Chapter Eleven

The Art of a Grand Rescue

Sakura's head lulled against her shoulders, dropping to her chest before the tight snap in her spine woke her. She sucked in a sharp breath, running her tongue along her cracked lower lip and tried to push chakra through her system in her brief moment of coherency. Whatever they'd given her had caused severe dehydration. Her limbs were weighted with sluggishness–it seemed a huge feat just to keep her eyelids open; gathering enough chakra to push the drugs from her system seemed impossible. Still, she had to try.

Every movement required concentrated effort, and Sakura's subconscious was fighting to pull her back into the chasms of darkness. Sleep, it seemed to taunt, sleep and dream and feel nothing. She wanted to succumb to the alluring temptation; at least in her dreams Kakashi was there. Her mind played images of his face on a loop, torturing her sweetly. There were worse fates to suffer, she thought vacuously. She could see his masked-face hovering above her own; his fingertips poised on the side of her cheek as he gazed down on her with worry and fear. Her hair was shorter then, she noted, and they were both covered in blood and grime–this was a flashback of the Fourth Shinobi War. She'd opened her eyes and for the first time noticed the shift in their relationship… Kakashi had never looked at her that way before.

Sakura might have saved herself a lot of heartache if she'd read into that look. Maybe she would have started to feel something for Kakashi much sooner than she had. But she was still young, and the only stars in her eyes back then had been shaped like Sasuke.

Sakura's chest heaved as she tried to push chakra through, but exhaustion wracked her body. The air around her was still and heavy, smelling strongly of must. She needed clean air to push oxygen through her lungs. She would suffocate if they left her here. How much time had passed? Sakura couldn't tell if it had been a week or just a few hours. She wiggled her wrists, wincing against the pain as the rope chafed her skin. It was no use. She was stuck in discomfort until the drugs cleared her system. She hated admitting defeat, but at least if she closed her eyes she could linger in a state of temporary distraction.

She was just about to give in to the pull when a flash of white caught her peripheral. She squinted her eyes, trying to get them to focus as what appeared to be a white snake slithered across the earth-made floor and curled up in front of her feet.

A jolt of hope seized the rhythm of her heart when Sakura realized that the white creature before her wasn't an ordinary snake, but rather an ink-creature from Sai. She trained her eyes on the snake, watching as it unfurled and turned into a slip of paper with a note. Sakura leaned forward, straining against the bindings and read the note.

Hold on Sakura-chan, we're coming for you. –Sai

~/~

Kakashi had never been more relieved to see backup recruits from Konoha in all his life. Tenzo was the first to clasp Kakashi on his shoulder in greeting. Naruto hugged the silver-haired nin next and thumped him in the middle of the back hard enough to knock the air from his lungs. "You look like absolute shit, Kakashi-sensei."

"You haven't been sleeping, have you?" Hinata asked more kindly. Her slender eyebrows furrowed over her violet colored eyes in concern.

"I'm fine," Kakashi insisted, "you guys don't need to worry about me. It's good to see you."

"What is it with Team Seven and missions?" Naruto said. "Every time we're supposed to be assigned a simple task, something goes wrong and someone's life is put on the line."

"Just the luck of the draw I guess," Kakashi said. Further proof, he thought, that he was cursed.

"Well then it's a good thing I'm here to save the day." Naruto grinned wide enough that his eyes crinkled at the corners. He folded his hands behind his head, and Sasuke used the opening to punch him in the gut. "Ooph," Naruto huffed, rubbing his sore abdomen.

"No offense Naruto, but I believe Hinata is the one that's going to save the day," Sai said.

"Oh right," the golden-haired nin said, tapping the side of his temple. "Byakugan."

"So," Hinata asked, "where is this tunnel entrance?"

~/~

"Hello!" Sakura called loudly. She was still half-sedated but the drugs were beginning to clear from her system. "I know you can hear me." She waited a beat longer but no one answered her call. "I'll scream," she warned them. "I'm known as the crazy banshee woman in Konoha. Trust me–you do not want to be on the receiving end of these vocal chords." She waited… "All right, can't say I didn't warn you." Sakura sucked in a lungful of air and dialed up the pitch in her raw throat as she began to scream at the top of her lungs. As a child, she'd been able to hold the note for ages, and often used it to get what she wanted. But Sakura was a grown woman now… To resort back to such childish methods was downright deprecating.

Her door banged open; the handle smacked into the wall and pieces of the earth fell to the floor. "Shut up already!" the guard barked at her. "Or I'll really give you something to scream about."

Sakura smirked at the beefy looking guard. He was tall as a tree and wide as a brick house, but he didn't frighten her. If she'd been at her peak strength, she could easily take him down. "I have to go to the bathroom."

"You can piss in your pants for all I care," the guard told her with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Please," Sakura murmured. "I-uh, I'm dealing with lady things." It was a lie, but she'd use whatever she could to her advantage. In her experience, it was the big burly looking men who caved first when it came to women and their feminine quirks.

The guard screwed up his face in disgust. He walked over slowly before bending to undo the bindings on her legs. He left her hands tied behind her back, pulling her up from the chair as a sharp jolt electrified her rigid spine and she gasped in pain.

"You know," she said, "I could really use some water."

"Yeah, and I could use a stiff drink." The guard grabbed her by the elbow and shoved her through the door quite roughly for someone who was operating under the influence of sedation. Sakura stumbled over her own ankles and nearly tripped as he led her down the torch-lit hallway.

"Nice place you have here," Sakura continued. "These tunnels must stretch for miles. I bet there's all sorts of space. Tell me, is it quite accommodating?"

"Thinking of moving in?" The guard snickered at her.

"I just wondered if everyone down here enjoys living below ground is all." Sakura shrugged. "Seems to me like it would get depressing without fresh air and sunlight."

"We won't be living here much longer. Once we get Sai, we'll be on our way home."

"Home," Sakura repeated. "You're from Konoha?"

"My home is wherever Sumire-sama leads me," the guard said.

Sakura lifted a slender pink brow at his use of the suffix 'sama' but kept her eyes carefully trained on the ground as they walked. "Where did you come from?"

"Doesn't matter. My old village never thought I'd amount to anything. They flunked me out of the Academy–they abandoned me. Sumire saved me… she saw my potential and gave me purpose. I was the first to join her cause. As I previously stated, my home is wherever she leads me." The guard slowed as they approached another area with a line of wooden doors. "There's the bathroom, you've got five minutes."

"I'm still a little tied up here," Sakura said, gesturing with her bound hands. "Gonna be hard to pull my pants down with my wrists bound."

The guard's dark eyes narrowed into thin slits. He worked his jaw, staring at her as if she were no more than unwanted scum attached to the bottom of his shoe and no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't seem to wipe off.

"Oh come on," she said with her famous eye roll. "You actually think I'd be stupid enough to try and escape? I don't have the slightest clue where I am and I wouldn't risk endangering the lives of my comrades. On top of that, I have zero chakra right now."

"Five minutes," the guard repeated, jerking the rope as he freed her wrists. Sakura felt the inflamed, raw skin with her fingertips when he'd released her from the bindings. It would be a while before she could attempt to heal herself.

"It doesn't have to be this way you know," she said softly. "Sumire wants revenge for a lie that was told to her. It's easy to see she's in pain and I can't blame her for that, but Konoha never exiled her father… He fled after a member of the Uchiha clan killed Danzo because he knew he'd have to stand trial for his crimes. Everything he told Sumire was a lie." Sakura had a feeling that the ninja Sumire had collected were just a bunch of misunderstood individuals looking for a purpose in life. Sumire had given them one, and they were blindly following her. "There aren't enough of you to take on Konoha's forces."

"Maybe not, but we've been preparing for this since the end of the Fourth Shinobi War. We have the skillset needed to get the task done."

Sakura continued to stare up at the man, wishing there was something she could do or say that would put a stop to this senseless vendetta. Yes, she was a ninja, but that didn't mean she didn't want to try peace before bloodshed. "You'll die," Sakura said pointedly, keeping her tone even as she said it.

"You talk too much, Pinkie. You have four minutes now–I suggest you get a move on."

~/~

Kakashi had escorted his Konoha comrades through the gates of Suna and led them to the Kazekage's palace. After a short briefing with Gaara's councilmen, Gaara gave them permission to head to the desert entrance so Hinata could scan the underground tunnels with her Byakugan. He gave them all cloaks for protection against the desert elements and personally escorted them out into the desert alongside Temari and Kankuro.

Kakashi reached up, pressing the heels of his hands into his aching eyes, attempting to massage the soreness away. He was running on his third soldier pill, and already he could feel the effects of them starting to take toll. It was as if a lethal amount of caffeine was coursing through his veins, replacing the fluid in his body. Sakura was sure to scold him when she found out what he'd done, but he would welcome the verbal lashing. Gods, how he missed the sound of her voice. Other missions had required them to be apart for much longer time periods, but none of them had ever caused him to feel such desolation–such an aching deep within his soul.

"This is the place," Kankuro said, drawing Kakashi out of his mind as they reached the site of the desert entrance. "Sumire will be waiting for us here at nightfall."

"She'll be waiting for Kakashi and Sai," Gaara corrected. "Remember, the rest of us aren't to be seen."

"I'm totally going to catch her off-guard with shadow-clone-Sai." Naruto grinned until his eyes crinkled. He clapped his hands, rubbing them together like a mad scientist who was about to instruct his assistant to 'pull the lever.'

"We'll see about that." Hinata tapped into the power of her dojutsu, spindly veins pulling taut at the corners of her opalescent eyes as she focused on the ground.

"Do you see anything?" Gaara asked her. The auburn-haired nin laid his palm on her shoulder.

"The tunnel here is empty. We can follow this awhile above ground, and I'll see if I can find a common place or something where they are gathered." Hinata started running through the desert, and the others followed swiftly behind her. They ran for several miles before Hinata slowed to a jog, turning her head as she scanned the ground. "Here," Hinata whispered. "Several tunnels split off and start forming different paths."

"How many?" Sasuke asked. A vacant look claimed the obsidian color of his eyes, bringing the Anbu soldier to the foreground.

"Four," Hinata answered, pointing to each of them as she told the group which direction the tunnels led. "This one seems to be shorter and wider than the others. There are smaller sections dissecting the main tunnel, like rooms were built off of it."

"What about people," Kakashi asked, rubbing his hand anxiously over the back of his neck while his shoulders sagged. "Do you see any of them?"

Hinata walked on, using her Byakugan to see at a further distance and therefore preventing their enemies from being able to sense their chakra. "Yes," Hinata breathed out. "There are two signatures just about two-hundred yards away. One of them is Sakura."

An electrical jolt traveled down Kakashi's spine as his heart practically leaped into his throat. He swiped a hand over his mask, shifting his feet as he tried to compose himself. Sakura was alive and he was so close to getting her back.

"There's another room not far from where they are," Hinata said. "There's probably about fifty or so people there."

"Fifty?" Naruto lifted a golden eyebrow. "That's it?"

Beside him, Sasuke snickered and crossed his arms over his chest in a bored manner. "Sumire plans on attacking Konoha with a total of fifty ninja and we've been running scared."

"There could be more," Hinata said. "These tunnels are quite impressive."

"I don't care if there are three-hundred men down there, we can take them. She's been playing a game that we've foolishly bought into because she was trained by the best manipulative mastermind of our time," Sasuke said. "This whole thing has been a clever deception. She purposely led us to believe that her army was massive just to get us where she wanted us. It's all been a ploy."

"Thirty of her men tried to kill Naruto just to capture Sai," Hinata reminded them. "She is dangerous and should be treated as such, regardless of the number of her forces."

"Let's not forget who led the Black Ops team and wiped out those thirty men," Sasuke retorted. "My squad isn't far behind. I can summon them to help us."

"I will gladly hand myself over if it will prevent further bloodshed," Sai said. "That is still the plan, is it not?" The dark-haired nin looked up at Kakashi for confirmation.

Kakashi could feel the erratic rhythm of his heart and could focus on nothing else. Sakura was so close… There was a plan in place, he knew, but he was finding it difficult to think rationally. What he wanted was to smash through the earth and go after the woman he loved–plan or no plan.

"The original plan," Gaara began, "was a contingency plan. Sakura was meant to gather Intel on Sumire's army so that when it came time to make the exchange we knew what we would be up against," Gaara paused. "However, if Hinata-san says their numbers are small, then perhaps there is no need to wait. We have an advantage this way–she won't be expecting us."

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest as one corner of his mouth pinched. "What about my plan? Sending Sai in as a shadow clone will work, I just know it!"

"Naruto, I don't think we have need of that," Gaara said, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It was a good idea, but, we've got the Byakugan."

"Right." Naruto narrowed his eyes and tried not to pout. Hinata shrugged and shot him a look of sympathy.

"You're not going anywhere," Temari said to Gaara. "You're the Kazekage. Your people need you. Going down in the tunnels is an unnecessary risk. We can handle this."

Sasuke snickered. "You three are the most stubborn-assed ninja I've ever met, and I had Naruto and Sakura on my team."

"No arguing with that." Kankuro shrugged.

"Sai," Gaara said, ignoring them all, "do you think you can send two of your birds to my forces guarding the other entrances? Let them know that we're going in, and maybe get a note to Sakura to let her know the plan has changed."

"Of course," Sai said, bowing respectfully.

"Sasuke, call your backup squad. Kill if you must, but I prefer to get Sakura and get out. We'll deal with Sumire and her army later." Gaara nodded once. "Let's move."

~/~

After Sakura exited the bathroom, her guard hit her with yet another dose of sedatives. This one didn't seem to possess hallucinating traits, which Sakura was grateful for, but she was getting damn tired of being strapped to a chair. She remembered the conversation that she and Kakashi shared right before she marched off into the Suna desert to trade herself for Temari. He told her that if he could bind her to a chair and prevent her from going he would… Ironic that her captive state ended up (in a roundabout way) fulfilling his wishes.

Sakura's eyelids fluttered as her head lulled against her shoulders. She didn't want to sleep; she was so tired of sleeping and losing track of time, but she couldn't fight against the drugs without chakra… Just as her head fell forward against her chest, Sakura heard a loud, earth-shattering boom. The earth-made walls shook around her, dust and debris falling from the ceiling. There was commotion outside her doors; people were on the move, and she could hear an array of voices as orders were barked out.

Was there an earthquake? Her head rolled against her shoulder as she strained to see the shadows dancing under her doorway; movement flickered in the glow of the torchlights. The familiar, sharp sound of weapons clashing rang in Sakura's ears. She thought she saw the light shift from amber to electric-blue. Her door was pulled from its hinges, and the man standing in the doorway was backlit by the lightning glow of his Chidori. Even without it, she'd know the shape of his silhouette anywhere. Seeing him filled her chest with warmth and her core with absolute relief. She tried to smile, but her muscles were no longer under her control.

"Ka-Ka-Shi…" she breathed his name in broken parts. In an instant he was kneeling in front of her, rough fingertips sliding over the curve of her cheek until they slipped through her hair, supporting the weight of her head at her nape.

"Sakura, can you hear me?" His hitai-ate was pushed up on his forehead so Sakura could see both his mismatched eyes. Even in the dim lighting, Sakura could see that his eyes were bloodshot and underscored by dark shadows. His brows contorted heavily, creasing the space between them as he examined her.

Sakura nodded. "Y-You shouldn't… be here."

"I'm going to get you out of here," Kakashi told her. "You're going to be all right. I just need you to hold on a little longer."

"'Kay," she murmured as Kakashi began undoing her bindings. She relaxed as his familiar scent tangled through her nostrils, and slumped forward when her hands were free from their bonds. Her head hit his shoulder as he scooped her up from the chair, and her legs dangled over his arms as he cradled her listless body against his chest. Sakura closed her eyes as her face nuzzled in the crook of his neck, her lips brushing against the outer edges of his mask.

There was still so much going on around her–voices that were shouting, dust and debris that continued to fall from the ceiling and surround them in a plume of smoke. Sakura vaguely thought she heard Naruto's voice in the mix as Kakashi ran out into the hallway. She opened her eyes, watching as he threw a shuriken that buried itself in the dead-center of an enemy nin's spine. The man hit his knees and collapsed to the ground as Kakashi tossed a kunai to Sasuke, who after catching it, plunged the blade into another's neck. Sakura could see the spray of blood from the man's carotid, watched as it peppered one half of Sasuke's face.

Kakashi drew his sword from the holster on his back, blocking an attack as a man rushed at them full force with a curved blade that gleamed in the torchlight. Sakura felt the vibration of the metal rattling her bones, but she was useless to do anything to help. She was a hindrance, and she couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to Kakashi or her friends because of her. "Put me down," she managed to choke out against Kakashi's neck.

"No chance in hell," Kakashi grunted as he plunged his blade into their attacker's belly.

Tenzo appeared at their side and a wooden wall sprung up from the ground, blocking their enemies from advancing. "I'll hold them off, the rest of you need to get above ground, now," he commanded.

"Let's go!" Naruto yelled behind them and the rest of their comrades came running from the shadows.

"Did you find Sumire?" Kakashi asked as the group jumped from the tunnels and landed on top of the desert floor.

"No," Naruto replied. "But we'll get her next time."

Next time, Sakura thought dismally. Gods, how she just wanted this nightmare to end. She wanted to be at home in Konoha, doing mundane shifts at the hospital that she would never complain about so long as she lived. She wanted to curl up on her couch with a good book and a hot cup of tea, and fall asleep with her head on Kakashi's shoulder. She wanted to tell him how she felt about him–to never let him out of her sight… But they were ninja, and no such luxuries were permitted to those who chose to serve their country. Not for long, anyway.

Sakura couldn't fight against the pull of the sedatives in her system any longer. She couldn't even lift her arms to tighten them around Kakashi's neck. Her mind blocked out the sound of her companions walking beside her, and soon Sakura was lured into sleep by the gentle sway of Kakashi's embrace. For now, they were all safe, and she could take comfort in that.

~/~

Sakura awoke to the sound of mechanical beeping and bright light that bled through the backs of her eyelids. She tried to move, but there was a heavy weight against her chest, pinning her in place against soft fabric. A familiar scent hit her then, and she blinked her eyelids to the bright lights of her hospital room and looked down to find that a thick head of silver hair was resting on her chest. Kakashi was lying alongside her body with his long legs hanging off the end of her bed. His right arm was draped across her waist, his knee slightly bent to rest over her shin.

A weight seemed to lift from Sakura's shoulders as her eyes burned hot with tears. She fished her fingers through the silken strands of Kakashi's unruly hair, sniffling back the wave of raw emotion that shook her at his sight. He was here with her, and he was in her arms. Sakura tilted her head back on the pillows, thanking whatever gods were listening, and traced Kakashi's visible eyebrow with the edge of her thumb. He was out cold, breathing deeply and evenly as Sakura continued to stroke what was visible of his face. He was still wearing his gear, though his flak jacket and hitai-ate were draped over the back of a chair beside her bed.

Another scan around the room told her that they weren't alone. Sakura spotted Hinata curled up on a small couch, a blanket was draped over her lap and she held a steaming mug between her hands. "H-Hinata," Sakura said in a startled tone. She looked down at the sleeping nin and the small bed in which the pair occupied and then glanced sheepishly back at Hinata. Sakura could feel color burning in her cheeks, but her onyx-haired friend only smiled at her.

"Don't worry, Sakura. I won't tell a soul." She grinned even bigger. "I've been keeping the others out of your room so they wouldn't see… Not to say that you'd be embarrassed or anything, I just figured you would want to tell people in your own time. You know… if there's something going on between you and Kakashi. I mean… there is something going on, right?"

Sakura giggled, shaking her head in disbelief as her fingers raked another path through Kakashi's hair. "We haven't talked about it yet," Sakura told her friend. "Kakashi isn't exactly a natural when it comes to verbal discussions."

"I've noticed." Hinata pressed her mouth together in a closed-lip smile. "Though in his case, actions speak louder than words… He hasn't left your side since you were admitted. Gaara even tried to have one of his assistants wheel in a spare bed, but Kakashi refused to take it. Apparently, he hasn't slept a wink since you've been gone and was using soldier pills to keep himself energized. I guess he finally crashed."

Sakura sighed heavily, though she couldn't say she was surprised. "How long have I been out?"

"Sixteen hours," Hinata said. "I figured it would be good for you to have a friend around when you woke up, and considering Kakashi is out like a light, I figured you'd probably prefer that friend to be me."

"Thank you," Sakura said. "I can't imagine what the boys would think if they saw this… Not that I care, but, I would like to talk to Kakashi about this before it becomes public knowledge."

"I will admit I was surprised at first… but then I started thinking about everything you two have been through together, and it just sort of makes sense. I can't think of anyone more perfect for you."

Sakura smiled, gazing down at the man beside her. "He's all I want, Hinata… Maybe that's crazy, but, he's… everything to me."

"Ah," Hinata said, giggling a little. "You're already in love with him."

Sakura wasn't going to deny it. She trusted Hinata to keep her secret, and it felt good to finally share with someone in her inner circle just how much she cared for Kakashi and to have their approval–not that it would sway her feelings one way or another, but it was a comfort to know at least one of her friends understood what he meant to her.

"So," Hinata continued after a beat, "have you seen him without the mask?"

A fresh wave of color stained Sakura's cheeks. "Let's just say I'd be fighting off a lot more than just enemy nin if Kakashi ever decided he wasn't going to keep his face covered… He's incredibly sexy."

Hinata stifled a giggle with her hand. "Well, consider me jealous then."

"How long has he been like this?" Sakura asked. Her leg was numb from where his knee was pressing into hers, but she wasn't about to move. Sakura didn't want to have any part of him drawn away from her.

"I'd say probably about ten hours or so. He was so worried about you. He wouldn't even sit down until the doctors said your vitals were climbing back to a normal level. You were really dehydrated."

Sakura nodded. "What happened in the tunnels? I know our friends made it out safe, but what about Sumire's army?"

"Well," Hinata said, placing her mug on the little wooden stand beside the couch, "they're basically nonexistent now. Naruto and Sasuke were able to take Sumire and a few of her right-hand men captive. They're being held at the palace. Gaara wanted to talk with you before they hand out a sentence since technically, Sumire is a Konoha fugitive."

Sakura nodded, dragging her teeth across the cracked skin of her bottom lip. "She's so young and terribly misguided," Sakura said. "She broke a lot of laws. She'll have to answer for them."

"Funny…" Hinata commented. "You don't sound too happy about that."

"I'd be lying if I said her situation didn't sadden me," Sakura told her friend. "She's lost everything that ever meant anything to her and she blames Konoha. Her actions were wrong but they were made out of anger and pain." Sakura was looking at Kakashi as she said all this, stroking his hair as her chest welled with tightness. "Maybe she deserves a second chance."

Hinata was quiet for a moment before responding, "Maybe." She rose from the couch, stretching her arms above her head as she yawned. "I'll go find a doctor and tell Gaara you're awake. I won't be particularly fast about it either," Hinata grinned, "I figure you could use a little alone time with Kakashi."

"Thank you, Hinata, and for what it's worth… I'm glad you were here when I woke up." Sakura grinned at her friend.

Hinata nodded, bowing slightly before letting herself out of the room, and softly closing the door behind her.

"So," Kakashi said in a deep tone that was groggy from sleep, "you think I'm sexy, do you?"

Sakura's lips pulled wide at the corners, fingers still intent on their path through the strands of Kakashi's hair. She'd known he'd been awake for a while now, listening to her and Hinata's conversation. "You're simply unbelievable, Hatake Kakashi," Sakura said at the turn of an eye roll she knew he couldn't see.

"How so?"

"Feigning sleep to spy on a woman's conversation–that's low, even for you," she teased him.

"You didn't answer my question," he persisted.

"Yes, Kakashi-kun, I think you're sexy."

Kakashi shifted, drawing up on his elbows as he hovered above her face, fingertips tracing the length of her jaw. He didn't have to say anything. Sakura could see the emotions swirling in his one visible eye as he looked at her. Maybe words would never come easy for him, but Sakura didn't care. She could read him like an open book when to others he was just a mystery hidden behind a mask. She knew the real him, just as he knew the real her.

Kakashi reached up to pull the mask down, and pressed his mouth to hers in confirmation. The kiss was sweet and tender, just the start of something great, Sakura thought as he drew away, lightly resting his forehead on hers. And just when she thought the moment couldn't get any more perfect, Kakashi whispered, "I'm never letting you go, Sakura-chan."

*HEARTS*

Can I just say that I love this mythical universe of make-believe. I mean, writing Kakashi as a total badass, saving Sakura and fighting off enemy ninja ONE-HANDED was just a blast to create. I adore building their relationship.

As always, thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts!

Stay tuned for more to come!

~Sparrow