Capitulum III – I can't be near him.
"Sakura Haruno, 31 years old, 179 cm tall, 65 kg, characteristic feature: pink hair. Sakura Haruno, 31 years old, 179 cm tall, 65 kg, characteristic feature: pink hair. Sakura Haruno, 31 years old, …"
Juugo was reciting the personal data from the file he was given on his next target, while dismantling and reassembling his gun over and over again. It was a sort of ritual for him; it helped him not to lose his nerves. Although he had worked as a hitman for years now, infamous for his calm and stealthy approach, he still had uncontrollable outbursts of aggression from time to time. Rituals like these, repeating things to himself, gave him a sense of much needed stability. After all, this is an immensely important mission. Get your shit together, Juugo. And don't fuck this up.
He heard the sudden noise of the keycard beeping and positioned himself behind the door leading into the bedroom. The lights in the foyer of the suite were turned on and he could hear heels clicking on the wooden floor. Ever so slowly, careful not to be seen, he turned his head around the corner and watched his target's movement. Seems like she's unarmed, he deduced. She looks so frail and weak, although Sasuke warned me not to underestimate her. Apparently she could take down a guy of my size and weight with one punch. Juugo looked at his gun and decided to opt for stealth rather than open confrontation. He tucked the gun back in its holster and instead pulled a syringe out of his pocket.
With small, delicate steps he approached his target from behind. Just as he was about to dose her with the sedative, Sakura swung around and nicked his cheek with a knife. "Don't think I didn't see you behind the corner. You're not as quiet as you think you are." Triumphantly she looked at the intruder and played with the knife in her fingers, menacingly advancing towards the orange haired man. He didn't seem fased at all, though. "Didn't he warn you about me? About the things… I will… What did you…" She traced her shoulder with her fingers and looked down to find a syringe stuck inside it. "Bastard." With a thump her body hit the floor. Juugo picked up the woman and headed for the exit. "Now to get you to Sasuke-sama."
When she woke up again, she felt groggy, nauseous, and ready to kill someone. She opened her eyes and looked around the room she found herself in. Definitely not a hospital, but equipped like one. High-tech computers and monitors all around, displaying her vitals and heartbeat. She heard the sound of doors opening and saw a beautiful redhead and two nurses enter the room. "Miss Haruno, I see you're awake now. These are Yuki and Moegi, they are trained nurses from one of the best hospitals in Tokyo. They will take care of you until you feel better again. So don't worry, you're in safe hands now."
Sakura suspiciously eyed the young woman in front of her. Looks to be around my age, she thought. Whoever she works for, she must be some sort of messenger. Or secretary maybe, with her glasses she looks like she came just out of a porn movie. Scratching her left lower arm, she asked, "And who might you be?" - "My name is Uzumaki Karin. I work for Uchiha Sasuke, whose compound you are currently at, in case you were wondering."
That was when panic hit her. I can't be here. I can't be near him.
She nervously clenched her left arm and faced the nurses. "Would you mind leaving Miss Uzumaki and I alone for a moment? There is something I must discuss with her in private." Yuki and Moegi expectantly looked at Karin, who nodded and beckoned them to leave the room. "I believe the person you really want to talk to is Sasuke-san, but seeing as to how he is indisposed at the moment, I will gladly take a message." With cold eyes and an arched brow, she looked at Sakura. This must be good, she thought to herself, Uchiha Sasuke's ex-wife in the flesh. Whatever she will say now, it will be golden, I bet.
"Do you mind getting me a glass of water first, please? I'm terribly thirsty." Sakura tried her best to give the impression of the tired and vulnerable patient. Karin went to the sink and filled a glass with water. The bed Sakura was lying in was low, so she had to bend down a bit to give Sakura the glass. As soon as her fingers grasped the object, she reached back and smashed the glass against the young woman's head. All Karin could hear was a distant I'm really sorry for this before everything went black.
Shit. Shit, shit, shit.
Sakura was overwhelmed when she opened the door of the patient's room and saw the vastness of Sasuke's estate. Surrounded by buildings, gardens, towers, and worst of all, guards, his home resembled a fortress. Even if you managed to get in from the outside, you sure as hell won't find your way out again, it seemed. Lucky for her, it was already dark and she was really good at sneaking around undetected.
She looked at her left arm and hoped she wouldn't see lights flashing. When her eyes were met with merely her skin colour, she let out a sigh. It seems he isn't so close after all.
She scanned her surroundings and decided to make her way to the garage. Given the late hour of the night, the security detail was on high alert and scattered all over the compound. They were armed with Kevlar vests, guns and knives, and some even with night vision goggles. But only those on the vantage points, she realised, the men patrolling the ground don't have these goggles, because most places are lit and visible anyway. She heard steps approaching her from the right and crouched down behind the corner. As soon as the guard walked past her, she jumped up and circled her right arm around his neck, while placing her left hand over his mouth and nose to muffle his groans. She tightened her hold on him, nearly cutting off his oxygen completely until she felt him go limp in her arms. Years of hard training have proven useful once more, as she laid the unconscious body of the man on the floor. She grabbed his knife and tiptoed along the side of the building towards what seemed to be the gateway.
You don't drive your car all the way to the back of your estate, so the garage must be somewhere in this entry area, Sakura thought as she searched for an escape route. She spotted two men guarding a building with garage doors and crept towards them through the shadows of the night. I must separate them somehow, she decided while playing with the knife in her hands. Can't take on both without one of them screaming for back-up.
As she formed a final escape plan in her head, she readied herself for one more attack. She threw the knife around the corner next to the garage and hoped her idea would work. The knife gave off a loud clang when its metal hit the concrete floor and the two guards suddenly sprang to attention. As Sakura watched one of them turn around and walk around the corner, she sprinted towards the other, took his gun from his hands with one fell swoop and used it to knock him out. She carefully lowered the man and the gun to the floor and snuck towards the second guard. Just as he turned around and spotted her, she jumped up and, with five quick punches to his torso, blocked his chi. Unable to move any longer, Sakura knocked him out with one final strike and watched him tumble to the ground.
Alright, now to check if I'm still at a safe distance and then I'm out of here, she thought to herself, glancing one last time at her left arm, before sneaking into the garage and breaking the window of the first car she could find. After fumbling with the cables underneath the steering wheel, the engine sprang to life. She could already hear the commotion of the guards outside and opted for a quick escape.
And now, ladies and gentlemen, the grande finale, Sakura thought with a smirk as she stepped on the gas pedal and burst through the garage doors, driving towards the gateway. The guards were in a frenzy, trying to stop the car by shooting at it. But Sakura knew how paranoid Sasuke was. Bulletproof car, duh. The massive gateway came closer and closer, and for a tiny moment, Sakura wasn't sure if she would make it. She put in the 6th gear and pressed down on the gas pedal, hearing the engine roar up. She closed her eyes and waited, until she felt the jolt of barging through the gate. "Yes! I'm out of here, bitches!", she screamed overjoyed and drove into Tokyo's night.
This is the first time she prayed to God in long time.