Choice:

A Terrible Splendor

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Author's Note: I didn't really get as many reviews as I'd hoped last chapter, but I'm glad that the ones I did were all positive. Thanks for reading! I know a lot of people don't read it just because the pairing is kind of odd... but I think it's so cute, don't you? In any case, thanks for reading, and in some cases, reviewing.

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Act IV: Gravity

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Shikamaru's first sight in waking up the sun.

He growled slightly, shading his eyes from the bright glare, and sat up, ignoring the stirring Neji next to him. Wait... where's Sakura? He looked around frantically, clenching his fists, and let out a relieved breath when he saw her sitting quietly beside her already-packed bag. "Morning," she said nonchalantly.

"Morning." He eyed her, frowning. What was with her unemotional greeting? And the way she was sitting, with her knees drawn to her chest and her face blankly at the sky. She looked like... damn it, she looked like Neji in one of his worse moods... the moods where he went fuming about fate to himself. His eyes traced down her arms, which were rigidly set, to her fists, and the piece of paper that was crumpled in it. A kunai was next to her.

Shikamaru's eyes widened as he felt in his vest pocket. Nothing. Uh oh.

"Shikamaru-san." Her fist unclenched, and the smashed paper was resting lightly in her palm. "Why didn't you tell me?"

The strategist noted with a small bit of fright that her jaw muscles were clenched. "We were looking out for you," he murmured.

"We? So Neji thought I couldn't handle it, too?"

"We thought it would scare you."

She clenched the paper again, self-control slipping away slowly. "It did," she said. "It sent a stream of fucking shivers down my spine. But I'm okay. I handled it." She glared at him suddenly, pink hair whipping to her face. She brushed it away angrily. "I can do that, you know. Handle things."

He let out a low breath. "I know. We were just trying to protect you." As soon as the words left his mouth, he wished he could swallow them back up.

She let out a roar of suppressed rage and threw the paper at him. It bounced off his forehead as she turned on him, walking towards him and crouching down, grasping the collar of his jounin vest. "I don't need protection, damn it! I did when I was twelve! Not anymore! I can handle myself!"

Shikamaru was slightly unnerved. Frowning deeper, he grabbed her wrists. "Sakura, calm down. It was bad judgement. I apologize. We know you can take care of yourself."

"Damn right it was bad judgement!" she said, suddenly tackling him into a hug. She dry-sobbed into his shoulder, fighting the tears that threatened.

Even more unnerved (but also slightly relieved that she wasn't trying to kill him anymore), Shikamaru hugged her back, a small pink tint skirting across his cheeks. "I'm sorry."

"It's the name isn't it?" she asked, her voice muffled by his shoulder. "Haruno Sakura. Spring cherry blossom. It makes me feel so damned delicate."

Shikamaru sighed as she pushed back, feeling slightly better when he saw that she was blushing, too. "You're not delicate. You just tackled me."

Sakura laughed weakly, sitting back and looking at the ground, blinking rapidly. "Aa. I guess that's right." She paused. "Gomen... I overreacted."

"No kidding," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Nani?"

"Ano... never mind." He turned to Neji, who was smirking knowingly at the fading blush across his cheeks. Glaring at the pale-eyed teen, Shikamaru got up languidly, stretching his arms. Neji followed, and then Sakura, who stopped blinking, confident that the tears wouldn't come. "We should get going."

Neji nodded, the smirk he'd had on his mouth now going to his eyes as he resumed his usual blank facial feature. "Aa. Sakura, are you ready?"

"I've been," she answered promptly, slinging her bag over her shoulder and pushing her mask down. "Where are we going, again?"

"Dragon City," Neji replied, tying his long hair back and slipping a kunai into his pouch. "It's not that big of a tourist place, like this, but it's not horrible. Rumor has it that it was one of the first cities to be hit." Nodding at them, he shot into the trees, with Shikamaru and Sakura close on his heels. "Sakura."

"Hai?" She sped up slightly so that she was next to him.

"I want you to be careful."

The pink-haired girl scowled fiercely, turning her head to him. "Is this another 'we-want-to-protect-you thing? Because I'm pretty sure you heard me rant about that earlier."

"Oh, I did, don't worry." He smiled slightly, facing her. "But this isn't about that. This is about Orochimaru."

Sakura looked impassive. "Go on."

He frowned at her. "The closer we get to the disease, the closer we get to him. And though it'd be great to capture him or kill him, we have to remember that the reason we're even tracing him to the disease (besides the curse seal) is the fact that he contacted us with instructions to bring you specifically. That means... he's got some type of plan for you." Neji looked away from her, staring at the cluster of trees ahead. "Whether it's something minor like making fun of you for Uchiha leaving or something huge like having you become his next vessel, it will probably end in you being seriously hurt or seriously... well..."

"Dead." She looked away, as well, fiddling with the straps of her mask.

"Aa." Neji looked uncomfortable. "All I-- we-- all we're asking is that you be extremely cautious... wary, even. Suspect everything."

"That's not like me, Neji, and you know it," Sakura said from beneath her mask, licking her lips. They were suddenly very dry.

"I know I know it," he answered, "and so does Shikamaru. But we... we just don't want any casualties."

Sakura lifted her mask and looked at him intensely, green-gold eyes shining into his own hidden light lavender. "There won't be any," she said, determination emanating from her face. Smiling cheekily and pushing her mask back down, she fell behind again, matching Shikamaru step for step. "There won't be any." She repeated it to herself, as if to reassure herself that it was true.

I won't let there be.

---

Tsunade surveyed the two boys in front of her, rolling her lips together in a gesture of anxiousness. "You two wanted to see me?" The two clashed, that was all she could think. One was dark, the other light. One was cold, the other warm. Next to each other, they looked incredibly different, but also incredibly alike. All they needed was a pink-haired girl to complete them.

Finally, Tsunade saw the magic of Team Seven. They weren't three people with a jounin instructor- they were one person. One family. And two members of that one family were sitting in front of her, fists clenched, jaws stiff.

The darker one nodded. "Hai, Godaime-sama. We have a mission request."

The Hokage folded her hands to control the fingers that were urging to twirl her hair, a new nervous habit. "A request. That's unusual."

"It's about Sakura-chan," the golden one said quickly, his face shining with the boyish anxiousness that seemed slightly out of place on his late-teenage face.

Tsunade thought she knew what was coming, but told them to "go on" anyway.

The dark one ran a hand through his hair, making it spikier than normal. "Kakashi-sensei told us not to come, but we felt like we had to. Godaime-sama..."

For once, the boy hesitated.

Naruto took over. "We want to go after Sakura-chan."

Silence.

Tsunade sighed low, her fingers tightening. "Do you know," she asked after a while, "why I chose your Sakura-chan to go on this mission?"

"She's not just our Sakura-chan, Tsunade-baa-chan." Naruto spoke seriously for once, his face set. "She's yours, too."

Tsunade's face constricted, like she was about to cry. But Hokages didn't cry. Instead, she cleared her throat, red-painted nails tapping the desk. "I know. All right. Our Sakura-chan. Do you know why I chose her?"

"Because she's the best in her field," Sasuke answered promptly, "and more than that. She's... she's better than me in some aspects."

"And me," Naruto chirped.

"That's not hard," Sasuke scoffed, need for something normal resulting in the most timeless thing he could think of: insults.

"You basta-"

"Aa," Tsunade said loudly, cutting off their argument before it could start, "because she's the best. That should be all the answer you need. She'll be fine."

Sasuke frowned, a dangerous sign. "It's Orochimaru."

"Hai, it is."

Naruto watched his friend carefully. "Tsunade-baa-chan, we mean... well... it's Orochimaru."

Tsunade turned her back to them, nails making crescent shapes in her palm as she squeezed her fists. "Don't you think I know that?" she snapped, her voice coming out harsher than she intended.

Sasuke's voice sounded incredulous and furious all at the same time. "She could die!"

Tsunade didn't trust her voice to say anything.

Suddenly, there was a crash, and Tsunade turned to see her desk in half. Sasuke's Sharingan was activated, and Naruto was standing, running to hold his friend back from physically harming the Godaime. "SAY SOMETHING!" Sasuke shouted, the look on his face pure rage. "SAY THAT YOU'RE SORRY, SAY THAT WE CAN GO TO PROTECT HER!"

Tsunade stood, fists clenched. "Shut your mouth, Uchiha!" she shouted back. "I made a descision! She made a desicision! You think I didn't try and stop her!"

"OBVIOUSLY NOT HARD ENOUGH!" he roared. Naruto was physically restraining him now. "SHE'S STILL OUT THERE!"

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted. "Stop!"

Tsunade felt fury heating her blood, felt it boiling over and coating her bones, seeping into her muscles, burning her brain.

"SHE SAVED ME!" he roared, Sharingan spinning. Naruto, shocked at this, released him, backing into the wall. "SHE'S LIKE... LIKE A SISTER! I LOVE HER!"

It was then that Tsunade slapped him.

It was quick and meaningful. She just stepped forward and smacked him across the face. His Sharingan dulled, and he stared at her, a hand going up to touch the bruise on his cheek.

Tsunade glared at him. "She's a daughter to me," she hissed, "as she's a sister to you. I love her, too. And it killed me to let her go. But mothers have to let their daughters go, sometime, don't they? And brothers, too. Brothers have to let their sisters go sometime, too." She was breathing hard, staring him down. "Your request is denied. I have faith in my daughter. And you... you should have faith in your sister." She breathed a couple times, then lowered her hand. "Get out of my office. Both of you. Now."

Naruto quickly escorted the stunned Sasuke out of the room, leaving Tsunade staring at the splintered desk in front of her. Shizune came running in, a kunai in her hand, Tonton squealing. "What happened? Tsunade-sama! Are you hurt?"

The Hokage looked at her. "Shizune, leave."

"Nani?"

"Leave, Shizune, I said to fucking leave." The Godaime watched as her assistant exited the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

Finally, in private, she let herself cry.

For everything she'd ever lost, and everything she might lose now.

---

"Sakura-san," Shikamaru started, pushing up his mask as he turned his head to her.

"No."

He raised an eyebrow. "I haven't even said anything."

She laughed, reminding him of bells, as she loosened her mask, as well. "No, I didn't mean it like that. My name's not Sakura-san. Just call me Sakura."

Shikamaru sighed, murmuring a 'how troublesome' under his breath. "All right then. Sakura?"

She grinned brightly, stepping off a tree limb with grace. "Hai?"

"Do you have any ideas on how to prevent getting the disease?" At her questioning look, he sighed again. "The city we're going to is most likely extremely infected, and I know we know it's caused by biting, but could there be another outlet for the disease to leak through?"

Sakura frowned, grin disappearing. "Maybe. I really don't know, Shikamaru. I'd have to know more about the disease, and that knowledge is something I don't have. I'd suggest the usual stuff-- filtered breathing, no direct contact, washing your hands as much as possible. I know it sounds basic, but it's all I know right now."

He nodded. "Arigato."

"No problem," she said breezily. "How far are we?"

"Not very," he answered. "Neji!"

"Aa?" came the answer from up front. The Hyuuga slowed down slightly so he could talk without yelling. "Nani?"

"How far are we?" Sakura repeated.

Neji frowned beneath his mask. "Probably another fifteen minutes. But be prepared. I meant to tell you... this place might not be as happy as the last one."

"But the last village wasn't happy at all," Sakura said. "It was really creepy."

Neji looked at her. "Hai."

"...oh." Biting her lip, she fiddled with her hair, putting it into a ponytail for something to do, and continued, trying not to think of what would greet them at Dragon City.

She didn't have long to think.

She stopped short so suddenly that Shikamaru nearly ran into her, doing a mad misstep to avoid her and veering slightly off course. He came back, though, and took a look at her gaping face before turning to the city. His mouth opened slightly.

When Neji landed, he took a glance at the city before slowly taking his mask off, pearl eyes wide.

"Shit."

Sakura couldn't agree more.

The city was a complete and utter ruin. Buildings were worn and cut to the point of destruction. It looked like weapons were taken to most of the houses, and everything seemed waterlogged. Mold and mildew crept along the sides of buildings, and gardens sprung with weeds and vines. The streets were practically all mud and gravel, sharp rocks and bits of glass littering the ground. Gray clouds loomed threateningly over them, and a fine mist was spraying from the sky. Water slid from roofs onto porches, they noted as they started walking in, and the marketplace was decimated. Everything was empty.

Sakura shook her head in amazement and went ahead. She turned a corner and shrieked, the sound echoing throughout the town, a sound of panic and fear shrilling in their ears. Neji and Shikamaru ran to her, concerned, and stopped short at what they saw.

It was a field.

With bodies.

Apparently, it was some sort of makeshift hospital and cemetery. Hundreds of mounds covered the ground, with bits of stone marking them as graves. More unburied bodies were strewn about the homemade graves, even on top of and half inside them. The corpses' heads lolled back, eyes rolled back and unseeing. The skin was gray. On the other half of the field, shrieks and shudders told them that this was the hospital part. Masses of people, some dead and some dying and some in the first stages of the sickness, were separated into rows, where ragged-looking doctors patrolled, spreading salves, sponging necks, and trying unsuccessfully to fight the disease.

They'd all looked up at Sakura's scream, and now one came towards her, the leader of the doctors. It was a man who looked extremely exhausted. His white doctor's coat was now gray and brown from dirt and vomit and Kami-knew-what-else. His hair had once been blonde, but was now muddy brown. Everything was dull. He adjusted the mask around his mouth to filter the air and looked at the three jounin with desperation. "You're Konohakagure ninja, aren't you?" He looked near to crying as he looked at Neji's hitai-ate. "Oh, thank Kami. You're here to help, aren't you? Please say you are..."

"We are," Neji replied softly, "don't worry. God. This place..."

"It's horrible, but it's the best we could do," the doctor said pitifully. "The hospitals are all destroyed or filled. The patients actually started biting the walls, taking weapons to them in their madness. They all become mad after a while."

Sakura nodded, pushing down her mask. "Tell us about how it started."

The doctor nodded. "A man came by around three weeks ago with a bunch of ninja. They were Sound ninja, I think. The man- their leader- looked almost like a serpent. He came in, took a man, and bit him on the neck. A sign appeared, and-"

"We know what happens," Shikamaru interrupted. "Where's the man that was first bitten?"

"I'll take you to his grave," the doctor said. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm a medic-nin," Sakura answered. "I'm going to analyze him. Examine him. Take notes. Hopefully we'll be able to help the living with the information I'll get from him, if I get any." She dug in her pack and took out a journal, handing it to the doctor. "These are my notes on the disease so far. Please go over them and share them with the other doctors."

Neji looked at him. "Are there any unaffected people?"

"Hai, in the Youth Center over there," he said, pointing to a building behind them as they trudged through the cemetery. Sakura avoided stepping on a corpse's head, feeling bile well up in her throat. "But sometimes at night, when we can't see them, a patient goes into the building and bites someone else. It's like they have a need to spread the disease to other people. Here's the grave."

Shikamaru knelt by the mound of dirt, laying a kind eye on the doctor. "Sir-"

"Oh, excuse me. My name is Satoru."

"Dr. Satoru," Shikamaru corrected himself. "If you'd leave, please? We'd like to conduct this in private."

Neji nodded. "Sakura will give you the reports later."

Satoru nodded, bowing slightly. "I'm just so glad you came to help. Domo arigato." He walked quickly away, weaving between bodies and graves to get back to his patients.

Sakura put her hands on the mound of earth and concentrated her chakra. The world blackened as she closed her eyes, and she felt her senses go deeper. Through the earth and stones, towards the body resting there. "He's seven point three feet underneath the ground," she murmured. "Deeper than the rest. The others were dug in more of a hurry... some are only two feet below." She opened her eyes, withdrawing her hands. "The rains probably churned up some graves," she whispered, horrified. "That's why there are so many unburied people."

Neji turned his head to the cloudy sky and nodded. "Sakura, can you use a jutsu?"

The pink-haired girl nodded, making handsigns and muttering under her breath. Piles of dirt removed themselves from the grave, landing a few feet away. When the body was almost fully unearthed, she stopped the jutsu. "Help me." She and Neji focused their chakra to their hands and pushed, making the earth suck into itself while Shikamaru held the corpse, looking supremely disgusted.

Sakura took one look at the corpse and turned away, fighting the urge to throw up. The skin was horribly bloated, and the body had started to undergo change already. She took a couple deep breaths and turned back to the body. "I'd like to do this on my own," she whispered.

Neji and Shikamaru nodded. "We're going to re-bury these bodies and talk with some of the officials," Neji said. "Call if you need us."

Sakura nodded her thanks and looked at the sky as Neji had done, trying to calm herself. Her analasys wouldn't work correctly if she was frazzled and nervous. After a few moments, she looked back down, slightly more relaxed. She took protective gloves from her pocket and strapped them on, placing a gloved finger on the corpse's arm and fighting a wave of revulsion.

Chakra tingled from her center, traveling down her arm, sparking across her bones. It delved into her wrist, then spread into her index finger, then finally burst from the tip, into the body. Sakura sat into a more comfortable position and breathed in deeply and evenly, feeling her chakra race through the body, spreading her senses wide. She could hear the silence of the hearbeat and feel the abscence of the usual rush of blood. She tasted the rotted air beneath her mask and smelled the decay, the terrifying smell of death and disease. Was there no clean oxygen?

Ignore that. Focus on the body.

Everything was normal for a dead body. There were no injuries. She started at the feet and traveled up, searching for something out of place.

The neck.

She frowned, searching with chakra hands through the neck, looking with chakra eyes at the various signs. Finally, she saw it. Three comma-like dots. The curse seal. It was dead now, but she focused on it anyway, feeling a rush of information go through her mind, trying to stabilize itself.

It's not feeding on chakra, she remembered, so it makes sense that I can't feel any leftover chakra here. But what is that leftover? Something... something horrible. Something... oh, Kami-sama, what is it, it makes me want to puke... it's pulsing and disgusting. Not chakra... not even bacteria. She almost broke contact in shock. That's right! There's no bacteria in the body, or any viruses! It's completely healthy, except for this thing... but it's not bacteria or viral either. So what is this disease made out of? What is this thi-

"AAAAH!" A searing pain shot up her finger, up her arm and into her center, connecting to her brain as she screamed in agony. She withdrew her finger quickly, pushing up her mask and scooting away from the body as fast as she could. Neji and Shikamaru were running towards her; she saw them from the corner of her eye.

"Sakura!" Shikamaru shouted. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

She was panting. She felt her heart: racing like mad. Doing a quick check for anything wrong with her, she shook her head in bemusement. "Everything's fine. I just... I was doing the check..." She took a deep breath. "Something was horrible... horribly wrong. The curse seal has something living in it." She frowned. "No, living isn't the right word. Maybe... fighting. The curse seal has something fighting in it, something fighting. It's so horrible... and when I tried to see what it was, I got a horrible jolt of pain."

Shikamaru knelt by her, putting his hands on her shoulders and kneading the muscle next to her shoulder blades with his thumbs. "Are you sure you're okay? You want to take a rest?"

Sakura looked at him, slightly surprised at this outburst of concern. "Ano... I'm fine. The pain's gone now."

"Don't try again any time too soon," Neji said suddenly, eyebrows turned down over Byakugan eyes. "Your energy just took a major decrease."

Shikamaru tugged on his earring. "Rest up a bit, Sakura. Eat something, go get some fresh air, drink some good water. We'll be okay here."

"Actually, Shikamaru," Neji said, a small hint of amusement in his white eyes, "you should probably go with her. You know... just in case."

Sakura nodded unknowingly as Shikamaru blushed furiously. "That sounds like a good idea." She stood with a small bit of effort and clutched at Neji's shirt, dizzy. "Ano... I got up too fast after that..."

"Hold onto Shikamaru if you get woozy," Neji advised, eyes sparkling. "I'll finish with these bodies."

Shikamaru cursed him roundly (inside his head) and put an arm over Sakura's shoulders, supporting her as they started off at an easy pace. Was it possible, he wondered, gazing at her troubled face, to hate a man and yet feel so completely grateful to him?

Yes, he decided soon after she gave him a reassuring smile, it was.