Author's Notes: I'm having so much fun with this adventure and I've got so many brainstorms for upcoming days I really can't wait! Oh and the day FF exterminates the gremlins will be a good day. But until then, we shall enjoy the show and I shall continue to enjoy your reviews. And by the way, I so loved writing this chapter. I actually dreamt this the other night, cursed my alarm clock when it went off and scribbled down the dream as an after thought.
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Day 1: Being Taken Hostage Is Never a Good Way to Start a Mission
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"Stay awake, Sakura…"
Stay awake my mind repeats his words but I don't believe that I fully understand their meaning. My eyelids won't seem to lift and my only thought is I'm so cold…
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"We changed direction about twenty minutes ago," his voice was so low that it was as if he were mouthing the words as she intently watched his lips, "Stay still until we can ascertain the reason. As it stands I think it's safe to believe that we've been taken hostage."
Sakura covered her face with her hands and shook her head—probably trying to mask the scream that wanted to escape her lips. The Uchiha arched an eyebrow at her antics and waited until the girl took her hands away from her face. When she faced him she appeared to be collected and determined to carry on the mission—even with this slight dilemma.
The Uchiha sat perfectly still as she leaned forward her lips close to his ear and her words hardly audible and slow, "If we're heading west then we are going to Grass as I'm sure you've already ascertained," she paused for a moment, her hand gently resting on his shoulder, "Takayuki and Yuudai were assaulted on their way to the bridge, thus the reason why they knew the creed of the village and already had the village hitai ate."
Sasuke nodded his head in acknowledgement and slightly turned his face toward her, his lips resting close to her ear as he spoke, "Or they were spies within the village who accompanied Takayuki and Yuudai."
Their cheeks brushed against one another as Sakura continued, "So the village had already been infiltrated by Grass? No, by another village within Kirigakure; we're heading to Grass as a ploy and they have no idea that we're not the real…"
"Precisely," informed Sasuke, thankful that he wasn't stuck in a carriage with Naruto. That dobe would have jumped out of the carriage about ten minutes ago, taken out the drivers and blown their cover entirely.
"What should we do?" she questioned, her eyes widening as the Uchiha took hold of her arm securing her within his grasp, "Sa-Satoshi-kun?"
Their position remained unchanged, it would be harder for him if he had to look into emerald orbs, "I will protect you for that is my mission and you will follow my lead. Do not under any circumstances reveal your identity."
"But," she paused understanding the importance of the mission, "Hai, I understand."
He realized how much the kunoichi had grown in that moment. In the past she was not as quickly to give into defeat; however, now she had submitted to his orders, yet he could feel the weight of her fingers as they pulled at the fabric covering his shoulder obviously out of frustration.
"We're slowing down," quickly commented the Uchiha, "When the door to the carriage opens we will act as though we are unfamiliar with the terrain and that everything is going according to plan."
Sakura nodded, "Understood," with her words the carriage came to a halt and the two slowly broke away.
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Hinata leaned over the edge of the ship to see the vast blue water below her. She glanced back toward Konoha and found that the sky was turning gray, a sure sign of a storm that was brewing. However, their destination appeared to be perfect blue skies for the time being. Naruto came to stand along side of her, placing his hands on the side of the ship and leaning past her to see the vast waters.
"I can't wait to get away from Konoha," informed Naruto a foxy grin, "I haven't been out of the village for a year, not since I got stuck babysitting the teme."
"Oh that's right Naruto-kun," remarked Hinata with a blush, "The others must be glad as well."
"Yeah especially the teme; never thought that Baa-chan would ever end his probation," commented Naruto his blue eyes full of excitement, "Kirigakure here we come!"
Their remaining two companions watched their interaction. The female smiled sadly while her stoic companion took a seat along side of her on the ship's floor.
"What's wrong?" he questioned.
"They look so happy," she commented, her purple eyes downcast, "I pray that they will remain so…"
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The carriage door slowly opened to reveal one of the smiling guards. Sakura took this moment to take in his features, he was taller than his companion, with black hair and he appeared to be built for strength instead of speed. This could be good considering that Sasuke's form was lithe. The Uchiha slowly stood and stepped down the stairs of the carriage, not missing a beat the moment his feet touched the ground. The posing hime kept a calm expression on her face her eyes remaining on the guard standing to the side of the Uchiha.
"Come hime," urged Sasuke, extending his hand palm upward toward her, onyx orbs locked with emerald.
"Hai," she slowly placed her hand within his own and felt his fingers wrap around her hand as he gently pulled her forward and helped her down the stairs, "Arigato," she thanked when her feet had met the ground. She took this moment to scan their surrounding area. They were surrounded by woods, not good, an enemy could lurking from within.
"How far will it be until we meet the ship?" questioned Sasuke his face remaining impassive as he addressed the guards.
"Not far, we merely need to make it through these woods and the ship will be waiting our arrival," informed the lean brown haired guard with a smile.
"We were not informed that the hime would need to walk such a distance," remarked the Uchiha.
The second of the men smiled apologetically, "My apologies hime-sama, but we could find no other route."
"Your apologies are not necessary," commented Sakura with a smile holding her hand up to signal the end of their conversation, "I am capable of walking."
"That's the spirit," commented the brown haired man, "Let's be off shall we?"
"Hai," replied Sakura as she took her place a few steps behind Sasuke, walking with her hands clasped in front of her. She watched her companion out of the corner of her eye noticing that his head was slightly lowered to indicate that he had activated the sharingan.
Even without an eye technique she was certain that they were surrounded or soon would be the further they went into the forest. How long could they keep up this charade until they were discovered? They'd need to keep it up as long as need be, that was the answer. A quick look from the Uchiha was all it took to inform her that her assumptions were correct.
One quick movement would be all it took to let on that they were aware of their captors ahead. Sakura realized an opportune moment as she intentionally tripped over a tree root. With a soft thud, gracefully catching herself with her hands, she saw her companion react.
"Hime," called Sasuke, gaining the attention of the two guards while he thought, Nice Sakura, watching as the two guards turned toward the fallen girl, "Are you alright?"
Sakura looked up into onyx orbs and flushed, "Gomen, how stupid of me to have fallen."
"Is she alright?" hollered the black haired man drawing near.
Perfect, thought Sakura, he's the stronger of the two. She quickly shot Sasuke a look and watched as he ceased his attempt to aide her.
"I believe so," replied Sasuke, "She merely fell over one of the many tree roots."
"Hime-sama," began the guard leaning forward and offering his hand to her, "Please allow me to assist you."
Sasuke stood at her side watching as Sakura looked up to the man in gratitude placing her left hand in his, her other hand concealed in the long sleeve of her kimono. As the man pulled the girl to her feet she purposely stumbled forward her right hand brushing his arm in the process as the guard caught her to him.
"Go-Gomen!" she exclaimed, her left hand being released in the process as her finger tips pushed on his left bicep. Sakura quietly stepped back as the man regained his footing. The look in his eyes was all she and her companion needed.
"What the hell?!" he bellowed alerting his companion, "My arms, they won't move!"
"Move it!" came Sasuke's order as he formed a series of unknown seals.
As Sakura turned on her heel she could see the second of their captors heading their way. She had disabled his arms with her nerve attack the moment her fingers touched had touched him. She couldn't afford to turn her head to try to find the Uchiha, she could hear a great crash of water as it splintered the trees and the cries of the man who had been engulfed.
Of course, the sharingan can copy any style of jutsu. That's why Tsunade Shishou chose Sasuke-kun for this part of the mission. It also means that they are definitely from the land of water…
The clash of metal rang out filling her ears with the sound; in the distance she could hear a crackling noise. Her eyes widened as realization dawned on her: water conducts electricity! She picked up her pace, hurrying toward the clearing that they had once arrived in; however, the sense of newly approaching—no, quickly approaching—charka signatures thwarted her plans.
Three on my left and three more on my right; they anticipated that I would run from the beginning. If I draw them in I might stand a chance of another nerve attack, but I can't use any of my taijutsu based attacks or I'll give away my identity. Wait…
Hayagashi Sumiko: Approximate age 16 years old. Royal heir to the lord of the village hidden amongst eternal raindrops. Special training includes medical ninjutsu for a more favorable marriage. Although her skill level is only second at best to the village medics, she is skilled in the art of using prepared needles.
Her eyes widened and slowly glanced past the scroll to find a small packet on the table. She slowly set the scroll down and opened the leather case to reveal a set of needles. A small handwritten note caught her attention:
Sakura,
Please strap these to your forearm before you leave. I know you'll do fine.
Sumiko
Sakura you can be such a baka! Who forgets that they have poison needles strapped to their arm!? A dead tired kunoichi that's who!
While the posing hime was busy berating herself, she barely caught the shift in their movement.
They're closing in…and fast! Five needles loaded, another set in the inner robes of my kimono. There's no way I'll be able to reload if I miss. And if I can't get them in close enough my medical ninjutsu will be useless. There's probably no way that I'll be able to outrun all of them. Especially not in this outfit!
She could no longer make out the sounds from Sasuke's battle and this scared her. If her role in this mission wasn't so vital she would have unleashed her strength on the ground a long time ago and returned to Sasuke's side for she was certain that more lied beyond the forested area. A stream of water shot from out of nowhere as Sakura nimbly leapt backwards, her feet touching the ground just as she anticipated the reach of the man from behind her. She quickly let chakra flow to her fingertips and ducked brushing her fingertips against his legs.
She nimbly stood from her crouched position and took off as the man fell to the ground from her attack.
"Don't let the bitch touch you!" he cried to his comrades, his legs completely useless, "She's a medic in training!"
They are informed. They were more than likely spies at the palace. Damn it! There's no way they're going to let their guards down now.
She leapt backwards, her left hand moving to the sleeve covering her right arm.
Damn it! What should I do!?
But her thoughts died upon hearing, "Water prison jutsu!"
Sakura gasped for she was too late to avoid the surrounding walls of water forming and enclosing around her. The bubble closed around her and the medic suddenly felt fear invading her thoughts as the bubble began to fill up with water starting at her feet and quickly rising. This was different than the water prison that she had seen as a genin when Kakashi had been captured by Zabuza's jutsu in the land of waves.
She started pounding her fists against the inside of the bubble knowing that her attempts were futile, not even Kakashi had been able to break through the prison. The water was rising and she could see the blurred faces of two men, one the user of the jutsu the other his teammate. Three others remained obviously out of her view. She could feel her feet lifting from the floor of the bubble as the water rose higher and its temperature was glacial not to mention her palms were pressed against the top of the prison.
"Help!" she choked out, water invading her lungs and causing her to cough, her body was freezing and she could feel her teeth chattering, They're not bounty hunters they're assassins!
She was choking now, her hands covering her mouth as she tried to hold her breath. She thought that she saw a flash from above before her eyelids betrayed her and closed on their own will…
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The Uchiha had finished off his opponents and had followed the trail of his companion. It wasn't until he heard a man exclaim,
"Don't let the bitch touch you! She's a medic in training!"
That he knew Sakura was outnumbered. His speed increased, pushing chakra into his feet, as he took to the trees in order to gain the element of surprise. His eyes narrowed at the thought of her being unable to use her taijutsu skills and he could hear a skirmish up ahead. He placed his hand on the hilt of his katana as their voices became clear.
"Scream all you like hime," a gruff voice spoke, "No one can hear you, besides you should be running out of air in that water prison of mine. Not to mention, with the temperature of that water your body should be going into shock."
The Uchiha unsheathed his katana without a second thought as the pink haired girl trapped in the water prison came into view. He leapt from his position high above them and with deadly accuracy cut through the prison with his chakra infused blade. The medic's motionless form fell from the air and just as the final enemy nin fell, Sasuke quickly turned on his heel and with lightning quick movements leapt to catch the kunoichi in his arms, landing in a crouch on the forest floor.
The sharingan was activated in both eyes as crimson orbs observed her condition. He gently rested the medic's chin on his shoulder as he hit her back, the result was as he had hoped, for she began to choke up the water that had filled her lungs. The Uchiha gently leaned her back against his arm and saw unfocused eyes on him.
"Stay awake Sakura…"
She tried to whisper something, perhaps it had been his name? But her eyelids slowly began to close once more.
Damn it, this isn't good, at this rate she'll…
Sasuke quickly stood with his companion secure in his arms, the dark clouds gathering overhead indicating an approaching storm and shelter would need to be secured before the rain started. He quickly turned his eyes scanning the area as he tried to detect a range that would provide shelter and disappeared with the girl in his arms.
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"Wow there sure are a lot of birds heading from that direction," commented Naruto leaning far over the edge of the ship.
"Hai," replied Hinata turning her gaze in the direction as well, "Perhaps the storm has already started, the clouds are quite dark."
Their other two companions' eyes locked momentarily before the female stood, "Let's go inside the cabin. Wouldn't want to take a chance that of the rain coming our way."
"Hey do you have any ramen on this ship?" inquired Naruto, pushing himself away from the edge and turning with a bright smile toward the others.
Hinata giggled quietly at his enthusiasm over the possibility of ramen, as the trio before her headed inside. She turned to face the direction where the birds had appeared and couldn't help but remember the old superstition that a raven is considered to be a sign of good luck; however, two ravens together is an evil omen. She couldn't help but wonder what an entire flock of ravens meant?
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The Uchiha gently set his teammate on the cave floor. He could see her body trembling from the corner of his eye as he performed the seals for a fire jutsu.
"Sakura?" he called to her, "Sakura?" this time his voice was more forceful as he found emerald orbs being revealed as her eyelids slowly lifted, "Sakura, can you hear me?"
"Sasuke-kun?" questioned the medic, her hands trembling as she tried to steady herself and push her torso away from the floor.
"Sakura, listen to me," began Sasuke, "we have to—
He caught her as the strength in her arms gave. The Uchiha gazed downward as the medic held the front of his black kimono with trembling hands, her breathing was quick and shallow.
"Sakura," his voice gave no room for argument, "Look at me," he took hold of her right hand and realized that she was deathly cold, "Sakura!"
With labored breaths the medic's head lifted upward, "Sasuke-kun…" she whispered with watching eyes that had lost their normal shine.
"Sakura we have to get you out of your kimono, you're body is going to go into shock if we don't," began the logical part of his mind, while the illogical part was causing his emotional hold to crack.
"Hypo-thermia…" she managed, her medical mind still intact as she analyzed her symptoms, "trembling…" she could feel her back rest against the wall of the cave, the burning fire before them catching her gaze as she watched its amber flames.
The Uchiha had removed the black kimono from his body and quietly held it out to her.
Sakura's eyes softened, "You're hurt," she commented noticing the red that had seeped through the sleeve of his white undergarment.
"Forget about that. Here, just put this on," remarked Sasuke as he practically pushed the kimono into her hand.
The medic smiled weakly, understanding the gesture and pulled herself together slowly taking the article of clothing as she watched her companion turn his back. She slowly removed the golden head piece setting it gently on the floor before she managed to untie the ribbon holding the obi around her waist and pulled her arms from the long wet sleeves of the kimono with trembling fingers.
Sakura slowly began to open the undergarment of the kimono, her eyes shifting toward the Uchiha who hadn't moved from his spot. She would have laughed at how rigid he looked but her medical mind urged her to hurry. Ridding herself of the undergarment, she unfastened the arm band and set the pack of prepared needles down with unsteady hands. She decided to leave the white silk slip on, for it was the least damp of the clothing as she began to place her arm in the sleeve of the dry black kimono, followed by her second arm into the other sleeve as she shakily pulled the kimono across the front of her. She tried to tie the ends; however, it became apparent to the medic that she could not touch her fingers against her thumbs.
"Sasuke-kun…" she whispered as the Uchiha instinctively turned to find her sitting amongst the layers of the discarded kimono. The short black kimono was loosely tied and the slip covering her body barely showed through as she sat before him, "I can't feel my fingers," she murmured, her entire body beginning to tremble.
Sasuke impulsively gathered the medic in his arms and lifted her from the disheveled pile of wet garments before slowly letting his back slide down the wall of the cave, the fire burning closely before them as he held her sideways, his arm supporting her shoulders as he felt her body tremble. He felt her fingers weakly wrap around the hand resting on her hip.
Her body temperature is too low. There's no way that I can get her back to Tsunade in time, not with this storm. Damn it, why is it always like this? Why can't I ever do anything?
Onyx eyes intently watched the girl's face the look of pain and fatigue that had etched itself across her features as her eyelids remained closed she whispered, "Its ok Sasuke-kun…"
His eyes widened at her words for they were the same as before…
"Sasuke-kun?" questioned the young girl as she hesitantly dropped to her knees reaching out to him, "Sasuke-kun, are you alright?"
The raven haired genin had just received the curse mark after fighting Orochimaru in the forest of death. He tried to conceal the pain, but it was just too much to bear. Her hand took hold of his as she murmured soothing words,
"Its ok Sasuke-kun…" she spoke, letting him use her hand as a means to deal with the pain, "its ok…it's going to be ok Sasuke-kun…"
"Damn it Sakura," the Uchiha spoke angrily as he unconsciously held her tighter, the side of her face resting in the crook of his neck, "how dare you follow me around like a lovesick school girl all those years in the academy, try to stop me when I left to avenge my clan by confessing your love for me," he paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing and his words full of conviction as he spoke to the girl in his arms, "help Naruto bring me back to Konoha after you saved me from death, annoy the hell out me by never leaving my side all through my probation and make me feel—"
With every ounce of her being she leaned forward securing her arms around him and let the tears flow freely, "Gomen nasai, Sasuke-kun," she murmured, her grip on him never waiving, "Gomen nasai, please let me hold you…" her voice was strained by the sobs that were erupting from within her throat, "You can push me away after, but please let me just hold you for a moment. Please Sasuke-kun you and I are…"
He felt her body go limp and his eyes widened in alarm, "Sakura?!" he gently began to shake her, "Sakura, aren't you always preaching that you're not the same girl you were as a genin?" questioned Sasuke, shaking the medic in his arms and trying to get her to respond, "Always telling everyone how strong you've become? Prove it!"
The medic's eyelids slowly began to flutter as emerald orbs met onyx, "Sa-Sasuke-kun?" she murmured confused as her eyes watched his moving lips not fully understanding their meaning. "My body," she whispered, bringing shaky hands together to focus her chakra, "I need to focus my chakra…" she trembled, her breaths becoming more ragged as she concentrated.
Sakura's eyes opened when she felt her body shift in the Uchiha's arms. She turned her head to look up into onyx orbs with confusion for she now sat in between his legs, both of his arms were outstretched before her and there was something within his eyes that told her what to do. The medic slowly bowed her head with closed eyes and weakly placed the palms of her hands over the backs of his and slowly brought them together so his palms met.
The Uchiha watched as the healing chakra in her hands appeared, "Sasuke-kun, focus your chakra…into the palms of your hands," came her trembling request. He quickly complied with her request his chakra forming from within their closed hands.
"Now think of something warm," came her tired voice as she tried to focus on their chakra patterns.
"Something warm?" questioned Sasuke who couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her next comment.
"If you were Naruto," she began with a shaky voice and the slight sound of an accompanying laugh, "I'd suggest ramen."
He felt a warm sensation course throughout him as she absorbed his chakra through her hands and the glow that appeared around her in the process. Their chakra securely surrounded the medic and as he tilted his head to the side to see her face he could see an improvement in her color. After what only seemed like mere minutes her chakra dissipated and the Uchiha stopped the flow of his own chakra watching as the medic inhaled a deep breath, before her eyelids lifted to reveal emerald orbs retaining their natural shine as she slowly turned her head with a tired smile on her lips.
"Its ok Sasuke-kun," she informed with a tired sigh, "its ok…"
"It's ok Sasuke-kun…"
As the medic leaned back into his embrace, instinctively wrapping his arms around her folded arms and her head found his arm the shinobi sat in silence for a moment.
"I'm here…"
As the rain continued to pour down from the heavens and the amber flames of the fire cast eerie shadows on the walls of the cave, his gaze fell to his arm, the wound was fully healed. The Uchiha could still feel her chakra lightly caressing the skin and noticed the peaceful smile on her face.
Tomorrow they would need to leave at dawn in order to reach the shore by noon to board the ship that would take them to the land of water. In one week his feelings for the medic had been drastically altered, and in the course of a day one of the bonds that he had spent so many years trying to sever had almost disappeared. And if Naruto was there he was certain that the blonde would be rambling about stupidity, love, and of course, ramen.
Thank Kami he wasn't Naruto, for Uchiha's don't ramble: especially not about love.
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Wow this was longer than I anticipated and I really did love writing this chapter. I think it was rather in character, I mean, Uchiha's don't ramble they go for the more direct approach, shake the hell out of them. Years of waking Naruto apparently paid off. So Day 2 it's back to being Sumiko and Satoshi, given the circumstances in this chapter, I would have ditched their mission identities too. It'll be much harder for them in upcoming days and they've got the boat ride to Kirigakure and just two days to correspond with Naruto and Hinata from within the village hidden in the lake. Adventures ahead!