"Sasuke, it's beautiful!"
Her slender fingers slid gently under the chain, and Sakura lifted a pendant on a necklace from the red silk lining of the small black box. The pendant was made of silver, with a jet stone set in the center. It shone like a liquid, glistening in the light from the phosphorus strips set in the ceiling of the Panther's Lair.
"The clasp's a bit tricky," she heard Sasuke say. Indeed, it was: she had never seen anything like that clasp before, it looked as though someone had designed it to make sure the necklace could not be taken off.
Suddenly Sasuke's hand took her wrist, and his other hand gently lifted the necklace from her palm. With a panther's grace and agility, he slid behind her, drawing the chain around her neck. Sakura froze as she felt his warm hands working the clasp at the base of her neck, his breath slightly stirring the top of her hair. It took him a moment, but finally, Sasuke stepped back.
"Geez, Sakura-chan, it DOES look good on you," Naruto admitted. "But I still think a trip to Ichiraku's is better."
Sakura flashed a smile at both of them. "Thank you so much, guys! You really brightened up my twenty-first birthday."
"Hnn." Sasuke returned to his work, satisfied that he had completed his task.
"No problem!" Naruto cheered. Sakura suddenly had the breath crushed out of her as Naruto grabbed her in a big hug. He was strong – stronger than he looked on the outside.
"Dobe, you might want to let Sakura go if you don't want her to asphyxiate," Sasuke said dully, concentrating on his chokoto blade. Naruto let Sakura go with a stream of apologies.
"That's OK," Sakura gasped, feeling the air return to her lungs. She cleared her throat and nodded. "Alright, what do you guys want for dinner?"
"Ichirak-"
"Spaghetti."
Naruto and Sakura both turned to stare at their stoic companion. Sasuke didn't even look up, still wearing away his blade to a paper's thickness while he talked.
"It's good, it's simple, and it's filling. So spaghetti."
Naruto's eyebrow twitched. "Can we at least make it with ramen noodles?"
"Spaghetti." Sasuke was firm. Sakura rolled her eyes and went to prepare the meal while Naruto yelled at Sasuke and Sasuke polished and retorted only when he felt like it.
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"Well, Sakura-chan, looks like we're set to go!" Naruto said in excitement as the last of the bandages fell off of Sasuke's chest. Sakura ran her hands across his broad back, running a final examination. She sighed.
"You're set, Sasuke. Those gashes have closed, and your side's all better."
Sasuke pulled his shirt back on and slid off the table. "All the better, we're heading out tonight."
"TONIGHT?!?!" Naruto yelled. Sasuke glared at him.
"Hush up, dobe, you'll alert the other tenants. Yes, we're going back tonight. We've got to find out who it was that attacked us and why. Now shut up and get ready to go."
"B-but Sasuke-kun," Sakura protested, "you just healed up! You'll probably get hurt aga-"
Sasuke whirled around and slammed her, albeit gently, against the wall.
"Look, Sakura," he said, staring deep into her eyes. "No, look at me." Sakura had tried to avoid eye contact. His black, deep eyes were like the jet stone he had given her: so liquid and soulful, so rich to look into…
"I'm a superhero," Sasuke said softly. "I have powers that others can only dream of. I've been trained in how to use my powers. I'm the Black Panther, whose job is to keep ordinary people, people like you, safe. What happens to me doesn't matter, it's your safety, the world's safety, that comes before my own. Not another word about me, do you understand?"
His eyes carried the real message: I'm doing this for you, and for all mankind. You're an obstacle I have to set aside.
Sakura looked at him for one long moment, concern and knowledge of the greater good fighting in her eyes. Then slowly, clearly, she nodded. Sasuke released her.
"Good. Now I have to get ready, too."
Minutes later, Sakura stood at the window, waiting for Sasuke and Naruto to jump out her window and leave. Naruto winked at her as he perched on the windowsill.
"Don't worry about us, Sakura-chan, we'll be fine, dattebayo!"
"Go ahead, Ninetails," the Panther ordered. "I'll follow shortly."
"See ya at the Tower!" The Ninetails flew off the sill, leaping from building to building. Sasuke and Sakura watched him go. The Panther allowed Sakura to take a step forward, putting herself between him and the window as she watched Naruto go. His black eyes calculated his best chance. His moment was here…
"Sakura."
She spun around, staring at the place where he had been. Sasuke was too quick, he slipped behind her into her blindspot.
"I'm sorry."
Sakura gasped as, with lightning speed, the Panther struck her a glancing blow on the back of her head! She tottered for a moment, then crumpled at his feet. Glancing out the window to be sure the Ninetails couldn't see him, the Panther lifted the unconscious girl and carried her into her bedroom. He laid her out on her bed and stared for a moment at the jetstone gleaming on her neck.
"It can't be helped," he murmured. And with a single backward glance, the Panther closed the door on his unconscious host, leapt out the window, and set off for the Snake Lord's Tower.
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"What took you so long, teme?" the Ninetails asked as the Panther came up to him. His partner grunted.
"Small business."
"Well, it's about ti-" Naruto was cut off midsentence by the heavy hilt that crashed down on his skull. The Sasuke clone vanished in a puff of blue smoke, the real Sasuke stepping aside from his teammate's prone body. He bent over, tucking something in the pocket of Naruto's jumpsuit.
"That'll explain it," Sasuke muttered. He stared down at the Ninetails, who was drooling as if he was asleep. "I hate to do this to you, Ninetails, but I'm the only one who can do this." He pulled the vial on the chain from around his neck, clenching it in his fist.
"It's time to see what the Snake Lord's Tower looks like from the inside."
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The Black Panther sped through the trees, flying towards the tower in the center of the woods. The base of the tower had about seventy feet of woodland cleared away before it. Once he left the shelter of the trees, he would definitely be seen coming. Sasuke put a hand to his chest, feeling the tiny bump the small vial under his clothing formed. He grinned.
"Never underestimate a panther. I'll outwit you all!" His bravado faded as he saw the entrance to the tower, a great iron door wrought with images of writhing snakes. The Black Panther crouched in the underbrush, plotting and planning, even now.
Once I get inside that fortress, I'll need all my wits about me. I can't take chances, letting Naruto tag along. Or Sakura, they'll all understand from that note I left. I'll go straight for the Snake Lord himself and see if I can sell him this vial. Once he's got it, ANBU won't have to worry about him anymore.
Sasuke was so distracted by his plans that he didn't notice the rattling underbrush until it was too late. Without warning, two of those same metal arms shot out from nowhere and grabbed him!
The Panther yelled as he was forced out into the open, which was suddenly lit brilliantly with spotlights from the tower. Shadowy shapes flung themselves from the surrounding undergrowth, lining the edge of the area before the tower. Sasuke's pupils dilated, confused by the sudden change in light. The things that were holding him grabbed his arms and forced them behind his back, making him bend over in pain. Something cracked; Sasuke had to bite his lip to stop himself from yelling in agony. Something thin and sharp jabbed his back, he didn't want to think about what that was. The gates were opening and someone was emerging…the Panther tried to focus, but darkness was eating at the corners of his eyes. The silhouette from the tower approached him, heralded by a melee of barking, scratching, howling, and baying from the shadowy figures around the edges of the clearing. There were human overtones to those voices…
"Ssso, you returned," the silhouette spoke softly, bending over the Panther's form. "How nicce. I've caught me a Panther, haven't I?" He chuckled softly. "And how sssweet – he'ss brought me a present."
The last thing Sasuke's conciousness gleaned before he lost his grip on it and the soporific claimed him was the sensation of being caressed by something slimy and wet.
A tongue.
