Title: Holding My Own
Rating: K
Summary: A Sakura-centred fic which will give you a new-found respect for our favorite pink-haired ninja. (i suk sums but its good trust me=) Luvlles! EA#13)
Holding my Own
Chapter 1: Night Running
The waning moon had reached its zenith as clouds of fog slid silently through the forest at night. The translucent white bodies passing like ghosts through the trees. Sakura's feet landed gently on a tree branch high in the canopy, her dark form displaying a surety and grace that betrayed her years of training at the academy and as a genin.
She took her bearings in the dim moonlight and readied herself for the next leap when she heard a low whistle in the distance. She tensed, waiting and then heard the call repeat low and then again once more, but this time higher in pitch. Her wariness fading as she recognized the field command for a brief rest.
"Finally," she sighed leaning against the trunk.
She stared out into the night watching the fog move. In front of her off to the left she watched the mist reveal two figures on the branch of a massive oak, about half way up its giant trunk. Both of them were dressed as she was, in the black-nin uniform that was worn during nighttime missions. Despite the night and distance she still guessed their identities easily. The shorter nin who refused to sit still (even on a break) would have to be Naruto while the taller stoic-looking figure with the wild silver hair had to be Kakashi.
Scanning directly ahead she watched as a clump of fog dissolved around an ancient looking maple just a few yards away. The fading mist revealed the fourth and final member of their team. Jiraiya was a large bear-like man with bestial white mane of hair trailing down his back. Eschewing the "black tighties" as he called them, he had retained his bright red vest along with the massive toad-summoning scroll he slung crossed his back. He was facing her as he crouched in the branches. Startled, she stared as his tattooed face broke in a wide grin. He waved at her in a ridiculous, almost child-like way.
Sakura blushed with embarrassment and waved back cautiously as another piece of fog seemed to swallow him up and leave the branch bare in its passing.
"I'm not sure if he's an idiot or a madman..." she thought wryly, "either way he's the perfect teacher for Naruto."
Sakura knew that Jiraiya-sama was one of the three legendary Sennin of Konoha. He recently returned to the Hidden Leaf Village to conduct some so- called research for that ecchi manga of his "Come, Come Paradise." The book was a favorite of Kakashi-sensei's. While he was peeping around Konoha public bathouses and generally ogling the young women of the village Jiraiya-sama had been talked by Naruto into being his personal tutor just before the tournament.
"No matter how he acts or what pervy stuff he writes," she thought, "I'm still very glad he's here."
Just then a vivid memory from her early genin days flooded into her mind's eye. She remembered when Kakashi and her team had been given the D-rank mission of weeding Hokage-sama's impressively large vegetable garden. According to Naruto "D" stood for "Dumbass" and her inner voice had agreed wholeheartedly to that. DAMN STRAIGHT!
It had been a sweltering day in the late summer. While they all slaved away at their task in the yard, Kakashi-sensei had fallen a sleep in a hammock at the shady back of the garden. The work was hard, long and dirty. She remembered the sweat pouring from her delicate AND PERFECTLY SIZED! forehead as it had soaked through her new forehead protector. While they worked Kakashi snored like a chainsaw earning him an impressive amount of dirty looks from his young troops. They had finished up just before early evening and as the boys went to put the garden tools back in the shed, Sakura went to wash up at the well on the other side of the house. She returned to find Naruto and Sasuke huddled suspiciously in a corner towards the front of the yard.
"Naruto! What are you doing?" she yelled.
He looked up her and then glanced nervously at Kakashi's sleeping form at the other end of the garden. It still sounded like he was drilling for oil. Naruto turned back to Sakura... his grin nearly splitting his fox- like face.
"Hey, Hey, Sakura-chan, shhhh! Don't talk so loud... hee hee! Sasuke here stole sensei's perv comic to teach him a lesson and we were looking at the pictures, heh."
"Sasuke-kun?!" Sakura always expected these things from Naruto, but Sasuke as the culprit was a bit of a shocker. She stared wide-eyed at him. He looked back, his normally serious face quickly filling with an unusual bright reddish tinge. His eyes also widened slightly before he quickly made his "I'm annoyed" angry face.
"Humph, whatever," he muttered turning away and dropping the book to the ground.
Sakura then realized he was blushing! "Sasuke never gets embarrassed," she thought, "Oh, kawai! He's so adorable!" HE WILL BE MINE!
It was then they all noticed the sudden disappearance of snoring.
Kakashi was looming over them. He had quickly discovered the theft and the thieves. Before they could run, he snatched the two up by the scruff of their collars began an ominous sounding lecture on the near fatal error of taking other people's prized possessions.
With Sakura slowly came out of her reverie back to the present. A sigh escaped from her lips.
"Now he's gone and I might never get to see that rosy-cheeked look again. Oh, Sasuke-kun..."
"Sakura."
She reacted before thought. Her kunai spun in her hand, the blade flashing back towards the sudden presence behind her. As she hammered her bladed fist back towards the intruder as an iron grip clamped down on her forearm ending the assault. With her other fist ready, she turned looked up to see her Kakashi-sensei staring down at her. His uncovered eye crinkled with an amusement that remained hidden with the covering on the rest of his face.
"Good reflexes, Sakura. It makes me almost miss the girl who would cry or faint when I'd sneak up on her in practice."
Sakura's face now turned crimson. DAMN YOU KAKASHI!
"Kakashi-sensei, you surprised me."
"Sorry. I was worried when you didn't start moving again after I called for an end to break, so I circled back."
Her facial color deepened and she bowed slightly.
"I'm so sorry, sensei! I won't let it happen again!"
Though most of Kakashi's face was hidden, the warmth of his smile came through its covering easily in an effort to comfort her.
"Of course, of course... you are doing very well Sakura. Try and stay focused now."
He held her eyes for a moment longer then after comforting squeeze on her shoulder he leapt off to continue their journey. Sakura raised her chin with determination and moved to join them. She ran with them again sensing their presence all around her in trees.
The team sped through night with singular purpose. Led by Jiraiya-sama, they traveled north and west from where Konohagakure lay. This was their second day of "silent" travel since they split from the Anbu squad who had continued like an arrow north toward the border with the Sound Country. Time passed without notice as they moved through the sea of trees. It was only an hour or two before dawn when Sakura realized that they were probably very close to the border Fire Country shared with the Waterfall and Grass Villages.
"This is the farthest I've ever been from home," she realized. "Where are you taking us you crazy old senin?"
She had over heard a snippet of conversation between sensei and Jiraiya the night before they had set out. Remembering the words, Sakura was still trying to puzzle out their meaning. Kakashi had been unintelligible, but Jiraiya's baritone, even muted, was still clear in the night air.
"... the Anbu would just do their duty. It is better they stay their path... with these two we might have a chance. Besides all things considered I want to keep Orochimaru's body count down. The chuunin among them would just get cut down."
"Orochimaru," she repeated to herself.
The name of the villainous traitor made a cold trickle down her spine. His twisted desire to take Sasuke-kun and use him for some strange forbidden jutsu had given her nightmares on more than one occasion over the last couple of weeks.
"And now he has what he wanted."
She refused to give into despair. To keep sane, her brain tore into her immediate and puzzling situation like a ravenous beast.
"Why didn't Jiraiya-sama bring the Anbu hunter-nin?" she puzzled. "It's their duty to capture or kill renegade-nins and there's none worse than that maniac. If anyone can save Sasuke-kun they can. And why bring us? Naruto is strong, if pigheaded, but I have no delusions about my ability. And we are both still young. Who takes children when they can have experienced men and women to fight?"
The frustration she felt with her lack of answers helped to give her the fuel she needed to keep up the grueling pace the others set.
As they cleared the next hill she saw a soft steady glow on a ridge just west from her position. Sakura made her way to a higher tree to see more clearly. It appeared to be a small house or temple. It was set in the traditional style at the top of a small rise in the hilly countryside. She was catching her breath a little when she heard a new whistle signal from just off to her right flank. It was three short high whistles, like a kingfisher's call. Her breath caught for a moment, as she recognized this new field command.
"Target sighted, prepare for engagement," she interpreted to the night air.
Checking her equipment quickly and retying her forehead protector she set off with speed and extreme caution towards the lone structure in the distance. She prayed they were no too late.
"I'm coming Sasuke," she prayed.
"Wait for me."
E V I L A N G E L N U M B E R 1 3
Hi readers hope u enjoyed this chapter. I still don't have any ideas 4 wat 2 do 4 the ppl that do review after reading my stories so if u can think of something 2 do 4 them then pwez tell me in a review or a message pwez, thx! =) Luvlles!
