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Chapter 20
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This Night Sky
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"Why? Did something happen?" I pulled the door open wider.
The light from the old lamp fell upon his whole profile now. I noticed the small bags under his eyes had grown a bit darker than the last time I saw him. The weight of his work seemed to be starting to take a toll on him. There must be something wrong.
"No." Sasuke stated calmly. "I just think you deserve to see him."
The way he stood there straight in front of me didn't show any sign of exhaust, but it was not obvious he had been working late if you would not notice the little dark circles around his eyes. I just happened to know the exact look of his face and noticed even the slightest details. And I was impressed on how he could carry himself that way.
"Did the org send you?" I asked.
"Do you really think I'd be standing here in the darkness like a creep if they did?" he recited sarcastically.
I tried to keep a straight face. I wanted to suddenly embrace him but stopped myself. I nodded. "Give me a minute."
He waited at the other side of the door as I hastily got dressed. I felt my cheeks burning as I put on a new shirt, knowing he was just there.
He didn't speak as he took me by the hand after I locked the room and we walked silently at the dark corridors. There were a few lights at the corners, but no one else was around except for the securities patrolling the grounds and the upper floors.
Sasuke led me to the second floor through the emergency stairs. He knew the building quite well. He didn't start a conversation until we arrived at a small storage room at the farthest corner of the floor. The door was left ajar and I assumed that was where he came in a couple of minutes ago.
The storage room was narrow and there were cabinets and stocks of boxes on one side, leaving a small space for us to walk to an old and dusty glass window at the end of the room. Sasuke yanked the glass window open and I could see one of the metal bars was bent, hidden under the curtains, making enough open space for someone to get through. The cold night air instantly met our faces.
It didn't surprise me at all that he knew about these things. It didn't seem like it was his first time doing this in the main headquarters. He was one of the org's top guns and yet one of its roughest offenders, too. And he seemed to know where the loopholes always were.
He pulled his way out of the window and onto a thin elevation at the edges of the building. There was a faint light coming from a nearby post outside the window. He looked around to check for security guards before turning back to me.
"Are you scared?" he said as he watched me pulled myself out of the window. He didn't lend me his hand at all as I tried to get out. I didn't mind because he knew I could do it. It was his way of showing even the slightest confidence in me.
He hopped off the elevation from the second floor and landed swiftly on his feet on the ground. I followed suit. The snow was almost gone now and the grounds were starting to show the damp grasses underneath.
I could see the flashlights from the security guards patroling the fields a good distance from us. They didn't see us as we carefully ran towards a line of trees going to the gates. There was a row of high hedges that served as the wall at the farthest corners of the buildings and at the end of the line of gates. Sasuke climbed on it and disappeared to the other side. I followed him but took a few more minutes to climb up and get myself down to the other side. I could tell he was hiding a bit of amusement seeing me climb like a dumb gorilla.
His motorbike was parked on the next block where a string of closed shops were situated. The sound of the engine of his motorbike would be well out of earshot from there.
He was supposed to be out of work tonight and should be hanging out in a vacation house or something. I stopped and gripped his hand before he could reach the motorbike.
"You're helping me despite what happened." I spoke as we stopped at the dim and silent street. He turned sideways to look at me. "Is it because of pity? I know I'm unworthy."
One of his eyebrows arched. "I told you." he spoke. "I just think you deserve to see that century-old man even under the circumstances."
He took his hand away, inserted his key to the motorbike and settled himself on it. "And the fact that I can't stop thinking about you and your idiocy. Don't make me say that again." He grunted.
He was still rather furious with me, yet he was trying not to show it much on the surface tonight. He was keeping a distance from me.
"Let's go. You can ask questions later." He said.
I settled myself behind him as he gave me his headgear. I closed my arms around him as he started the engine and we took off. I rested my head against the back of his shoulders as he drove us to the city in a fast speed. I was used to his driving now but I still got nervous of how he overtook other vehicles.
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It was no surprise that he knew where they were keeping Sarutobi. It was not actually a hospital, but a clinic that specializes in Intensive Care. It was a small three-storey building that was situated near the roads going to the hillsides.
Sasuke parked a few blocks away from the tiny building to be out of sight from the guarding rogues and staff. I moved off the bike and stood in front of him as he turned off the engine and I clutched his headgear to my side. I could hear soft cricket sounds around us. The mountainside was along the highway at the edge of the block where we were.
"Listen." I said softly. "I might not get a good chance again so I just want to say thank you."
That caught his attention and he stopped moving for a second, as if he had just gone deaf. And then he moved off the vehicle and dropped the keys inside his pocket.
"You haven't even seen him and you're already thanking me. What makes you so sure I wasn't lying?"
"By the way you told me at the headquarter."
He did not look me in the eyes.
"I know you're still angry with me, but I just want to say thank you. That's all." I said.
"You know what I don't understand?" he said in a bothered tone, turning his eyes back to me. "Why do you keep on listening to that prick? Do you think I kept my mouth shut just because I'm under the org?"
I did not reply. I expected he'd bring Sasori up again. He looked at me with those eyes which held the same expression I saw the last time we met. It was as if a part of him had been betrayed.
"It's not about you or Sasori." I said.
He dismissed my response and just started walking towards the clinic a block away, giving me the cold shoulder again. I thought we had some catching up to do, but he plainly shrugged it off. A part of me wanted to know what he had been doing lately. And why he was with that celebrity Karin again. Why he had been seeing her, according to those irritating reports. I could not yet find the right time to bring this thing up. He was trying not to get annoyed, I noticed. I could only see the back of his head as I let him lead me to the back of the building without uttering another word.
There was an alley there with a light post and at the far corner was a back door. I could see someone keeping the back entrance under surveillance, standing beside the door. The figure was not hard to guess who.
Sasuke discreetly approached the alley, showing himself to the lookout.
"Uchiha." Rock Lee squinted at him under the light over the door. He was wearing a russet long sleeved shirt and a brown vest. "What're you doing here? I'm already the reliever for this post tonight. The guild will be sending another rogue to accompany me in an hour."
"We'll just be passing through." Sasauke spoke, standing beside him and facing the door.
Rock Lee saw me then as I was cautiously stepping out of the corner a few steps behind Sasuke. I tried to give a small smile. And his already big eyes widened even more.
"What do you think you're doing here?" he whispered. His face looked torn between anxiety and panic. He just started fidgeting. "Is this what I think it is?"
"Ohayou, Lee." I said in a low voice, feeling a little embarrassed as I raised a hand to say hello.
"Sakura-chan." He gave an anxious smile. I knew he was glad to see me but he knew I should not be there. "I didn't expect you. Are you off the probation time?"
"Well… actually—"
"She'll just see the old Commander in a minute. We'll be gone before you know it." Sasuke said.
"Are you crazy? You stole her away from the guild, didn't you?" Rock Lee gasped, his hands twitching. "You can't just show up here and march in!" He hissed, trying to keep his voice like a mere whisper even if he wanted to shout at Sasuke so badly now.
"We'll just be quick. As if nothing happened." Sasuke said, still looking untroubled as if he was doing nothing wrong at all.
"You know very well no visitors are allowed in anymore!" Lee murmured in aggravation.
"The more good chance we have of not getting caught."
"There's a dozen rogues inside, you idiot. They're not stupid."
Sasuke breathed in to keep himself still.
"You would do the same if you were in my position." He muttered. "You know that."
Rock Lee watched him with his round eyes for a moment. Perhaps debating with himself. He looked at me behind Sasuke. He rested his knuckles on the sides of his hips and exhaled with a tiny noise.
"Okay, I'll give you five minutes. If you're still not out by then, I'll drag you out here myself." He said, mainly to Sasuke.
Sasuke merely smirked. "It's a bet."
Rock Lee opened the door and stepped aside as Sasuke soundlessly walked in and I trotted behind.
"Thank you, Lee." I said once I came face to face with him.
"Just FIVE minutes." He said before we went out of sight behind the door.
We walked along the empty hallway and Sasuke stopped before we reached the edge of the last wall. We could hear voices at the corner ahead, just before the flight of stairs.
He turned to me. "Sarutobi is on the third floor. The second door to the last and one of the rooms without a room label. I'll talk to the guys and get their attention for a minute. The emergency stairs is on the right corner just up ahead. Do me a favor and don't get your ass seen."
I nodded. And then he strode towards the center of the hallway where I heard two male voices greeting him, sounding a bit surprised. I made sure their backs were turned to me before I jogged to the emergency stairs and headed straight for the third floor. There was one rogue scouting the corridors of the third floor, aside from the night-shift nurses passing by. I had to hide myself at the corners to avoid being seen.
Finding my grandfather's room would have taken me more time if Sasuke had not described me his location. I thought they made his room look unobvious. There were a few unlabeled doors there and his room was the second door I had opened to check.
The room was very still the moment I entered in. There was a small headboard light at the corner which was turned on and he was sleeping on the bed. I approached Sarutobi's still body and watched as he slept there with an oxygen mask. He was breathing steadily. Aside from the lump of bandages across his chest, there was no other visible wound on his body.
I placed my hand on his and squeezed it gently. It was warm so it was a good sign. I'd never seen him unconscious like this in my life.
"Konbawa, Ojii-san." I whispered as I watched his unmoving face. He looked like he was just sleeping. He had been confined for a week now. "I hope you're recovering fast. I'm sorry this happened."
I noticed the fresh flowers on his bedside table and knew they were from my parents. I was missing them a lot that night. I fought my tears and sat down on the cold floor, leaning my back against the side of his bed, hiding me from the view of the door. No one would see me there if someone would peek in and check.
"I was careless. You wouldn't be here if I wasn't being so stubborn." I whispered to him as I stared blankly at my feet.
I sat there soundlessly for a minute, just pondering. I wanted to look after him tonight. Not only was I dismayed about myself, but I had started to detest Orochimaru as well. I was frustrated about everything that was going on… My penalty. The demi-humans. The organization and the guild. Everything were clashing together.
Minutes ticked by and I soon heard the door cautiously opened. I kept my head bowed low so I would not be seen at the other side of the bed.
"Time's up." It was Sasuke's voice. He walked to the edge of the bed and looked down at me on the floor, his hands tucked in the pockets of his jeans.
I did not move and only leaned my back against the bed with my shoulders slumped, still prolonging the short time.
"He's going to make it, right?" I asked without looking at him.
"I'm not a doctor." he uttered.
I smiled waywardly at nothing in particular. After a moment of silence, I turned to him. He just stood there, watching and waiting for me without a sound. Normally he would become impatient, but he was composed that night.
"How's Naruto? Is he also here?" I remembered.
"He's on the second floor. He was knocked on the head during the assignment but he's awake now and his wound is healing. I'm guessing he'll be discharged by tomorrow." He said. "He kept complaining about the food. I wanted to tranquilize him just to shut him up."
"That's good."
"We should already be going, nerd." Sasuke said in an even tone.
"Can't we just stay for five more minutes?"
He started swearing and I couldn't even hear the words properly.
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Tsunade sat at her desk, drumming her fingers as she looked at the reports scattered over her polished table. An empty mug of coffee, a bottle of wine and a stack of cards rested at the side of the table, beside the mess of papers.
It was late and her head was starting to spin due to the late nights of field work and the papers she had to read. She refused to admit that it had something to do about her drinking, too.
It was late in the evening and she was still there in her office in Konoha Academy. This was not an unusual scene. Konoha did not actually follow the regular hours of schooling when it came to the faculty staff. The buildings were hushed at this time and the stillness could be bothersome for a person who did not like working until midnight. But Tsunade was not truly bothered by this. She could not even remember the last time she fell asleep early.
The school was closed and no student was there anymore. She was the only one there in that area, aside from Shizune and Ebisu, who were just waiting for her downstairs to finish.
She was about to sign one last paper when she felt the building suddenly vibrated. There was an explosion just outside.
It sounded like a grenade.
She turned her chair around to look out the gigantic window behind her and saw smoke and fire coming from one of the farthest building. It was glowing in the dark night. She unawarely gripped the pen she was holding tightly and it snapped into two.
Then multiple explosions instantly erupted around the property and the building shook again, sending small dusts down to the floor from the ceiling, tainting her red robes and the top of her blonde head.
The academy was being attacked.
She cursed.
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Sasuke's mobile phone started ringing.
He took it out of his pockets and saw the caller. "What does Kakashi want?" he grumbled.
He pressed a button and put it on his ear as he moved to the corner to talk and I watched him. I could hear Kakashi's voice from the phone. He was yelling. It sounded urgent.
I kept silent, then I heard Sasuke abruptly cursed.
"Konoha? Right now?" he gritted his teeth as he spoke on the phone. He suddenly looked upset and tensed. "Who else is there?"
I felt something was wrong. I could see it from the way he was unexpectedly behaving.
"No, I'm in the—" he had second thoughts of answering. "I can be there in ten minutes. Give me some weapons once there."
He hung up the phone and looked at me with an uptight face. I stood up from the floor.
"What is it?"
"They've done it." Sasuke spoke in a low voice, gripping the phone firmly on his side. "They've attacked the academy."
"What?"
At that precise moment, the door of the room swung open and Rock Lee hurriedly came in. There were sweats on the side of his distressed face. He looked like he had ran all the way from the back door to where we were. Two other men marched in behind him and saw us.
"What's the meaning of this?" One of the older men demanded, seeing me there in the room.
"I just got a call from Gai-sensei!" Rock Lee said tensely to Sasuke, ignoring the older men behind him. "The demi-humans are attacking the school! We need to leave right now! They need us there!"
"I've already spoken with Kakashi. You'll stay here and guard the building and I'll go to the school with Chouji and the other three rogues downstairs. We'll need someone to guard this place." Sasuke said. He turned to me. "Sakura's here. She can help you keep look out."
Lee nodded.
"What makes you think you boys gets to decide on these things?" One of the senior rogues said in annoyance. "You have the nerve of entering this room!"
Sasuke and Rock Lee were, after all, just mere rogue students.
"Do whatever you want, but we'll do our orders." Sasuke said to him. He looked at me one more time. "Don't do anything stupid." His face slowly turned softer, his glare disappearing for a quick second. "I'll see you."
And the next thing I knew he was out of the room before I could even say good bye. He was off with his duties just like that. I would have wanted to say a proper 'thank you' but his time had ran out again. I was only able to see his back for the last time, not knowing what the situation would be the next time we would meet after this. He moved fast and I was left standing there with Rock Lee as the two other rogues followed him out and argued with him. They did not make a big deal out of me being illegally there now. They looked angrier with Sasuke's brash actions.
From what I had calculated, the guild and organization were lacking of recruits tonight. Some of them were even still injured after the last mission during the Lantern Festival. I had started thinking about Ino and some of my other friends in the organization. Where were they? Would they be safe?
Lee stood there for a while and waited until his comrades left. He looked flustered and worried.
His head turned to me. "We'll be guarding this place tonight, Sakura-chan. I have a feeling this is going to be a long night."
"How can they attack the academy?"
I could not even imagine chaos and blood spilling out in Konoha. I knew it was one of the top properties that was taking risks for the government, but it was for the young ones. It was not a place for war. It was too refined and memorable. And even if they crush it, the organization would always find somewhere to start over again.
"Gai-sensei said the demi-humans have detonated explosives in the campus. They're on their way there to save what's left." Rock Lee said, looking out the window and at the night sky. "The demi-humans have come. Aside from crushing the bases, I think they're looking for the org and guild heads. Among them is lady Tsunade and Sarutobi-sama."
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(To be continued.)