Chapter 3 – And We Meet Again
"We've got her," One of the kunoichi announced as Ino's body collapsed onto the forest ground in a dull thud. The rest of five members gathered around the enemy ninja, their senses still high on alert despite greatly outnumbering the opposing team.
"Where are the other two?"
"One was caught in the explosion, presumably dead. Think the other got away; shouldn't be too far off. Lia, can you track her down?" A brunette wearing a mask directed the question toward the ninja checking Ino's pulse.
"S-Sorry, 'fraid I can't; that bitch knocked me real hard on my head!" Lia grouched and got up, rubbing irritably at her temples to prove her point. The assemblage appeared shock by her reply.
"Whoa, Lia, since when you've become so hot-tempered?"
"Are you hurt? I didn't expect the enemy to set off the traps I planted earlier while you were so close!" Lia remained silent as the ninjas stared at her in concern before one of the ninjutsu specialist stepped forward and pointed dubiously to her face.
"Is that really her? I mean, the opponent is a genjutsu specialist," Everyone's brows began to knit in scepticism as they turned simultaneously towards a tall lady with an auburn red pony-tail. She did not respond, her mind buried in thoughts while hey eyes critically scanned the surroundings.
"Leader, do you think we should-"
"Guys, chillax! You're only saying that because you haven't been on enough missions with her," A kunoichi spotting two braids interrupted, skipping next to Lia and hooking her by her elbow before continuing, "Leader, if there's one thing about Lia, it would be she hates it when people so much as touches her head; it really affects her cognitive ability."
"Leader, I'm sorry for overacting." Lia began to bow but was stopped by the leader.
"You have nothing to apologise for. Everyone has their pet peeves. I feel good knowing you're alright, and so is it for everyone," She declared and looked around, meeting everyone's eyes. "I'll send word for follow-up investigations so we'll head back for now. Good work everyone." Everyone nodded and started in the direction of their village.
"Either Lia or Hijimoto will be in-charge of the body," The masked ninja ordered before speeding off with the rest of the group.
"Lia, you must be beat; let me carry the enemy-"
"NO! I-I mean thanks, but I can manage; she's pretty light." Before Hijimoto could protest, Lia expertly scooped up Ino's battered form and flung her over her shoulder. Hijimoto pouted but smiled as she travelled beside her dearest friend and comrade, simply glad for her safety.
Lia stole a glance over her shoulder, towards the tree where Kurenai was hiding. Her mild sense of anxiety was swiftly replaced with a mask of indifference and remained quiet for the rest of the journey to the Hidden Village of Waterfall.
Sakura was rapidly flushed down the stream, but instead of being blissfully unaware, she was living the full despairing experience, completed with a horde of enemy ninjas nailing in on her on shore.
Except, they were no strangers – they were her friends, or at least used to since they were not hurling encouragements and yelling for her hand but busy launching kunais into the water freely as though she was a dummy target.
"Die traitor!" She could feel her body giving up – the intervals between each precious breath were augmenting and each time she was dragged down it took even more of her to force her head over the surface.
"-Ke, your aiming sucks!"
"Shut up dobe; get her head before you go shouting at me." She could not make out their faces from the foray of water splashes but there was no way she could not recognise that pair of voices that kept her moving even when she was thoroughly spent.
They were ying and yang, two sides of a coin – one was the guardian of light that remained shining despite the worst storm, while the other offered shade when the constant harsh sun proved too much to handle.
A kunai sailed through the charged air and narrowly missed her heart at the last second, but it hurt nevertheless. The water that splashed into her eyes burnt like hell, and her own tears of bewilderment and helplessness mingled and merged with the rushing water. She might as well be dead now.
Why are my allies attacking me?
Before she was flung over the cliff, her arm hooked onto a white boulder peeking up the water body. Summoning all her chakra, she pushed against the current and stubbornly hugged onto the boulder for dear life.
"Stop resisting; it's futile," The boy with the deep and flat voice called out. She leaned her head wearily against the slippery jagged surface, knowing she could not hang on for long.
"Not yet… I'm not going to die just yet…"
…
"How long are you going to grab onto me?"
"I won't let go… I won't!" Sakura felt a jab onto her left cheek and frowned behind closed lids. No one was taking her life away from her, no one. Not unless she chose to give up first. The second jab came on harder and her eyes flew opened. She instinctively drew in a deep breath of cool forest air in preparation for the next gush of torrent.
She swung her head slowly around her surroundings, not quite comprehending the calmness despite her predicament. She peeked up, and saw a beautiful stranger making a face before her eyes travelled down to where her arms were wrapped tightly around his.
He cocked his head impatiently towards where their hands remained entangled, and Sakura immediately flared her arms away from him with a yelp.
"Oh my god, why was I hugging your arm?" Her body was turned away from his in mortification.
"Sometimes, I wonder that myself too," He replied sarcastically. From the corner of her eye she caught him rotating his right shoulder experimentally, and Sakura knew he must have been sitting with her wrapped around his arm like a kola bear for some time.
His furrowed brow was proof enough that he must be suffering a stiff trapezius and possibly, a buck load of irritation from her unwelcomed PDA.
"Erm, if you don't mind, I think I can help-"
"Let's go." He got up and dashed off, the entire episode behind him. Good thing he moved on fast, or things might get awkward on the way, Sakura thought, shrugged and went after him. She was still slightly light-headed from having to spring into action right after waking up, but at least her headache was gone.
The rest of the journey was uneventful, spared for few of her pathetic attempts to crack a joke as a way to atone for her earlier acts. It seemed to end up pissing him even more.
"Hey ask you something… Why did the one-hand man cross the road?" She took his silence as a cue to go on as he was dying to know the answer.
"Because… He wanted to get to the second-hand shop…" Sakura was busy feeling proud of herself to notice that twitch of his lips debating whether to tape her mouth shut or to try his best to laugh a little. He did not know why she was trying so hard to entertain him.
"Bet you didn't see that coming huh?" She shook her head with all smiles until she saw that he was staring coolly at her. She swore his eyes were telling her 'omg that's so funny; now could you just zip it and leave me alone.' She shamefully lowered her eyes and began mumbling 'sorry' on a loop.
Itachi snuck a glance back at the silence that ensued, still not quite understanding her. What a weird woman.
Sakura was about to ask if they were 'cool' when he suddenly stopped and she nearly ran smacked into his back. She was not going to risk making any more unnecessary bodily contact with him, not if she still valued her life.
"We're here," He declared and she stepped around, staring at the towering waterfall that seemed to disappear into the mist. She followed him around the white granite mountain towards the back of the plunging water where he slipped into a gap between the falling crystal liquid and the stone.
"Hidden Village indeed…"
"This is just the border," Itachi remarked after they entered into a small cave sporting multiple protruding round pools that you would see on the surface of the Moon. He walked towards one of the pools and began to make a diving action, startling Sakura.
"H-Hey, I don't think now's the time to be lazing around in a Jacuzzi, or whatever these are called…" As inviting as it appeared, Sakura had no plans of getting wet or naked in front of this dude. Amused, Itachi turned around and smirked at her disconcerted face.
"Look carefully, these aren't your ordinary pools." She took a few hesitant steps towards the edge but was only met with her reflection. This water must be pretty deep.
"And don't you think I would have removed my clothes if I was going to do that?" She was immediately attacked by images of his striptease, and judging by the growing smirk on his usually dead face, he knew what was on her mind. Overcome by embarrassment, she hurriedly splashed the water onto her face, the algid temperature a slap to her senses. She was not going to think about his bare body, she was not even going to imagine how it would look like when it was wet and gleaming-
"Take a big breath; we're going in to get to the village," He informed before diving into the pool without warning, leaving her gaping at the empty spot where he was standing.
"Wha-" She glanced nervously around, gripped with uncertainty. So she was going to have to get wet?
You're standing beneath the waterfall, you're almost there! Besides, why would he lie?
She took a few steps back, remembering his advice, took a deep breath and dove.
Just as Sakura was about to quit it and resigned to being fish bait, she spotted Itachi's feet paddling five meters above her, and from her angle it seemed like he was indirectly kicking her. Maybe that was what he was trying to do since he saved her and she happily hopped onto him for a free ride. Oh well.
She emerged and released a loud gasp, shaking her hair out of her sight and soaked in the neat rows of terracotta roofs in front of her and the balmy beryl sky enveloping the landscape.
"Isn't the landscape lovel- oh sorry," She bit her lips, abashed as he wiped the water droplets off his face from her hair flip. They quickly got on shore and Sakura did her best to squeeze off the water from his shirt, already shivering. He on the other hand, revealed no signs of discomfort. Sakura gulped; how was it that he could always maintain so posh and detached was a mystery to her.
She looked down at herself – the clothes were clinging onto her like seaweeds and her hair was sticking to her sides, the definition of stylish. She had no idea that Itachi was watching her the whole time, and when they made eye contact, he turned around and strode off.
"You're on your own now," He called out as he continued down the bank.
"Huh? Hey where are you going?" As expected, he showed no signs of hearing her question. She knew she could not stick around him for the entire journey but this was too soon!
"Don't you want your shirt back?" She shouted exasperatedly, hoping to get him to have a change of heart. Surely he would want his things back? To her delight, he stopped. After a prolong silence and a couple more raised hopes, he twisted his head back and spoke.
"You can have it." With that, he was gone. Sakura was officially dumbfounded. She wanted to shout that she did not want his shirt, but his company, the assuring presence that she had grown to rely on to guide and keep her safe. However, she knew no words could persuade or kept him around her any longer. Why would he, anyway? They were, as he bluntly put across since the day they met, only 'strangers.' Flustered, she raked through her hair and yelled out to the empty bank.
"And you still haven't told me your name, damn it!"
Sakura padded aimlessly around the village, desperate for a change of clothes. She passed by a boutique with a decent crowd and entered the store, extremely self-conscious of her drenched state. However, other than the chirpy salesman who greeted her, no one spared her a glance, as their eyes were fixated on the racks of colour-coordinated apparels lined along the walls.
She quickly spotted a sleeveless red top similar to her previous top and a black plaid skirt and went ahead to the cashier. As she rafted through her soggy notes, she thought of asking for some local help.
"Excuse me oji-san, do you happen to know any hotel that you could recommend me?" Knowing that her mission was not due for another week, she needed a shelter, preferably a normal one.
"Hmm, any particular requirements?"
"Well, anything is fine as long as it's…decent," She lowered her voice and hissed out the last word, uncertain of her emphasis.
Although she could not remember, her subconscious mind could clearly recall that one traumatising hotel experience from not long ago.
She was lying on the single bed, alone and half-naked in her lingerie. She always thought clothes got in the way of her sleep and developed the habit of sleeping 'light.' Then suddenly, she felt a hand creeping up along her waist – someone had snuck in through the unlocked window and was trying to get fresh with her.
Before the pervert could get his share of cherry pie, the next moment he went sailing through the air, flying through the wooden wall of the second storey hotel and collapsing on top of a pile of broken woods. Sakura, fist outstretched, eyes enraged was panting slightly and rushed to catch a glimpse of the insolent bastard. Regrettably, the medic later told her the man only suffered a few broken ribs and a soiled reputation.
Sakura, on the other hand, had to pay for the repair charges of the gaping hole left from her wrath (the man was jobless and had no means of paying whatsoever). Despite the hotel insisting it was fine, she nevertheless felt obliged and slightly embarrassed, since she did react a little too aggressively.
Since then, she had developed a case of paranoia and could only sleep after triple checking that all doors and windows were properly locked.
The salesman thought for a while and pointed down the streets.
"Walk straight, take a right turn at the next junction and stop at the second building on the left side."
"Oh, wow thanks!" That really saved her time for room scouting.
"It may look ordinary from the outside, but trust me when I say that's the best we've got in the village, with adequate security of course." The man added and winked, perfectly understanding her implied request. Sakura collected the shopping bag and bowed gratefully.
"Thank you so much. I can't wait to see what the place offers!" She waved and started towards the hotel's direction, brimming with anticipation and good vibes.
"Enjoy your stay in Waterfall!"
Itachi held his head low, surveying the village layout while observing the easy interactions of the people around him. Despite being a small village with no Kage, it held a lively ambience and businesses were flourishing everywhere he looked.
This was a close-knitted community that was self-sustaining and weak on hostility, or at least, that was what it appeared on the surface, he thought to himself.
He never imagined that his first time stepping foot into this village was for the sake of a mission; the promise to visit this place and all those wishful planning were vivid as yesterday.
Clenching his fist, he forced himself to focus ahead and reprimanded himself for getting side-tracked in this mission for the second time.
If things had happened the way he wished, this would have been their next getaway destination.
The man was not kidding when he said it was ordinary; in fact one could hardly tell apart the buildings if not for the wooden sign boards and flapping norens hanging from the entrance.
"Hi… I heard this is the best hotel in this village and I would like to have a room," Sakura announced hesitantly as she closed the sliding door behind her.
"Ah, is that what people are saying behind our backs? I'm honoured," A lady in her mid-twenties wearing a black bun and a fuchsia yukata, answered with a bashful smile behind the counter.
"Are you the lady boss?" She was so young!
"The lady boss's daughter, actually. I'm learning the ropes to take over when she finally bears to part with this place, which is probably never," She replied with resignation, but her eyes bore understanding to her Mother's sentimental attachment to the hotel.
"I see. Well, it's hard to let go of attachments that has a special place in your heart," Sakura concluded like she knew what she was talking, despite the irony of her having no memory.
"You sound like you've been through a lot, Miss…"
None that I could recall, that's for sure. The lady handed her the room catalogue and it took all her willpower not to gasp at the number of zeroes behind even the cheapest accommodation.
"The rooms are pretty expensive…" She murmured to herself under her breath.
"That's because the prices include the in-house breakfast buffet, prepared by our very own chefs at the restaurant," She explained and pointed to the shoji screen next to the steps. Sakura's head jerked up in embarrassment.
I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to say that out loud…" She grinned sheepishly at her before continuing, "Oh, there's a restaurant here too? I can never tell!" The lady simply smiled, already accustomed to astounded first-timers on a regular basis.
"That's why we should always look beyond the surface of things; often you'll be surprised." Sakura glanced up at her sudden cryptic remark, but she was only greeted by her easy grin. Did she imagine that?
"I-I will take this single bed room for one then," She gave in at last, after mentally calculating her remaining assets and deciding that the meal provided made the price seemed reasonable.
"I hope you enjoy your stay here. I'm Himiji Misao, by the way," Misao introduced as she passed over her room keys and bowed. Sakura's eyes widened in panic, knowing she could not put this off like just now when she prompted for her name.
"Er… Sakura, you can call me Sakura!" She declared at the last minute, drawing inspiration from the cherry blossom prints on Misao's yukata. To her relief, she bought it.
"Your room is on the second floor, second last room from the end, Miss Sakura."
Weird, the water is not running…
Sakura was standing under the shower head, twisting the faucet in puzzlement when not one drop of water came out.
Pulling back on her old clothes, she headed towards the counter, where Misao was walking back from the restaurant.
"Hey, Miss Sakura! Are you here for dinner? Customers staying here can enjoy a half price off the total bill!" Sakura blinked; was she talking to her? And what dinner?
She glanced out of the sliding door and was hit by a burst of cool evening wind and the sight of a pale pink sky. Gosh, she only meant to take an hour nap before going out to continue the hunt for her identity, but ended up spending the entire noon glued to the bed.
"You got to be kidding me…"
"Miss Sakura?" She slid the door shut and remembered that was the name she told her earlier.
"Ah, n-no! I was just wondering why there isn't any water coming out of the tap…" At the mention of water, Misao's expression was immediately one of remorse and sadness.
"Oh, I'm so sorry; there's a faulty pipe at the resident's water supply network and we're waiting for our plumber to check it out. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience caused!" She bowed and Sakura had to hurry forward to stop her from kneeing down on all fours.
"No it's okay! I was worried for one second we need an additional payment for using the water…"
"If that's the case, there wouldn't be any more customers coming to our place!" They laughed softly for a while, before Misao remembered the reason they were even having this chat and quickly lowered her head in apology.
"Miss Sakura, if you don't mind, there's a secluded river at the forest that's a ten minutes' walk from here. You may want to check it out."
"Oh?" Sakura raised an eyebrow skeptically, not fully receptive to dipping in any river after nearly losing her breath in it.
"That's right; you can rest assure that no one will see you, since it's really a small stream and heavily screened with trees. Besides, not many know of it, not even the residents. I used to go there before I started helping with the business," Misao elaborated, hoping to convince Sakura.
"I know what's on your mind, but our village… If anything we pride ourselves on our security. We have exceptional ninjas looking after the ladies' modesty and welfare," She concluded with an enigmatic wink.
"Well then I guess…"
In the end, she conceded to her suggestion and went back to grab her shopping bag before heading for the mysterious stream 'not known to many.' For some reason, she seemed rather confident of their village's ninjas.
Moments later she abandoned the residential vicinity's dim orange glow and tramped through the overgrown shrubs that now blocked the entry. It was no wonder why people were unware of this place; besides the dark curtain of obscurity, the gloomy atmosphere and the barely lit path was hardly inviting or anything near 'safe.' Even the usually pleasant moon felt ominous.
Clutching the shopping bag tightly in her chest, she wandered deeper into the woods. As she debated whether to turn back for the tenth time, her ears twitched to the sound of moving water. She turned around to make sure she memorised the way before charging towards her long-awaited bathtub.
Her zeal vanished at the sight of something white flitting near the water.
She was not alone. In these days one could hardly find yourself be alone for too long.
Her ninja instinct took over and she zipped to the nearest tree, skittish to alert the unknowing party of her existence. For a deceptive second, there was only the breeze and her hammering heartbeat.
Suddenly, a man emerged from the depths of the water and as he straightened his back, his long black hair went soaring over his head like an elegant stroke of the paintbrush. His pale and drenched body sheened under the moonlight and it evinced the masculinity hidden under his effeminate tresses.
Sakura was still as the night, not trusting herself to breathe for fear of disturbing the man. He ran his hands over its slick surface with his face upturned and eyes closed, embracing the tranquility of the surrounding. She watched on and gulped, wondering how anyone could possess such facile grace.
In the midst of soaking in the sight, all anxiety seemed to dissolve. She could finally ease her tensed shoulders as she loosened her hold on the bag, the darkness no longer reeking of menace.
She was still in a trance till the moment he turned around and she realized she had been ogling at the same man who abandoned her by the river a few hours ago.
No way! What is he doing here?
She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, certain she was imagining everything, but the next moment she was hit by lightning bolts of red hot embarrassment. He threaded out of the water and was walking towards the shore, in full male glory. The worse thing? Sakura could not peel her eyes away from all of it.
He reached for the towel hanging by the tree to dry and mercifully (or a pity depending on how honest Sakura was to herself) wrapped around his lower body. She gripped tightly by the tree trunk, bit her lower lips as her interest towards him skyrocketed.
Does the guy love being in the nature so much, or was he too broke for a room?
"What are you doing?"
"EEEEE!" Sakura yelped and spun around, before eliciting another squeal at the smooth and dripping wet chest a few inches away from her face. That's fast! Hesitantly, she looked up and gulped, smiling nervously.
"H-hey! We meet again…" The man did not look impressed. He crossed his arms and cocked his head, as though giving her a chance to find excuses for herself. She felt like she was always explaining herself to him despite not actually committing any offense. Was that part of his power (charm) too?
"It's not like I was tailing you or spying on you, so you don't have to look at me like that," She answered crossly, not pleased with his penalising stare.
Smiling mockingly, he took one step, then another and leaned closer until his head was levelled with hers. Sakura really hated the tree plastered against her back right now.
"Believe me; I would know if you were." Up close, his eyes were even colder, and the creases running along the valley by his nose made him seemed lethargic and old, a huge contrast to his feminine hairstyle and strong physique.
Without warning, Itachi raised his hand and flicked at her forehead and moved back.
"Hey! Why did you do that?" Her hand flew to nurse her 'wound,' a part of her glad for the distance.
"It's rude to stare." Really? This guy just does whatever he wants and now he's telling me off?
"Great, just my luck to meet you again," Sakura mumbled and began heading for the river.
"Really. You seemed to like what you saw earlier," Came the retort. She fought back the rising burn in her cheeks at his spot-on analysis and whirled around.
"What did you- C-C-C-ould you please put on some clothes?" She stammered and tilted her head away, blushing furiously. Itachi smirked.
"While you're here?" He asked innocently as he began to loosen the knot on his hip. Her hands quickly flew to her face and she swore she heard him gave a soft snigger.
"F-Fine, I'm leaving anyway!" She puffed out and stormed off, resisting the urge to throttle his neck. Why was he acting like she intruded on him when she was supposed to be the only person in this area? It was not that she actually looked forward to seeing him or even wanted to rub shoulders with him. She had no business with someone who was the walking definition of rude.
"Be wary of your chakra; I could sense them yards away." When she turned around, he was gone. Was it her imagination, or did he just offered her an advice? Was he concerned?
Wait, that also meant that he was aware of my presence ages ago, so why…
"Gosh, were you teasing me back there?!" The only reply was the string of cawing of the retreating crows.