Chapter 2: Planetarium

It had been impossible for Sakura to sleep that night. She tossed and turned in her bed uneasily. As she thought of his face, her face felt uncomfortably hot. Curling herself up, she tried her best to rid herself of his face. His pale face that had been illuminated by the moonlight kept appearing relentlessly in her thoughts and she was having a hard time trying to erase it.

She had kissed Sai.

What had he been thinking? Sakura smiled in spite herself. She tucked a single strand of her pink hair behind her ear and stared into the night sky outside of the window. The sky was a beautiful mix of violet and orange. There were many little white swirls in the sky and they seemed to be concealed by the astonishing blend of colours that erupted in the sky to celebrate the new dawn.

Sakura clambered out of her bed and opened the windows. The morning air that drifted in was exceptionally fresh. The air in Suna was always stifling and musty. Having such beautiful air was a great change. Then, she felt her fingers brush against something soft.

The baby's breath lay on the table still as gentle as ever. Picking up the tender buds of the flower, Sakura placed it into her pouch. The events from yesterday came flooding back and she found herself blushing lightly.

As she finished packing, she felt the solemn sensation rushing back towards her all at once. Her mission... She had completely failed. She had failed to protect her.

It was so very insignificant to him. Everything was.

Where was his heart? This unanswered question spun in her mind a million times ever since that incident.

"Good Morning." A voice came from the windows like a bolt from the blue.

Sakura jolted in surprise. She spotted Sai sitting on the window ledge, smiling at her warmly. Sakura flushed a light red when she saw the boy simply leaning against the ledge casually. "S-Sai, you startled me." She chose her words carefully, feeling the uneasiness of it all. This was not what she expected, especially not in the wee hours of the morning.

"I thought you'd need some help packing. I guess not, huh, "He began and frowned." You have a pretty spacious room. All I got was a puny apartment. Well, it seems that I've annoyed some bigwig around here."

Sakura sniggered. Trust Sai to come up with something in an instant that does not even suit the occasion. She walked over to the ledge where Sai was so as to clear up the magazines she had strewn all over the table.

There was a horrible sound of something cracking and not long; Sai was sailing backwards in the air towards the ground below. In shock, Sakura yanked him up with all her might. Sai fell onto her in an awkward position.

Sakura lay on the floor, unable to breathe at all. She was very much flabbergasted. Her face was a deep crimson red by now and she felt her heart pounding rapidly. She could feel his face uncomfortably close to her and his hot breath on her cheeks.

She could see a tiny blush creeping up his face. They stayed in that position perfectly still. It was as though everything was in limbo. Immediately, Sai got back on his feet and turned his face towards the windows, away from her. There was a mere tinge of embarrassment in his heart. He had never felt such a sensation and he was rather confused by it. What was his response supposed to be now?

"I-I…" Sakura stuttered. "Would you like some coffee?" That was all she could say.

Sai rubbed the back of his neck and nodded in agreement. He was relieved that there was not going to be any mention of the incident. Drumming his fingers on the table, he gazed out of the windows in attempt to mask his unease.

"Sa-sakura," started Sai. He paused, and pondered for a while. "Thanks for helping me."

With a weak grin, Sakura nodded her head. Her hands were quavering and she had a hard time placing the coffee powder in the cups.

"We are supposed to leave for Konoha now, right?" She passed a steaming mug of coffee into Sai's hands and sat onto the sofa in the empty room.

"Hn." Sai made a muffled sound of assent as he sipped the coffee.

Sakura gazed at the propitious sky that was marbled with pearly white clouds. "Could we leave at four instead? I-I have something important that I need to do."

Baffled, Sai stared at Sakura's face intently. There was a deep sorrow lurking in the depths of her eyes. Gently replacing the coffee mug on the table, he replied with a reassuring smile, "I'll accompany you then."

There was a little breeze that ran through their hair like a swift serpent. It was a forsaken place, just like how all cemeteries were. There was a decrepit tree that was contorted in an extremely odd way.

A lone gravestone that was obviously recently enacted had the following carved on it:

Touya Makino

09.12.2009

Rest In Peace

The words revealed so very little, Sakura thought, her heart sinking. Makino...the little angel.

She felt a few tears forming that softened her seared vision. A haunting and horrible sense of guilt deepened within her. The thoughts then ran into tears like sunshine into rain.

"Sa-sakura. Could you-" Sai inquired as gently as possible.

Sakura nodded her head gradually. With her head positioned into the sky that was growing ominous, Sakura began.

"My mission, as you know, was to enter Suna as a medical nin and research the recent illness that had pervaded this family. This was a direct order from Tsunade and although I was not required to treat the patients, I intended to do that right from the start."

She paused, her eyes diverted onto the ground. "This illness was highly contagious. It seemed to be a mutated version of a viral infection that caused the death of a whole entire village in a month after the great war. I was determined to create a cure for it. To save them. To give them hope again."

"After 2 weeks, I was still unable to obtain the cure. By then, the mother had passed away due to the respiratory problems caused by the virus. I-I felt so helpless then. I was trying so very hard...it didn't work..." Her shoulders shook and she placed a single hand on the gravestone that was before her.

"There were other officials involved then. Some of them were afraid of the devastation that the virus might cause if it were to infect people. They reported that to him." Sakura's voice stiffened. "In his words, he released them from their burden."

"I never saw her again. She was just a girl. Someone's daughter. She had such a pure heart to the end. She had told me that she wanted to see the rainbow. I couldn't help her… I'm still so useless right till now…They were right, I always had to be saved by someone…"

Sakura knelt onto the ground, allowing the soundless breeze to caress her. "I'm sorry." Sai squatted down beside her, totally at a loss of what to do. He lifted his hand and placed it on her shoulders. It was terribly antagonizing to see her this way.

Sakura's shoulders shook as sounds of her crying could be heard in the alley. She was weeping inconsolably. Her tears wet the ground. They formed tiny iridescent puddles that shone under the afternoon sun.

He stayed by her side all that while, hoping to offer her a teensy bit of comfort. She had been the very first girl of his age that he had spoken to face to face. It had been normal then, there were no exceptional feelings that splayed in his heart. Why was it that, when he saw her now, this girl who was crying so desolately, he felt an acute pain in his heart? It felt like tiny needles being used to prick his heart. They were indistinct but nevertheless existent.

"Sa-sakura, could you-" He swallowed, and murmured in an awkward fashion.

She threw her arms around him and began sobbing on his shoulders. Sai's eyes widened in shock and he could only remain in that position. This was his first embrace.

He felt her body pressing against his, he could feel her every shudder. Tilting his head slightly, he found himself looking into a bright pink. Her hair smelt of strawberries. He realized that it was the very first time he noticed such details.

It felt weird. He had to admit, being embraced in such an unusual way. It was a little while before she finally released her grip on him.

"Th-thank you." Her voice quivered and it seemed like mournful bells crying on the wind. "I-I need t-to go to the washroom. Can't have myself looking like that when I reach Konoha, can I? S-So, I'll meet you at the village entrance."

Wiping her tears away, Sakura laughed lightly. "I don't know what's wrong with me either. Shinobis...are not supposed to be emotionally attached, ri-right?"

She tottered her way out of the alley in a shaky sort of manner. Sai stood at the exact spot gazing at her silhouette as it vanished out of sight from his view. He could feel a profound sadness in her. Yet, he could do nothing. It was as though she was right in front of him yet they were separated by this thin film.

--

"Naruto would love this, wouldn't he?" Sakura pressed her face against the shop window of the confectionery shop. She had decided to explore the town for a while just so as to while away time. "Wouldn't he?" Sakura asked once again, rather annoyed that she had not gotten an answer.

"Yeah, I suppose." Sai answered. He was utterly exhausted after accompanying Sakura for a whole day. It was as though she was drowning herself in shopping.

Suddenly, the streets were filled with shrill female shrieks that nearly deafened the both of them. Sakura whirled around and saw Gaara right behind them. There was an entire crowd of girls around him. They were gaping at him admiringly and whispering happily among themselves.

Their eyes met but Sakura, without a single greeting, turned to face the shop once more.

"I think I'd buy this for Naruto. It totally suits him, right, Sai?" Sakura continued, trying her best to sound normal.

"I would like to speak to you." The voice danced along Sakura's ears and she ignored him totally.

"I think this'll do fine." Sakura rummaged through her pouch.

"I said, I want to talk to speak to you." Gaara spoke once again, his voice hardening.

Sakura, totally oblivious, made her way to the door of the shop. She felt a sharp pain as Gaara held her hand in a vice like grip. "Stop ignoring me."

"Let go. You're hurting me." She muttered, struggling in his grip. Her eyes were slightly wet, and she could feel herself giving way slightly.

"Please respect her wishes, Kazekage sama." Sai, who had been silent for the whole while, spoke up coldly. He touched Gaara on his shoulders. Flinching, Gaara glared at Sai with eyes that literally blazed with savage fire.

"Get your hand of me." He snarled.

"I will do so if you let go off her." There was a restrained fury in his voice. He was baffled at the intensity of his voice.

"None of this is your business. You have completed your mission, I presume, get out of here."

"Let go of her." Sai narrowed his eyes furiously.

Without warning, there was a loud thud as Sai was sent sprawling onto the ground by an enormous wave of sand. He picked himself gingerly, and forced his steps one by one towards Gaara.

"Ninpo. Chouju giga."

In a flash, Gaara had released his grip on Sakura and found himself face to face with a load of ink animals. He dodged the attacks impeccably and brought his sand upon them as easy as crushing minute insects.

By the time he turned his back, they were gone.

--

"I don't get it. Why the heck are we rushing again?" Sakura shouted against the stinging wind. The torn and tumultuous sky showed no mercy and wrapped the two in scudding rain.

"So that he won't accost you again. You could get Tsunade sama to convey the report to him." His reply was as concise as ever.

Sakura fell silent and continued to follow him blindly. She felt weak all over. Her muscles hurt with every leap she made. The curtains of opaque rain blurred her vision and she had a hard time navigating. It was unbelievable that Sai could actually move in such an accurate manner.

The rain had made the branches increasingly slippery. It happened unexpectedly quickly, she felt an acute pain in her head. Clenching her fists in pain, she lost focus and slipped backwards, cracking her forehead against the broad tree trunk that was right behind her.

"Sakura!"

Then, there was a darkness.With a graceful leap, Sai caught Sakura in his arms and landed on the ground steadily. He gazed at her. She had lost consciousness. Feeling her forehead, he realized that she was running a temperature. That was not good. The fever might deteriorate in such a horrendously frigid temperature.Why the hell did she have to get sick at this crucial time? It was still a little way from Konoha, probably around 15minutes. But fifteen minutes would be an awfully long time if he had to carry her all the way. It would catastrophic if he too were to get himself lost or lost his footing. Sai pondered for an alternative desperately.Or he could wait till the morning. But Sakura's fever might have worsened by a whole lot if he were to do that.Cursing under his breath, Sai carried Sakura on his back, dashing through the sheets of lashing rain.Fifteen minutes it was.

"Why's Sakura in such a fix?" Naruto asked curiously, gobbling down his second helping of ramen. Sai was slumped against the table and replied exhaustingly. "She must have came down with a fever."

"What the hell were you guys thinking, rushing in the rain?" A drawling voice came from the right of Sai. "It's not like Sakura at all."

"We met the Kazekage. Then we ran."

"Huh? What sort of an answer is that?" Shikamaru raised his eyebrow questioningly.

"It was something to do with her mission. I can't tell you guys, she didn't say she wanted you guys to know." Sai muttered something incoherent and reached into his pouch. Placing a book on the table, he asked exuberantly.

"I bought this in Suna." The book was glossily wrapped and the words "The Way of Improving Social Relations" printed on it.

"You've got to be kidding, another dumb book? Did you try anything that it suggested again?" Naruto rolled his eyes and took a huge slurp from his bowl.

Sai grinned and flipped to a page. He pointed to a paragraph, gesturing Shikamaru who had been frowning at him all this while to read it.

"To further intimate relations with female counterparts, a kiss is often used- What the, you-you kissed someone?!" Shikamaru looked at Sai incredulously. "Who the heck was it? Oh good heavens, don't tell me...you-you…"

"Sakura." Sai gave his unfaltering smile.

There was a tremendous uproar. Naruto choked on his ramen and Shikamaru backed away from Sai, smacking into Kiba who had just entered the shop.

"You kissed Sakura?" Shikamaru shouted in shock. He was having a hard time taking in everything.

"What?" Kiba yelled, reeling from his shock.

Sai was taken aback by their reactions. "I thought it was perfectly fine. The book suggested that. I merely listened to its suggestions..."

"BOOK? You kissed a girl because of a lame book?"

"Sai, you're hopelessly dead man, I think that was her first kiss."

"How did it feel?"

The questions came barraging in. Sai felt uncertain.

What did a kiss really mean?