Pompeii
Chapter 25
VesperChan
Urgency was different in Pompeii. Sakura used to think of urgency like a held breath. She could only hold in her urgency for so long before she had to act on it, like some sort of rodent in a pond of water. Pompeii wasn't like that. Pompeii held its urgency like a whale holds its breath. The panic and mummers of a snake-man made near immortal sent shockwaves through the community, but Pompeii endured in its habits, in its rituals, in its nuances. Pompeii held its breath long enough for Sakura to almost forget about the threats.
Almost.
"More allergies," Sakura sighed, watching the tiny buds on the trees outside.
It was still chilly, and it would be a bit longer before anyone shed their jackets, but the flora and fauna in Pompeii was hearty, with breeds that enjoyed coming out early to torment those with sensitive immune systems. The landscape was changing yet again and she felt left behind. Hadn't it just been the Yule tide? Hadn't she just welcomed winter? It wasn't even technically spring yet, but stuff was blooming.
"Ah, yes, but at least this is something easy for us to help with. People forget the simple things and come in thinking their head is going to roll off their shoulders. I would rather tell them it's allergies than something worse," Shizune chuckled, organizing the papers at her desk.
She looked more cheery than usual and Sakura was beginning to wonder if that was because the older woman could tell Sakura was unnerved by the things she didn't understand. Sakura knew enough to worry, but not enough to know when to stop worrying.
When Sakura had tried asking around she had been treated little better than a child. She had been praised for her caring heart, cheered for her willingness to help others, pat on her head and turned around with a cup of milk and cookie for bed. Well, that last part was more figurative than literal. The head pats were literal but only a few people had actually given her food when ushering her along. Though, she didn't mind the food.
"It's brought in a few new faces, I'll say that much," Sakura sighed. "But I guess you are right. I like that I'm able to help in something around here. I should have a better attitude about things, like you."
Shizune blushed the way mothers blush when being bragged about. "Sakura, you do an amazing job here. You help people every day."
"Yeah, thanks. Hey, what does the rest of the day look like. I thought I saw we had a few cancellations but we've seen a good two dozen today."
"That's what happens when the broods come in. I swear some of these families populate like bunnies. Here it is, our list of appointments for the day…." Shizune ran her finger down her handwritten list. "That's funny. You were right about all the cancellations. They're today at the end. You've got one more patient coming in but after her you're free to run back to your room for reading or whatever it is you do on your own."
Sakura panicked internally and snickered on the outside, doing her best to stay cool. "No, it's totally porn Shizune. What else could it be?"
"Obviously," Shizune laughed along. Shizune's chuckle doubled after she thought about it, glancing at Sakura's face and then shaking her head, like the thought was too hard to imagine.
"What's last on my list for today?" Sakura sighed, reaching for the list herself when it seemed Shizune would be lost in her fit of giggles for a moment more.
"Oh, I shouldn't laugh so much, I told myself I would warn you about this next one. She's a friend of mine and Tsunade. She's…a bit eccentric and the Mizu boys all know to be weary of her. She's sort of the shadow king to their faction, but is very hands off about things. Mei likes to stay out of politics and just generally leave society to itself."
Sakura raised a single brow before reaching for the file and flipping through. She saw a few pages of barely any notes. Mei was older, but hadn't been in more than maybe twice in all her time in Pompeii.
"She's not a mermaid…it says she's a…" When Sakura looked up she saw Shizune wincing and Sakura screwed her lips shut. "Sorry, I know, sorry, won't say that stuff out loud."
It was still rude for even doctors to mention the classification of certain citizens of Pompeii and Mei was one of them. Sakura thought it might wear off in time after she had been in Pompeii for a while, but it never did. Apparently, when someone shared that with you it was a sign of either deep respect of affection. Some used it as a flirting tactic, others guarded themselves strictly even when their classification was more obvious than others.
Sakura returned her eyes to the notes to try and figure out the rest on her own. It said Mei was a type of Cecaelia related to the Blue Ringed breed found in the waters around Australia. If Sakura remembered correctly the Blue Ringed was a type of Octopus.
The door chimed and a tall woman with long red hair sauntered in, looking as healthy as a spring breeze. Her heels clicked light across the floor and stopped in front of Shizune. Hands on her hips the new woman scanned the room before speaking. "Where's the pretty new doctor that's made such a riot in my waters?"
Sakura stood up from behind her desk and came out so that Mei could see her. "Mei Terumi?" Sakura asked, extending a hand to shake. "I'm Doctor Haruno, it's nice to finally meet."
Mei's eyes were brilliant in a shade of aqua green as she reached out a hand to meet Sakura's shake, but instead of the typical shake she tugged Sakura closer and clasped Sakura's hand in both of hers. "No, the pleasure is all mine," she cooed, eyes still dancing. "I've been looking forward to when I would finally be courageous enough to make it here. Oh, you are such a cute little thing. I'm sorry it took me so long. You must have been horribly harassed by the men here in Pompeii. I can't imagine how they'd ever leave you alone." She tugged Sakura's hands up to her chest and pat them there. "We girls need to stick together sometimes, don't you think?"
Sakura smiled, more amused by Shizune's gesturing hand motions in the background than Mei's words. "Of course. You said you wanted a physical with us. Why don't I show you to your room so you can get comfortable while I get your things."
Mei tittered in delight. "Of course. Yes, comfortable."
Sakura smiled and nodded, leading the woman away. Before she rounded the last corner she cast a final look over her shoulder at Shizune who was giving Sakura a big thumb's up and mouthing 'good luck.'
After the check up Sakura was glad she had the rest of the day cleared. She went up to her room to change out of her day clothes into something more casual and flipped open the book of sass to see if it would talk to her today. Some days it did, some days it only showed her pointless chatter, and other days it was as silent as a dead thing.
Today was one of those days.
She quickly realized after starting to get her things together for tea that she was missing her favorite mug. It was downstairs in the work room where she had left it after washing it. She toed into her ballet flats and made her way back downstairs with the intention of picking up her mug and leaving, but paused when she saw Shizune shuffling through some papers and looking lost.
"Shizune?" Sakura asked. "Something wrong?"
Shizune looked up and smiled. "No, I'm just having trouble entering some data on this computer and I need to do it all before going to the bank which closes in an hour."
"Do you want me to do the data entry for you? It's easy enough for me to figure out." Sakura edged over and saw what Shizune was working on. It was simple input and Sakura knew she could have it done in twenty minutes, maybe twenty five if the computer loaded like a slow beast.
"No thank you dear. If you do it for me again I'll never learn. I think I can do it, I just need the time. Oh! But there is something you could help me with." Shizune reached for the money pouch with all the checks and 'odd' forms of payment that needed to be cashed at the end of the week. "Will you take this down to the Hyuga bank? I know it's a few days early but we've been so busy it's extra full and it's making me nervous."
"That's easy enough," Sakura chuckled. "Let me get my purse and I'll be out soon. If you're still on this when I come back I'll help you out, but I think you have got the hang of it."
"You think so?"
"Yeah, you've come a long way since day one."
"Oh, that's one of the nicest things anyone's ever said about my work skills," Shizune cheered, honestly moved by the praise on something she was struggling with.
Sakura skipped back upstairs to get her purse and stepped out of her flats and into some boots. It was still a little cold outside which meant she needed to layer up some more. Sakura paired her jeans with a nicer sweater, this one without stains, and pulled down a green army jacket to wear over her sweater. If it rained she would be fine.
Sakura paused at the thought of rain. She hadn't seen Pein in a while. He'd been gone, off on business with some of the other 'important' members of Pompeii society. Yesterday Sakura had visited his favorite diner for an order of waffles and hung out extra long in hopes of catching him. Konan ended up teasing Sakura about it and promised she would tell Pein to stop being so busy he couldn't stop by and say hi.
But it wasn't just Pein. The crows and ravens stayed ever present outside her window, but she hadn't seen a single Uchiha on the streets. When she went to the mountain to visit Izuna for his monthly treatment his home had been empty. It was only when she was leaving did she see Madara, and he pouted terribly when she asked about the other Uchiha.
Pompeii was different.
Sakura locked the doors behind her and kept the money bag safe in her purse as she walked the rest of the way to the bank. She made it in less than eight minutes of quick leg work and found it mostly empty. A mousy white eyed woman approached Sakura and asked if there was anything she could do to help.
Withdrawing the money bag from her purse Sakura handled it carefully. "I need this currency exchanged and deposited in our account. Who could I see for this service?"
"I'll be handling the doctor's finances," a new voice cut in. The younger Hyuga woman nodded and backed away before returning to her work.
Sakura turned and saw behind her a vague but familiar sight. "You're Neji…we've met before. Hinata's cousin, correct?"
He was taller than her with a curtain of perfectly treated coffee colored hair that reached the middle of his back. It was tied back in a braid that helped show off the clear white color of his moon colored eyes. Neji nodded to her and gestured to an office off to the side.
"You are not mistaken, doctor. We have met before and I know of you well enough."
"You're a very informed man, sir," Sakura tried to chuckle. She felt odd, almost as if she were speaking to marble. His face was without flaw, his posture was perfect, and even the fabric of his suit seemed immaculate. He was too pretty for a boy and Sakura thought of how Haku might feel if he were to be left in a room with another boy so pretty. Would he be envious?
"This way please." Neji held open the door to his office and let her take a seat inside before closing the door behind them and sitting down behind a desk.
She noticed on the wall behind him was a calender for phases of the moon and below that a small table with perfectly arranged quartz crystals, silver coins, and sparkling white chains and jewels. It looked like a small dragon's hoard.
Neji coughed once, positioning himself between her and the pile. "You have mixed currency to exchange?"
"Yeah, Shizune says this is the best place to go for that sort of thing."
Neji lightly huffed, reaching for the money bag as she passed it to him. "We are the only bank worth mentioning. The Hygua family has been managing the finances of this town for as long as banks served a purpose. Such knowledge is common. You would do well to learn this."
Sakura felt a tick above her brow and forced a smile. "Sure," she said, wincing at how hard it was to stay civil with the man across from her. He was cold and stiff. Did he know he was being rude and not care, or was he really that dense?
"Um, thanks for doing this, by the way. It's awfully nice of you."
"This is my job."
"Y-yeah, but still, I appreciate it."
"Hmm. I will now assess the contents of your purse. Please, do not disturb me during this process if you wish for the utmost in accuracy."
Neji unzipped the pouch and removed the assortment of items. Much of it was money Sakura recognized, but some of it was odd paper and there were even pieces that didn't look like money at all. Neji sorted through all of it with fine, pale fingers that worked more like wires, manipulating the items seamlessly in a rhythm that reminded her of puppeteers. A moment later he had his piles.
He read off the amount each pile was worth and listed the name for its brand of currency. There was a stack of what looked like leaves, but when turned over shimmered like brass. Those were called LeeBrans or Leaf Brands, and were worth a different amount depending on the number of points and color of the leaf. Neji had them all memorized and worked quickly to calculate their worth.
Neji was so focused on the work in front of it it gave Sakura a free moment to think and watch him without feeling nervous about it. Usually she would want to look away after staring too long in fear of being caught looking, but Neji was distracted and she was curious.
Most of the people in Pompeii had the otherworldliness feeling to them, and Neji was no exception but he was different. He was so easily not human. Sakura didn't know what he was, and wasn't going to ask, but he was too perfect, too neat, too pretty, and too articulate with his hands to be something as trivial as human. And even if he had been rude, Sakura wasn't blind. Neji was nice to look at.
Too bad he was sort of a jerk.
"The total monetary value in common currency is listed here on this slip," Neji said, printing something out and placing it in front of Sakura.
He circled a number and Sakura grinned. It had been a good week, after all.
"I'd like to deposit it into our account, please."
"Any withdraws today?"
Sakura shook her head. "None."
She had loans to pay off, but she had to wait until pay day to tidy that monthly expense up. She'd be paying off her loans for the next few years, but at this rate she would still be able to live comfortably. It was such a nice change from before.
Someone outside the office caught Sakura's attention and she turned, expecting to see Hinata, but it was only another Hyuga who looked similar.
"Something wrong?" Neji asked, frowning at her divided attention.
"No, I just thought I saw your cousin Hinata, but I was mistaken."
Neji's glower was instant and Sakura had to blink to make sure she didn't imagine it. A second later he blushed and looked away. He distracted himself by coughing into his hand and tugging the front of his suit down. "No, the lady Hinata would not lower herself to come here where the actual work is done. You are mistaken. I have made the deposit and here is your receipt. Are you satisfied with your service?"
"Oh, yeah, thank you."
She started to stand and he watched her before moving to stand himself. "Than if everything is agreeable and you have no issues with the service here might I suggest you deposit your money with me personally next time your office needs to bank. It would not be a waste of your time."
'And have to sit awkwardly across a desk with someone stuck with a stick so far up? Who would want that?' The thought made Sakura feel a little guilty. Neji wasn't the most social or tactful, but he wasn't terrible. Maybe she just needed to give him another chance.
"Sure thing, Neji. You're the expert. I'll see you next time."
"Yes, I am."
Sakura felt awkward, not knowing how to respond, so she just sort of waved and walked out on her own, stopping at the top of the stairs when she noticed the rain all around her, but not on her. Sakura looked up in the sky and smiled at the hole cut out to keep her dry. Pein must have gotten the message about missing her at his diner. She liked to think this was his way of making up for it.
The rain came down but it was more like a light mist. Some of it splashed her, but she kept her hood up and was more dry than wet as she walked home. She didn't have far to go but she took her time, and made sure she was aware of her surroundings on the way back.
It was because she was looking that she saw it. Sakura stopped and turned towards the space between two buildings, seeing a shadowed figure standing stiffly in place, face turned three quarters away. She thought she recognized him, but approached anyway to be sure.
"Sai?"
He didn't respond. The rain kept coming down on him but he didn't move. His black clothes were soaked and clung to him. He had to be cold. Sakura was in twice as many layers and she was still chilled, even though she wasn't even wet. She cursed when she reached him, seeing how pale his skin was. He had always been pale, but this was the next level of white. She touched his face and hissed. He was like ice.
"You're going to get sick like this, honey," Sakura chided, taking him by the shoulder and pulling him. "What are you doing out here?"
Sai didn't respond, he didn't even look at her as he continued to stand there in the rain. Sakura had to draw closer to him. There was no rain falling down on him when she stood beside him, so she stayed close, pulling him closer to her. She called his name a few more times and waited but he never reacted. He was still breathing and she felt the pulse of life through his veins on his neck, but Sai was mentally checked out.
"Come here you poor thing," Sakura sighed, dragging him with her.
He came almost unwillingly, but that was because he was stiff to move and needed to be pushed and pulled all the way back to her building. Shizune was gone but Sakura led Sai into one of the exam rooms downstairs and began to pull off his wet things. She brought dry towels and then comforters and blankets.
"What happened to you?" Sakura asked again after he had been mostly dried. He didn't react once during the whole time she had been trying to help him. He blinked maybe once, but he seemed mentally checked out and devoid of emotion more so than usual.
Nearly an hour of her watching over him passed. Sakura left him on his own a few times, but always came back. Sometimes she came back with warm tea for him to sip, or a hot bagel for him to chew on. He didn't respond to either, but did curl up in the blankets she brought down. Sakura combed back his hair as he stared blankly across the room, waiting for him to say something.
It was dark and the room was only dimly lit when Sakura heard the first thing of the night out of Sai.
"Please, not more. You said we would be the last."
Sakura rushed to his side, hoping to see a reaction or something new on his face, but it was as blank as ever. "Sai? Sai, who are you talking about. What's supposed to be the last? Can you talk to me please."
A moment later Sai opened his mouth and showed off the tattoo there before closing it and his eyes and going to sleep. Sakura let him, but stayed close by in the next room over, unsettled by what she had heard and saw. She was unwilling to leave him alone but gave him his space.
Sai had been traumatized by something and it wasn't over, by the sounds of it.