Warnings? Hmm, well, besides weirdness, I guess. Oh—also that I probably butchered the honorific's for their names. I thought I'd try it at least once (or thrice, considering it's a threeshot) but if I'm told that it makes no sense or something, I might drop it. So, please tell me.
~CELESTIAL~
~1/3~
She gasped, green eyes snapping open wide as she tried to hoarsely breathe in the warm night air. Heart pounding, Sakura scrambled to a sit on her bed, her thin fingers clenched her ankles in a death grip as her pink hair, messy and tangled, tickled her shoulders and cheeks while she heaved. Eyes, previously filled with fear, evaporated into tire, and she closed them again briefly, tilting back her head as she sucked in the surrounding air deeply before exhaling, her breath shuddering as her body quaked with adrenaline.
Sighing, she draped over her bent knees, her forehead gliding over her white flannelette sheets before she let the weight of her head drop into the v of her knees pressed together. Waiting in silence, for her heart beat to die back to normal, for her breathing to stabilise, Sakura thought, letting her mind wander; but not too far to confuse herself.
Honestly—as her bare shoulders shuddered, as though still tasting the touch of ghost-like fingers caressing her creamy skin just seconds before she woke—the twenty-seven year old was getting a little restless.
It had started three months ago and—
Sakura breathed out shakily again, tightening her hold on her legs as she remained still in her bed, the dying light of the moon casting its rays onto the foot of her cot through the window overhanging above. She could vaguely feel the light on her, but the heat of summer was strong and was capable of hiding any warmth light may give.
Dawn was just around the corner, and then she could go about her usual routine of dragging herself out of bed, dressing, having breakfast and heading off to work her shift at the hospital. Unfortunately, that was still a few hours away still, and until then—she sighed—she supposed she had to wait.
Raking her fingers over the curve of her shoulder—like a weak hope to grasp the ghostly hand that touched her—and straightening her back, Sakura breathed out softly before dropping back onto her bed, her head sinking into her plush pillow. Her eyes hurt from the lack of sleep over the past four weeks, so she closed her eyes, hoping, dreaming, that she may get her desired sleep. As minutes dragged by, however, Sakura realised it was impossible. Her sleeping body was disturbed rudely so suddenly that it felt like it was still on alert, too alert to just so simply drift back to a slumber.
Groaning in aggravation, Sakura put her arms behind her head before quickly deciding to slip them under her pillow and flip onto her stomach so that her cranium of pink hair was smothered by white entirely. From there, she sighed again—in irritation or something else, she didn't entirely know.
Better safe than sorry, she thought after a few seconds before bringing a hand to her face and curling her fingers into position. Pausing, she let the word, "Kai," slip through her chapped lips softly prior to waiting a few seconds, gauging for any differences around her. There was not.
She laid there, like that, for a few minutes, green eyes peering out her window but not really watching... until the curtains framing her small window fluttered briefly.
Sakura tensed, brow furrowing, her skin beginning to crawl with goosebumps as thoughts raced through her mind. She had neither felt, nor seen, heard or tasted wind that night...
...so why did her curtains just shift out of nowhere?
Sakura waited, her body ready to react swiftly if needed, but as minutes bled into hours, nothing else had happened. The curtains stood still, looking as though they hadn't been jostled at all. Her room was silent as well, but the pinkette knew, she felt, that there was indeed someone in her room at one point.
The only thing that changed at all as she waited in silence, her muscles beginning to ache, was the rising light of the sun spilling into her room, reminding her that her single-player game of hide-and-seek had to be put on hold as work was soon.
Grudgingly, Sakura shuffled, lifting her pillow off her head and then slamming it onto the bed, stretching to a sit on her heels; her back cracked comfortably, and she twinged her neck, relief flooding her system as her bones cracked again. She had a mild headache now. Not a good way to begin the day.
Mumbling to herself, the tired pink-haired medic ran a hand through her short tangled locks as she skulked out of bed, hissing in annoyance whenever her trailing fingers found a knot in her hair. She began her normal routine, but couldn't shake the singing vibes in her body or dismiss the memory from her mind about what she had seen.
It may have been nothing, but in all her years as a ninja, she had quickly learned that nothing could be taken for granted. Secrets with deadly consequences often spawned from the smallest things.
And as she placed her hand on the warm metal handle of her bedroom door, ready to leave, Sakura cocked her head gently to the side and glared quizzically at her window. If there was indeed something about it, she had to find it out sooner rather than later; very soon, as it was beginning to affect her life.
Curling her top lip into a soft snarl, baring her teeth in the slightest way, her pink eyebrows knitted inwards so that she looked like she had aged a couple more years, Sakura cursed the fact that she hadn't thought of trying to stop whatever was going on at an earlier time, before it started to deprive her of the sleep she needed badly. Maybe it was because her mind was swelling with thoughts all those other times, along with other menial tasks, or maybe it was because now she was positive that something was up after seeing the curtains move.
Her skin crawled, and as quickly as she paused to glance at her almost menacing window, Sakura departed her apartment, slipping her keys into the pockets of her navy skirt and tugging the bottom of her white nurse's top absentmindedly.
She'd think on it upon her return.
"You went there again, did you not?" he asked, his baritone voice hinting at his masked annoyance towards the other more curious man approaching him. He didn't have to look over his shoulder or tear his gaze from the inspection of his fraying robes, to know that his comrade was entering their little clearing. He could sense him arriving, not to mention the other didn't seem to bother trying to lighten his footsteps either.
The newcomer lost his amused smile as soon as he entered, frowning slightly as he stared quizzically at the long black-haired man perched stiffly atop a medium, smooth boulder on the other side of the clearing. He shrugged. "Yeah, and so?"
A pause. "It's dangerous to wander off."
"Not like they can see us in da first place."
"Regardless."
His frown deepened slightly as he crossed his arms and pivoted, stalking back into the forest. The black-haired man looked as though he had the urge to roll his eyes but chose not to as he stepped off from his seat and followed after the silver-head man—boy, more likely—airing out his crinkled, black uniform by stretching out his arms.
Why did he have to get such a person as his partner for this mission anyway?
"Naruto-kun, it's too hot for ramen," Sakura whined, sprawling her upper half over her working desk smothered in papers and stretching her small fingers like a feline. She sighed and clonked her head onto the wooden surface, closing her throbbing eyes.
Her friend, and Hokage-in-training, tugged persistently at her sleeves from behind before nudging her shoulder. "Sa-ku-ra-chan!" he cried, growing more insistent the longer she ignored him. "It's never too hot for ramen! Come on! I'll even pay!"
"You and what salary?" she mumbled beneath her shadowing pink locks. She, surprisingly, had more money than the future Hokage, considering he was restricted from missions for a few months to train solely in Konoha. He told her that as soon as "Tsunade-baachan" deems him worthy for the position, then she'd allow him to go on a few missions to test his strength before the official initiation.
The hyperactive ninja was excited, to say the least, but also incredibly impatient at the same time.
Naruto suddenly grunted, getting her point as he crossed his arms, pouted and thought like mad to think of a comeback. After a few seconds, he snorted into the silence, earning a giggle from the exhausted Sakura—it wasn't her break time but hey, with her best friend around it'd be impossible to get any work done anyway.
"Oh, Naruto-kun, stop pouting," Sakura half-heartedly berated as she peeled herself from the desk and leaned back in her chair, wiping at her cheeks, quill still in her hand. He huffed. "Besides, as much as I want to hang out with you," she groaned, "I must get this work done."
In a flash and slight gust of wind that mussed her hair, Naruto was sitting cross-legged in front of her on her desk, his blue eyes leering down at her through blonde, shaggy bangs, his lips turned into a half frown and half pout. Sakura bit her lip before twirling her quill in her fingers and dropping it back into its ink pot.
If he stayed there—one of the few things he was patient about was persuading someone—then she couldn't scrawl her signature or write anything anyway, and if she forced him to move, her paper system would be totally ruined in the struggle. Sighing with defeat and wiping her sweaty brow, Sakura rose and stared her friend in the eye. "I get your point, Naruto-kun, I concede." His expression twitched but didn't morph into anything else. "Let's have lunch."
"Woohoo!" Naruto instantly cheered, throwing his hands in the air and tossing them around her small shoulders before she had the chance to escape. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you Sakura-chan!"
Through her lack of air and attempt to laugh, she responded with an, "Okay, Naruto-kun. Need to breathe!" And he promptly let go, his figure shifting into a blur as he sped off her desk and shot across the room to the door, her papers ending up flying into the air despite her attempt to keep them organised.
Scowling as the papers rained down around her, Sakura cracked her knuckles and shouted his name, making him skid and crash into the door, collapsing to the floor in a heap of orange and black. "Naruto!" the pink-haired woman called again, hands on her hips as she approached her friend, her heels thudding quietly against the wooden floorboards of her personal office. "I was trying to save my work from having to fly around the room, and you had to do just that!"
The glossy-eyed shinobi crawled out of his disarray, his bottom lip quivering at the rage of his very strong former teammate. He could practically see the steam curling out of her ears. "I'll make it up to you, Sakura-chan," he pleaded as he stumbled to a rise. "I'll help you reorganise it!"
She pointed a finger at him sharply, her teeth bared and brow furrowed deeply as she spoke. "Good, and I get to choose where we're eating."
Naruto visibly deflated, but chose not to argue. "Are we cleaning now or after?"
Sakura shrugged, looking like her facade of rage had never even existed. "After. I'm starving!" she said as she stretched, heading for the door.
The future Hokage followed by her side, his previous face of pleading replaced with one of a huge smile. "Oh, by the way, Sakura-chan. Is it okay if Hinata-chan comes too?"
"Sure. It'll be good to see her again."
"And Neji-kun?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"Not really."
"No. I don't mind."
It was as the four sat down at a table in a restaurant of her and Hinata's choice, did Sakura start staring at Neji—or more specifically, his eyes. Half way through lunch, he obviously had grown tired of it and dropped his chopsticks to pay attention to her; the pink-haired medic promptly lifted her own utensils to begin eating as though she wasn't even staring at him—Naruto and Hinata seemed oblivious. However, despite her attempt to act casual, Sakura was way too obvious.
"Is there a reason you keep staring at me, Haruno-san?" he asked, his white eyes glaring sagely but curiously back at hers when she risked a glance at him; she hurriedly looked away in embarrassment.
Shit, shit, shit. I probably totally looked like I was ogling him, she cursed to herself, wincing her eyes shut, her skin wrinkling with how tight she was sealing them closed. A mistake, Neji-san, a mistake.
Sakura lowered her dominant hand, biting her bottom lip before she opened her eyes and turned to the Hyuuga branch member confidently. She really hadn't meant to act like that, but an idea just struck her as soon as she saw his Kekkei Genkai.
The Byakugan.
Maybe... just maybe.
He raised an eyebrow inquisitively, the end of his lip almost quirking in interest. She opened her mouth, but then promptly closed it, trying to figure out what she was wanting to say. At first she was going to apologise for staring but realised that perhaps getting straight to the point and favour would be better.
"May I ask you a favour?" she got out.
His other eyebrow joined the other one, a little higher above his white eyes. "It depends, Haruno-san, on what it is."
She breathed out in relief, glad that he wasn't going to ask her anything else besides what she wanted to talk about. "I know we don't know each other exceptionally well but—" she cut herself off, peering at the two lovebirds in her peripheral vision; Neji's eyes followed hers.
"But what?"
"I have... a problem." Maybe it would have been better to take a look at it myself first, rather than out right ask him but... it's too late now, I suppose.
"Oh really?" Neji's lips, this time, lifted into an amused smirk which sent Sakura's mind hammering. "And what is this problem?"
Sakura felt like face-palming, just noticing that what she said could have been quite... suggestive. She didn't doubt that Neji also noted this, but was hoping—dear Kami, hoping—that he was merely teasing her and not taking her seriously.
And the words she was planning to ask next were not going to help her case.
She frowned at him. "Please, don't take me the wrong way here."
"Haruno-san, this is me we're talking about," he responded calmly.
"You seemed to enjoy teasing me before."
He chuckled. "It is not my fault, Haruno-san, if what we're saying sounds a little... off."
Sakura deflated in her seat, glaring at the Hyuuga opposite her, who seemed to be enjoying the moment a little too much for her liking. Who knew the ANBU had a sense of humour? Sadistic as it may be. Then again, she was digging her own hole by bringing it up.
Crossing her arms and leaning a little closer to him, she finally stated her problem, making sure that Naruto and Hinata did not, or could not, hear. "I've been having trouble sleeping."
"Really?" His voice was serious now, clearly noting that Sakura was troubled by it.
Sakura nodded. "Yeah. For the past three months I've been getting little sleep. Many of those nights I wake up in the middle of the night, or near dawn, because I swear I could feel a presence in my room, but when I wake up, there is nothing there."
"Nothing?"
"Nothing," she confirmed. "I-I mean," and shook her head, confused, "it feels like someone has been in my room, and it's summer after all, so I have my window open, but—" she stopped, trying to wonder where she was going with this. "There's no scent, or anything either, just a lingering presence. I swear I feel someone caressing me as well, that's how I wake up." She tried her best to keep her steadily growing frantic voice to a whisper but it was finally a chance to tell someone, someone who could possibly help! "I was hoping that—"
"—you'd like me to use my Byakugan to have a look, am I right?" Neji asked, hitting her favour right on the head.
Sakura nodded, exhaling in relief.
"If this has been occurring for three months, why have you not approached someone sooner?"
Taking a bite of her lunch, she pondered the question. "I... had no proof. Admittedly, I did think it was nothing at first—at first!" she repeated at the sign that Neji was going to cut her off. A good ninja would have reported anything out of the ordinary; that was most likely what he was going to mention had she not cut him off. He frowned, blinking, before settling back into his seat. "This morning though... I saw something."
"You saw something?"
"Hai." Sakura matched his penetrating eyes. "There has been no wind for the past few days. Everything is still. But this morning, when I woke up a few hours before dawn, I saw the curtains around my window move. Neji-san, there was no wind this morning."
He nodded slowly, contemplatively, and Sakura was irritated with the fact that she seemed a little desperate for his belief in her. She must have been more frazzled than she thought, then, and didn't even realise it.
"Would you like me to search around your apartment now, or during the night? Or both?" he added quickly as an afterthought.
Sakura quickly responded with the latter, vaguely taking notice of her heart pounding against her ribcage—anxiety. She wanted whatever that was haunting her to just leave already.
"I finish work early today," she spoke hurriedly, excited. "Meet me at my house at five."
"Or I could inspect it while you are gone; unless you want to do some cleaning beforehand?" Neji teased, managing to keep a smirk off his face as Sakura just gave him a death glare. Her fingers twitched towards her chopsticks and he narrowed his eyes at her, his smirk widening slightly when she simply just grabbed the utensils and resumed eating her meal.
"Ne, ne, ne, Sakura-chan!" Naruto cut in excitedly, leaning in closer to his pink-haired friend. She scrunched her nose at him and recoiled back slightly, before pressing her forefinger to his forehead and pushing him back into his seat. He didn't seem to notice as he continued. "If you marry Neji-kun, and I married Hinata-chan, then—" he was promptly cut off with Hinata dropping her glass and sputtering on the liquid, hacking.
Sakura was both torn between laughing and scowling at the insinuation that she and Neji should wed—the thought was preposterous!—but settled with a fond smile as Naruto worried over Hinata and as Neji threatened the future Hokage with imminent pain.
It was the first time in a long time Sakura felt like she was able to relax properly.
Lunch with the Hyuuga's and Naruto did wonders for Sakura somehow. As she returned to work with a chattering Naruto by her side, she found that her muscles seemed to have loosened a little more, so that her body didn't ache madly like they were that morning. Speaking of which, that headache she had when she walked into work earlier that day had considerably lessened since she went for lunch... only now it was coming back again with Naruto talking.
Somehow the future Hokage got it into his head that if she were to marry Neji, and he (Naruto) to Hinata, then they'd be siblings of some sort. The idea was laughable, mainly because she wasn't even interested in the chocolate-haired ANBU to begin with, despite the fact that he was easier to talk to now than back when they were younger and was decent to have a conversation with; besides, she swore Ino had a crush on the man.
"I'm telling you, Sakura-chan! It's a great idea!" Naruto continued, his mouth moving almost like it was on auto-pilot. "Then I could call you Sakura-neechan!"
She choked on her saliva. "Naruto-kun, it doesn't work like that."
"Huh?" He paused, sending her a questioning expression. Luckily they were right outside her office anyway, and then she could get that infernal mess sorted out at last, finish her paperwork and meet up with Neji at her house—she would not let him check it out without her there.
She giggled, shaking her head as she opened the door and shoved the blonde in. "Let's clean up."
"But Sakura-chan! Why doesn't it work like that?"
At five, Sakura sped back to her house, despite her body feeling like lead due to tire. She was looking forward to falling into a dreamless and uninterrupted sleep, so much so that she had almost ran into a few people on her way; the streets weren't overly busy, but as the sun was beginning to wane, the population started to thin.
She reached home soon enough, relieved to see the familiar chocolate-haired ANBU waiting patiently outside her home, leaning casually against the wooden pole to the side of the front door, his arms crossed and eyes closed—they opened wearily as soon as he heard her approach. Smiling up at him, Sakura greeted him with a short bow. "Neji-san."
"Haruno-san."
Stealing her way to the door, she fumbled for the keys in her pockets before procuring them from the depths and shoving them into the keyhole. "I'm guessing you've had a quick scan?"
"Indeed."
She paused, and at the same time a sound click occurred; the pink-haired medic peered up at the man waiting beside her, noting that his Byakugan was already active, and probably had been so for a while now.
"I'll need a closer look but there is something there," he said, his brow wrinkling as he frowned. "Very faint."
Sakura felt her blood go cold. She wouldn't admit it but she was hoping that it was her imagination. However, now that she heard the ANBU member confirm the fact that there was something there... just scared her. Whatever was there, or more likely, whoever was there, was obviously skilled enough to leave hardly a trace behind while also avoiding the detection of the other ninja patrolling the village.
Neji seemed to realise the importance of this as well. Sakura could tell, due to the way his jaw tightened considerably.
"Right." She shivered awkwardly. "Come in." She stepped into the heated house, the inside considerably warmer than the outside. Gesturing for Neji to enter, who did so with his eyes trained on her room through the walls, she dropped her bag and keys onto the small table in the kitchen, wanting nothing more than to just get some sleep.
"Haruno-san," Neji sounded. She jolted minutely, peering over her shoulder to see the Hyuuga walk passed the kitchen door, chin tilted almost curiously to the side as he started his investigation. "There is... residue, all over your home."
She closed her eyes, blood pounding. Her throat contracted almost painfully as she swallowed. "What type... of residue?" she whispered almost silently. When she received no answer, Sakura inhaled and exited the kitchen, turning the corner quickly to see Neji examining the door handle for her bedroom, his calloused fingers hovering over the glinting metal. The medic approached him quietly, as not to disturb him—not that he could be disturbed easily. "Neji-san."
His hand dropped back to his side. "Are you the only one who has touched this handle, Haruno-san?"
Sakura paused, before nodding. "Hai."
Neji moaned in thought. "Try not to touch it again. I'll pull the fingerprints off of it later. There is almost no residue on the handle, but it makes no difference."
"What sort of residue, Neji-san?"
"Like that of a ninja; their presence. I can see it a little stronger on the other side of this door but... I cannot feel it, like you would be able to. It's odd..." he trailed off, eyes glaring at the wooden flank that led to her room.
What did he mean? True, she could not actually feel as though there was someone in her room, but she could sense it regardless. And there was no way she could actually see it, like Neji could; which made her wonder how it was able to be seen.
Without another word, he pressed the tips of his fingers against the face of the door and pushed; it silently swung inwards. Sakura hoped that her room was clean enough; she didn't exactly have time to clean before she left that morning.
He stepped in; this single step made Sakura shiver. What would they find?
"It's in the air all around your room; still very faint," Neji explained, head tilted to glance around; she mirrored his movements, arms wrapping around her waist and tightening. He stopped and trained his vision on the window sill. He could see something. "Haruno-san. I recommend closing your window at night."
Sakura's brow furrowed. "I have once or twice."
Neji stepped back to face the pink-haired adult, eyeing curiously. "And on those nights, have you woken up at midnight, like all those other times?"
"...yes," she replied hesitantly.
"Then how did this intruder get in?"
"Ninja, maybe," she stated, pinching the bridge of her nose; her headache was returning, even after the medication she had taken before.
"Haruno-san." The tone in his voice made her freeze, not to mention the serious gaze he was giving her. Obviously, this was more serious than she had originally thought. "This is no ninja entering your house at night."
A soft gasp emitted from her lips.
Sakura was not a happy camper.
For starters, she was as tired as hell, a result from getting nothing but restless sleep for the past three months. On top of that, she had woken up that morning, only to feel nervous throughout the day as she worried about what exactly was watching her. Thirdly, now she knew that someone had been in her room and watching her—scary, anyone?
Fourthly, Neji had to freak her out even more by saying that it was no ninja that decided to give her bed-time visits—then what the hell could it be? Fifthly, the ANBU member informed her that the investigation squad would be commandeering her house to, well, investigate, making her homeless for at least two days or more. And lastly, it was almost midnight.
She growled out loud, arms crossed, fingernails digging into her biceps. Unfortunately, glaring at the steadfast Hyuuga did little to please her, especially because he wasn't reacting—and he's lucky he did not look amused, because she wasn't in the mood at all to take his smirks.
"My apologies, Haruno-san," he bowed his head, not looking exceptionally sincere. Sakura huffed.
"If they touch anything in my room, if I return and see so much as a pen out of place, I will hunt you down and—" a hand promptly sealed her lips as Ino laughed awkwardly from behind the medic.
"Please excuse Sakura, Neji-kun," Ino pleaded. Sakura scowled and tried to pry the florists' fingers form her lips. "She's tired, as you say, and just needs some sleep. She thanks you for looking at her house and trying to fix the problem." Sakura glared at her blonde friend as best as she could considering the interrogation expert was restricting her from behind.
Neji's face contorted slightly into numerous different expressions before finally resting on his default one; the one with little to no emotion and a singular raised eyebrow.
Sakura wasn't happy with this arrangement but what he had seen in her room served to be investigated closely. The physical residue there would hopefully lead them in the right direction once tested, but she'd just have to be patient. If this... person... was found, then she'd be able to sleep properly in her home, while also benefiting Konoha with the capture of a very skilled fighter.
"Of course. Thank you for helping as well, Ino-san," Neji commented; the blonde female slightly blushed.
"No problem!"
The ANBU member bowed to the two women. "I'm afraid, Haruno-san, that the information found at the scene would be classified."
"Hhahh?" Sakura's brow wrinkled deeply as she sent him a glare. She struggled, wriggling and quickly succeeding in ripping of Ino's hands; hands that soon wrapped around Sakura's waist as she took as step forward to rise up to the Hyuuga. "Ino! Let go!"
"Calm down, Sakura!"
"I asked for you to take a look, Hyuuga, not steal my house from me! Now you wanna hide any information regarding my own home? Not to mention information on who's watching me?" she shrieked, shaking her fist in the air, trying to deliver a blow to the motionless Hyuuga but failing due to Ino.
"My apologies, Haruno-san," he stated again.
Sakura snorted as Ino giggled awkwardly, still keeping the pinkette reigned. "I think you should leave, Neji-kun."
He nodded. "Right." And in a blur his figure disappeared from their vision, Sakura shouting his name the last thing he heard.
She heaved, loosening her entire body and sagging into Ino's grip; the blonde sighed in relief. Annoyance gurgled in the back of her throat as she stared at the closed front door with all her might, almost as though the wood was the chocolate-haired ninja she developed a new grudge for. She felt Ino retract her hands from her waist, and with a grunt Sakura kicked at her bag filled with necessities for a sleepover.
"Wow, Sakura, that was intense," Ino remarked, hands on her hip as she watched the pinkette begin to unpack her bag with gusto. She giggled as her friend stalked to the bathroom with a toothbrush and toothpaste in her grip—Ino swore the paste would squirt out like a fountain if Sakura held on to it any tighter. Shaking her head in amusement, the young florist trailed a hand through her shoulder length blonde hair before tugging impulsively on the hem of her grey PJ tank top. "I need a drink," Ino sighed, stealing her way to the dark kitchen.
Two nights had passed.
They were both long, but at the same time, they were both peaceful as well—as peaceful as days could be living with an excited Ino, that is. Sakura sighed—she was glad.
She leaned her head back against the window pane, closing her eyes and revelling in the little wind that finally decided to grace Konoha. It was warm, but a good warm. A small smile curled into her lips as she breathed out in relief, matching the exhale with a lock around her bent knees.
The night, for once, was beautiful.
Ino's apartment had a good view of the lake that snaked through Konoha, as well as the forest on the other side. The hush sound of the water flowing and the graceful rustling of the tree leaves was soothing as Sakura listened to the soft sounds around her while she tried to fade out the memories of the tasks she had to complete in the last two days. Right now, she just wanted to rest; relax, and listen.
Even the approach of her friend Ino didn't disturb her, as she placed a cold glass of water by her thigh on the window sill. Sakura heard the wood right beside her creak as her friend leaned against it as well. "It's a quiet night, eh?"
"It is," Sakura replied without opening her eyes. "Thanks for the water."
"No problem. We both need it. It's quite hot still, but not as hot as before. Summer's nearing its end at last."
Sakura peeled open one eye lid and rolled her head to the side to gaze up at the florist. "Still don't like summer, do you?"
"No way."
The medic giggled, bringing her glass of fresh water to her lips and taking a swig; the clear liquid felt like heaven as it glided down her throat.
"How long is the investigation squad going to take in your apartment?" Ino asked.
"Trying to get rid of me?" Sakura joked, giggling at the sight of Ino's appalled expression.
"Hell no! If I had the choice I'd bind you to my apartment!"
The pinkette faulted. "I dunno, Ino. When you get a boyfriend, I'd rather not be around when you two—"
"—don't even finish that sentence!" Ino interrupted, crossing her arms and sealing her eyes shut.
Sakura paused, her lips still prepared to speak her next word. "—make-out," she ended lamely, mirth in her eyes seconds later as she laughed at her embarrassed friend. "Geez, Ino! Get your mind out of the gutter!"
The blonde flushed red while she pouted, before choosing to glare at the other—there was almost no effort in it for intending to scare the cackling woman.
"I don't know when I'd go back to my apartment," Sakura answered her previous question minute later, lips still turned up into a relaxed smile.
Ino sighed. "Have you been sleeping better? That stalker gone yet?"
The green-eyed medic's heart thumped at the mention of the reason for why she was kicked out of her home. "Yes, thank Kami."
Yamanaka giggled, sighing out and then tapping her friend comfortingly on the shoulder, taking Sakura's glass. "Get some sleep." She turned for the kitchen but then paused and peered back over her shoulder. "More of it," she finished; Sakura grinned.
Stepping off form the window and giving a long stretch, the strong medic closed the window, flipping the lock securely. Ino's rules required her to do this, not that it mattered too much, as the florist did have air conditioning.
She stepped contently towards the futon by Ino's cot.
Sakura woke with a shudder, a familiar sensation crawling into her body as she pealed open her green eyes to stare wearily at the dull grey ceiling. Goosebumps once more sprouted on her skin, and she clenched the hem of the thin sheet veiling her body.
No. Please no.
Eyes darted to the window above Ino's vanity and instantly it felt like ice was injected into her bloodstream.
It couldn't be, she pleaded, unconsciously pressing herself harder into the futon while she rubbed her sleepy eyes. No. I didn't just see that. I didn't just see the window entirely open. I didn't. But just like before, when she peered over the sheet again, the window was still open, the two glass panels extending towards the outside.
"S-Sakura," Ino's croaky voice reached her ears. Said woman silently swallowed the spit accumulating in her mouth. "You locked the window last night..." her breath was a whisper, "...didn't you?"
"Yeah. I did."
"Ino, I'm so sorry about this," Sakura apologised, stuffing her PJ's into her bag, watching her blonde friend who was dejectedly thrusting her own essentials into her a large bag.
Sakura did feel horrible—she exhaled loudly as she stared at Neji's back; he was scanning the room, making notes on a pad he wielded in his hands. Once again, she was told to move, but this time with Ino as well. Luckily, both Neji and Hinata accepted them to stay at the Hyuuga Manor while things were sorted; Sakura's home wasn't yet completed in its investigation.
She honestly didn't think that whoever this person was would seriously follow her. At most, she hoped that they had a fascination with her home, or at least half a mind to take note that they were trying to find him and scream—presumably, it was a he—but whoever it was didn't get the hint; they had to sneak into her friend's home as well.
Now Ino was scared. Her home was meant to be sanctuary, and had been that way successfully for two days. So why did this freak suddenly return out of the blue? Sakura knew, however, that Ino was more afraid about her well-being, rather than her own. The medic witnessed this when Neji and a few other ANBU members arrived on the scene. Ino had practically bulldozed Sakura to the ground afterwards, demanding how she was feeling, but then this worry fizzled to disappointment when the Hyuuga informed them that he'd house then.
On top of feeling horrible for being responsible for the move, Sakura couldn't ease her pounding heart. The whole thing was getting creepier by the minute, and she didn't have to be an expert to know that Neji was beginning to get a little... worried, which meant only bad news. If he was feeling the pressure then...
Sakura didn't want to think about it. Her feelings recently was like mashed potato; they were like mush, not making sense, not distinguishable at all, which only served to confuse and irritate her more. However, one of the few emotions she could extract from the pile of nonsensical goo, was curiosity.
She wondered what this person wanted, why her, why so persistent, why so rash, and more; but most importantly, she wanted to know who they were.
In the end, however she didn't want it to affect the others though, so she tried to mask it.
"It's okay, Sakura, really," the Yamanaka finally responded, opening her drawers and pulling out some underwear right in front of Neji before wedging them into the little space left in her bag—the Hyuuga froze completely, and Sakura swore she could see a blush extending up his neck and bleed into his hairline. The two female friends exchanged a look—Ino was giving a sly smile. She had done that on purpose.
Sakura zipped up her bag before resting on it. "Were you scared, Ino?"
She snorted. "Me? Ha! No way."
The pink-haired medic raised an eyebrow. "Oh really, then why was your voice shaking last night?"
Ino glared, zipping up her blue bag with force to emphasis playful irritation. "Must have been your imagination, Sakura."
"I thought the whole thing was my imagination, and it's not," Sakura responded smoothly, crossing her arms in challenge—this was a sign. Neji, in the background, continued taking notes, obviously trying to ignore the brewing feud between the two friends, but even a genin could note the slight waver in the movement of his writing—he was distracted.
"First time for everything, Bill-board Brow." She smirked.
"'Bill-board Brow'? Seriously, I thought you two would have grown out of those names by now."
Both females swung around to see Shikamaru entering the room with a yawn, his hand scratching the back of his head. His lidded eyes scanned over the room, from the hastily made futons, to the broken mirror in the vanity—he raised an eyebrow at his former teammate.
Grunting, Ino slide her hands onto her hips and scowled. "Don't look at me like that, Shikamaru!"
"Like what?"
Aggravation hissed from her throat and the blonde grabbed her locks, steam rising out of her ears—no one made her mad quicker than one of her closest friends. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"Troublesome," the lazy man groaned, rolling his head; he stuffed his hands into the pockets of the jounin pants. "I come here to see how my friend is going and I get my head chewed off."
"Aww, it wasn't chewed off," Sakura comforted, sticking her tongue out at the strategist who merely sent her an expression that said he wasn't even going to reply to the action. She frowned.
"Hokage-sama is getting worried about the situation, Sakura-san, there's no time for jokes," he commented, eyes narrowed. Sakura tensed, not reacting to Ino placing a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "I'm here to escort you to the Hyuuga Manor."
"Okay, I get having to move into the Hyuuga Manor for a bit, and I get having my house being searched thoroughly—despite the fact that I'm not happy it's still closed off—but what I don't get is why you two have to shadow my every footstep?" Sakura hissed, temple pulsing in anger. Each foot she slammed back into the earth as she stamped her way through the markets was loud and hard enough to cause a miniature crater under her soles; Akamaru and Kiba winced with each step.
The owner snorted, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms while his companion trotted happily beside him, his white tail swishing vigorously behind that civilians had to give the canine a large berth to avoid getting hit. Shino, however, merely adjusted his glasses and shrugged, remaining quiet on the other side of the fuming pink-haired medic.
And on my day off to put the cherry on the top! she inwardly steamed. No privacy!
It had been three days, one day longer than before, since the presence was made known in Ino's home, and both she and Ino prayed that this time things would go back to normal, but Neji was adamant that that was not the case. He was positive that this stalker would return, but was unsure about catching him, irritated with the fact that practically nothing had turned up yet to benefit them.
The Manor itself, however, proved to be more enjoyable to stay in than she and Ino first thought. The clan members were reasonably nice and Hinata was a fantastic host, and so was Neji whenever he was around—but he was also quite distracted, which caused Sakura to feel worried for him. She hadn't realised that things would turn out this way, but he was firmly set on the fact that she had done the right thing by informing him, otherwise, who knows what could have happened?
Sakura didn't want to admit that he spoke the truth.
And even if he is right, I'm still gonna kick his Hyuuga ass for sticking me with these guys!
Again, Sakura didn't have anything against Shino and Kiba (plus Akamaru) but it was the principle that they were watching her like a hawk like she wasn't capable in watching herself that made her annoyed.
Trying to run and lose them proved fruitless, as barely minutes later—after she thought she did lose them—the two turned up in front of her and Shino monotonously explained that he left a female bug on her.
Sakura felt like screaming; she hated bugs, but didn't want to insult Shino.
And she still hadn't finished her shopping.
"This is the worst day off!" she growled as the crowds parted for her and her follower's access. She decided to ignore them.
"Kiba, it may have been better if you had not brought Akamaru into the markets," was what she heard Shino say before she chose to follow her previous decision. Maybe things would go quicker.
He frowned, burying his chin into the palm of his hand as his elbow rested on his knee. "They had to suck the fun out of it, didn't they?" he moaned from his spot on a branch in a tree overlooking a collection of wooden buildings not far from him. He had to keep out of the way, fully aware that they were trying to find him, but also knowing that they wouldn't ever be able to.
He was fine with her being in that blonde girl's house—Ino, apparently—but having them moved to that scary place, filled with people that looked blind? He moaned again.
They weren't meant to do that.
But he wasn't about to give up this game yet—if you could call it a game. He was having too much fun, which is something that his partner must have noticed, as he tried to make sure that they were away from this village for longer periods of time; however, their mission just happened to be near the hidden village, so his attempt was useless.
He raised an eyebrow suddenly when he saw her heading back towards the cluster of buildings, flanked by those two pesky guards and that annoying dog. She didn't seem to know but those trackers... they were exceptionally good; in fact they were pretty much the only reason why he had stayed away for so long.
Maybe, just maybe, however, he could visit her again tonight; or at least steal his way closer to the buildings, to a tree nearby.
Yes. That'll be fine for now.
Sakura woke again, this time to the sound of muffled footsteps trekking down the hallways webbed throughout the Manor. Ears perked, she analysed each step, gauging the weight of the person trying to sneak by. She could tell they were trying to cover their steps but wasn't particularly worried about it, as they figured all were asleep and they were in their own home after all.
The medic-nin blinked, watching as the faint shadow beneath the door slid passed and then disappeared, the steps fading with it. "Hmmm," she moaned, rolling her eyes and then closing her eyes again, shifting around so that she rested on her other side. Come back to me sleep.
But she shifted for several more minutes, dreamland refusing to take her, and in aggravation, Sakura tossed off her sheets and snarled quietly to herself. She sat there silently for a few seconds before her green eyes trailed towards the door; she furrowed her brow.
Pausing, Sakura rolled her eyes again and scrambled out of her futon—while trying to be quiet—heading for the door; she slid it open and re-traced the path that midnight person had taken minutes before.
The Hyuuga Manor, at night, was pretty freaky. The floorboards creaked every now and then, catching her off guard and freaking her out, and the building was massive, so many hallways, many of them not containing wall lamps to light the way. And as she trekked, her toes slowly started to go cold as they continuously stamped softly onto the chilly floorboards.
But at the same time, all too soon she sensed the presence of Neji Hyuuga four corridors down. She moved quietly through the household, sweat tracing her muscles as they glided with gravity and soaked into her clothes. Moonlight ghosted over her as she passed windows; one, then another, then—
"What are you doing up, Sakura-san?"
The medic whirled around and the first thing that left her mouth was a light gasp before she frowned. How did he get behind her, when she had been attempting to approach him further ahead? Sakura glanced down the hallway in the direction she was going before staring back at the ANBU Hyuuga, his posture stiff, his jaw and eyes hard.
He was obviously disturbed about something; and she doubted it had anything to do with her wandering the halls at night.
Straightening, Sakura responded with the truth. "I woke to the sounds of something moving outside my door, and I was unable to sleep again; so I followed."
Neji bowed slightly. "My apologies for waking you then."
She raised a hand in gesture for him to cease with the body movement; and she muttered that he still had to cease with formalities around her, though he didn't seem to want to, indicated with a crinkle on his forehead. "Why... were you up, if I may ask, Neji-san?"
Sakura saw his Adam's apple rise and then lower when he swallowed, and he took a hesitant step forward before stilling. "Would you like to know, Sakura-san?"
"I wouldn't have asked otherwise," was her prompt response.
Neji let out a breath-like chuckle. "This is true." He paused, mind mulling; she could see it in his eyes. "I'm..." and she noted how they wavered slightly in one direction before zeroing in on her again, "...worried."
Her breathing slowed at those words. A Hyuuga, a man like him, was worried. And she had a very good guess about what. Sakura licked her lips. "Please. Tell me."
"Sakura-san," he sighed, hands slipping into the opposite sleeves of his brown kimono-like sleeping attire. "I told you before that the information would be classified but... considering the circumstances, I think you should know."
Despite the heat, despite it being summer, Sakura felt cold again. "Yes..." she whispered shakily.
"We got the results from your home. There was physical residue on the window sill, which was tested back in the lab. The result for that sample was..." she feared how his tone seemed to fade from one to another—one more menacing, "...nothing short of shocking."
"Why?" Sakura found herself instantly asking. "Why? What is it? What did you find?" Her voice was raising and she promptly lowered it, biting her lip to silence herself from crying out more.
"It was dirt. Simple dirt. But the contents of it contained minerals that are not in the soil from around Konoha; and if this person came from further away, this dirt would have worn off their shoes by the time they reached here, so only the soil around this village should have been found. This only half answers a few questions: this intruder resides near Konoha, but comes from a place nowhere near either."
If there was a lit candle in the hallway, she swore it would have flickered ominously. And her gaping, opening and closing her mouth like goldfish, didn't serve to help the situation. She didn't expect such information; it sounded ridiculous!
Near Konoha...? But not near at the same time?
It had to be impossible—surely!
And it was no wonder the famed Neji Hyuuga was staring at her with an expression she never wanted to see on his defined face. What hope did she have? Who was this person? If it even was a person at all!
Sakura was scared.
What did he want with her? All those questions that swarmed her mind for the last few days slithered back and grew more insistent and hungry for their answers. There were more questions than answers.
"Not only that, Sakura-san..."
There's more? Sakura shook her head weakly, trying to hide the fact that tears were now beginning to leak from her stinging eyes. No, she wouldn't cry.
"...but this intruder is watching you, even now."
Quivering eyes frightfully peered out the window to her side.
Her room.
So dark.
So stuffy.
So hot.
Weary green orbs peered over her arms that were wrapped around her legs, pressing her walking limbs closer to her chest—she ignored the pain it caused in squishing her breasts.
She was so tired. So so tired. But sleep didn't come at all last night. She was ready to drop, she knew it, but her body wouldn't let her. Her mind was whirring with thoughts about her situation that it wouldn't just turn off. She had half a mind to accept Neji's proposal to knock her out and put her in the hospital—it had, after all, been two days since her night chat with the ANBU member—but she didn't want to do that unless absolutely necessary—and it was getting close.
Her tongue moved around her mouth, moistening the drying cavern, and she swallowed, blinking slowly and then falling back onto the wooden wall she was leaning against. Her rear was beginning to hurt from sitting in one place for so long; her bed was getting steadily uncomfortable.
The window was closed, blocking out the hot sun. The door was closed; closed but not locked.
And she curled her toes when she remembered that locks didn't stop this guy anyway.
"Sakura?"
Sakura craned her neck over her forearm to take in the sight of Ino peeking her blonde head into the room to peer around, her blue eyes were squinting in the darkness. The medic didn't respond, so the florist slid the door open entirely before stepping into the room and capturing in Sakura's form curled up on the bed.
Ino sighed, hands on her hips. "Come on, Sakura. Time for you to leave the room. You need sunshine, you need sustenance, you need fun, so get off your ass now and walk around!" the blonde demanded, pointing a hand in the vague direction of the entrance to the Hyuuga compound; her arm shook with contained aggravation and worry.
Outside. The idea sounded really good actually, but Sakura was honestly too tired to get up and move about. Maybe... maybe if she walked into the sunshine, she could soak up the suns' rays like a flower, and hopefully get something done but...
She audibly groaned. "Shit. I've got a mound of paperwork."
Ino snorted. "Hell no. That's been taken care of. Hokage-sama's worry for you is at an all time high, and she's gotten someone else to fill in your place until everything's been cleared up."
"And when is that gonna happen?" Talking hurt her throat; definitely due to the lack of water.
"I can't say when this stalker is going to leave you, Sakura, but you'd get back to your job quicker the sooner you get out of this room and join the outside world."
Ino was right—unfortunately. They still had hints of that petty rivalry of theirs.
"Besides, maybe you could left off some steam."
Adrenaline shot through her body like wild fire at those words. Yes. What a good idea. What an excellent idea in fact.
The tree crumbled to the ground, branches snapping and scattering leaves around the area, showering her in green. Her fist stung, abrasions all over her knuckles, peeling, bleeding, but the pain was almost welcoming; the anger was even more welcoming because it at least took her mind off of everything. But the destruction of the trees still didn't let off the steam she desired to release.
Maybe she should spar someone instead.
Sakura ground her teeth, her eyebrows knitted inwards as she re-clenched her fist and spun, shooting to the other side of the clearing and delivering another chakra-filled punch to the body of the thick trunk. Just like before, the wood hollowed instantly, chips spraying just seconds prior to the collapse of the tree; she skittered back to avoid the canopy, punching and kicking a few of the large branches out of the way.
It landed loudly, dust and dirt billowing, Sakura the only thing standing in a clearing almost smothered in foliage and bark; her breathing was laboured. Straightening, the medic inhaled deeply, releasing the tension in her fists and trying to clear her mind. Her ribs hurt, but it was nothing serious.
She groaned, raising a hand to her forehead as she stumbled back and leaned against the trunk of another tree behind her. She could feel the coarseness of the wood on her back as she slid down, her shirt lifting with the movement; the bark was cold on her skin, something she revelled in while she tilted her head back and let her limbs drop beside her.
Man, I'm tired. Sleep, she coaxed, her eyes closed. Her breathing softened, the buzz in her body that was on a frenzy moments before was simmering to a light one. It was soothing. Ino was right. Letting off steam did wonders.
She didn't know how long she rested there, just sitting against the sturdy tree, surrounded by a mess she created. She didn't know how long, but she didn't care. Sleep was finally coming; it was coming closer and closer—she could feel it.
Then it was ruined instantly.
A smooth sound caught her attention, breaking her concentration, and she wearily parted her eyes. The sun was still high in the sky, so she mustn't have been asleep at all—a shame, honestly—and there was still a slight wind racing through the trees. So what made her body wake up all of a sudden?
And again the sound occurred—smooth, soft, and in a pattern that she attempted to catch and analyse. There were short strokes, and then long ones, and then a few that sounded a little awkward.
What?
Sakura propped herself further up the tree, now feeling much more awake then seconds better. What was—
And then she saw it.
Written in the soft dirt, barely a metre from her, was a messy scrawl of words. It was small, slanted, and only slightly linked, but it was still readable and... where did it come from?
'Hello.'
Sakura scanned around her swiftly, trying to catch sight of anyone that may have been near her recently, but there was nothing, and she swore that it wasn't there before—at all. And those sounds... she froze... those sounds couldn't have been the reason for why that note was there.
It couldn't have been.
Her movements were robotic as she slowly reached a hand for a nearby stick, eyes wide, before she lightly pressed the tip the twig into the earth and pushed forward so that an engraved line was evident. After making this quick line, Sakura looked around eagerly, ignoring the buzz in her body.
Aggravated, the medic scowled and tossed the twig onto the ground, satisfied when it snapped and flung a little further away from her. She grabbed her head, entwining her thin, short fingers into her hair as she dropped her throbbing skull into her lap and froze.
I'm going insane. I'm hearing things, and I even... her thoughts trailed, moving onto something else, before they were sharply cut off once more.
The sound returned.
Her heart leaped to her throat in an instant, and she snapped her head up, feeling her face skin stretch while she took in what she saw.
The noise continued, and as they did, she watched in complete and utter fear and awe as lines were engraved into the dirt in unison. It was impossible.
And over way too soon.
Her body quaked, vision still trained harshly on the lines created just below the small one she made moments before. Fearing for her sanity, but still inevitably curious, Sakura slowly crawled low to the ground to the spot and found herself looming over another note; a note that matched the single line she drew.
'You what?'
Sakura fainted.
He frowned, eyeing the pink-haired woman unconscious right before him, her head mere inches from his poised finger that was hovering over the ground. He cocked his head to the side, wondering why she reacted in such a way, before he slowly rose to his full height, his clothes rustling with his movement. Clicking his tongue, the man crossed his arms and kicked at a twig nearby, scuffing his sandaled foot.
Her reacting in such a way was sort of unexpected, but the entertainment she provided before—her infuriation on the forestry—was fun while it lasted.
Very fun.
And as he ran his foot over the messages to erase them and started to saunter his way back into the forest, he mused. He wondered how much more fun she'd provide later on.
Little did he know that later on he would wish he never chose to provoke her at all.
Sorry it's long. *sweatdrop* And it's most likely obvious who the stalker is but... *shrugs* I like keeping him cloaked. I'll put the pairing in the summary when I complete this.
Yeah, it's a threeshot, and the length of each chapter was meant to be shorter but... I guess not now. I'm heading for romance, or at least show some romance, so I hope it satisfies some of you at least. Hmmm.
. I have a poll up. Please vote if you haven't. It's a BLExNAR sort of poll.
. I have other BLExNAR stories/oneshots you can check out. Please do.
Please review + give support! Constructive criticism appreciated.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach.