Chapter 7

"It's way past dusk, don't ya think?"

Naruto had already repeated those words twice. In the two hours Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke had sat in the abandoned building they'd found yesterday, the only animals they'd seen were of the single, female verity. They were getting nowhere, fast.

"I wasn't going to say this," Sakura begins, squatting down lower under the windowsill. "But, do you think all of the men have been kidnapped?"

Sasuke shakes his head. "It would be incredibly stupid of them to do a mass purge."

Stupid didn't mean impossible. The broken glass by her toes crunched as Sakura stepped back, hoping to stretch out her stiff ligaments. The darkness of this place made it almost impossible to see her teammates. "Maybe they think they can get away with it."

One of the witness testimonies on Sakura's scroll had mentioned missing couples—a male and his younger brother had vanished. Two older gents disappeared together. There was even a report of a bachelor party gone wrong. Still, a handful was a lot different from a group of twenty. There was a mystery here, and it needed to be uncovered.

"Today might be a house special," Naruto suggests. "Ya know, buy one bunny and get two free? Wait, I think that was a sign at the pet shop in Konoha..."

"Or," Sakura says, sighing loudly, "they could be on high alert."

When Sakura mentions this, Naruto feels his heart drop.

While he was out gathering supplies, he had also stopped by a shop to purchase some new footwear. Running in the sewers the night before, the straps to his sandals had been snapped. They were made of twine and bamboo, not suited for traveling ninja at all. To top it off, Sasuke had pulled Naruto away from impending disaster before he could gather his shoes. Those bunnies must have seen it.

"Damn it, that makes sense. I…left my shoe back there."

Which meant, nothing could be done; their only option was to face those women head on.

Sasuke is already walking away. He clenches his fists, wondering how he'd been so stupid not to notice why the hotel seemed to be on guard in the first place. Sakura wasn't even with them when it happened, and her perceptive skills had once again triumphed over his.

"If they're expecting us, then let's get this done already."

Sakura had never seen such a…strange building before. No light shined from any of the windows, giving the black, triangular object a foreboding atmosphere. Though it didn't look guarded, and everything was silent, Team 7 knew that this place had more to offer than what they saw on the outside. Biting the bullet, the three silently decide that they must cross the drawbridge.

If the rabbit-women decided to run out in that moment and cut off the attached rope, they would all be at their mercy.

Sakura takes the lead—she is the smallest and the most nimble. Not bothering to look back at her boys, she slides her palms along the rough rope, thumping her feet over creaking wooden planks as she carried onward. The thing bobbed and shook. When she made it across without incident, she waved to her team the trio ran quickly to the base of the ominous building. Naruto is the first to speak.

"What do we do now?"

"The side," Sasuke mutters, inching towards the back corner. He directs them to a row of windows with small ledges. They were spaced about two feet away from each other, and the first one just so happened to be situated a good meter up. The sides of the castle had intricate stonework paneling, which would make it possible for them to mount and climb it. Before Sakura can praise Sasuke, Naruto opens his mouth.

"Why isn't there a window there?" He points to the second opening from the top. "There's no glass on it."

"It's a skylight." Sasuke closes his eyes, remembering the details of his scroll. There were three openings scattered around. If they were elite ninja, he would suggest that they part from here. They aren't ninja, right now. They are simply weak civilians in this strange world of monsters and demons. "We'll have to find a way up there."

Naruto starts peeling off his shoes before the man even finishes. "Since we can't use our chakra, we've got to do it the old fashioned way. Ya know, like sneaking into your neighbor's house as a kid."

"I haven't done that..." Sakura says unsurely. "Also, it's strange they'd have a skylight…underground, don't you think? This could be a trap."

As she speaks, she pulls out a blade from under her kimono and cuts a slit along the side of the silk fabric. "This is our only hope of entrance, however." Catching the material as it falls to the ground, Sakura carves out long strips, which she wraps around her own feet to clutch the wet stone easier. "I suppose we have no other choice."

Satisfied with the slack she'd made from her tight-fitting dress, the woman ties a knot in the kimono and looks up, meeting Sasuke's eyes fully.

Then, it happened.

There was that feeling of drowning that Sasuke gave her. Her throat closes and her eyes halt. It's as if she's fighting for her breath and trying to break to the surface of water. Did he experience it too? Could he understand her intentions?

"I'll do the guiding."

Sometimes, in the strangest of moments, Sakura could remind Sasuke just how evil…how mean he used to be. When she drops her eyes down low, and peeks beneath her lashes, he can feel the trepidation that clings to her.

She knows what he is, and what he's done…and what he's said. She thinks that he sees her as a nuisance. That was the farthest thing from the truth.

Sakura has done amazing things. She has fought alongside and against living Gods. She's a healer, a warrior, and beast to be reckoned with. This pastel haired, fair-skinned woman has surpassed all expectations lined in front of her. She continuously surprised Sasuke.

Biting her lip, Sakura turns towards Naruto. "I've done a lot of thinking. I'm assuming whatever was in your scroll should be important when we get inside of this building. It may not be obvious right away. Be prepared to fight back and don't be afraid to run—you're only human, here. I don't want to drag your body to Konoha and bury you."

"Yeah, yeah," the man retorts. "I got it."

A second later, Naruto rocked on the balls of his feet and jumped, spanning the distance between the ground and the first window easily with his long-limbed body. He was normally either foxlike, or toad-like, and today he was the latter. Even without chakra, Naruto was amazingly stout. Sakura watched in awe as his bare feet curled around various protrusions, expertly guiding himself up to the first frame like some sort of monkey.

Fox, toad, and monkey...Naruto was a man of many faces.

Once centered, he catches his breath and soared again, wrapping extended fingers around the open ledge of the skylight and heaving himself through. A silence follows as his body disappears. Sakura doesn't breathe so she can pick up any sounds of painful grunts or clanging metal. She clasps her hands to her chest, straining her vision.

One second passes...then five...

Naruto pops his head out, cupping his hands around his mouth so his whisper can reach them. "I don't see anyone. Sasuke, throw the captain up here, then you can climb up after."

As the words drift down, Sakura pales.

Her mind worked through calculations she hadn't taken into account before. Somehow, Naruto and Sasuke had kept on growing through their adult life. Although she had been the same height as them before, both men stood at least two heads taller. The nostalgia of their reunion had muddied her mindset. She was not twelve anymore, and neither were they.

Shaking her head, she looks at the building once more. The lower portion was slanted, and cemented with decorative rock that shined with slickness, undoubtedly from the steamy mist that wafted from the onsen. It was almost impossible for her to jump over 2 feet into the air. For Sasuke and Naruto, it was easy.

Preparing for the worst, Sakura looks towards Sasuke. Sasuke can see the way her shoulders stiffen. The knowledge of Naruto's words have obviously settled over her, and she's nervous for reasons beyond him.

"So...are you guys gonna come up here, or what? We don't have a lot of time, ya know."

Calmly, Sasuke walks towards the slanted wall and positions his body directly under the opening, gauging the distance between himself and Naruto. He has to toss her hard, and even then, it may not be close enough.

When he looks at her again, he sees a smile spread across her lips. It was as if she was waiting for his permission—his permission to help her with a simple task involved in this mission. All at once, they're kids again, and she is full of trust and determination. A pressure falls away from Sasuke's chest. "Just run at me as fast as you can."

When she tucks her head and crouches, Sasuke has no idea what he's in for.

Barreling towards him at a speed he didn't think was possible without chakra, Sakura cuts straight ahead. There's a brief moment of slow motion that follows. Water sprays up from behind her heels. Her hair halo's around her head. As her face comes nearer, Sasuke realizes that she has made no move to jump.

Literally, no move at all…she's just going to tackle him.

He pushes his arms outward, trying to halt this...this train that has derailed wildly. It's too late to do anything. The woman slams right into his chest, knocking the breath out of his body.

"What the fuck," He hissed as Sakura plows into him. Her head hits his collarbone and she bounces to the ground like a rubber ball. Doubling over, grasping his knees, Sasuke sucks in air as quickly as possible.

She was so small. Sakura didn't weigh a few pounds over 100—nothing in that compact body of hers should have hit him like that. As he huffs, Naruto's boyish laugh almost reverberated throughout the emptiness of the cave.

A deep redness inflamed Sakura's face.

"What the hell was that? Ha-ha! You tackled the shit out of him! Oh hell, ppffft..." Naruto pauses only to wipe the tears from his eyes. "You're supposed to jump! J-Jump up!"

Clambering to her knees, Sakura grips both of Sasuke's shoulders. "I'm so sorry! You didn't say to jump! I thought you were going to do some cool ninja move and throw me up there! I didn't know. I really didn't know!"

Half expecting Sasuke to slap her hands away, she's surprised when he clutches them instead. Speaking softly and slowly, so he doesn't sound like he's in as much pain, Sasuke presses his thumbs into the palms of her hands and looks directly into her eyes. "Try again…and for the love of God, jump."

Just like that, swarms of butterflies come to life within her stomach, twirling cyclones. "O-Okay,"

When she walks back to her spot, her knees shake a bit. Just like before, she starts running again. There's lightness to her step this time. When she reaches a close enough distance, the woman stretches out her arms and sails, ignoring the warmth of Sasuke's hands on her ribs as he chunks her upwards. However, there's not enough force to drive her to Naruto and Sasuke catches her as she falls down like a rock.

He doesn't seem fazed this time.

"Grab me just a bit lower," Sakura commands as she takes her position again. Her mind does not stray, even as embarrassing words leave her mouth. "If you can push me from my hips, I think I'll have enough momentum. Maybe even grab my thighs."

Sasuke, ever so diligently, obeys her. He waits for her speed to pick up and she plants her feet into the ground, lunging towards him. He closes his eyes, digs his palms into her lower waist, and shoves her into Naruto's arms using the thickness of her bottom as leverage.

She screamed the entire way up.

When Naruto's arms wrapped around her and pulled her through, his wild eyes scoured her expression. Mouth agape, irises in full view, Sakura stared at Naruto with an exasperated expression as he roared in laughter. "He touched your ass!"

"Shut up!" She hissed back.

Nothing could stop him now. Naruto slams his fist into the ground as he rocks back and forth, unable to stifle his giggles. "How can I? You should have seen your face!"

"Just be quiet already!"

Sasuke pulls himself through, looping his legs into the window carefully. As soon as he's in, he slaps Naruto's mouth to quiet him. Narrowing his eyes, he speaks softly. "Footsteps,"

Sure enough, tapping sounds started to click through the hall. They came in rapid secession, bounding right towards the trio. Without having time to speak, let alone direct anyone, Sasuke crushed his foot into Naruto's chest and sent him sliding backwards down the hall. Hopefully he that jumpstart would help him a bit.

Scrambling, Sakura rakes her toes against the floor to gain traction but her attempt is futile. A second later, she's weightless, being hoisted into the air with a single arm wrapped around her waist. Sasuke leapt for the nearest object, a laundry chute, barely big enough for one human, let alone two.

The chute led them down vertically with a dizzying drop. Sasuke is the first to land, all but crashing into a small basket filled to the brim in clothing. Sakura falls out seconds later, wrapping her fingers around the edge of the metal they'd just slid across so she doesn't tumble down. She hangs in the air, unsure whether it's safe to drop any farther.

"Sasuke?" Sakura whispered breathlessly, panting into the dark air. "Are you alright?"

"We're in a linen closet," He replied, standing and using his foot to slide the basket away from him. It hits a wall. It's so narrow in here. There was a light above them—a bulb with a braided chain—but Sasuke knew better than to draw any more attention to themselves.

Whoever had been looking for them galloped straight past, no doubt thanks to Naruto who hustled down the hallway. Sakura clenches her jaw tightly, praying that her friend was agile and fast enough to stay safe in his state. He was so used to relying on his chakra and his abnormally fast healing ability. He'd never been normal—not like Sakura had. Naruto wouldn't have the strength to stay and fight, not by himself.

Sasuke seemed to have just noticed that his teammate wasn't on the ground. With his eyesight worse that what it had been in their world, and the darkness of the small space they'd wound up in, it was no wonder he hadn't realized. "Where are you?"

Feeling around with her bare foot, Sakura merely moved a few inches before she felt the fabric of her teammate's shirt. "Is it okay to land?"

She felt Sasuke's hand wrap around her ankle suddenly, not sure what had been poking him. "It's just a small drop."

When she finally steadies next to him, she suddenly understands just how small the place is. It smells of bleach and cleaning supplies, along with the mustiness of soiled fabric. Her stomach lurches, knowing vaguely what these women might be in the bathhouse.

This is so uncomfortable and disgusting…

Stray heels tapped by just then, proof that the people of this building were still on high alert. Sasuke had memorized the blueprints, which gave himself and Sakura a small advantage. If his memory served him well, the floor they'd just been on led to a flight of stairs. The middle room of this triangular building was purposely blurred in the blueprint, so obviously, that was where they needed to go. If Naruto ran around long enough, he'd eventually make it there. It all spiraled within itself.

Sasuke feels the wall, bumping his elbow into a shelf that rattles the objects upon it slightly. He sighs and then tries again, moving slower, so as not to disturb the surroundings.

Sakura is all too aware of the pressures pushing against her.

With every movement, his hands sliding around the closet beside her shoulders and head, she loses just a bit of mind. Without meaning to, a tremble grows throughout her body, causing her shoulders to shake.

It'd been so long. How could Sakura function in a situation like this? Trapped in a closet with someone she loved very much, someone who held her heart, it was so difficult. Sometimes she dreamt of his hand around her throat, sometimes, his lips.

"Are you…you're hurt?"

"No!" her response is too quick. His eyes narrow.

If someone could sit down and write out all of the inexcusable things Sasuke had done in his lifetime, it'd fill a scroll large enough to circle Konoha. He has fought, he has killed, he has used, and he has raised his hands to people who never deserved it. Although the reason Sasuke began traveling in the first place was to atone for some of those sins, the man knows it would take more than distance and time to heal their wounds.

Sakura shivers in front of him, only a palms length away. The rise and fall of her chest is as quick as it had ever been. Her pants only grow louder. She covers her mouth with her hands, and then speaks through them, focusing on their mission.

"The handle must be on the outside," She begins, mumbling just loud enough for him to hear. "I think we either have to bust the door down, or wait for Naruto to come save us."

Fat chance of that happening, Sasuke scoffs. He opens his mouth to speak…but nothing comes out. He doesn't want to talk about Naruto or the mission that they're currently on, or anything but the reason behind her fear of him.

That has never happened before.

Sasuke wants to verbalize words trapped in his head. He wants to tell her more than the apology he gave while she healed his wounds after his battle with Naruto. He wants her to know that there's no excuse for his actions—that she's strong. He only fights with Naruto because…because that idiot is the only one who he can take his anger out on. Sasuke is filled with so much anger.

Sasuke clenches his fists…but Sakura laughs.

"I don't fool you, do I?" She pushes herself away from him as far as the wall will take her, only proving her fear of him in Sasuke's mind. "We don't even know if Naruto is okay, and all I can think about is…all I do is distract myself with things that don't matter."

Wasn't Sasuke doing the same thing? He frowns.

Shaking her head, Sakura shuffles around, confirming that the door was indeed sealed shut. She tries to think of an alternate plan. If she were to get back inside of the laundry chute, she could make her way back down to Sasuke…and maybe open the door from the outside. Then they could find Naruto. Naruto always ended up okay because of dumb luck. They needed all of the dumb luck they could have.

But how would she reach it? The shelves beside them certainly wouldn't hold her weight. Her jumping skills were obviously subpar. She's reluctant to ask…

"Do you think you can boost me up again?"

"…yeah," he says finally, after a few brief moments of silence.

If Sakura didn't want to talk, he couldn't make her. There would be time for apologies after this mission—or even after the Exam. She was steadfast and trying to help Naruto. He needed to get on the same page.

Wrapping his hands around her waist, and ignoring the slight jump in her reaction, Sasuke lifted her as high as he could. She was a solid girl, despite her small stature. There were muscles hiding underneath. She lifted herself back through the slender opening above them. There was just enough room for her to shimmy up using her forearms, hips and toes. Holding her breath because of the echo, Sakura reaches the top in no time flat.

Before fumbling out into the hallway, the kunoichi lifts the wooden latch and looks back and forth. There's no sound. There are no shadows. There isn't even an animal-like scent. Timidly ducking through, Sakura hits the ground running.

Since Sasuke was below, she knew that she had to look for a downstairs. There were a few paintings thrown to the floor, which must have happened during Naruto's chase. Careful not to disturb anything further, she tiptoes on, keeping her eyes peeled.

Finding a door, Sakura enters the other side of the laundry closet. Clothing was strewn everywhere, left behind hastily by women who had jobs to do. The kunoichi pauses, eyeing the deserted area skeptically.

Sometimes, when in a hurry, important things might be…forgotten. Sakura wasn't expecting to find a list of people who were missing or anything, but she wouldn't rule it out, either.

Sasuke could wait just a few more minutes.

Opening drawers and sifting through closets, the kunoichi finds only useless things. There's an arrow, but now bow. There's a pair of boots, but they are much too big for Sakura to wear. There's a key, but nothing that needs to be unlocked.

Yet.

Snatching the strange object, Sakura steps back into the open, and finds a staircase farther down the hall. The door is heavy, metal, and locked. She tries the key, but it doesn't work. Cracking her fingers, she pulls a few pins from her hair and shoves one into the lock. Bending the other pin into an L shape, it takes the ninja only a few seconds to break in.

There are laundry buckets and washboards—and in the corner, a wooden door with a wrap-around latch.

Naruto kept still as the door beside him flew open.

"Where is it? Where is that ugly creature?"

Oh, they think that I'm ugly? Have they seen a mirror? Naruto scowls and keeps his lips shut hugging his knees closer to his chest.

The good thing about being a human was that the large bunny girls couldn't fit into certain places. He'd had to change hiding spots a few times already, but the tiny space above this overstuffed closet was bound to be the last. He'd hid from elite Konoha ninja as a child this way—though he was covered in paint at that time. (from painting over the Hokage's faces, of course)

He practices a shape on the wall in the meantime. For some reason, when Naruto opened his scroll, there was just a boring black symbol drawn on. He's happy that Sakura told him the scroll was upside down, because he might have drawn it incorrectly. It was a "key" to something, but that was all he knew, with arrows pointing in different directions.

"He's not in here. Go down to the basement, there's a lot of hiding places there."

Refusing to move until 20 seconds had passed, Naruto finally made his way over the piles of clothing and whatnots. The room is empty, but ransacked. Girls were messy.

Opening the door, the man steps into the hallway and catches view of a shadow. It's not as large as a rabbit, and there are two of them, so he decides it's probably Sasuke and Sakura.

Whispering lowly, he says, "…datebayo…" There was a feminine groan. Yep, there's Sakura! "Guys, I'm over here."

When they round the corner, Naruto notices stern expressions on their faces. He's known them both long enough to understand when they've become serious. Either they had a plan, or they were about to make one.

Naruto's relieved.

"Sasuke knows where we have to go, I think." Sakura says, pulling Naruto in closely. "I'm passing over command from here on out. If we get to where we're supposed to get to…will you know what to do?"

"Uh…yep, I mean, I think so…" the blond retorts. "I wasn't given a whole lot of information."

Sasuke nods, motioning silently towards the opposite end of the hallway. Light on their feet, the shinobi make their way up a flight of steps with Sakura in the middle. It seems they are on the right track, because the place they enter has only one door, and it glows a bright red.

"Maybe it's where the kidnapped men are being kept?" Naruto surmises. "No, wait. Most of them couldn't fit through that door."

Shaking her head as a shiver runs down her spine, Sakura grips Naruto's shoulder. "Maybe they don't go in in one piece."

Sasuke progresses onward. They'd been here much too long. Their mission was compromised. They hadn't even a second to spare. Unfortunately, when his hand touches the door, it sends out an electric shock that brings him to his knees in an instant.

Lights start flashing, an incredibly loud siren blares, and the walls start closing in.

Panic flashes through Sakura. "Sasuke, are you alright? What do we do?" She tries to help him up with not much avail. He's so much bigger than she is.

"Naruto, think of your scroll, what do you need to do?" The woman says quickly.

Nodding, Naruto draws the shape into the air. Though Sakura and Sasuke look at him with confusion, it doesn't stop him. He draws it on the floor, on both walls as they inch closer and finally by the glowing red door.

Nothing.

"Maybe you need to draw on the door!" Sakura says. "Try moving your finger quickly as soon as you touch the outside!"

"I'll try," He says, but the moment his finger presses against it, he's brought down too.

"A key," Sasuke thinks aloud. "There's nowhere to put it, though."

Fumbling around her kimono, Sakura pulls forth a misshapen piece of metal. "Naruto, stick this on the door! It may hold off the electrical current long enough for you to write what you need to write!"

"Okay!"

Snatching the object, he does what is told, and to his surprise, it seems to work. Once the final line is drawn, the door opens and everything turns silent once more. Sucking in a deep breath, the three ninja quiet their pounding hearts. Adrenalin was flowing through them like a river.

"They know where we are now, so we don't have much time. I'm surprised they haven't captured us yet." The Uchiha says, catching his breath and standing up taller.

"They went to the basement, last I heard." Naruto replies. He steps his foot through the threshold first, without looking to see what lies beyond him.

It is almost a deadly mistake.

A throng of poison-tipped arrows whip through the air, passing by Naruto's body as Sasuke flings him out of the way with a growl. The wooden spears thunk beyond them and down the hallway.

An exasperated sigh exits Sakura's mouth. "Just because we're being followed, it doesn't mean you can let your guard down. Let's go, but please, like Sasuke said, pay attention!"

"I know already!" Naruto calls, stepping into the room as previously planned. He takes a slow step, testing out the area, scanning everything he could see.

There is nothing in there. The floor is solid and still. His eyes drift upwards and he crouches, leaning just a little more beyond the foyer. He sees that there are rafters and railing. A few lights flicker on. He winces at the sudden brightness and motions to his friends. "Come on in. It's safe."

Sasuke goes next, not trusting his teamamates judgement just yet. He was right though. What could this room be for? Both men walk forwards carefully, whipping their heads around, looking for something.

"Is it safe?" Sakura asks finally, slinking around the corner.

"Yeah, looks like it." Naruto calls.

Her first bare foot touches the ground, then the other. When she finally pads into the room completely, the door slams shut behind her and an ear-bursting boom ricochets around.

It was not safe.

Not at all.