Between Love and Lust
How absurd and delicious it is to be in love with somebody younger than yourself. Everybody should try it.-Barbara Pym
Why? Sakura stared into the small fire she had made, as if seeking the answers to her many questions. Off in the distance a bird chirped once before being silenced with a kunai. The kunoichi lowered her arm sadly while her stomach growled. Weeks on the run had forced her to come to several conclusions.
She had pathetic survival skills, a situation that needed to be quickly mended or she would starve. The small amount of money the pink haired ninja had earned from Team Seven's D-rank missions only went so far. Within the first week she had spent nearly all her savings.
With a small grunt she stood and quietly walked to her waiting meal. The cardinals blood blended eerily with it's feathers, a few of which were still floating down, and it unsettled the girl. Her stomach growled to drown out any misgivings whispered from the inner self. She carefully pulled her weapon from the creatures breast before making her way back to camp.
She set to work cleaning the animal, and her thoughts drifted. Sasuke-kun…where are you? How hard can it be to find a village? She sighed, barely noticing how a stray spark burned a hole in her dress.
It is a ninja village. Supposed to be a Hidden Village. Wouldn't make sense if just anyone could come to it. Inner Sakura snorted. Surprisingly Sakura's inner voice had started to become the voice of reason in their strange duo. She often commented on the little things that were so obvious they were overlooked, like a purloined letter.
"S-shut up." Sakura whispered as she bit into the still smoking bird. It was times like these that she missed her loud teammate, and even their perverted teacher. Kakashi would say something that would annoy either her or Naruto, there would be a moment of arguing, and the tense atmosphere would be dispelled. Wait an hour and repeat.
A pair of tears leaked from her eyes as she continued eating the bird. She was incredibly hungry after a day of travel, but she couldn't stop crying. Why can't I stop? Why do I cry so much?
Why did Sasuke leave? Why is the sky blue? Why? Why? Why? Don't ask pointless questions!
Just shut up! I feel bad enough already! Sakura finished the bird and buried the remains, a trick she remembered reading from an old adventure novel. She may not have been any good at tracking, but she could hide her own fairly well. I just miss everyone.
Well we can't possibly go back. There was a strange sensation of vertigo as Inner Sakura paced back and forth in her mind. The personality wanted to rage and shout like it normally did but times had changed. Dominant Sakura needed help. Seriously. The girl was improving but she was still weak and would be no match for potential obstacles between her and Sasuke. At least not without Sasuke-kun. We have to train and find that village!
Sakura nodded absently as her fire started to die and the limited amount of twigs she had gathered began to run out.
She sniffled a bit. The tears had stopped. Sakura leaned over as her activities from the day before caught up with her. She had spent the early morning cleaning up her camp to make it look as if no one had disturbed it. After about two hours of running, more or less, she found a place to train in her aim and jutsu. The sad thing was she only knew that which was taught at the academy. After being on a team with Sharingan users one would think she would pick something up.
A cool wind blew through the sparse trees, Sakura felt her body shiver as it curled up. She was too tired to notice the faint smell of ash that came with the breeze.
Anko paced quietly behind the Umino of her dreams. She had volunteered for the tracking and elimination of the missing Haruno, but didn't expect him to join her. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise as she realized a single genin was hard to find with a cold track.
Sakura's trail wasn't completely obvious, with her taking a tree-born route periodically, but once they had cleared Fire countries borders the pink whelp started getting crafty. Anko smirked. I should thank the little bitch when I find her. This is the perfect opportunity to seduce him!
Iruka ignored the sudden eruption of giggles that came from behind him. It was out of character for the woman, and slightly disturbing. Maybe it's just her blood-lust acting up. Never been on a mission with her before, but back to Sakura. If I were a Sasuke obsessed bookworm where would I be?
Anko cursed as she shut down her more girlish tendencies. That had been embarrassing, but true to form she pretended like it never happened. Her eyes focused on the former chuunin and admired the pale scar across his nose. It was actually appealing and she wondered how he had gotten it. Across the nose was an odd place to receive a cut.
She redirected her next leap to follow him as he turned.
"She's running again." Iruka said off handedly.
"What?"
"She's making a zig-zag pattern to confuse us. Perhaps not us. This is technically enemy territory she may just be trying to make it harder for patrols to determine her location."
"I never did that…" Anko mused.
Iruka grabbed a thinner branch and swung around to land in a small clearing. "Not many do. Normally we just run to the mission, complete it, and run back. This sort of thing is usually used for prolonged missions."
"Makes sense. She camped here again?"
Iruka stroked a patch of grass thoughtfully, his knowledge of his students minds was an unparalleled advantage when it came to tracking one of them down. Even Shikamaru used to have difficultly skipping the Umino's class. Eventually he had decided it was to tiring to hide from the man, leaving Naruto to himself.
"Yeah. Headed further north, it's the closest town."
Sakura cleaned up as best she could under the circumstances. Her hair was reasonably brushed and free from sticks, though her clothing needed a wash. No time for that! Must gather information! Must get back Sasuke!
"Right!" Sakura agreed with her confident self. They needed to be focused. They had to get back Sasuke! All her doubt and sadness had been banished with the sunrise.
She passed the guards with a disarming smile. They nodded at her, their eyes gleaming. That was all it took to drive home that this country had Orochimaru controlling it in all but name for years. It wasn't the safest of places. Her hand brushed against her set of kunai, as if inner was checking to make sure they were properly armed.
There was a distinct smell to the city, like a bottle of perfume had been spilled years ago and still held faint control. "Excuse me," Sakura asked a shop keeper who was busy sweeping dust from the porch. He turned, and the cigarette dangling form his mouth reminded her of team ten's sensei. The sharp pain in her heart threatened to take her breath away, but she swallowed it. "you wouldn't happen to know of any shinobi villages, would you? I was wondering where I could put in a mission request…"
"Listen girl," his breath stank. "You don't want to be going to no shinobi village. Those that do don't come back." His clouded eyes roamed over her toned figure. A few weeks on the lamb did that to a girl. "You know the name of this place? Takara. I think you would fit right in."
"Um. No thank-you." She hurried away down the street. People bustled about and multiple story buildings lined every street. As the morning started to wane dust floated in the air, and she hurried to find a place to rest. Everyone she asked gave about the same answer. They didn't know or didn't want to know where the Sound Village was located.
Multiple occasions had forced her to draw a small amount of blood, as the town of 'precious object' was apparently known for it's young prostitutes. Funny how that was never mentioned in any of the academy books. Sure they supply you with detailed maps and major exports, but not the important stuff that may come in handy if you actually go.
Her stomach started to growl. "Damn." Sakura rose and jumped the wall back to the countryside where she would hopefully find some rabbits. It would have been easier to use the gate again, but she didn't like the scruffy looks of the guards. She really missed Konoha.
Iruka held up a single hand and Anko halted. The woman crouched behind a small bush and grumbled at the lack of decent cover in the area. She followed her partners gaze to a small reddish blob huddled on the ground. That couldn't be the Haruno, could it?
While debating on who or what the blob was, said blob jumped up and hurled something forward. Anko glanced over at Iruka, and was surprised to see he was shaking. Why was he shaking? Were those tears coming from his eyes?
"Iruka-sensei?" She questioned, wary.
"How can I kill my own student?" He whispered, eyes glued on the distant form of the pink-haired girl. "I watched her grow up. I dried her tears when the others teased her."
Anko went cold. She didn't know what to do about the sobbing mess sitting next to her. She still liked him, true, but not this soft version. They had a mission and he had agreed to come.
She removed a glinting kunai from her pouch, and grinned mercilessly at the missing-nin across the pasture. Anko would remove the source of her love's trouble, and then they could have a nice make-out session. It was a great plan, and she would enjoy putting out the little traitors light.
The only warning Sakura had was a sudden spike in killer intent, and the only thing that kept her moving out of the way was the much more potent blast she had experienced in the forest of death. She rolled, and the corpse of the rabbit she had been skinning went sailing though the air toward her assailant.
Anko-sensei! Crap! We're so screwed!
The Mitarashi ducked the body with a sneer and outright punched the genin. Blood flew from her mouth as well as several teeth. "Hello girl. One should never betray their village." Anko called.
Sakura spat out more blood, her emerald eyes boring into the other woman with unfettered anger. The younger girl quickly formed a seal and suddenly split into five. All the Sakura's glared and charged at Anko, who laughed unimpressed.
Anko dropped to avoid the punches from girl, but not before drawing another blade. While still crouched she whipped the small knife around till it made contact with every version of her prey until a satisfying spurt of blood marked the severing of the real Sakura's tendons. The pink haired girl fell forward while tossing a kunai as Anko jumped out of her path. The blood loving kunoichi would have continued her torture and disposal if not for the wire attached to the knife that had turned in mid-air and wrapped around her arms.
Sakura snarled from her prone position and pulled the string taught with all her strength finially managing to cut through the leather jacket and into Anko's arms. "Heh." Anko muttered as she found herself rendered immobile. "Looks like you improved a small bit. Too bad it's not enough."
Anko focused her chakra and used the replacement technique to switch with Sakura herself. The look of shock on the girls face was priceless when she found herself bound by her own wires. Tears sprung to the green eyes once more as Anko closed in, licking her kunai.
The older woman gleefully traced bloody lines along Sakura's skin. After tiring of her art she rammed her weapon in the girls shoulder. Sakura screamed but it only encouraged the gore obsessed kunoichi.
Sakura felt her mind receding as her pain receptors overloaded from the multiple kunai in her body. I shouldn't have left. I should have stayed…
She closed her eyes and whimpered as another weapon came toward her stomach. It never connected. "Iruka-sensei! You're ruining my fun!" Anko pouted and stomped her foot. She could overpower him, but the way his frosty eyes glared at her sent shivers of anticipation up her spine. This was the Umino she liked.
Iruka brushed a strand of blood soaked hair from Sakura's face delicately. "You know why we have to do this."
"Yeah…" Sakura choked out in relief. Her throat was so sore from screaming she couldn't manage much more. Iruka was here. He was always their guardian angle. "I…I don't want this pain anymore."
Anko strained her ears but was unable to make out the conversation. Iruka whispered a few more things in the girls ear before taking her head in his hands and quickly snapping the neck. The smile on the dead girls face was odd, and Anko didn't understand it in the least.
The kunoichi shrugged it off and walked back to Iruka's side, practically draping herself over him. Iruka ignored her as he plucked the blades from Sakura's corpse and removed the wire. He shrugged the amorous woman off and walked off to find some wood.
Anko watched him work, with a bored pout. When would he leave the stupid dead girl and pay attention to her! Hadn't she made her intentions clear?
Iruka placed one last branch around his dead student, eyes clouded. Sakura looked so peaceful, like she reached an understanding in those last moments few would ever find. Iruka-sensei. The pain of being alone, of having no one to turn to is worse than a thousand kunai. I've come to understand that.
"It is the greatest pain, Sakura." He took a match from his vest, and ignited it with a twist of his fingers. Depression started to set in as he watched her burn. Everything he was feeling threatened to burst out of the dam built while he watched from the bushes.
Anko could feel the emotions of her man, and didn't like it one bit. The traitor was dead but he was still feeling down. She walked casually over to the Umino, before wrapping her arms around his middle. Her rough hands found a way beneath his shirt there she rubbed his chest as she licked his ear. He shivered beneath her touch, and she could feel his heart rate increase.
"Come on, Sen-sei. We're done here. Leave her." Anko whispered in his ear. He closed the dead eyes with a sigh, and turned to tell the woman to go away, when he found himself in a lip-lock.
Anko's unbound breasts pressed against his chest as she quickly moved to hold his face to hers and explore his mouth. It wasn't long before he reciprocated the kiss and savored her spicy taste. There was only so much one man could take.
As they broke apart a strong wind blew through the clearing and kicked ash into the air. Anko eyed the man appreciatively before taking his hand in hers to lead him away from the funeral pyre.
END.