Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in it.
XIX.
- Asunder -
Rummaging noise woke her up abruptly, eyes snapping open, but she forced herself to remain still. Laying aside, with her body facing a wall, she quickly came to the realization that she lay in her own tent and it was in the midst of the night, during the small hours. Sometime in the late afternoon, she heard familiar voices, but her mind was too numb to react and paid them no mind, drifting away once again. Someone must've carried her back to her tent after that. Her mind was still dazzled from emerging on top of her deep slumber, but she remembered falling asleep elsewhere, on Sasuke's bed.
Strange, as a light sleeper she was supposed to feel the movement.
Cold shivers ran down her spine, her attention now diverted to the muffled voices behind her while they started discussing something. Her blankets were almost covering her whole head and she couldn't quite hear what they were saying. The reactions of her body came before she got to the reason for them. The shock tensed and unnerved her gradually when she finally noticed — these voices were new and she heard them for the first time. The panic gave her out, her breathing couldn't remain as even as she wanted it to be. Footsteps came closer to where she lay and her body refused to move.
"If you make a sound, I'll blow your friend up. The pretty one next door," a low, maniacal sneer echoed somewhere close to her left ear. "And if you try something funny I'll put a grenade in your mouth and we're all gonna blow up." His voice strained and turned higher in pitch as if barely holding laughter. "Ain't that gonna be a blast?"
"Hostage, psycho," the other voice reminded, masterfully. "Not bits of a corpse."
"Don't say it like that. Ugh."
Sakura weighed the possibility of fighting the intruders and reached the conclusion she could dominate, despite being outnumbered. Although somewhat twisted, the first voice sounded youthful. The man was not older than herself while the other seemed a tad phlegmatic and, curiously, uninterested in hurting her. But that same conclusion quickly faded when the door to her tent opened yet again and she heard a third, low voice. Three were too many.
"Get her out. Hurry."
"...'kay then," the youthful one clicked with his tongue and grabbed Sakura by her arm. "Time to go."
In a split second, Sakura thought of memorizing the faces of the men, but she changed her mind, looking down as they straightened her up on her feet in nothing more than her light nighty. The thick darkness of the cloudy night wouldn't allow her to see much of their faces anyway. Apart from that, if she really saw them her life would matter less. The coldness enveloped her body in an unpleasant embrace once she left her blankets, but her lips were tightly pursed, not giving out a sound.
Rough hands wrapped a cloth around her eyes and tightened it carelessly. The silence around her was maddening, leaving her with countless questions. Who were those people and... how did they manage to sneak into the base unnoticed? Did they hurt Ino? Did anyone see them intrude? Why her? Was it still a good idea to put up a fight?
"Now," the youngest of the group spoke excitedly, struggling to keep his voice in a whisper. "Hold that, cherry."
Sakura's heart was already racing, but when her hand was raised by another she broke out into a cold sweat. Sinewy, cold hands put something in her right hand. It was heavy and round, metallic to the touch. The lump in her throat grew bigger with every second passing. The situation demanded her concentrated willpower and all of the courage she had. A disturbing click came out of the round object in her hand and Sakura couldn't help but flinch, her nerves too tensed not to. What… was that?
"Don't get me wrong, I really like you. But," the man leaned in, snickering, "I must be sure you're gonna play by our rules."
Sakura didn't dare speak but the pause seemed too long. Did she have to say something? Another wave of shivers crawled its way down her numbing body when the man surrounded her, the slight whiff of air allowing her to discern the movement. Warm breath tingled the skin of her neck and her breathing shallowed quickly. The fear rising within was too overwhelming for her to react in any way; she stood, frozen in her place, and didn't make a single sound.
Now that he was so close, Sakura caught the bitter smell of smoke his clothes gave out. The man's hands took hers from behind, the motion was so gentle that spread immediate nausea in her. There was some kind of a pretext in it, though, and Sakura forced herself to remain focused on the important details. "Be careful with that, sweetie. It's a work of art," he spoke in her ear. "I already pulled the safety pin."
In the second Sakura realized she held a grenade she attempted to wrest out of the man's embrace and throw it away but his grip was stronger than she had expected.
"Shhh," he held her in place, hands closing around hers and the grenade. "Don't… move."
Sakura stopped, more confused than before. Why hasn't it blown up already?
"As long as you hold the lever in place, it won't blow up," the man hinted, somewhat proud of his own craftiness. "Good luck."
"What the hell are you still doing in here? Get her out," the masterful voice returned and someone pushed her ahead, through the door.
The wind chilled her to her bones, every blow grazing her skin like icy razors. She shrank, enveloping herself with hands, although… it didn't matter if she did. Her body was growing colder by the minute. Her feet dragged her ahead, but she couldn't orientate for the direction the men are leading her to. In the dead of night, Sakura slowly lost hope that someone might've noticed the intrusion of this group. No sound came from her surroundings. Where were all the soldiers from the night patrol? The most realistic possibility was the worst one. She knew these men wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone in their way.
What concerned her most now was whether the base was in danger or not. And if it was? What could she do, with her eyes covered and mouth shut? Those heavy footsteps behind her. Three, maybe four people. The serious one was way older than her, taller too. They walked close to her… What if she blew all of them up? Half of the pressure she applied to the grenade wasn't even needed, but her fingers squeezed it tight, afraid that a mistake would be fatal. What if she saved everyone that way? The explosion could take out the whole group, including her. And create a loud enough noise to get the whole base on its feet.
Great fear besieged her at the thought. Killing herself wasn't as easy as she imagined it'd be. Killing others, too, however bad they were. She promised to herself to not make compromises, no matter the size of the issue, didn't she? Then considering murder as an option was out of the question.
What the hell?
Sakura's hectic mind startled, the raving thoughts inside of it deafening with an echo for one moment of complete, terrifying silence.
Are you seriously gonna play the saint? Because these people won't.
The northern wind was blowing at their side and she could barely take a breath. Painful sensations benumbed her limbs, teeth starting to chatter. Sakura licked her chapped lips but it only caused her the next uncontrollable shudder. If she walked a few more minutes in that weather, losing a sense of touch would be a matter of time.
They don't give a damn about you. You'd either starve to death…
Perhaps… it wouldn't be that bad to die now. At least she'd alert the whole base. And make a good clear-out. Sakura took a sharp breath, shaking off those obsessive thoughts. Shame on her, she was a doctor. She chose to preserve life, not extinguish it in cruel ways and through cruel plans. What if those people had relatives, families? That they had their way, choosing violence, didn't mean she was obliged to retort with the same.
…or die frostbitten, like some kind of a wild animal.
Sakura wasn't ready to die. At least not yet. It wasn't entirely fear that stopped her, though it figured in her decision too. A promise was a promise. She made a promise to herself and took an oath, as a physician. It may also be within my power to take a life, she remembered the words. This awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God. There was something else, too. A dream that she wanted to realize, a dream that despite all the odds she'd find happiness. She wouldn't die because dying means giving up. And she wasn't done fighting yet.
"The girl's shaking," the third voice snapped, breaking the silence. "If you don't wanna have him angry, you better do something about it."
Sakura couldn't quite tell anything about that man except that he seemed quite short-tempered. And the restlessness in him was tangible... he didn't want to appear disloyal. Though, his remark tensed her nerves all the more. How long did he stare at her in the dark before discerning that she was, in fact, shaking?
"I can warm her up if she's cold," the young man grabbed her by the arm.
You are the one who wanted a colorful life. Is that colorful enough for you?
"Don't touch me," Sakura wrested her elbow away from him, backing away, but was quickly silenced by a harsh slap that brought her down, on the concrete.
Her first thought was to not let that grenade slip off. The second was tightly connected with the sharp pain that came from multiple places at once — her face, her hands, and her knees. Falling on the hard ground had grazed her bare skin.
"Deidara," the third man intervened again, exasperated.
"What?"
Sakura attempted to get on her feet but found that to be a rather hard task.
"Help her up and move. If you hold us up one more time, I'll report you to him."
There was a pause in which Sakura succeeded in getting back on her feet. As if she'd wait for someone of the attending to help her do that.
"Are we calling each other by names in front of hostages now, Sasori?"
"You know they don't live to tell. Come on, we're wasting time," Sasori hissed at him.
Footsteps neared her and she tensed once more, expecting another blow, but instead, warmth touched her skin. Most surprisingly, she obtained someone's overcoat and the sensation allowed her to release her breath, muscles slightly relaxing under the soft matter. She hooded her head right after the other presence walked away, trying to hide from the shrill cry of the wind. As much as she wanted to thank whoever gave her the coat, she reminded herself to remain silent. She would get her answers and the needed information, sooner or later. Staying alive was now of greatest importance.
"We've got a long way to go, start walking," Sasori bossed, seemingly fed up with everyone.
That was the last human speech she heard in several hours.
With the dawn just breaking, Sasuke snuck away from the hut while everyone was still asleep and went straight to the tent of his interest. He knocked on the door, convinced that his insistent hitting would've woken up anyone, even if it was a deep sleeper. His captain wasn't one, usually, but with that injury he received yesterday, Sasuke assumed he'd need rest, and waking him up that early was somewhat cruel of its own. Not that he cared that much. He never cared for the guy. It was his fault for getting shot. Nevertheless, he did wait a good ten minutes in the cold before the door opened.
Masked but still in his sleeping clothes, Kakashi looked overall tired. Wonder was all over his face once he refocused his vision on the visitor. He shifted, letting Sasuke close the door behind, and headed back to his bed, leaning on objects in the process.
It was a quiet morning, the harsh wind had abated not long ago but it was the typical December morrow in these lands, with the temperature of air far below zero. The faint sunbeams that peeked through the thick mass of clouds for the first time in days cast a tender light on the front half of the room, gilding everything it touched, including the bed where Kakashi sat on with the slowest motion. The half in which Sasuke stood was still shadowed but he chose to remain there, by the door; hands in the back.
"You're fully dressed," Kakashi began the conversation with a sigh as if predicting it was going to be a tough one. He scanned Sasuke from head to toe. "Battle dress. At six in the morning. You have something to tell me?"
With the shadows falling onto his features, Sasuke looked particularly grim, though there was a flare of determination in his dark gaze. He took a breath before speaking out, "I came here to request permission."
"For?"
"A reconnaissance. Of my own."
Kakashi gave him a tired look. "Sasuke, I know you want to know the truth about your brother but I can't let you go alone on an operation of that kind."
"Is that a refusal?"
Kakashi closed his eyes for a moment, massaging his forehead. "I don't like your tone, Sasuke."
"Is that," Sasuke repeated, ignoring Kakashi's remark, "a refusal?"
"Yes, I'm afraid."
"Good." Sasuke turned around, reaching for the door when Kakashi called his name, stopping him from getting out just yet.
"Don't do it. You know what happens when you disobey a direct order from your commandant, don't you?"
"There's only one way for me to know," Sasuke looked back at him. "You cannot stop me."
"If you had made your decision already, why bother to come and wake me up?"
Sasuke looked down at the door's handle, remaining silent for one long moment.
Why did he come, really? It didn't matter what his captain would say, not in the least. Having permission or not wasn't going to change his decision. He made it many hours ago and was prepared to leave. Kakashi was as good as a stranger to him, he owed him nothing. Yet… there was this pathetic voice inside of him that urged him this way when he woke up in the morning. He had no reason for it. Perhaps deep inside he wished someone would give him the needed recognition. If he doesn't return, that is.
"You will come back," Kakashi spoke again, like he heard his thoughts. "Even if it means facing consequences."
Sasuke smirked, although Kakashi couldn't see him. "We'll see about that."
"Kakashi!" Naruto yelled, noticing him getting near with the help of Karin, to the group of soldiers now gathered outside the tents.
They hadn't even eaten breakfast when Naruto raised an alarm. Sasuke missing was his main concern until he wasn't informed Sakura is missing too. The fuss reached Kakashi's ears soon enough and he decided to see what's going on. The platoon was leading a lively discussion when he walked toward them, hands in his pockets.
"Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura are gone," Naruto reported abruptly, furrowing at Kakashi's indifference at the news that roused shock in everyone else. "We searched everywhere in the base and there's no trace of them."
"Weird thing is," Ino spoke out, heavy concern on her face. "All of Sakura's stuff is in her tent. Even her clothes. Why would she go anywhere without even bothering to get dressed?"
"Sasuke has clearly taken some things. Food and supplies are missing. As well as his sniper rifle," Shikamaru pouted. "I searched the armory."
"You know anything about this, Kakashi?" Naruto stepped to him.
"Sasuke told me he's leaving a few hours ago. I don't know anything about Sakura's departure."
"Why didn't you stop him?!"
"Well, he's not really one that you can stop," Karin fixed her glasses absently.
"Naruto," Kiba called, running to them. "We can't go anywhere. The vehicles' tires are all flat. I don't think Sasuke would do such a thing."
"Flat?" Temari puffed. "There was an intrusion. Surely, they must've taken her. She wouldn't leave at night, without clothes, in other circumstances."
"Dammit," Naruto said through clenched teeth. "How long until the vehicles will be ready to move again?"
"Don't know. Should be ready within an hour or so."
"An hour? A whole hour?" Naruto growled. "I want them fixed in the next fifteen minutes. Sakura might be in grave danger."
Kiba left quickly and the nervous murmur continued.
"Where is the night patrol?" Kakashi asked. "They must've seen something."
"With the medics," Lee replied first. "One of them is stabbed from the back. The others have fallen unconscious after a hit in the head."
"Neither remembers faces but the one that's stabbed says the intruders weren't more than three," Tenten added. "Three men."
"Not helpful," Kakashi shook his head. "They must've known the medics are most vulnerable and accessible since their tents are separate. I'm still not sure how three men are able to breach through a heavily guarded base and take a hostage without anyone noticing. They sound very well prepared, both in mind and body. Taking out our night patrol as if they're nothing."
Soldiers from other platoons were coming and going, demanding more information on the intrusion. Kakashi was sure it was only a matter of time before they double or even triple the patrol and send squads to trace the abductors. All that technology... and it hasn't helped track anyone entering the base without permission. Meaning, those people were either professionals or crazy, in order to sneak in and then out, without any trace.
"If I only knew…" Naruto clenched his fist, anger raising his chest up and down. "They'll pay for that, whoever they are."
"I hope it's not too late when we find her," Ino murmured, voice trembling.
"Don't say that," Kakashi calmed her down. "I don't want to hear any of you say things like that. We'll find her and she'll be fine. Now, get ready for a rescue mission."
The platoon dispersed, but Naruto and Shikamaru remained in their places.
"Those gangs and groups who ravage around, you know they never leave hostages alive for long. It's wartime. How do I keep everyone's hopes when we all know there's a possibility that she might…" Naruto didn't finish, not daring to watch Kakashi in the eyes.
"I don't consider anyone dead until I see him dead with my own eyes," Kakashi explained. "I'm sure Sakura is alive. She may not look like it, but she's strong."
"Kakashi, there's something else," Shikamaru stepped to him, pulling something from the pocket of his trousers. "I found this in the trash can, outside the armory. It dragged my attention because those cans are emptied every night. That was the only thing in there. Which means it's been thrown away this morning."
Shikamaru handed a small object and Kakashi took it in his palm.
"I believe it's morphine. I would've thought it a problem if it was half empty. Or completely empty. But…"
"Morphine?" Naruto raised a brow. "Soldiers aren't supposed to have access to drugs, are they?"
"No," Shikamaru shrugged. "I don't even know how he got his hands on that one."
Kakashi squinted at the prescription bottle in his hands. "Why would he throw out an unopened bottle… now?"
A/N: Thanks for reading, as always. Everyone is writing about fireplaces and cuddling and here I am - psychos, grenades, and various types of harassment. Happy holidays lmao! Sorry for the delay, had a bad week, then had another bad week, then I had no Internet. I'm kinda going down the 'dark' lane for the next chapters. (Getting really frustrated with this. Should've written a one-shot and be done with it lol) Eh… we'll reach the end someday. If I don't manage to update again 'till the end of this year, have yourself a tight hug from me. I'll come back as soon as I can. There are lots of questions I need to answer after that chapter, I know.