her voice sounded drained and exhausted.
"No. I'm afraid that's not possible Sakura. It may sound simple, but this mission is S-Rank. I won't tolerate anyone else for this job, so there's no use fighting me. You're going whether you want to or not."
Tsunade said evenly, her amber eyes slowly drifting up to clash with green. Sakura's hands tightened until her knuckles turned white and little the back of Shikamaru's chair began to splinter as her nails bit into the wood. She opened her mouth to start screaming at her dear teacher but was quickly silenced by a firm hand on her shoulder. Glancing to her right, her eyes narrowed pointedly on Genma. He grasped her shoulder tightly and shook his head, telling her to calm down.
"It's alright Sakura, we'll go. Since it's only an escort they need, it should be easy enough." He said with reassurance. Sakura opened her mouth again, but instead of words, she huffed and glanced down to meet Shikamaru and Kiba's eyes.
"Don't worry about it Sakura! We're fine, let's just do this so we can come home sooner." He chirped, grinning. She couldn't help but smile softly and looked to Shikamaru who just rolled his eyes and stood up.
"So troublesome, but whatever, let's just go already." He muttered, already walking towards the door. Sakura sighed as Kiba got up to follow him and looked back to the Godaime.
"Alright nee-Sama, you win. But only on one condition." She growled.
Sakura moved closer to the desk and placed both her hands on it, staring closely into Tsunade's bright eyes regarding her warily.
"What is it?" she asked, annoyed.
"No more missions until after my birthday." Tsunade sighed and visibly relaxed.
"Done. Now go! You're meeting them at the eastern border of the forest, just a little west of the path to Sand."
The other three were already out, but Tsunade stopped Sakura before she could shut the door behind her.
"Sakura, remember, it is crucial that these ninja make it home alive." She whispered softly, her voice suddenly anxious. Sakura stopped on the threshold and just nodded without looking back and quietly shut the door behind her.
Sakura was suddenly pulled from her thoughts by the loud rustling that was coming from the trees in front of them. They all visibly tensed, alert to any other sounds past the approaching group. Every katana was unsheathed except for hers, but it didn't matter. She trusted her team deeply and knew they wouldn't let her get hurt. Besides, she found it much easier to deal with tired and hostile shinobi if she appeared neutral and without a weapon. Akamaru stood on her left, between her and Kiba, his soft growls melding with the other noise.
"Thirty seconds." Kiba whispered, shifting his sword from one hand to the next.
Shikamaru kept his blade in his right and let his left hang loosely by his side where his weapons pouch was. Genma already stood with his sword at the ready and his other hand filled with throwing stars. She nodded to them and instantly they flashed from her sight. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, keeping her stance relaxed. Even though she couldn't see them, she knew exactly where everyone was.
Genma was hidden against a few trees to her right, Shikamaru mirroring his position on the left. Kiba and Akamaru were a few trees before her and up, and would drop down as soon as the group passed below them, trapping them. She waited silently, counting the seconds for the group they were to meet to break through the trees in front of her.
True to Kiba's word, just as she counted thirty in her head, a loud rustling rose and three figures quietly emerged from the heavy foliage. At first, all Sakura could see were three shadowed silhouettes moving towards her slowly. Then the branches above her shifted, allowing the moonlight to filter down on their targets.
Her heart stopped.
All she could do was stand in a stunned silence, watching as three painfully familiar faces were illuminated. Slowly, they drew nearer, and she watched as their eyes literally lit up on seeing her, knowing they were just one more step away from home.
All Sakura could do was stare at the tired faces and weary smiles of three men whom she hadn't seen or heard from in over four long years.
Finally, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke and Hatake Kakashi came to a dead stop before her, looking ready to collapse.
What do you think? Feedback is pleasant for any writer, regardless of good or bad, all shall be taken in stride. Review, if you please.
-Serena