Standard Disclaimers Apply
Time Since Mission Start: 2 Months 4 Days
Chapter 8: Gratitude
Tavern Chino was the last stop before the blistering unforgiving cold that lay waiting on the other side of the mountain top. A humble establishment, it boasted only the bare necessities within its minimal store and restaurant. Warm food, a roof over your head, and beds on the upper floor; it was a haven located in the frigid wilderness. It was also the last stop on the path this side of the Mountain Range, and as such the perfect place to gather information. The door burst open with a swirl of wind and snow as a figure, hooded and cloaked, pushed their way into the warmth. He stomped his boots upon the ground and shook the clinging flakes from his coat. It was times like these that he was painfully reminded that his normal attire, though breathable and flexible, was hardly appropriate for colder weather. Thankfully he had remembered a certain Pink Haired Medic having bought him long sleeved shirts that actually went over his stomach a Christmas or Two back. Wearing one now under the normal half-shirt, he made a silent promise to buy her something sparkly when he got home.
Inky eyes of midnight hues surveyed the room around him, noticing it lead into a large rectangular space that served as both the tavern and the shop. To his left a set of stairs led up above, before him a step dropped down into the seating area. Behind the counter was a pleasant lady, round and boisterous as she welcomed him inside. Noticing that no one else on the ground floor, Sai dropped his hood and returned the warm greeting with a soft upturn of the lips. "Come inside~! Poor thing, you're so pale! You must have been freezing out in that weather." He gave her what he assumed to be a shy nod of the head and allowed her to usher him into her business. Sitting him at the bar, she took a sideways glance at him and tutted, much like a mother did with their children, and immediately began pulling provisions down to make something with which to "Fatten Him Up". He had tried to tell her he was fine, but she shushed him with the statement that if he's headed up and over he's going to eat something warm first. Watching her fuss around the kitchen, he wondered mutely if this was what it would be like to have a mother. His lips twitched at the idea.
Folding his hands before him, he opened up their conversation with soft question. Something about if she got travelers coming through this way often. The woman laughed a bit, shaking her head as she dropped a mug of something spiced and warm in front of him. "Nah, darl'n. Not too many. Though I do got a cute little couple boarding upstairs right now." Sai nodded, having already noticed the soft flickering of a Chakra Signature from above. It was soft and barely glowing on the floor above him. From what he could tell there was only one. Sipping lightly at the brew (a warm cinnamon cider), he watched as the woman pulled on a slightly worried look. "The man was so doting upon his girl. He carried her in and the poor thing was near dead from the cold. I gave them a room upstairs for her to rest in, but as you can see I don't carry too much up here. No healing herbs left from the last harvest. Good guy, her man is though. Soon as he had tucked her in he came right back down saying he was going to head back down the mountain and get her what she needed. Been gone for a few days now though. I've checked up on her, she takes some broth but the poor thing isn't doing too well." The talkative type usually gave the most information, and this Tavern Owner was no exception to the rule. Sai had to do little prompting to get what he needed to know.
If the couple mentioned was Deidara and his female companion, then it was safe to say that the Clay-User hadn't gone back down the path to the villages on their side of the mountain. If he had, Sai would have run across him. It was a sure bet then that Deidara had either abandoned the woman or had planted her here for a reason. Either way, Sai was certain their location wasn't safe. "I'd like a room, if you don't mind?" His question snapped the Tavern Woman out of her focus stirring his meal in a pot, and smiling brightly she told him to choose any room along the right of the hall. He nodded politely and replied that he would be back down for the meal as soon as he put his things away. She hummed in acknowledgment, and with that Sai was up the stairs.
One hand strayed to the back of his person, hand enclosing around the form of a kunai. The metal was firm in his hand, reassuring as he brushed his fingers along one of the doors on the left. His senses picked up the Chakra Signature buzzing on the other side of the door, flickering and weak. It felt vaguely familiar, but at the same time oh so foreign. His senses heightened, his breath shallow, and steeling himself he pushed the door open. Everything stopped.
Eyes of pearlescent viridian focused on his face, pupils dilated and distant. A feverish flush dappled pale skin as lips parted in soft huffing pants. Hair the color of pale coral stuck to sweat damp skin. The woman in the bed was physically identical to Sakura, save the fever. The sheer uncanny likeness caused Sai to hesitate, and with that one moment she turned to look at him. He froze. Her eyes focused in on him, recognition flickering in the depths, and with effort the woman shifted upright in the bed. "S-Sai?" His name slipped past her lips and he noted that she sounded just like Sakura too. It snapped him out of his stupor and instantly he was on the bed, kunai pressed against the woman's throat.
His swift movements had caused the curtains by the bedside window to flutter, and with it the blinding white cast her skin aglow. Even up close the Ink-User saw no flaws. Her eyes widened as the blade dug into her skin, her heartbeat running up along the metal of his weapon and fluttering against his hand. Her eyebrows drew together into confusion, but she didn't move to defend herself. Any sane enemy would have moved to protect themselves. Then again, it may be an even grander façade of which she employed confusion to cause hesitation. For one of the few times in his life, Sai did not know what to do. His jaw clenched, his hand trembled, and in his moment of consideration she moved again. A hand reached up and touched his hand, unbearably warm against his cool skin. He sensed no malice, no ill intent, just true confusion from the woman beneath him. For one breath-stopping moment, Sai entertained the possibility that the Sakura at home was a fake. But the one before him only vaguely registered Sakura's Chakra, as if it were a shadow or an afterimage. The version beneath him looked at him questioningly, and he had no answers to give. She shivered then, brows pulling together. "… Sai, it's hot."
The dull chakra signature burst to life, the woman beneath him glowed bright white and light engulfed him. The explosion could be seen all the way in Leran.
It had become routine for the man in a hawk mask to set up the breakfast food tray. He carefully inspected the food as it was arranged systematically onto the flat surface. He had learned quickly what kinds of foods made the morning affair run smoothly. Finger foods did the best, as did things she could use simple tools to pick up. As such, on the tray was a small bowl of melon cut into cubes, several pieces of rolled omelet, and a juice packet. She could not use chopsticks just yet, but toothpicks and straws were perfectly good. For a moment, the man assessed the tray quietly. If any of the confidential medical staff had been there, they would have been able to basically see the frown the man sported behind his cover. Where before he would merely pick up the tray and take it down with him to check on the patient, this time he paused to return his attention to the food sent to the ward fresh from the cafeteria. There was the sound of liquid sloshing into a container before a bowl of miso soup made its way onto the tray. Said tray and ANBU then turned and disappeared down the hall, moving onto step two of the routine.
He entered the designated room silently, easily adapting to the dim lighting in the quiet space. He placed the tray on the bedside table, eyes turning first to look at the vitals before turning to the young woman sleeping soundly at his side. She looked as she did every morning, peaceful with the slightest smile to her lips. The dog, Piko, woke sleepily in the blankets near her chest and turned his half-awake gaze at the ANBU. Hawk-kun paused just long enough to rub his gloved fingers behind the small ones ears, earning a sleepy yawn from the pet before it settled down once more. Lifting his hand from the dogs' head, it moved then to brush the wayward strands of pink that had fallen across the woman's face. She stirred slowly at the brush of his fingertips, eyes opening caught in a dream before they focused on where his face would be. She slowly smiled, "Ohayo."
He said nothing, naturally, and let her rise on her own. Turning his attention towards the window, he drew the curtains aside and let the early morning rays fill the room. The sleepy woman would move slowly upright, then drop her feet to the floor. He would come back to her side and follow as she moved to the bathroom adjacent to the room where he would wait while she relieved and washed herself, after which she would sit back on the bed and they would partake in breakfast. Sitting at the foot of the bed as she sat cross legged near the top, he set the tray between them and watched her fine motor functions as she ate. He quietly noted her improvements as she tackled first fruit, then the eggs, and finally stared at the bowl of miso soup inquisitively. She looked at him for an answer, he merely observed. Soon enough, she had held the bowl to her lips and slurped the contents, a sated look upon her smiling face. She did not see, but his own lips quirked behind his mask. Problem Solving was improving as well.
After breakfast routine included clean up, after which came the morning walk. It was a short affair, the expanse of the ward was small and she still easily tired. Had she been logical she would end her walk back at the room, but since she wasn't she usually walked in circles until she was tired and eventually sat on the floor wherever they ended up. Hawk-Kun knew he shouldn't, but at the end of every walk he carried her back to her room. She seemed rather pleased about the whole affair as well, curling comfortably against his chest and swinging her feet as if a child. He spoiled her, he knew, and he didn't stop. It was around this time that the Medic Nins would come to start her morning tests and mental exercises, and with that his role switched to a doorman. After the Medic Nins finished their assessment, Kiba usually appeared and Hawk-Kun only appeared when necessary. A series of hand signals had him fade into shadows, the next moment reappearing in the office of the Hokage. The woman, aged with stress and worry, would raise her honey brown eyes to his mask and he would make his report.
She nodded, making mental notes as needed, and then sighed. Rubbing her fingers into the bridge of her nose, Hawk could only mildly feel empathy for her exhaustion. After all, the position that she had put him in only spawned distress. Her eyes faced him once more, and with a wave of the hand he was dismissed. Three hours from then Kiba would appear and he would be needed at the doors. Till then though, freedom from the makeshift prison. He better not waste his time.
Shikamaru did not sleep. He ate, but he didn't keep it down. Needless to say the last few nights royally sucked. The sun filtered in through the blinds of the window, spilling across the expanse of a bed where the young man laid wide awake. He stared at the ceiling, his thoughts alone loud enough to fill the room to a near suffocating brink. Beside him laid the accursed file, one that had taken him over 24 hours to read because he could only feign professionalism for so long. He sighed, turning his head to look at the closed file he had left upon his sheets. Really, what the hell had happened? His eyes faded in and out of focus, the lack of sleep finally catching up to his stubborn mule attitude. Closing them briefly, he hoped to burn the image of her file from his retinas. It didn't work.
The file complied on Sakura was detailed to a fault, and for a moment he considered the possibility that there was one just as detailed for him as well. Did it dissect his soul as this file did for Sakura? It chopped her personality up into neat little cubes and dissolved it on a molecular level. Her fears, her insecurities, her weaknesses, her abilities… they were all there. He knew Sakura now on an intimate level that not even her teammates knew, and for the mission he was given to do he felt oddly like he was violating her trust.
I need you to train a team on ways to neutralize and kill Haruno Sakura.
The Hokage's voice ran clear through his head, causing another wave of nausea to stampede through his body. Shuddering as he curled on his side, the Shadow Nin forced his eyes open once more to focus on that innocent manila folder. He breathed deeply, forcing his conscious to focus, and with shaky hands took the folder once more. He was a genius for a reason, a strategist always so many more steps ahead. This though, how do you plan something like this. A shower was in order, after which a run. He had memorized the folder, knew down to a T every bit of Sakura's abilities and strengths. Now he needed to pick those best suited to take her down and train them without telling them why. The idea was almost comforting for Shikamaru. At the very least, he wouldn't have to suffer the guilt alone.
The shower was quick and the fresh air welcomed in his lungs. The forest was a naturally calming place for the male, and as such breezing through the trees did much for his worried mind. A flicker of familiar Chakra caused him to veer his course towards one of the many training grounds. There, the form of Hyuga Neji stood in concentrated meditation. Upon entering the field the lavender eyed male turned to regard him, the slightest nod of the head his sign of greeting. Shikamaru returned the formality before plopping down next to his comrade, flopping gracelessly to spread out on the ground. The brown haired Nin paused in his musings to regard the other male, and turning his eyes back before him he let out a slow breath. Silence stretched between them, comfortable and easy, until The Nara spoke. "… If ordered, would you kill me?"
If Neji found the question odd, he didn't show it. The brown haired man didn't even falter in the slow in and out of his breath, his gaze turning to meet the gaze of the man at his side. Slowly, that confident turn of his lips came onto his mouth. "Are you admitting that as a Ninja, I am better?" Shikamaru paused, snorting at the response but smiling none the less. The easy shadow of a smile on Neji's face proved to him that his thought was silly. It wasn't about whether or not they would kill, but whether or not those they hunted would allow themselves to be killed.
The thought, though implying more effort on his end, comforted him. Sakura would not go down without a fight. Letting the silence settle comfortably again, he waited till Neji stood before speaking again. "… Come over later. We need to talk." With some Shinobi, less meant more. For Shikamaru and Neji, words weren't needed at all. With that, the Hyuga left the training ground.
It was quiet in his room. The compound was relatively inactive as of late, and with it Neji was allowed solitude. He stood before his bed, donning the attire customary to his rank with the practiced fluidity of familiarity. To say that his run in with Shikamaru was surprising would have been a lie. He had known that sooner or later the Nara would appear and speak with him. When it happened though he believed it would have been more direct. Tightening one of the straps of his arm guards, the pale eyed male paused to look at a character framed next to his bedside. A simple proverb, placed there by his cousin when he had made a miraculous recovery after being on the brink of death during the war.
And Every Breath Is Now A Gift
How true those words were, especially for him. He had only been 17 when death had stood to claim him into its embrace. If his sacrifice didn't have meaning, he would have laughed at the idea that a proclaimed genius as himself was dying so young. But the giving of his life was not for vanity or glory, and as such he had resigned himself to his fate. It was somewhere floating in darkness that he had felt a pull at the very center of his being, like something calling. He was comfortable though, so ready to sleep and rest, and ignoring that tug was growing more tantalizing by the passing second. He was ready to fade into nothing when the softest of voices penetrated his mind, conveying the harshest of words.
If you die on me you god damn bastard I swear I'll slander your name so bad that you'll rise out of your grave in shame! Hinata's grandchildren will think that you were a closet gay and that you had a secret hair fetish!
For a moment, Neji had considered the possibility that angels sounded violently like Sakura. And that was all it took for his body to be slammed with pain. He coughed, air flooding his lungs. A heart he was sure had been torn asunder painfully pumped blood to his lead limbs, and weakly his eyes opened. At first he saw nothing, but as something wet fell onto his cheeks his pupils began to focus. At first there was color, and then there was shape. Eventually, a woman appeared with the most outrageous shade of pink for hair. She was shaking, eyes wide with relief and disbelief, tears falling like crystals. He thought they were pretty. The crystals. The next moment had her face on his chest, somewhere close to his fluttering heart, and softly he could hear her whispers.
Thank God. Oh thank god. Neji…
And he wanted to comfort her, but his throat was so raw. So instead, he raised his hand and laid it on her head. He had passed out right after, his fingers woven in her hair. It wouldn't be until three days later that he would fully regain his wits, and by then he had no words to describe his thanks for being alive. She had waved off all his attempts, declaring them unnecessary. For saving his life, she needed no thanks. She was just happy he was there. She would not take his thanks when offered, so instead he dedicated himself to living. Watching her as she existed, he could only fear the blame she would pour onto herself if his revival had failed. He and the Pinkette had a comfortable relationship, even more so than some of the other males of Rookie 9 from the sheer fact that they both enjoyed the pursuit of knowledge and had worked closely together. He saw her potential and growth, but they were at best casual friends. After the incident though he was aware of her. More importantly, he was aware of a debt that could not be paid.
Securing his sword to his back, his eyes moved from the reminder of his salvation to a single piece of his outfit left on the bed. It was a mask with a white base and the red paint outlining the form of a Hawk. Quietly, he pulled it onto his face and pulled his hood up over his head. Three hours were up, time to get back to work.
Kiba walked down the long expanse of the hall, and just as he reached the double doors to the isolation ward the familiar Hawk-Masked ANBU melted from the shadows. They stared at each other for a moment, after which Kiba moved through the doors to fill his own role. Melting back into the shadows, Neji waited and watched.
The first time Tsunade had approached him had been directly after Sakura was confined to the isolation ward. He had just returned from an ANBU mission to find the Hokage looking worn. He didn't question it, but after giving his report he was asked to report to the Hospital first thing in the morning in full ANBU attire. He had done as asked. The first time he saw Sakura she was crying. Crystals, just like he remembered. She shook at the very movements of the staff surrounding her, and from the distance the Hokage had kept him at he could see that the restraints had been tested to the point of cutting into her skin. He had questions, but they had even less answers then. In the end, Tsunade had entrusted him with two tasks. The first was to be the main guard for the ward and for Sakura. He would guard her and ensure those who left and entered the ward were cleared for it. He had the ability to choose two other to relieve him, but they were in charge of door duty only. Direct contact to Sakura always involved him. The second was to monitor the patient. The Byakugan was to be used to assess Sakura, and should anything be wrong that could endanger the village he was to dispose of her. The logic behind it was that Neji had seen Sakura's Pathways before, and Chakra was the one thing of a person that could not be imitated. If this woman was a threat, the Hyuga would know. He had moved to refuse, but during it Tsunade had told him one thing.
"If she is a threat to Konoha, then she is not our Sakura."
Watching Sakura now as she laid out in the sun next to Kiba, he could only see their Sakura. Hopefully, his bias had not made him blind.
-End Chapter 8
Time Since Mission Start: 2 Months 4 Days
A.N.
Thank you so much those who responded to my questions as to who I should include in the team. Shino is a great idea, I truly agree, however I am so afraid I would not be able to write him properly. _O Need. To. Educate. Self. If there are any other suggestions, let me know!
I'll get started on the next chapter soon enough. Reviewwwww~
