.
.
Chapter 11 - Real Men and Pretty Doll Eyes
.
.
[warnings: language/violence/mild suggestive content]
Sakura wakes up to the sound of birds and the first rays of light. She blinks, a hand rubbing the back of her sore neck. Her eyes trail to the ground, and she realizes she fell asleep seated. And then everything comes rushing back, her encounter with Orochimaru and their fight, and Sasuke's state. As if summoned by her thoughts, the black-haired boy lets out a groan of pain, and Sakura hurries to his side. Pain contorts his handsome features, and the wet towel she put on his forehead to bring the fever down is now as warm as his body temperature.
She sighs and takes the clothes off his face, deciding on brushing her hand against his forehead instead. Somehow, every time her skin comes in contact with his, Sasuke seems to relax a bit. Her fingers brush through his long, spiky hair and trail down to rest on his neck, right beside the weird symbol that took the spot of Orochimaru's fangs mark. With her thumb, she strokes the three dots. It reminds her of Sasuke's Sharingan. She doesn't know much about seals and stuff, but she spent a lot of time at the library and can recognize one when she sees it. The real question is: what did Orochimaru seal in Sasuke-kun?
She spent the night pondering on the riddles the snake-like man left behind. He said Sasuke wanted power, which is true. How he knows it, though, Sakura can only guess. Something is telling her Orochimaru has been watching them for a while, gathering information on Sasuke.
She wishes she had listened to the first part of the fight when Hana was in charge. But it is becoming harder and harder to stay awake in there. And every time Sakura comes back from that prison, she feels a little less herself and a bit more lost. This time is no exception. Even though she had to react to the situation, the aftermath of the fight left her exhausted, and she cannot tell if it is because of her chakra-enhanced punch or the effect of the mind prison on her. She will have to speak with Kakashi about it - if she ever gets out alive of her present predicament.
A quiet whimper leaves Sasuke's mouth, and her eyes dart to his face. Her heart breaks a little at the sight of big tears rolling down his cheeks. She brings a hand to his face and wipes them away with her thumb.
"Shhhhhh," she whispers in his ear before kissing his temple. "You'll be just fine." Then she empties the remnant of her water bottle on the discarded towel and applies it to his neck, right on top of his new seal. "Don't worry, Sasuke-kun. I'm here, and I'll take care of you."
Sakura stares at his pitiful state for a while longer, only detaching her eyes when his tears recede, his frown easing. Then, she sits back on her feet with a sigh and turns her gaze to the piece of paper resting at Sasuke's side.
Disappointed by the lack of information inclosed in it, Sakura threw it there at the beginning of the night. With a sigh, she picks it up again, hoping she missed something the first hundred times.
Sakura,
You don't have to write every day. It's annoying, and I never really enjoyed reading. Nothing much happened in the past few days. Naruto is still obnoxious, Sasuke is still a jerk, and I'm pretty sure Kakashi is reading porn on the job.
I learned that I really suck at healing. But Kakashi asked the nurses to give me a "break" for a while. He was afraid people would start asking questions. It didn't work, though, because people are asking questions. Sasuke, to be exact. But Kakashi's a good liar - thanks to his stupid mask -, and I think I can impersonate you quite well.
Anyway, we found a body without a head in the river. And now Sasuke and I are alone in the woods, looking for the culprit. Don't ask me why I followed him; I'm still trying to figure that out myself. I faked I needed to pee to write something before we switch - which should be tomorrow. You can't say that I don't try.
And that's that.
P.S. I switched from Mole to Wolf. She's a bad-ass. I hope you don't -
Sakura jerks her head up at the sound of wiggling twigs. Through the only entrance of their shelter (a hole at the base of a giant tree,) she has a good view of the clearing out front. Sakura set up booby-traps when they first arrived, and perhaps that's why she didn't fuss too much about the fact she fell asleep. If someone were to come out of that bush and attack them, she would be the only one able to fight. And that's not much. So, hopefully, her traps will be enough.
Her eyes narrow when something gets out of the bush. She can discern a man's foot in the distance, and her heart skips a beat. Her shaky hand retrieves a kunai, and she bites her lower lip to not whimper. Her only hope is to go unnoticed, and she's never really been good at it thanks to her stupid pink hair.
After a minute of tense waiting, someone finally gets out of the bush, a teenager around sixteen years of age with spiky black hair and wearing Oto's headband. Soon, two other teenagers join him: a girl with silky black hair and a hunched boy covered with bandages, both wearing the same headbands on their foreheads.
"I'm not saying I'm not grateful, really," the black-haired boy says suddenly. "But I hate when he sends us with little info. I mean, he has high expectations. What if we don't meet them only because we don't even know who Uchiha fucking Sasuke is?"
Sakura brings a hand to her mouth in surprise, and her eyes divert to the unconscious boy for a second. What is it now? What more do people want from him? Can everyone just leave him alone?
At the sound of footsteps approaching, her widened eyes return to the newcomers. The girl is making a face at something the bandaged boy said. "I prefer finding slaves," she says in a nasal voice. "I mean, that boy's a shinobi, so there's a risk he's the one who'll kill us, remember?"
The black-haired boy shrugs, scanning the clearing and finally stopping on Sakura's hiding spot. A smirk stretches on his face. "He's thirteen, Kin. That job's easy." Then he jerks his head in Sakura's direction. "Look what I've found. Don't you think she fits the description of the pink-haired girl perfectly?"
Sakura jumps to her feet when it is obvious they've seen her and takes a tentative step forward. "Wha-What do you want? You're working for Orochimaru, right? Has he not done enough already?"
She gulps when she meets their death glare. All of them have the same dark gaze that sends shivers down her spine. It has nothing to do with Haku's shining orb behind his mask. In their fight, she was met with a troubling sort of kindness. But with her new opponents, she sees nothing but desperation and darkness.
"You know about Orochimaru-sama?" The girl asks with a frown.
"Never mind. I'm Zaku," the black-haired boy interrupts his teammate. "And this is Kin," he points at the girl, "and Dosu," and at the last member of his team. "And I'm happy to announce that we will be your worst nightmare."
His last words have just left his mouth that Zaku lunges forward with a devilish grin. Sakura readies herself, and when the boy reaches the middle of the clearing, she hurries to cut a rope hidden in the shadow - her first booby-trap. A big tree trunk flies towards the black-haired boy, and Sakura watches in anticipation. However, a movement behind attracts her attention, and she sees the guy, Dosu, extend one of his arms. She narrows her eyes upon seeing the metal gear around it, and her heart sinks when it crushes the tree before it reaches Zaku.
"You, stupid ass," Dosu says in a dark voice to his teammate. "She almost got you into that stupid trap. How thick are you?" Then he crouches and pulls on the grass in front of him, successfully dismantling her second and last trap. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed this one."
"Shut up, of course, I have," Zaku sends her a glare. "You think you're clever, don't you, Pinky?"
Sakura stares blankly at the three teenagers, unable to form a word. Her last hope, her traps that took an hour to set in place, has been easily dismantled, and it leaves her with nothing but a stupid kunai.
"You're a bad Kunoichi. What a shame." Dosu takes a step forward and successfully startles her. "It's three against one. Give up already."
Sakura knows he's right, but she also knows that Sasuke needs her help - again. And she would give anything for that boy, even her life. She would give anything for her two boys, actually; for Naruto too, who, she knows, cannot lose someone from his small circle of friends. It would kill him. She has to at least try.
So she takes a deep breath to ease her nerve and assess her chakra reserve, and in front of her small supply, she quickly turns her focus to her hands before desperation can take a toll on her. She summons two clones and sends one to each opponent. She faces Zaku, the closest to Sasuke's resting place.
The boy smirks when she takes a few steps towards him. "Humour me."
Hoping her clones will last more than a minute, Sakura turns her complete focus on the black-haired boy in front of her. He's waiting for her to make the first move with a cocky grin stretched on his face and his fingers moving impatiently at his sides.
She doesn't have a lot of experience in one-on-one combat. But she remembers Mole's advice to let the other person begin. He said that with her sharp mind, she could assess the strength of her opponent and adjust as it goes. So, while Zaku evaluates her form, she takes time to do the same to him. He is taller, more muscular, and seeing how he moves his hands, he probably uses them a lot in combat. So, she guesses, not a weapon user.
And then a thought crosses her mind. What does that guy see, scrutinizing her like that? Does he discern some strengths? Some threats? Some-
"You're pretty." She purses her lips, and her grip on her kunai tightens. "I know Dosu told me to wait and see what you're made of, but I've seen enough. I can't help it. I need to make you cry."
He straightens his arms in front of him, his palms now facing her, and she can discern two holes in the middle of his hands. She narrows her eyes, perplexed, but quickly ducks.
She made the right decision; a sudden blast echoes behind her, but instead of looking, she keeps her focus on her opponent, like Mole taught her (speed, strategies, focus.) She lets her kunai out as she rolls past him close enough to cut his shin.
When she gets up, she meets his wide eyes. "Did you just cut me?"
Pride swells in her chest at the realization that she indeed hurt her opponent, but it evaporates in a sudden cloud of smoke when Dosu defeats one of her clones. At least that loss gained her some knowledge, but not the kind she was hoping for.
She sprints back to the entrance of the shelter to face the two boys. Her wide eyes jump from one to the other, her brain working relentlessly, looking for a way to survive that impossible fight. In one corner, there's a wind user, someone who's deadly fighting from afar. But on the other corner, there's a sound user, and the weapon on his arm can give permanent damage at a close range. They complement each other, and she's utterly screwed.
"So, are you giving up already?"
Her last clone dissipates after Zaku's question, and Kin comes back with a frown and a bleeding lip. "That bitch is a close-range fighter. But even at that, she sucks."
Sakura scowls, her fists tightening under the insult. "Then tell me, how did I hurt two of you without getting even a scratch?"
"Ooooooohhhh," Zaku laughs. "A catfight! I like it. It's hot." Then his eyes divert to the entrance of the shelter, where a purple hue shines. "Now, ladies, if you'll excuse us. We, men, have important things to do."
Kin scoffs and rolls her eyes, but Sakura doesn't find it in herself to feel offended by his misogynistic comments. She is more concerned about the important things he was referring to. "What do you want?" She asks again, hoping this time around they will answer.
With a smirk, Zaku takes a step forward. "To kill you precious boyfriend, then bring you, alive, to Orochimaru-sama."
Startled by his answer, Sakura lifts her kunai and takes a defensive stance. "Wha-what?"
"And he said alive," Kin adds with a glare. "Doesn't matter the condition in which we bring you, though."
Sakura weights her option quickly and then, with a shaky hand, secures her kunai back into its holder on her thigh. This action makes Zaku and Dosu chuckle. "At last, she sees reason," the bandaged boy says before turning to his teammates. "Zaku, I give you the honour. Win back Orochimaru-sama's trust. I'll go with him, though," he adds, glancing at Kin. "So you watch the little girl."
Once again, Kin rolls her eyes but nods, anyway. The two boys take a step forward, and Sakura hurries to fetch shurikens from her pouch to throw at them. The sound of metal against metal, followed by a cry and curse, resounds in the clearing.
"The fuck, Dosu! You sent a projectile my way by protecting your fat ass!" Sakura watches as the black-haired boy pulls a shuriken out of his thigh with a wince, her chest heaving in anticipation. "Now, Pinky," he resumes after sending a glare at his teammate. "Don't be annoying." He takes a threatening step forward. "Out of the way, or-"
Sakura doesn't let him finish his sentence and throws another wave of shurikens in his direction. However, this time, Zaku uses the pipes in his hands to push the weapons back at her. Not expecting this, she doesn't react on time, and one shuriken lodges itself in her shoulder, another cutting her headband. She drops on her knees under the sudden pain, a cry leaving her lips, and a curtain of her long pink hair shields her view.
"You know what?" A powerful pull on her hair jerks her head back. She meets Zaku's glare and cannot hold her tears any longer. "I'll take care of both of them. You guys wait outside while I have my fun."
Tugging her by her hair, the boy leads her inside the tree, where Sasuke still lies unconscious. She tries to stop him by planting her heels into the ground, but the pulling at her hair quickly gets too painful, so she gives up. Instead, she fumbles to her kunai holster, and when her shaky hand finally closes on her weapon, she brings it up in one swift movement. She feels the blade meeting flesh. Then Zaku's hand releases her hair, and she falls on her back. Her eyes land on the inside of the tree, and she realizes they've almost reached Sasuke. She pushes herself to a sitting position but is almost instantly hit, her jaw breaking on impact, and she falls back on the ground.
"You, little skunk, you cut my finger!" Zaku's voice is uncharacteristically high-pitched, and when Sakura looks up, she is met with crazed eyes. She crawls backward until she meets the tree.
Zaku slams his uninjured hand on her shin and pulls on it, making her lose her balance. "I'll make sure you can't move, then I'll kill him in front of your pretty doll eyes. Happy?"
He grabs the bloodied kunai resting on the ground at their feet and takes a swing. Sakura blocks his blow, but he keeps pushing, and she watches, helpless as the blade nears her thigh. She can feel the blood oozing from her shoulder's injury, so she lets go of his arms and braces herself for the pain. When the weapon finds its way inside her flesh, and a cry escapes her lips, her foot jerks forward, and with the remaining of her chakra, she enhances her kick.
His knee breaks in a sinister sound, and he collapses on top of her. She tries to wiggle her way out, but a hard slap on her face completely knocks her out for a second.
"Look what I've found here," Zaku says, panting. And then, bolts of light irrupt in Sakura's vision as he pulls on the shuriken still embedded in her shoulder. She feels her flesh being teared up from her shoulder to the middle of her collarbone.
"Please," she whimpers, helpless. "Please, stop-"
"Pathetic," he hisses in her ear. Then, he tugs on the gap left in her shirt until the fabric gives in, revealing her bandaged torso and bare stomach. "Oh, look at this." He laughs, staring at the rosy scar left by Haku. "I'm not the first one to have fun with you, I am?" Then his eyes shoot up to her chest. "I wish you were a little older, though. Not much to hide here, Pinky."
He reaches to grope her, but she covers herself before he can touch her, and his hand closes on her arm instead.
"Don't be difficult, Pinky."
He pulls on her arm but, at a sudden blast of purple light, freezes. Sakura follows his gaze to their left and notices the aura surrounding Sasuke's unconscious body. It raises goosebumps on her skin, and the air gets colder and heavier. From the seal on his neck, a myriad of black marks are winding away, crawling on his pale skin. Zaku, too, seems taken aback by this sight.
"S-Sasuke-kun?"
The light instantly vanishes, and Sasuke snaps his eyes open. He stares blankly at the tree bark for a while, his chest heaving.
"What's wrong with your boyfriend, Pinky?"
Upon hearing Zaku's voice, Sasuke jerks his head to the side. The distant look in his crimson eyes instantly startles her. They share a glance before the boy returns his attention to Zaku.
"Get off."
At Sasuke's order, the boy still on top of her gazes down at her form. "You know what, Pinky? I think he's right. We can resume this later. Now, let me show you what a real man is capable of." Zaku pushes himself up and limps towards Sasuke. "After all, I promised I would kill him in front of your pretty doll eyes."
He straightens his arms, palms facing his new opponent, but Sasuke doesn't seem fazed by it at all. Murder intents emanate from him in a way Sakura never thought possible. She brings herself to a sitting position, ignoring her body's protests. She wants to cry for help, to tell her teammate to watch out, but her swollen jaw hurts like hell, and under her beating face rests a pretty exhausted brain.
Something flickers in Sasuke's eyes seconds before Zaku performs his jutsu. Sakura gasps upon seeing the wind bursting through the tree, breaking the bark. But in a flash, Sasuke reappears behind Zaku with the boy's arms in his hands.
"You seem very proud of your arms." He says in an unfamiliar tone. "What if I break them?"
Zaku's pleas soon morph into screams of pain, and Sasuke only releases him at the sound of bones breaking. Sakura's mind turns blank, and she only stares at her teammate in utter shock. But then, someone peeks inside the tree.
"Are you guys okay in -"
At the sight of Mole's mask, Sakura jumps to her feet, ignoring the pain. Sasuke has already taken a few strides towards the young Anbu.
"Sasuke-kun, stop it! It's Mole!" The black-haired boy falters in his step, but then Mole's eyes trail on her, and he quickly resumes walking. "Stop it, Sasuke-kun!" She lunges forward and throws herself at him, circling his torso with her arms and resting her bruised face on his shoulder. "Please," she asks, meeting his eyes. She holds his stare until his eyes turn back to their original colour and the black markings recede.
Then, her legs give up under her weight, and she collapses on the ground, bringing Sasuke with her.
"What's wrong?" Mole asks. But instead of explaining the situation and acting tough like she wishes she would, Sakura engulfs her face between Sasuke's shoulder blades and begins sobbing like a baby, her hand clenching the fabric of his shirt.
[A/N] I moved into my new house! And soon, my "Gryffindor common room" office will be ready, and I'll finally have my own room (thanks Virginia Woolf for teaching me the importance of it.) Hopefully, it will help my writing.
Thanks for following and favouriting this story. It means a lot!
MB