Ch: 6 A Shooting Star
Tsunade burst through the doors. She was in her nightgown, her usual pigtails replaced by loose blonde strands crashing into her mid-back like violent waves.
Two masked ANBU, dressed in their full attire, followed neatly behind her with rigid formality.
"Where is she?!"
The hospital receptionist jumped and frantically collected scattered paperwork onto a clipboard for the fierce-looking woman.
"H-Hokage-sama! Room f-five three."
Before the girl could finish, Tsunade grabbed the clipboard from her timid hands and stormed into the hallway. She was too ticked off to be polite.
It was nearly 3:00 AM.
Why had it taken so long for someone to call her?!
ANBU appeared at her window just ten minutes earlier. Infuriatingly, they only knew that her apprentice was home and at the hospital. They couldn't say if she was okay.
Tsunade didn't even give herself a moment to put on something decent before she sprinted out the door.
Her eyes glossed over the papers in her shaky hands. She clutched the edges of the clipboard and tried to calm herself so she could actually read something on Sakura's charts.
When it wasn't the vitals of someone she knew personally, it was easy to read these. But right now the charts and numbers were just arbitrary shapes of ink on paper, doing nothing to settle her nerves.
No one could tell her anything. It was so god damn inadequate.
She hunted for signs of life.
Pulse.
77.
Blood pressure.
108/75.
Temperature.
37 °C.
This was taking too long.
"Hokage-sama. This is the room."
Finally.
She whipped around to see Kakashi standing next to her two ANBU outside of room five-three, waiting expectantly.
Tsunade shoved the clipboard onto the miniature table by the door and opened the curtain.
After Sakura arrived in Konoha last night, she was immediately ushered to the hospital where she could be treated for her "battle wounds".
At first, ANBU wanted to take her to the debriefing center, which could've been problematic. She wasn't sure she'd be able to hide all that was in her mind without some preparation. But without prompting, the Princess barked orders at the ANBU and she got what she wanted—a personal and private debrief, quite informal.
The Copy Ninja was there too.
Sakura relayed a fascinating story of her return to Konoha—mostly fabricated, less the part where Hidan attacked her. She exaggerated some bits. Added some tears. Pointed out her injuries. Included a good explanation for why she hadn't healed herself.
It was all well-rehearsed.
The Princess then asked a few follow-up questions about Akatsuki's whereabouts or if Sakura was able to glean anything about their plans or why they took her in the first place.
Sakura's expression threatened more tears and the Princess backed off. Easy.
Everyone was too elated with her return to press any further, and all that was requested from her was a simple written report when available. Sakura decided to take the next couple days to think about what type of story she could spin in the report.
Afterwards, the Princess and Copy Ninja left the room to talk outside of earshot. She remembered hearing their whispers as she drifted off to sleep.
That brought Sakura to today, when she woke up in her own apartment. How exactly that happened was a mystery, but it wasn't like she minded parting with a hospital cot. She bundled up some fluffy comforter under her chin and shifted to her side, her feet feeling the softness of the plush fabric of her own bed as she sighed in contentment.
Knock
Knock
Knock
"Sakura, are you there?!"
She opened one eye.
How annoying.
She'd had a long night. And she wasn't in the mood to talk to Konoha losers.
Deciding to ignore whoever it was, she closed her eye and went back to sleep.
…
…
"Sakura, I'm coming in!"
Her eyes shot open at the announcement of intrusion. She realized who it was.
The vessel.
From her bedroom, she could hear him fiddle with different keys as the front doorknob jangled. She tossed her blanket off and threw on the nearest piece of cover—a medical robe laying on the floor—and draped it across her shoulders just as the lock on her door clicked.
"Jinchu—Naruto," Sakura said, correcting herself before it was too late. Adrenaline pumped through her veins now. She couldn't fuck this up.
He froze by her door with one hand on the knob. As if the sound of her voice was impossible.
"Sakura, I can't believe it…"
His voice was shaky at first, but then his face broke out in a huge grin as he shoved his key chain back in his pockets and closed the door behind him.
She held her breath as he approached. She knew that he'd have a million questions.
He stood taller than her, and so he lifted her off the ground with her arms trapped at her sides in a one-sided bear hug. It wasn't pleasant, but she didn't say anything in fear that he would drag out the moment longer than it needed to be.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the vessel released his death grasp.
Her feet touched the ground and she took a deep breath to refill her starved lungs. She'd have to remember not to elicit one of those again.
A serious look overcame his cheerfulness from just a minute ago. Firmly, he put both hands on her shoulders and shook her a little, as if to make sure that she was real and planted on the ground in front of him.
"I missed you."
She then noticed his furrowed blonde eyebrows and the bags under his eyes. Like he hadn't slept.
"I'm not letting anything happen to you ever again. Believe it."
His words carried finality. Hearing a promise born of such conviction made her almost want to believe it too, if she didn't know any better.
Sakura stared back, not sure what to say. She knew he was compassionate, but this emotional display was just making her feel awkward.
"I know you probably don't want to talk about it. I won't pry. But if you ever need me, I'll listen."
Wait. It was as easy as that? They were all going to take her at face value? For someone with secrets to hide, this was undeniably the best case scenario. She couldn't have been more pleased.
But then she remembered that she was expected to actually converse, and she had to come up with some kind of a response.
Quick. Say something nice, she told herself. Like... it was great to see him?
No. Too forced.
Sakura blinked slowly, at a loss.
Every time she looked at him, fantastical images of Akatsuki's success took over her mental capacity, and she couldn't unsee what it would be like the moment he was emptied of the Kyuubi that they so badly needed. He was the final, final piece, and it was hard not to feel rushed to take him right now—she was so close, with her dreams just around the corner. All she needed to do was—
"Let me take you out to lunch," he said with renewed cheerfulness.
Gross, no thanks, she thought. She couldn't help it; it was just reflex. But it wouldn't go down well if she said that, so Sakura had to come up with something else. "It's 3:00 in the afternoon," she responded coolly.
Good. Keep it factual. Scientific.
"Yeah, and knowing you, you're probably starving."
Right on cue, as if he'd summoned it himself, the room was filled with an angry grumbling courtesy of her empty stomach. She brought her arms in front of it to smother the sound but it was in vain.
The vessel beamed. "You always get hungry around this time when you skip breakfast."
Uncertain of exactly how he knew that information, Sakura could do nothing but follow along. "I'll be right back," she said over her shoulder as she headed to her room to change.
That was… also factual.
Good, she said to herself, figuratively patting herself on the back for surviving her first conversation.
While the vessel stood outside waiting for her, she collected her last bit of thoughts. She'd hoped for ample alone time to conjure a more detailed version of her plan in Konoha, but lunch couldn't hurt. And it was mission-critical for her to be close with the vessel anyway.
She couldn't avoid him. Not if she wanted to succeed.
As long as they kept it to just lunch.
As Sakura and the Jinchuriki made their way through the grass and into the trees of the nearby park, she became suspicious.
"Where are we going?" she asked. "The restaurants are that way."
"Why? Are you getting hangry?"
Sakura instantly blushed. "No—I just… nevermind," she muttered. She wasn't expecting that retort. She didn't like the way he dodged her question, either.
Seriously though. Where were they going?
Unless Konoha had restructured its neighborhoods while she was away, there were virtually zero storefronts or restaurants in the area they were heading into. It was just a park, some sidewalks, and then houses further down the way.
And, most importantly, she signed up for food. Not a stroll in the park.
In fact, they were so far away from their destination that she saw nothing except trees for miles ahead, everywhere. So many trees. And picnic tables.
Picnic tables?
Wait… was that—
She did a double take. Then squinted her eyes because she didn't know if they were deceiving her.
Oh god.
It was really happening. And she wasn't prepared for it. No way in hell could she pull this off.
…
There were too many of them. Swarming. Like mosquitoes.
...
Too. Many. People.
...
"Surprise!"
A roaring crowd jumped in the air and ran towards her.
The Jinchuriki looked back at her with a hand on his head, sheepishly. "I figured it would be easier for you to see everyone at once…"
She was being ambushed.
"Sakura!"
It was the blonde chick. We're best friends, Sakura reminded herself.
Another soul-crushing bear hug.
"We couldn't wait to see you!"
Ino wiped away tears of joy as a few more familiar faces came to welcome Sakura home. Among them were a mixture of civilians and shinobi—the mom and pop merchants who were once good friends of her parents; the old woman who lived next door; all her colleagues. Copy Ninja, Princess Tsunade, and of course, the Jinchuriki were among them.
They organized this for her?
"Sakura-sensei! You're back!"
She was forced backwards from a sudden impact. A particularly round object thudded against her rib cage.
She looked down.
Three little kids had attached themselves to her, hugging her waist with ferocity. It was the Genin brats.
"Okay guys, let's give her some room."
A beautiful woman with long and black curly hair approached the group, with airy lavender makeup accentuating striking red eyes. Sakura recognized her to be the best genjutsu user in Konoha.
"Mirai, let Sakura-sensei talk to the adults."
"Yes, oka-san." The kids detached themselves from Sakura's body and obediently ran off to get snacks, throwing a glance backwards as if to see that she was really there, just as the last time they left her.
Sakura watched them with distaste. They were so ignorant and blissfully unaware. The stupid brats had no idea how good they had it.
"Sakura," her colleagues' former sensei said, claiming her attention once again. "I wanted to thank you for what you did. I know that you didn't have to. You did it for me and I'm glad you did."
She knew what the woman was referring to. When she was taken by Akatsuki, she protected the Genin from confrontation. Thinking back on her decision, now with a clear mind after being awakened by Itachi, she realized that sparing their lives was insignificant. It really could have gone either way and it wouldn't have made a difference to her.
"Of course Kurenai," said Sakura as she bowed her head in respect.
From the corner of her eye, she saw the Copy Ninja approach.
It was overwhelming. Each and every one of the incoming interactions was more like a bomb than the heart-warming chatter they probably intended. The whole point of her leaving the apartment was to get fed, and then maybe get close to the Jinchuriki. That was all. That was supposed to be all.
"Whoa there, Sakura," said the Copy Ninja. "Are you okay?" He put his hand on her head and gave her the same examination she received from the Jinchuriki earlier.
No, she resisted the urge to say. She was not okay with this level of care and attention. It was like he was scrutinizing her, and it was uncomfortable as hell.
"I'm fine, Co—Kakashi-sensei," said Sakura as she quickly corrected herself again. Luckily, this time, the starting letters of both his real name and his nickname had similar sounds.
"Did you sleep okay last night?" he asked. "Tsunade said you'd want to wake up in your own bed, so I took you home."
So that's how she got home. She imagined how creepy it must've been to have him hunched over her sleeping form in the dark. She didn't like the idea of being so vulnerable to an enemy.
"Yes, I did," Sakura said, forcing herself not to stiffen up. "Thank you Kakashi-sensei. I mean—Kakashi."
She was still a little fuzzy in her head. Copy Ninja had asked her to drop the 'sensei' years ago, when she made Jonin.
His eyes narrowed at her uneasiness.
She remembered just how highly attuned he was. Considering that she grew up with the Jinchuriki who was dense as a kid, and the Uchiha brat who was self-absorbed and later replaced by a sociopath, she figured he'd learned to compensate for the sake of a balanced team. She'd have to be careful around him. If he figured her out, Akatsuki's trump card would be a waste and their future would only be a dream.
"Sakura, how are you? Really?" he pressed.
"I'm just a little overwhelmed right now, that's all."
He took one long look at her. She could see his eyes studying her, calculating, making small adjustments in thought based on what he was seeing. His eyes emitted a sense of wisdom beyond most people his age.
This wasn't good.
If he started to ask questions—questions that she'd earlier managed to avoid being asked by ANBU—he'd figure her out in no time. She regretted not better preparing her scripts, but then again, she only came out for lunch with the Jinchuriki, who wasn't half as perceptive as the Copy Ninja.
The silver-haired man finally slumped his shoulders in defeat and waved a hand. "Fine, fine."
She relaxed.
Although he probably wasn't really convinced, she was safe for now. He probably figured that she still had to mentally unpack everything that had happened in the last few weeks. The whole ordeal definitely would not have left her unscathed, emotionally.
He had no idea how right he was.
The rest of their group picnic went similarly, with many of Sakura's 'friends' and 'colleagues' tearfully welcoming her home. In their world of shinobi, coming home after a long period of unexplained or unplanned absence was apparently nothing short of a miracle to be celebrated until everyone died of exhaustion.
Her teammate Sai lurked in the shade. He never once made a move to approach her while she was surrounded, but numerous times she caught him staring. She supposed that just showing up was his way of caring. She could appreciate it. Especially today.
As for the rest of them… the poor, naive, unenlightened... they were all so silly for concerning themselves over something so trivial.
She recalled a very uniquely intense reunion with Lee, who appeared in his regular green attire announcing to the world that his love had finally returned to Konoha. She couldn't help but cringe at the display of public affection, but thanked him for the flowers to be polite. He made her promise that they'd spar later that week.
When it started to get dark outside, at around 6:30, the crowd began to water down. A select few stayed behind to clean up and the Jinchuriki insisted on walking her home.
At first, she wanted to turn up her nose at the offer. As an able-bodied kunoichi, she was fine to walk by herself.
But he was persistent and she was too mentally depleted to argue. So they walked side by side in silence.
She looked at the ground at her sandals, which made quiet scuffing noises against the concrete with every step.
The Jinchuriki didn't seem to mind the silence, for once, which was nice. He had both arms behind his head as his eyes watched the stars thoughtfully.
They walked like this to her front door. When they arrived, she sifted through her keychain in the dark to find the house key. When she was about to bid him goodnight, he turned to face her.
"Sakura."
…
She felt her eyelids getting heavy and her feet ached, but she waited for him to continue, patiently.
"I've been thinking." He paused to stare at nothing in particular behind her shoulder… and then looked back at her again, hesitating, as if he were going to say something embarrassing.
If he was embarrassed, Sakura'd better brace herself for some serious cringe.
"You probably don't believe in this kind of thing. But two nights ago, I saw a shooting star and I made a wish about you." His cheeks started to get a little pink, even in this dim lighting. He shook his head quickly. "This is kid's stuff. But I got my wish and wanted to let you know that whenever I see a shooting star, I'll think about you."
He abruptly put a hand on her head and forced her head towards his face for a quick brotherly peck on the forehead.
Her foot stumbled forward to rebalance herself.
He ruffled her hair and reached inside Sakura's front door to flip the light switch so she wouldn't have to enter a dark house. By the time she managed to fling her messy hair strands out of her face, he was already leaving. "I'm glad you're home. Love you!" he called from over his shoulder.
His words echoed in her mind and she processed the last few things he said to her.
Sakura entered her house and shut the door behind her absentmindedly, leaning against it with a smile on her face.
A shooting star?
It was perfect, really. Because shooting stars were not what they seemed.
And they had no idea.
She was a meteorite—headed straight into Konoha.
Naruto walked home alone with his hands in his pockets, thinking about the day's events and reflecting about Sakura. He knew he was supposed to be meeting with some of the Rookie Nine for drinks and an after-party, but he wanted to make sure she got home okay. It got him thinking, and now he didn't feel like doing anything at all.
She'd been acting distant ever since she got back. It bothered him. And even more than that, he was angry at himself.
He'd always said he'd protect his friends. He wasn't able to save Sasuke, and that fact alone ate away at his insides every day.
This time, he let Sakura down when she needed him the most. She was kidnapped and he hadn't done a thing. Even when she returned, he was notified after the fact. He didn't even visit her until the next day. Are those actions worthy of the title Hokage? He didn't think so.
But the worst of all was the way she looked at him this morning when he arrived at her apartment.
Her green eyes were cold. She lacked the usual fire in her steps, and she didn't put up much of a fight when he teased her, which was rare considering Sakura could summon the energy to blow apart buildings on a whim.
Was she mad at him for letting her down? For allowing her to be taken?
She would've said something if that were the case. No, probably not. Something else was bothering her. Kakashi had noticed it too.
Maybe they just needed to give her time.
There was a shadow in his peripheral vision.
"Naruto!"
ANBU. He leaped down from the fence silently and naturally, fitting of the white and red cat painted on his mask.
"Hokage-sama called for you."
Naruto looked at the ANBU in confusion. He didn't know what could have possibly occurred between when he last saw baa-chan at the picnic and now, just half an hour later.
"What's the matter?"
ANBU was hesitant. "It's your teammate."
"Huh? Sai? Did something happen to him?"
From far away, it probably looked like Naruto was having a conversation with himself, because the ANBU had hidden himself in the shadows, away from the spotlight of the street lamp hovering over Naruto's body.
"No. Your teammate from Team 7 is back. It's urgent. You should report at once."
"Oh…"
An awkward silence was forced upon them. Naruto chuckled apologetically, a little slow. But he still didn't move.
ANBU waited.
"…Sorry. I don't get it. Is it Sakura? I just walked her home. She's fine."
While he'd outgrown childish pranks and learned to tone down his obnoxious personality for the most part, some snippets of the dense child in Naruto would make an appearance for short moments like this one, much to the irritation of his colleagues.
The ANBU's formality fell a little as he struggled against Naruto's thick skull, forced to utter the name that he wanted to avoid.
…
…
"It's Uchiha Sasuke. He's here."
To be continued...
