Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in it.
XIV.
- Ghostlands -
Dense fog covered the whole camp at the time they arrived. The first thought that ran through Sakura's mind was gratitude, as that plane ride was the scariest experience she had ever had in her life. She let out a breath she had been long holding once her feet touched the rocky ground and then fastened the small rucksack she brought along with the suitcase.
She waited for everyone to get off the plane and the luggage, water, and food supplies to be unloaded. Something about the place made her skin prick. It was foggy and cold but not nipping cold. The moist air and zero visibility darkened the atmosphere a lot. Here and there multiple shadows crossed her sight and disappeared, carrying something or whispering as they passed by. Peering into the mist she could discern, after a bit of struggle, several buildings. Two or three large ones, surrounded by smaller ones with a rather strange shape... Not exactly buildings, Sakura recognized, the smaller ones were military tents.
"Not as pretty as Konoha, huh?"
The remark startled her and she turned to see Naruto standing next to her and observing the same sight.
"It's dreadful, actually," Sakura folded hands.
So far north, it wasn't that much of a surprise to have fogs and rain, even snow. But it wasn't the weather that made the atmosphere dark, it was something else. A heavy tinge in the air, oppressing silence and the feeling of impending danger. As if safety didn't exist anymore. Safety went away the moment she stepped out of that plane.
"Hope the fog will rise soon," he murmured, stirring shoulders. "We're at a serious disadvantage if it doesn't."
"Am I supposed to know..." Sakura hesitated, seeing many of the team walking away in silence, "where to go?"
"There's a big red cross at your tent, princess," a cutting female voice intervened from behind. "If you're waiting for an escort, there won't be any."
Karin quickly moved past them, holding her bag with her right hand.
"Uh, don't mind her," Naruto bumped Sakura's shoulder. "She's not like that all the time."
"Is she an orphan, too?" Sakura asked quietly.
"Yeah," Naruto sighed. "Her life was a disaster before she joined us. I think we helped her a lot. And she helped us."
"I see," Sakura looked back to the plane and searched for Ino. "It'd be a miracle if someone doesn't shoot me by tomorrow."
Fortunately, Ino was on her way, side by side with Sai. Unaffected by the weather or the circumstances, she seemed to have acquired some kind of undying happiness. Perhaps Sai had something to do with that. Apart from Sai, Sakura was grateful to have her on the team. Weird or not, Sakura knew Ino wouldn't stab her in the back. Saying the same for everyone else around her, for sure, was in no way going to happen. Having somebody was better than having nobody at all.
"Whew, thought I'd die in a plane crash," Ino beamed once they were close enough.
"So did we," Naruto grinned. "Sai, you coming?"
"Yeah," Sai nodded.
"Ah, by the way," Ino raised her index to attract the attention back to her. "Captain Hatake requests a meeting of the whole team in an hour."
"Thought so. I saw Sasuke speaking with him just now. Briefing?" Naruto raised a brow.
"Likely."
"Better settle on faster then," he waved at Sakura. "We'll see you there in an hour."
"There?" she asked with a guilty smile.
"Sai will show us," Ino placed a kiss on his cheek and he had zero reaction about it. He just blinked apathetically, looking straight ahead. "Right?"
Sakura and Naruto exchanged glances before shaking their heads.
"It's arranged, then."
They finally parted and Sakura waited for her friend to come to her senses, which appeared to be a really hard task. Ino stared after Sai for quite a while with an absent look in her eyes.
"What happened?" Sakura took her by the arm and they walked ahead slowly.
"What do you mean?"
"On the plane." Sakura raised her head, trying to find the tents Karin hinted her to.
"I think I'll keep that for myself this time."
Sakura glanced up at her friend for a second, a content smile on her face. Since Inoichi's death, Ino turned everything into a joke, avoiding serious subjects like they threatened her life. Such a mature approach was something new and Sakura noticed the change of attitude a while ago. Not a wholesome change, but it was something. Unsure whether Sai was playing the role of a distraction and a replacement of her loneliness or she had just decided to change her style and take a serious responsibility upon her shoulders and Sakura was convinced her friend was not the same person as before.
The red cross emerged soon in front of them. Later, Sakura understood that the medics' tents were right across from the ones in which the soldiers resided. The space in between was about thirty yards.
The tents themselves were half the size of her dining-room, in the apartment. Everything was compact and fit into perfect order. Sakura was glad to have one separated from the others. Being in one tent with Ino would've been bearable, being in one tent with Sasuke was not. Usually, the military tents sheltered a dozen soldiers or even the whole platoon. She was so sure her bed would've been one of many under the same camouflage tarpaulin roof. Instead, she got a tiny tent all for herself. Perhaps medics were held in respect and she enjoyed privileges.
Although quite dark, Sakura discerned a small table with a chair, a bed, and a wooden cabinet behind it. As she left her bag and suit on the bed, her eyes traced the cable that traced the tent's wall and climbed up until she saw the hanging electric bulb. There was a string behind her and she pulled it, lighting up the space around her. Opposite to her expectations, she was happy with what she got. There was even a power plug next to the table. Perfect.
She took on with unpacking and her thoughts drifted away to a moment in particular. Did he do it just to stop her from shaking or to convey a message... a feeling? Did he expect her to reply after what he did to her the last time? Denying and lowering her to the position of a call-girl until they didn't face death. Was it so humiliating for him to admit he was a human? To accept the fact that human meant ordinary, plain, and trivial. Human meant he was like everyone else and was in need of everything the others needed. Including some basic things like understanding. Admitting that would equal destroying his sense of uniqueness, of being special... better than the rest. She was afraid the base beneath that sense was all rotten and about to crumble away.
As promised, Sai came to get them an hour later and they headed to one of the larger buildings that took the place between the two sets of tents. The other belonged to another platoon, Sakura assumed. The airstrip with the private military aircrafts along with the landing place of the helicopters she saw on her way down the plane was to their right. The other large buildings were supposedly the canteen and the field baths. Memorizing their locations was a good start.
Making their way into the military hut, the three of them found themselves to be in a vast hall with an oval ceiling. Most of the space was filled with chairs that faced an upper ground where Sasuke and Naruto were already standing, hands in the back. Sakura, Ino, and Sai sat behind their teammates and waited. It seemed not everyone was present yet so it wasn't long until Ino and Sai started chatting while Sakura sighed, looking through the windows on her left. Didn't they say one hour? Maybe they came way too early. The strange feeling of being watched disturbed her train of thoughts and she turned around, attempting to find the source of her uneasiness. A moment after she caught Sasuke's eyes already looking her way.
Those haunting, dark eyes, they stripped her bare and didn't ask for permission. The ruthless eyes of a tyrant. Even from that distance, he exerted power beyond her control and understanding and she was ripped up in pieces without being able to make a sound. Without anyone noticing. It wasn't like he judged her, there was something else there. Her brows just wrinkled together when he averted his eyes and scanned the attendants absently. Sakura took a breath and exhaled, realizing that her fists were clenched all this time and anger has made its way underneath her skin. Anger... why?
Because he did whatever he wanted with her and she succumbed to him without knowing it, against her will. Because she was the next body in his eyes.
"Sorry, guys," a loud voice dragged the attention and everyone turned to see Kakashi with his hand up in a gesture of apology. He walked in the alley between the chairs at the slowest pace, without any signs of being concerned or regretful.
"Sorry?" Ino whispered to Sai, but Sakura was close enough to hear. "He's twenty minutes late."
The man in front of them scoffed, hand leaning on the chair's back in order to face them in a more comfortable position. "We waited for an hour once."
Ino chuckled.
"And you are?" Shikamaru squinted at Sakura.
"Haruno Sakura. A close friend of Ino," she shook his hand with a smile.
"This," Shikamaru placed his hand on the golden-haired woman next to him, "is Temari."
"Get your hand off me," she slapped his hand so harshly that it created a lashing and Sakura had to bite at her lip so that she doesn't burst into laughter. Chōji, who sat next to Temari, however, laughed out loud.
"Shut up!" Tenten snapped from the second row.
Shikamaru rubbed the red spot on his hand with a frown. "That's Chōji and Lee you see there." Sakura nodded at both of the men that looked back at her. "Is there anyone you don't know yet? I am responsible for the getting along part in the team, you know," Shikamaru sighed with exasperation. "It's a drag but it's my duty, too."
"I don't know the man in the front, with the... tattoos on the face."
"Uh, that's Kiba. He's currently replacing Shino. I recommend you don't ask him about those tattoos..." Shikamaru paused, "Actually don't even look at him. He might get the wrong idea."
"I know everyone else, thank you," Sakura nodded once again and Shikamaru turned back. Kakashi finally faced them and coughed to get the attention he lost a few seconds ago.
"So. Many of you might wonder why I'm here and not at the Headquarters where I'm supposed to be," he put his hands in his pockets, switching the weight on his right leg and taking a more casual posture. "I was ordered to, by a higher instance. I can't say any details, sorry." He glanced back at his lieutenants and squinted. "Before I go on with information about your current mission, I'd like to make an announcement." Sakura slightly tilted her head. Something wasn't quite right. His tone gave it away. "I am promoting Naruto Uzumaki to a First Lieutenant and demoting Sasuke Uchiha to a Second."
A murmur rose among her teammates, but she was busy watching at Sasuke whose expression, to her surprise, held a touch of amusement. She'd seen that sparkle in his eyes before. Was he supposed to be smiling, considering he just lost his ability to command the platoon? Naruto, on the other side, appeared overjoyed with his new position, eyes full of determination.
"Weird," Ino leaned to her friend. "Mr. Moody doesn't seem surprised at all."
"Now, for the mission." Kakashi huffed tiredly. "We've been chasing after a terrorist for months now. His name is Danzo Shimura and he's known to be a famous contrabandist of bioweapons and explosives of various kinds. We believe he has a secret network of scouts due to the fact we've never been able to capture him. That man is intelligent and very dangerous. Don't underestimate him."
He started walking to and fro, making another pause. "I'd like to point out you have an order to capture, not kill him. He is in a possession of valuable information that can be useful to us. What high-levels wouldn't want to tell you is that he's a former government official from Konoha."
Sakura exchanged glances with Ino, deep surprise on their faces.
"Some years ago, he's been turned down for the position of a city's governor by unknown to us reasons. Possibly it has something to do with his unusual political conceptions. After many attempts of nomination in the past, Shimura tried again last year and didn't succeed. All we know is that he's gone missing after that and his whereabouts have been a secret until an attack didn't concuss one of our southern military bases, almost razing it to the ground. Hours later a digital message was sent our way. It said, "If you refuse to give me what's rightfully mine, I'll claim it the hard way."
Kakashi stopped for a moment, his hand in front of his mouth in a thoughtful expression.
"It's been five months and he's always getting away, one way or the other. He's responsible for a lot of deaths... but we suspect he's involved many veterans and gang members. A man like him is sure to require followers."
"How do we know for sure his coordinates are the ones we've been given?" Shikamaru asked out loud, folding hands. "If I was him, I'd give false information about my position, and then I'll wait out a bunch of idiots to come so that I can blow them up at once."
"Good point." Kakashi looked at him with heavy concern. "A team of ours has located him and they say they have proof he's currently hiding in a small village not far from Iwagakure. This is why we're here, in the North West Base. We don't have much of a choice but to trust our people," he shrugged. "If we end up blowing up, I apologize in advance. At least your deaths won't be on my conscience."
Among the thick silence, Ino giggled at his remark and attracted everyone's gaze upon her. "Sorry," she raised her hand in an apologetic gesture and hurried to lower her eyes to her lap.
"Yeah..." Kakashi drawled, still looking at Ino. "More details on the exact approach you're taking and the strategy of infiltrating will be given to you tomorrow. That's it for now. We'll have dinner at seven. You're dismissed."
Sakura tapped on Ino's shoulder.
"You'll be fine."
"Congratz, Naruto!"
"Yeah, man, congratulations on the new position."
Sakura chose to sit at the far end of the table, next to Ino and Sai, and keep as quiet as she can. It wasn't that hard of a task, in fact, since the admirations started even before they sat to eat and continued during the whole dinner. It was a heartwarming sight, to see those people treat each other as brothers and sisters while in truth they had no blood relation. Even the ones that she previously thought whimsical in a way now joined the conversation.
Naruto and Sasuke sat on the two single places across the table and were a rather interesting sight to observe. If her gaze traced the attendants from one side to the other, she could notice the full palette of moods. Glad to be on Naruto's side of the table and sip from his unrelenting liveliness, Sakura found herself smiling widely most of the time. Whatever the company thought of her, she knew it was safe next to Naruto. He accepted her long before they got on the plane.
"Thanks, guys!" he managed to reply in between the long intervals in which his mouth was full.
Sakura stopped not once in the middle of her eating process, stealing a glance at the people around her. She forced herself to admit, the ones that she was most interested in were at the other side of the table. Karin had pulled her chair so that it almost adhered to Sasuke's and he, on the other side, looked like nothing mattered to him. The red-haired woman didn't care about that, it seems, and constantly renewed their conversations, sometimes she leaned in to speak in his ear, and other times she'd smile but not that smile Sakura saw back in the Uchiha Estate. It was a warm, sincere smile. Sakura wondered what her story was. Overall, Sasuke appeared annoyed by her obtrusiveness but didn't stop her from babbling which meant he was either too tired to deal with her or she was much closer to him than Sakura thought.
Something in the shape of sadness, mixed with helplessness obsessed her at the sight. She felt like an intruder.
The image of Karin, with only a coat on, loose hair, and with all of her underclothes in her hands invaded her thoughts. It was a few hours ago when Sakura noticed her by accident. She left her own tent with the intention of dropping by Ino but stumbled across her. She was a medic, Sakura concluded, so it was only natural to see her there. Her disheveled appearance and quickened pace indicated something else. She returned from another one's tent and used the fog as a cover for her actions.
She looked at Sakura with an empty expression. There was no emotion in her voice either. You are not the first, she told her before turning to leave. And you won't be the last. Sakura withered, leaving her fork down on the table with a slow movement.
"You're late, Captain. There's no more food left," Naruto professed with his most serious intonation.
"You're sitting in my chair, Naruto."
After a verbal fight, Naruto yielded and brief silence spread in the wide room. The sounds of quiet chewing and swallowing extended until Naruto didn't engage in another conversation. Something about the new design of the specialized designated marksman rifle, Sakura didn't exactly hear, focused on something else. The light created a distracting luster upon the steel of her cutlery. She almost jumped in surprise when a warm touch raised her chin gently.
"What's wrong?" Kakashi tilted his head as if trying to read her mind, but she was suddenly so fazed that she stood completely still for a few seconds, without blinking, before being able to think straight again. He slowly pulled his hand away, but Sakura was already red in the face and ignored his questioning eyes as fast as she could.
"I, uh... what's wrong? Nothing's wrong," she grabbed her fork once again and pretended to have a renewed interest in her dish.
As she feared, Kakashi was not fooled so easily. He continued in the same quiet and calm voice, "You can tell me."
Sakura looked at him in wonder. He was so cheerful that it made her all the sadder. "I just feel like... I feel like I don't belong."
His cheerfulness faded a bit as he grew pensive. "I won't let that happen. You are part of our family now and you should feel like it."
"But all of you are so close to each other and I... I..." Sakura sighed, at a loss for words.
"Sakura," his tone surprised her so much that her irises widened. He seemed to be smiling again, but her name was spoken quietly and with sincere pain. "If anything happens to any of you, it happens to me. I am sure you understand," he leaned in and she held her breath, waiting for him to end the sentence, but he just stood and watched her for a while. "If you are hurt, I am too."
"I-I understand," Sakura stammered, completely entranced by the view. A loose lock had fallen in front of his eye and it gave him the right amount of charm for her to get hit by the sudden urge to tuck it back in its place. She looked down at lightning speed, scattering the ridiculous thought away. What was she even upset about just now?
"You are blushing," he laughed and leaned back in his chair.
"No, I'm not," Sakura muttered under her breath, too embarrassed to look up again. Instead, she was about to stand up and take her dish. "I think I'm going to retire for the night."
The continuous murmur and conversation calmed her down. It was safe to say no one saw her blushing. Even if they did, she regained her composure soon enough.
"You don't seem to enjoy my company," he commented, eyeing the food in front of him. "Do you always leave early?"
"Do you always come late?" she parried, unable to hide the playful smile on her lips.
"Are you leaving, Sakura?" Naruto asked out loud before Kakashi could reply and the attention focused on her.
"That was the plan," she shrugged, giving out a nervous laugh.
"Ah...'kay then. I'll help you with cleaning the table since I'm done too."
"Count me in," Temari waved at her, and after her everyone stood up in order to help her.
The gesture warmed her heart and dispersed her apprehensions. As much as she thought the team generally hates her, they proved her wrong and in the next minutes, all she had was words of gratitude for them. It was another matter that Kakashi expressed his heavy disappointment in the whole team. Leaving him to dine on his own was disrespectful and mean.
"You deserve it," Naruto said, before leaving. "For making us wait today."
Usually, there would be two or three people who helped every squad with the dishwashing, the laundry, and some other minor details tied to living in a field base so she wasn't surprised to meet a man and a woman in the back, where the so-called Military Field Sanitation Unit took place. Walking through the stockroom, she, with the help of the others left their dishes to the staff there. It was a large space, filled with various equipment, including a water heater module, sanitary, and cooking equipment. As she ascertained herself, that section was where the food was prepared.
Sakura decided it'd be nice for her to wash the dishes since she wasn't tired at all and it would've been a good chance to show her usefulness. She was a rookie after all. Washing the dishes was a way to let the others know she didn't claim to be on their level. At least not yet.
The staff thanked her for the help and she parted with them on friendly terms, which she considered a success. She didn't mess anything up on the first day. If she made it out till the end, it'd be nice. As she walked back through the stock room, her thoughts called to mind the way back to her tent but looking down was a mistake because she didn't see the source of the harsh force that pushed her back to the metallic frames. Muscles tensed, her breaths came short and fast as a familiar pair of eyes pierced through her with burning anger.
Sakura's uneasiness gradually increased with every second, now that he was a pace away and coerced her to remain still. Running away wasn't possible in her position, he held all trumps. Again. "What's going on?" she successfully imitated calm intonation, although her voice came out slower than normal.
"How about you tell me?"
Sakura raised a brow. He seemed to alter his intonation too. Perhaps this excessive hatred in him wasn't always as controllable as he presented it to be.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"You can't be that stupid," he snapped, annoyed by her lack of insight.
Sakura blinked, trying to comprehend what he hinted at. Her irises widened as he stared right in front of her. Could it be? She slowly raised her eyes to his but didn't know what to say. Her lips trembled in an attempt to form a word or two but nothing came out.
"I don't understand what you're accusing me of," Sakura finally replied, taking a sharp breath in the process. And then, out of nowhere, Sakura felt like laughing. There was something like a bubble that burst inside of her and now an urge to laugh caught her unprepared. The amusement was surely written on her face because his fists clenched in a slow and intimidating movement that reminded her to hold her emotions tight. Every time she engaged with him she felt like they portrayed the closing up of a flame and gunpowder. She knew what the outcome would be yet there was something thrilling about the constant tension.
"Is it forbidden to talk with the captain?"
"You can't talk with him like that. He's a superior," he retorted right after she spoke out the last word of her sentence. "Just like you cannot show any familiarity with me, your other superior."
"I am well aware of that," Sakura said. "And I will not feel guilty for being familiar with anyone. Just so you know, the captain encouraged it himself..." her voice trailed off as he stepped closer to her, twisting her wrist.
"I will not warn you again," he warned in a low voice, and before the pain in her hand became unbearable he let go of her and left her staring at a point in the air, lips parted and more confused than ever before.
A/N: Hurray, I was able to update. Thanks to all of you who read this, I appreciate it. I can explain the delay, I was really sick and also University stuff. You don't wanna know. One of the professors has been a military officer for 30 years so I get to know some really interesting facts about the psychology and the mindset of a soldier. He wasn't ashamed to admit that many of the established psychological tests don't work on soldiers because all they can think of is women. Funny but not really. Rather tragic. He said barracks were men's worst nightmare.
Anyway, I've always wanted a fic in which Kakashi is the 'father figure' to all of his inferiors so I kinda made it like that. Also, I fixed my messed-up plan and I calculated all in all 28 chapters. For now. I might extend things a bit if I decide to. I've got some personal things to add up in chapter 15 but the actual mission is in the 16th. See you next time.