ARC1: The Beginning


CHAPTER 4 - The Serum

I continued bandaging Naruto."There, all set."

"Wow, I feel a whole lot better now," Naruto some, starring at his arms in disbelief. "You're a really good medic, Sakura."

I blushed and smiled. "Thanks. It helped me after a while."

"But seriously," Kiba said, me having bandaged him as well. "What was up with you before, all that punching and stuff. To be that strong is like, totally impossible. Even for our time."

I shrugged, starring at my hand where my drop of blood used to be. There was a small band-aid on my arm now. "I guess I just developed it after a while."

"Women," Kiba said with a face before we noticed the other room. Neji and Shikamaru were talking, once again a soundproof room for a soundproof conversation.

"I'm also curious about Sasuke though," Naruto muttered. "If I can get past Sakura's monstrous strength, I don't know if I can get past Sasuke breathing fire. I mean, come on!"

"Sasuke," I repeated, remembering Tenten telling me he saved me. I was so shocked he'd even do that for me. What surprised me though was I blushed when she told me. "Where is he anyway?"

"Up on the surface," Kiba replied, Naruto and I looking up. "Shikamaru and Neji just talked to Sasuke. He seemed a bit off after that."

Naruto's head jumped. "Oh man, they didn't," he rambled, starting to panic.

"Didn't what?" I asked.

"Oh no no no no no no no no!" Naruto panicked repetitively as his hands clutched onto his spiked-up yellow hair. "They told!!"

"Is he always this dramatic?" I whispered to Kiba.

"No you don't understand!" Naruto panicked to Sakura, grasping her shoulders with a bewildered face. He then turned his head towards Kiba and Akamaru. "Kiba you know what I'm talking about don't you?!?!"

"Naruto what are you-?" Kiba's face suddenly jumped. "Oh."

I sighed. "Forget this. I'm going to go talk to Sasuke," I said, grabbing onto the metal ladder and climbing up to the manhole.

"Sakura wait!" Naruto shouted before being held back by Kiba.

"Hold up hold up!" Kiba shouted at Naruto. "Let Sakura and Sasuke talk, okay?"

I made it up to the surface, where I saw Sasuke sitting a few inches away, starring off into the horizon, where the ruins of Tokyo were.

"Sasuke?" I asked worriedly. I had to know what was going on.

"What is it," Sasuke replied, somewhat cold heatedly. I don't think I've heard him that way before.

"Sasuke are you okay?" I asked, getting out of the hole and sitting beside him. He avoided eye contact with me by just starring forward. "What happened?"

Sasuke finally made a movement, and looked down at his hand. He flexed it open and closed, slowly. "I finally understand what's been happening now."

"Well I don't," I said. "What's going on, Sasuke? Tell me."

I noticed his eyes soften as he prepared to explain to me. "When you and I met again here, we both thought that I, ended up in some coma, right?"

That's when it clicked in my mind.

"Sasuke in a way... is dead. That Sasuke you see there," Naruto said, both of us looking over. "That Sasuke's just a.... copy."

"Isn't that what happened?" I asked, though I think at this point it was totally obvious that's not the truth.

Sasuke looked at me. "You knew too, didn't you?"

I was surprised Sasuke even said that. "Are you mad?"

Sasuke shrugged, starring back out into the horizon. "I guess I can't blame you. It's not yourfault." Sasuke lifted his hand again and starred at it. "But still... it feels so different."

I made a soft smile and linked my hand with his, catching Sasuke's attention. "You're still the same friend to me, Sasuke."

At that Sasuke made a small smiled and intertwined our fingers.

--

"Herb soup again?" Kiba asked as Tenten helped Hinata pass out our dinner.

"Well it's all I could muster up with what I have left in our kitchen," Hinata said as she moved around in her wheel chair.

"Plus you were supposed to bring in our new food supply," Tenten remarked to Kiba as she harshly handed him his soup bowl.

"I guess it's partially my fault too then," Sasuke said as Hinata handed him his bowl.

"Naw, it's easier to just blame Kiba," Tenten answered, angry.

"To be truthful it was those guys that attacked us at the city," Naruto objected as he drank down from his bowl, satisfied with whatever Hinata had made, as long as it was edible.

"Who were they anyway?" I asked.

"Who knows," Neji replied, starring into his soup as he thought about the same situation.

"I'm still wondering about that fire breathing thing Naruto told me about," Konohamaru spoke up. "Sasuke was it true you breathed fire?"

Sasuke made a look at Naruto, who turned away nd sipped at his soup.

"Its no surprise he did," Shikamaru sighed out, playing with his soup and spoon. "It's how he was programed."

"Really?" I asked surprised.

"Did he just say I was programed?" Sasuke whispered to Naruto, who couldn't help but laugh at that question.

"Here's the story," Shikamaru began. "We didn't just bring back Sasuke just because we wanted him back. It's like Hinata used to say, we need to bring back our old world."

"And you think duck-hair's breathing fire helps the situation," Naruto said, still not following. Though he did receive a glare from Sasuke as Sakura slapped Naruto upside the head with a vein. Konohamaru and Hanabi grinned and silently snickered at that scene.

"Let me finish will ya? Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered lazily. "Before the war, my dad was a part of a former federal medical ground."

"A former fedrest medical what?" Naruto repeated slowly with a lost look on his face.

"A former federal medical ground," I corrected Naruto. "I learned about that back in my studies. It's a group of scientists that worked on secret govornment experiments that benefit the earth."

"What she just said," Shikamaru said, surprised I was able to explain that in English to Naruto. "One of the experiments was about recreating the elements from human hands. They called it 'Nature Transformation'."

"Nature transformation," I repeated. "Sounds difficult."

"It was," Shikamaru nodded. "Just recently while we were rebuilding a body for Sasuke, I decided I could use my father's serum from the experiment."

"Wait where did you get the serum?" Kiba asked.

"On the one time Shikamaru ever came on a raid," Neji answered.

Shikamaru sighed. "I went to my father's underground lab and got a supply of the serum from the experiment."

"Isn't that stuff dangerous?" Tenten questioned as she stood behind Neji.

"Not like Sasuke's gonna die from it," Shikamaru remarked. "Why do you think I decided to test the thing on him?"

"Wow do I feel safe," Sasuke said sarcastically.

"Hey it worked," Shikamaru pointed out. "The serum allows the subject to control one of the five natural elements: fire, wind, lightning, earth, and water. And I guess in Sasuke's case he got fire."

"I wanna shoot fire!" Konohamaru shouted.

"No," pretty much everyone in the room replied sternly. The brown haired boy replied with crossed arms.

"I still don't know how it'll affect humans," Shikamaru explained. "There's chance the subject can control up to two elements, but it's only a twenty percent chance."

"Just out of curiosity," Hinata spoke up as she collected the dishes. "What's the experiment got todo with helping the earth?"

"Isn't it obvious, big sister?" Hanabi asked as she helped collect the bowls. "Due to the war all of nature's creations are gone. If people can control all these elements through the serum, we'd be able t recreate the world on our own."

"Wow," I said, giving my bowl to Hinata. "I never thought of it that way."

Sasuke looked with a confused face. "But I can't help but feel those sound guys were after something."

"They were probably after the serum," Neji suggested. "And with seeing Sakura's strength, they probably thought Sakura had been injected with the experiment."

"But she wasn't," Sasuke said. "Isn't there any way to get this undone?" he asked, refering to himself.

"Why would you want it undone??" Naruto asked with a voice. "I mean, dude you can breath fire!!"

"Okay first off what's up with you and breathing fire?" Sasuke said to Naruto as he stood up. "Second of all if it's gone those sound guys won't have anything to come after."

"It's not reverseable," Shikamaru informed. "From my observations once it's taken, it stays."

"I for one think it's kind of like a blessing," I spoke up to Sasuke, sitting him back down before he could cause a riot. "Think about it, this element talk can probably be an advantage to any enemies that show up."

"When are we gonna have enemies? We're in the middle of no where," Kiba said as Akamaru jumped on top of his head.

"I've been around the world enough to learn there are still bad people in existence," I said into the conversation.

"I agree with Sakura," Tenten said. "No doubt those bad guys that attacked you will be back."

"Tenten's got a point," Neji said spektically. "But we'll talk about it in the morning. It's late."

"Aw we gotta go to sleep now?" Konohamaru asked. "I wanna hear more about those bad guys! This is the most exciting dinner I've had in forever!"

"We'll talk more in the morning," Naruto assured Konohamaru as he stood up and stretched.

"Sakura will you help me get the kids to sleep?" Hinata asked me.

"Of course," I nodded, following Hanabi, konohamaru, and Hinata through another room.

"Sakura?" Kiba started. "Good with children? I'd pay to see this."

"Sakura may be tough, but she is nice," Naruto remarked.

"As hard to believe as this is, I agree with Naruto," Sasuke said.

"Why don't you guys just spy on her if you're all such big fans of Sakura," Shikamaru yawned as the three boys looked at each other.

--

"You guys really aren't sleepy?" Sakura asked as Konohamaru and Hanabi laid in their seperate beds.

"Why would we sleep?" Konohamaru asked.

"Can't we stay up just this night?" Hanabi asked Hinata.

"Sorry, Hanabi," Hinata smiled apologetically.

"Besides, everybody's finally connecting," Konohamaru pointed out to Sakura as the three boys peeked in from the door. "Think about it. We have bad guys after us, we found out there's a possibility that the world's fate relies on our shoulders-"

"Konohamaru I know it may all sound pressuring but that's not reason to wanna stay up-"

"Who said he was scared," Hanabi saighed with an eye roll.

I sighed. "Just, got to sleep guys, okay? Knowing the guys, it's probably going to be an interesting morning tomorrow."

"Hey I take offence to that!-MGHPMGPMH!!" Naruto's voice was suddenly cut off by someone covering his mouth.

All of us had sweatdrops. "It's not even morning and the weirdness has already started."

"Goodnight guys," Hinata said as she wheeled herself towards the exit of the room.

"Night," I added, blowing out the lanterns in the room.

--

It was early morning again. But this time I was fast asleep. However, that short sleep was later put to and end.

"Sakura," whispered a voice.

"Ugh," I moaned, turning over with the covers higher over my shoulders. "Go away."

"Sakura come on," the voice said again.

"Not now," I said more sternly as I whacked the stranger with the polar bear plush I was sleeping with.

"Ow," I heard the boy groan as he rubbed his face. "Sakura wake up I don't have time for this!" he whispered a bit louder.

I turned over sleepily and saw Sasuke, looking kinda pissed off. "What."

"Come on, get dressed we're heading out."

I took off the covers, revealing I was still in my travel clothes. "Dressed. Where're we going," I said dully, obviously not one to be waken up.

Sasuke let out a breath of aggrivation. "This morning, I was up on the surface and I think I saw one of those sound guys."

"Keyword think, which I don't think you're doing right at the moment," I said with a face.

"Sakura listen to me," Sasuke continued, placing his hands in my shoulders to try and fully wake me up. "I saw some explosions and smoke coming from the city. There're back."

My head lifted slowly as I started to take Sasuke's word for it.

--

"And you're sure this is right," I said as I flew on my air bike, Sasuke sitting behind me.

"Positive," he replied as I sped up. I had my cloak and my helmet back on. Right now it was just Sasuke and me. If anything we knew for sure it was that those guys were after the nature serum, and were going all over the city looking for it.

I landed the air bike down near a browkn building and took off my helmet.

"You see them?" I asked Sasuke.

Sasuke concentrated. "They're close. Come on," he said, the both of us running quietly.

--

"EVERYBODY WAKE UP!!" Naruto's voice echoed throughout the caverns. "WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP!!!"

Hanabi and Konohamaru both sat up tiredly simotaneously.

"Now what?" Hanabi said with her hair messed up as she rubbed her eye.

"At least what Sakura said was true," Konohamaru reminded with a stretch of his arms. "This was going to be a weird morning."

"WAKE UP WAKE UP!!!!!!!" Naruto shouted like it was the end of the world. Oh wait, it already was.

"How troublesome," Shikamaru said annoyed as he and Neji arrived in the main room.

"Idiot shut it!" Tenten said with a vein as she punched Naruto to make him shut up. "What on earth is the matter with you?" she demanded as the rest of the Shelter's residents came to the main room to see what Naruto's commotion was all about.

"It's Sakura and Sasuke!" Naruto replied, sitting back up.

"What about them?" Neji asked, hoping it was something good.

"They're gone!" Kiba shouted, being the last to arrive. "Sakura and Sasuke's rooms are empty!" He shouted, Akamaru barking in agreement.

--

"Okay, they're in the city," Neji stated in the lab room to everybody as he looked on through his labtop.

"How do you know?" Naruto asked skeptically.

"We implanted a tracking device in Sasuke before we brought him back to life," Shikamaru answered.

"This robot stuff gets freakier and freakier e-ve-ry time," Naruto muttered, scratching the back of his head.

"Sakura's with Sasuke right?" Hinata asked worriedly.

"It's most likely. Where else would she be?" Neji answered, typing more things in.

"Oh man," Shikamaru said.

"What is it?" Kiba questioned.

"On that map," Shikamaru started, pointing at the screen. "All those dots on the map represent the people in the area right?"

"Yeah," Neji nodded.

"Looks like Sakura and Sasuke got company," he said as he saw all the small dots clash together as if it were some fight.

"Those sound guys again," Naruto said with an angry flare. "We've gotta help them!"

"You idiot that's be suicide," Shikamaru told Naruto. "Thsoe guys are more in numbers now, not to mention they have weapons."

"So you're saying we're just gonna leave Sasuke and Sakura to die," Naruto remarked, trying to persuade otherwise.

Shikamaru looked back at the other table where the container with the nature serums were. "Unless we do that."

"Do what?" Kiba asked suspiciously.

"We'd have a better chance at winning if we had some of the abilities that Sasuke has," Shikamaru said with his hand in his pocket.

"You mean we're taking that serum thing?" Naruto asked surprised.

"No other choice," Shikamaru shrugged lazily.

"But isn't that kinda dangerous?" Tenten asked. "I mean, you said it yourself; it hasn't been tested on humans before."

"Well we're testing it now," Shikamaru ordered.

"I don't know you guys," Neji said hesitantly about the idea.

"If you don't want you don't have to take the shot," Shikamaru told Neji. "We need somebody to stay and watch the kids and Tenten and Hinata.

"Wait you mean we can't get it??" Konohamaru asked whining.

"No way," Hanabi and Naruto both answered sternly.