New story info at the bottom~
Chapter THREE
Tsunade keeps Sakura in the hospital for the next few days and during this time, everyone treads around the girl carefully.
Jiraiya lingers around the hospital. He is the one that takes the tray from the nurse on food duty and brings it to the girl, because he is the only one able to coax the girl to slowly eat everything given to her. He also begins to tell her of his travels, nothing too deep or detailed, but enough about beyond the village walls to perk her interests. Sakura is yet to ask a question, but Jiraiya feels as though he is slowly chipping in.
Tsunade says it's because Sakura can tell who the idiots are and deems him to be the least of the threat possibilities but Jiraiya knows she is proud of him. Still, the Senju seems to be warming up to Sakura too. The woman comes to personally check on her every day and has officially taken over her case.
Minato comes in a couple more times to try and help ease Sakura both into the change of atmosphere and some more answers out on Orochimaru.
Sakura shares a little more on Orochimaru's visits and some information on the other prisoners but all in all does not know much.
Minato accepts this with a smile and Jiraiya treats the blond to dinner.
Finally, Sakura is cleared to leave the hospital. Tsunade gives him a list of instructions about Sakura and her health before she allows them to leave after Jiraiya promises to call her the moment something seems wrong.
Sakura is a seemingly young, innocent girl caught up in Orochimaru's mess, but at the same time, she is also a valuable source and possibly a powerful aly in the future.
Sakura is clearly out of shape after days of being confined to a bed and she clumsily stumbles to her feet. Jiraiya is very patient and does not offer to carry her. He instead matches his pace with her and walks beside her as he leads her out of the hospital.
The moment they are out on the streets, they instantly catch the attention of those out during that time. Sakura does not seem to be that uneasy of the eyes, though she does flinch whenever someone brushes past her.
They must make an odd pair, the Toad Sannin and a girl wrapped in bandages, but the Shinobi had heard rumors of the girl and the civilians know well enough to not question things and they make their way through rather undisturbed.
He soon learns that everything is new to Sakura and he is surprised that he had thought otherwise. Apart from assassinations, Sakura would probably have gathered too much attention to let out of whatever lab she had been confined in.
The girl is still too wary of asking questions so for now, Jiraiya allows the girl to set their pace and watches as she slows every once in a while to glance around the village.
He brings her over to his temporary housing during the time he is in Konoha and after a few minutes of baring it, he chases away the ANBU who had been tailing them.
"If I can't handle her, there will be nothing you can do." He had said in a moment of seriousness, before he had grinned. "If Minato has a problem, tell him he can come visit me later with something good to eat."
They reach his apartment without much issues and Jiraiya leads the girl in through the door. He has come back a while earlier to set up the house so that she will be comfortable. "I'll look at those bandages later, okay?" He says.
Sakura, who is looking around the room with childish curiosity, snaps up to look at him. "Of course." She says obediently.
Jiraiya notes to make sure she drops out of that habit. However, he nods anyways. "We can start with dinner." He says. "The hospital grub is dull at best and today, the amazing Jiraiya-sama will cook you dinner."
Sakura looks at him in something akin to awe and does not even hesitate when Jiraiya points her towards the living room. "Sit there and wait a while, okay?"
Jiraiya moves into the kitchen and senses it the moment Sakura moves from her perch on the edge of the sofa.
He doesn't fly out immediately, though, and instead, he moves to the shadows to quietly observe.
Sakura first shuffles over to the window but makes no signs of escaping. Instead, she curiously taps at the window and gasps when her hand touches the glass. She then hesitantly looks around before moving on towards his desk. She flinches when her foot knocks against the chair and makes a soft sound but when nothing happens, she moves carefully around it to peer at the contents on his desk.
Jiraiya has been working on the plans for a new seal structure as well as the newest volume of the Icha Icha series and there is plenty to explore. Sakura pokes curiously at the mess on top of the wooden surface. After a while she pulls back, but her impractically long hair catches the pot of ink of his desk and Sakura jerks back in surprise, the container falling to the ground where it shatters. Instantly worried about the shards, Jiraiya flies out from his hiding spot and Sakura clearly takes this the wrong way, because she scrambles away from him in panic.
"Ah, wait!" Sakura skids to a halt and raises both his hands so she can see them from where she is cowering from him at the foot of the bed. "I'm not going to hit you."
Sakura glances up and flinches at the sound her own clothes make at the movement.
"I'm sorry." She says. "I-I didn't mean to, I-"
"Calm down. Sakura-chan." Jiraiya carefully moves around the broken bottle and crouches down in front of her. "It's okay." He tells her softly. "I'm the amazing Jiraiya-sama. A bottle of ink isn't going to stop me."
He ruffles her hair and persistently continues to do so when Sakura lets out a frightened cry and tries to pull away. He knows there is a possibility he may touch the poison but Tsunade had confirmed that her skin was where it was released. "I'm not going to hurt you." He says. "I promise." With that, he drops his hand and crouches there until Sakura finally brings her arms away from her face and looks up at him.
"Pro...mise?" She asks.
Jiraiya pushes down the pain welling up in his chest and nods. "I promise."
NEW STORY:
The Invisible Sun within Us (Naruto x KHR Crossover):
Sakura was supposed to be dead, so when she realizes that she is in the body of a child, she curses fate. She curses Naruto's pain, Sasuke's path of revenge, Kakashi's broken start and the second chance she doesn't deserve. Still, she swears to keep the girl alive. She had stolen the life of a girl with so much in front of her; it was the least she could do. Sakura reborn as Chrome
So, here's chapter four~
Darque: I have History homework and I haven't done it.
Raven:...You don't have to report it. Go do it.
Darque: Bleh.
Raven: What?
Darque: I have this problem.
Raven: Oh? What is it? You have to face them.
Darque: I can't. It's overseas.
Raven:...=.=
Darque: It's your face, you see?
Raven: Well, good luck facing that.
Darque: Yeah, I'll need it.
Read and Review~
