Chapter 9:
Seven of Pentacles
It reaffirms your long-term vision and helps to show that you are not confined to only seeing short term results.
Upright: hard work, perseverance, diligence
Reverse: Lacking results, distractions
Her feet just barely hit the familiar marble flooring of the academy before Sakura begins running. She berates herself for always being in this situation. One step forward with Sasuke then a million steps backward. For all her time at the academy, facing strange and sometimes dangerous circumstances, she's still not brave enough to face her Match's past.
"No, Sasuke, please don't kill me!"
The voice echoes in her mind and she knows who it belongs to. She wants to convince herself that it was just an echo from another nightmare, but the pit in her stomach is all the reassurance she needs. That voice had been real at one point in time. It was from a memory, locked deep within Sasuke's mind.
An accident.
That's what everybody told her happened that fateful night that Karin lost her life, but after hearing her scream and her final words, Sakura knows that there has to be so much more to the story. The nightmares, hers and Sasuke's, what if they truly are a warning of what is to come?
An accident.
What would have pushed Sasuke to murder Karin? Surely the professors would have noticed if some sort of tension had been building within a student. Surely, they wouldn't allow him to remain here if he truly did murder his former partner, let alone allow him to Match again. Right?
Sakura's heart rate accelerates, both from her sprint through the corridors and the panic that bubbles within her. Her steps falter as she turns a corner to face the large dining hall.
While the academy isn't massive, the large room still must accommodate the hundred-plus magicians residing within its walls. The ceiling arches, adorned with white brick, with small alcoves nestled periodically along the walls. A massive chandelier hangs over the singular banquet table that stretches from one end of the room to the other. Warmly glowing light from multiple small bulbs dangle from the end of tendrils that resemble the stretching roots of a grand tree, the brightness of it makes it easy to forget that the great room actually rests below the ground floor.
Sakura's subconscious must have brought her here, needing to do something to distract her from what just occurred. Spying the back of Sai's head, she walks towards him, trying to appear calmer to the scattering of students eating a late dinner.
"Where's Ino?" she questions, feeling bad for how harsh her tone comes out.
"Sakura?" Sai questions, concern evident on his face. "Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost. You're trembling."
"I'm fine," she tries not to snap, "I just really need to talk to Ino."
He stares at her a moment longer, debating whether he should question her more, but the urgency on her face forces him to relent as he gestures towards one of the alcoves where the food lines reside.
Sakura nods in thanks before rushing away. There, retrieving a drink from one of the refrigerators, she finds her blonde roommate.
"We need to talk."
"Sakura?" Ino's confusion is quickly replaced with a wicked grin as she notices the other girl's frazzled state. "I knew it would work!" She shouts in victory.
"Now Ino!" Sakura snaps, her anxiousness about everything forcing her patience to wear thin.
Ino's smile drops, but she quickly leads Sakura out of the dining room, leaving her water bottle behind. "Okay," she begins, "What's going on?"
"What the hell, Ino!" Sakura yells, "Do you realize what you've done?"
"Oh, relax Sakura," she brushes the pink-haired girl's dramatics off. "It was a harmless hex."
"Harmless!" Sakura snaps, "You forced us to…" she struggles, trying to find the right word but fails. "…you know!"
"Oh please," Ino snorts, "I didn't force you two to do anything, it was a simple amplifier spell. I wouldn't have worked if either of you didn't want it to."
Sakura's at a loss for words. An amplifier can only build upon emotions that are already there, not create new ones. That means that the fact they ended up in such a compromising position requires her to have a deeper level of feelings for Sasuke than she's ready to admit… wait… that means that Sasuke also has some sort of desire for her. Her heartbeat continues to thud loudly in her ear.
No, that can't be right, she mulls over the information, trying to make sense of it all. He can't stand me, he doesn't want me as a Match. This can't be right.
She feels a headache coming on as
"Seems Sasuke Uchiha has some repressed feelings for you," she continues, ignoring Sakura's silence. "The two of you needed something to break all of that sexual tension that practically oozes off your bond."
"That's not funny Ino," Sakura huffs, still annoyed. She knows that some of her anger is misdirected, but she feels too overwhelmed right now. She pinches the bridge of her nose, trying to soothe the throbbing ache building there. "I can't face him again."
Sakura feels a hand rub her back and knows Ino's trying to comfort her. "It can't have been that bad. I didn't realize it would make you this angry," her roommate's tone is somber, "I'm sorry."
Sakura can tell that the other girl means it. "It's not just the hex," She wants to tell her about what she heard but she knows that Ino is already hesitant when it comes to Sasuke. Her reaction when Sakura told her who she Matched with was enough to know that Sasuke makes Ino nervous. Sakura changes her mind, she can't tell Ino about this, who knows how she'll react. "Never mind, I just need to go to bed."
She shrugs away from her roommate and exits the dining room, trying to stifle the unease clawing up her throat. She'll just have to figure this out on her own.
His mind races, thoughts of her rushing through. It's been weeks since the incident with the teleportation spell, but it feels as if it was only yesterday.
He didn't mean to pry into her mind, but after everything that happened – Itachi's name, the kiss, his childhood home – curiosity got the better of him. He wanted to know what she was thinking about all that just occurred and now he only has himself to blame for the nagging thoughts that keep him up at night. She's like a lost puppy, confused and anxious, she's worried about him and their bond. She's scared that she's not strong enough, but more than that she resonates with his pain on a level he didn't expect.
She's lost somebody before.
He doesn't know who or how they died, but he saw a level of understanding from her he didn't expect. She realizes his pain of losing loved ones because it happened to her too. Of course, she still doesn't know the whole story, but he's coming to realize that there's a lot more to his Match than pink hair and a sharp tongue.
He rolls onto his back in bed, trying to force his eyes open. He knows he's sleep-deprived, having been supplementing his body on enchantments and caffeine pills to keep from falling asleep. Avoiding the nightmares is starting to take a toll.
It's not that he's had a complete change of heart when it comes to a partnership, but when he finally merged their energy, truly allowed their magic to Match, he felt what it was like to be one again. The warmth, the power, it was so much stronger than anything he had felt when Karin was still alive, but the echo of familiarity was there.
What short amount of time it took to teleport them back he connected with Sakura enough that the actions in his nightmare have started to physically hurt him. Every shake, stab and strangle he deals to Sakura, he's begun feeling back in turn. Just like when… no!
He just needs to stay awake.
Sasuke reaches for the potion flask on his desk only to realize he drained the last of its putrid contents last night. He lets out a frustrated sigh. The concoction was simple enough to make with a mixture of mashed roots and dried peppers, but the ingredient storage clerk is sure to mention his gathering of energizing potion components for the tenth time in a month to one of the professors.
Tsunade will interrogate him again.
His eyelids threaten to droop shut and Sasuke knows he needs to do something other than lie in his room. Throwing on some clothes, he hopes a stroll around the academy will keep his inevitable unconsciousness at bay.
Tonight was the night. Everything was in place and Sakura had spent all day hyping herself up. With a deep breath she closes her eyes and pictures the white feather in the bowl in front of her floating out of the water it finds itself submerged in. She visualizes it drifting out, droplets of water 'plicking' back down into the liquid-filled slate below.
Ever since the incident all those nights ago, Sasuke's been MIA. With the professors suddenly becoming busy with other things, private lessons have ended and after hearing Karin's haunting voice, Sakura hasn't exactly been eager to seek her Match out.
You know nothing.
With her newfound free time, Sakura was more determined than ever to prove her Match wrong, even though her research on the Kyuubi and magical seals had come to a standstill.
She thought she found a new lead when she realized Sai's painting of her moved just like the seal in that book.
"How do you get the ink to move like that?" she had asked one time when they were hanging out in his room after class. She loved his room; his art graced every surface. All manner of birds, landscapes, and people moved and swayed as if they were alive. While they looked beautiful, she was curious if it could be linked to the hypnotizing seal she had seen in the mysterious book all that time ago.
"It's really just a simple enchantment," Sai swirled some ink onto a canvas, blowing on the steady lines until they shifted back and forth, a fluid movement. "I can teach you if you'd like."
"That's okay," Sakura responded, disheartened. "I'm no good at art anyways."
After that day she reached another dead end on what she hoped was a promising lead. There was Naruto, but he didn't seem to know much about the seal either. She's visited him a couple of times since that first night, but never for very long. She finds the boy easy to talk to, his happy smile and optimistic attitude is a definite contrast to her moody Match. Which reminds her, she promised to visit at least one more time before the Soul Baring. She'll have to go tomorrow, right now, she's otherwise occupied.
After the night with the ribbon, a realization had given her another way to spend her time other than scavenging the academy library for the umpteenth time looking for that damned book.
Sasuke teleported on his own. Yes, it had seemed to take a lot out of him, but he still did a typical partner spell alone and without any mediums. If he can do it, so can she.
Teleportation is a more challenging spell for her to start with, but it also seems to be the most practical. What makes it difficult for Sakura, however, is the fact that it's not a simple incantation and burning of some incense. The teleportation spell is one of visualization and willful thinking. While the materials set the scene, her mind's eye must manipulate them in a way that opens the door for her physical body to travel across the room. While she's able to imagine the feather lifting from the water, she's yet to actually teleport to the sky-blue candle on the opposing side of the room.
Countless nights she has spent in this chamber, eyes shut as she wills the ritual into being. On more than one occasion she has accidentally drifted off to sleep, but tonight feels different. It's almost as if she senses palpable energy buzzing around her, cheering her on.
The pooling wax seems to be taunting her as if every centimeter the candle shortens is a testament to her failure. Determination washes over her, she will do this. Closing her eyes once again, she begins setting the scene. The water, appearing black in the dark bowl, ripples. The feather – little more than a crumpled moist glob – rises to the top.
Sakura opens her eyes to find the candle has replaced the bowl of water directly in front of her, a perfectly dry feather resting within her open palm, and partially smudge rune of chalk surrounding her. She lets out a startled gasp as she notices the bowl yards away from her.
She's done it! Jolting to her feet, she lets out a giddy squeal of delight. It was so different than when Sasuke had done it the other day. She hadn't even felt herself move.
She realizes that she's begun celebrating too soon when suddenly her ears pound with rushing fluid as she feels herself lurch. The last thing she sees is the marble flooring rapidly approaching as she blacks out.
The quiet halls of the academy dance tonight. An unusually cool breeze has graced the summer night, the windows have been left open causing the paintings on the walls and ajar doors to rustle with activity. Sasuke finds it comforting for the usually quiet corridors to be filled with gentle noises.
Though he is still fighting to keep his eyelids open, the walk has definitely helped. He's circumnavigated the entirety of the academy three times now and once again finds himself passing the ritual rooms above the dormitories. Most are empty, but a singular black door is shut tight, the flickering of candlelight visible beneath it. The practitioner occupying it must be having a late-night as it has remained that way since his first passing.
He knows the feeling, having spent many a night perfecting certain spells or incantations. There's just something about the night sprinkled with moonlight that made one feel more in tune with their power.
Just as he is about to descend the stairway to the lower level, the breeze picks up and pushes that dark door open. Curious, he turns away from the stairs to the previously sealed practice room. Nudging the wood with his foot, he widens the crack further.
The practice room is dim, a singular flame from a candle casting bouncing shadows around the black marble walls. Sasuke isn't even surprised to find his Match lying upon the ground, her pink hair taking on a purplish hue from the moonlight seeping through the skylight. When Sasuke eyes the feather laying in her half-open palm, it's obvious what she was doing.
A small smile plays upon his lips, so this is what the girl has been up to all these weeks. Judging by her unconscious form and her position within a series of chalked runes, he can tell she was successful in attempting to teleport independently. The movement must have been what pushed the chamber door open.
Squatting beside her, he presses a hand to her forehead, beaded with sweat from exertion. He feels some of his power flow into her, the worried expression on Sakura's face relaxing at the contact. Seeing her there, he realizes how vulnerable she is to this word. Powerful, no doubt, but she's still a stranger to the complicated world of magic, even now he can feel the fear within her.
They say distance makes the heart grow fonder and in the weeks that have passed without seeing the annoying girl, he's come to realize the strange feeling that's taken root within him. It's the very reason why he's wandering the halls instead of sleeping, he wants to protect her. As he gathers the unconscious girl in his arms – shifting to support her knees and cradling her shoulders – he realizes that he no longer has the heart to involve her in his plans, to use her for his own gain.
He carries her down the stairway to the room he knows she shares with that Yamanaka girl. Nudging the door open he sees blue eyes peer up at him from the occupied bed.
"Glad to see my ribbon worked," the blonde girl whispers, voice rough from sleep.
Sasuke doesn't respond, just sets Sakura in her bed. He brushes back some of the soft locks of hair that got caught in her eyelashes, giving her another burst of his power to prevent a headache in the morning.
"I hope you're ready for next week," Ino tries to make conversation again, "I know she's nervous. Just know that if you do anything to hurt her, you'll have hell to pay."
Sasuke tenses slightly at the mention of their Soul Baring. He turns to leave the room, trying not to dwell on what the ritual entails. Sakura's spirit, her attitude, something about it has ignited a spark within him, he wants to prevent his mistakes of the past. He won't let her end up like Karin, even if it's the last thing he does. If he intends on going forward with his plan, he knows that he'll have to do it alone.
"They're not ready yet," the headmistress states feeling like she's had this conversation a million times already.
"What do you mean?" Jiraiya asks, "Sasuke's birthday is in five days." He lounges across from her, a leg propped up on Tsunade's desk irritating to come off of her in waves.
"I mean that with having to figure out everything else going on and cancel their lessons, there's no possible way they are where they need to be." She rests her forehead on the desk, once again stumped by the situation unfolding around them. "Hurricanes, wildfires, drought," she ticks each word off on her fingers. "Something is out of balance in the world and these two are just adding to the strangeness."
The magical world is woven within everything and the fact that so many disasters have been occurring at the same time worries Tsunade. She knows that He has been fighting for a resurgence and the fact of the matter is that these omens are telling of something big to come.
"Some bad weather doesn't change years of tradition," Orochimaru chimes in from the doorway.
"He's right," Jiraiya agrees.
Tsunade wants to throw something. How could they really not see what big of a deal this is? Is she really just overreacting? No, she is Hokage, not them. She earned this position with her own power and leadership skills, she needs to trust her instincts.
Jiraiya grasps his Match's hand, sensing her anger. "You can't control what's happening in the rest of the world, but you can work with what you have right here at the academy," he adds. "So, Headmistress, what would you like to do about the Soul Baring?"
"So…" the word is drawn out, the speaker unsure of what to say next.
"Don't say it like that!" Sakura exclaims, a blush burning on her face. She stares at her own reflection in the shallow water, not wanting to meet Naruto's face after explaining the Soul Baring ritual to him. Though she's come to love her friends at the academy, something is comforting about speaking with Naruto. He knows bits and pieces of the magical world, but for the most part, he's about as lost as she is. She can speak candidly without feel like somebody's going to correct her. Naruto just listens and takes it all in stride, which she appreciates.
"Okay, but you have to admit it's weird," Naruto begins, "After all, you just said Sasuke's been skipping classes so you haven't really seen him in weeks, and now you have to 'bare your soul' to him?"
"It's tradition," Sakura responds, unease rising in her. Naruto's right, she hasn't seen Sasuke in a while and they're supposed to just, for lack of a better word, magically form this intimate bond.
Sasuke, please don't kill me!
She shakes her head, trying to shake the voice away. She still hasn't told anybody about that night, she's worried that voicing it aloud makes it more real, like as long as she doesn't tell anybody she can pretend the voice was just a figment of her imagination.
"To be honest Naruto," the young magician takes a deep breath, "I don't know if I'm ready. During the ritual, I see everything that's ever happened in his life." Marble slabs and etched names crawl through her mind. "He has such a dark past," Please don't kill me! "I think I'm scared of him."
Sakura hugs her knees to herself, the golden water sloshing around her with the movement. Tears sting the back of her eyes.
"Hey, Sakura, don't cry," Naruto starts, seeing her obvious distress. "You said that the old lady herself has been overseeing your guys' progress." He sets a hand on one of the bars to make up for not being able to touch her. "The last thing she would do is put you in danger."
Sakura nods, she knows that's the truth and she knows that her tears won't solve anything. Being with Naruto though, she feels like she can drop the perfection act that she's been fighting to maintain since she got here. "You're a really good friend Naruto," she tells him with a smile.
The blonde beams, his brilliant smile so large that it causes his eye to squint closed. "Ah shucks, thanks Sakura, you're a good friend too. Though to be honest, you're my only friend." He chuckles as he adds that last part.
Sakura can't help but let out a giggle too, but in the back of her mind, she knows that she'll have to change that. She ponders through the options. Ino would blab, no way she could keep him a secret. Sai, well Sai would just turn around and tell Ino. Hinata? She might be a good choice, but in all honesty, Sakura has a feeling that Hinata already knows about Naruto. It certainly wouldn't hurt to make the introductions though.
"Alright," Sakura says, rising from her seat in the shallow water. "I gotta go meet up with Ino, she's helping me pick out a dress for the ceremony."
"Okay!" Naruto chirps cheerfully. "Don't forget to let me know how it goes!"
"I won't!" Sakura calls happily as she turns from the chamber but deep in her stomach nervousness begins churning.
It's time to face Sasuke again.