Summary- In the natural scheme of things, the dead stay dead. But in the world of ninjas, nothing's for certain anymore. Sasu/Saku.
&the disclaimer for this fic, yo, is so applied. :P
Light breeze carried the animated chatter of the villagers through the streets; the surrounding clamor drowned out the shuffling of feet in a deserted hallway, the slow opening and closing of a hidden door.
The dusty room without windows or light didn't show any sign of life until the sound of a stifled laugh grew louder and louder. The sound ricocheted off the four walls, dissonant and harsh. Mice scuttled across the floor at the disturbance, scampering into the holes worn throughout the aged wall.
"Tell me, has Konoha always been so weak?" the last word spit out like venom. "Even the almighty Lady Hokage cannot overrule our will. We will wipe out all of Konoha's pathetic existence and watch it fall at our feet." A satisfied grin stole his confidant features, enjoying mocking their leader's title and the unaware village below him.
One felt the gravity of what was being said; his small gasps were feeble and nearly terrified. "But how much longer do we have to hide this? What if they find out?"
The man stomped his foot against the weak floor, answering the question with a snarl."It's over for them. Before spring even comes, Konoha will be completely crushed."
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re.
fu.
ge.
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dost thine eyes
decieve you?
no. this is
chapter four!
thank you for reading.
:D
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March 5
Location- Konoha
Chakra sluggishly streamed through the lines of her legs, groaning in protest as she stubbornly kept up her pace to the forest line. Sweeping her eyes across the thick foliage, Sakura searched for the usual guards in their posts in front of the entrance. Her feet hit the granite with a dull thud; subconsciously, her fingers lightly traced the porous surface.
Slacking off? That wasn't like the guards. They were practically dictators when it came to the Gate. Perched atop of those familiar village gates, she looked disapprovingly at the lack of security. What is someone were to sneak in? She glanced over the circle of the village, looking at the various lights shining out of some of the houses. The clusters of market places, construction sites, and housings all seemed exactly the same as she remembered. She shrugged; everything must be okay, then.
Moonlight showered over her back, and shadows hid her distinct features from the light. Her shoulders slumped in relief as she let her guard down. Bringing her arms up, Sakura heard the distinct pop her joints made while she stretched the stiffness in her back. An inaudible sigh of contentment passed through her cracked lips. The pain in her stomach and veins didn't compare to her prevailing thought of finally being home. The familiarity could've brought tears to her eyes. Why did it feel like she hadn't been here in ages?
She gripped the powdery stone edge and lifted herself to stand, tentatively touching her head as a swaying dizziness settled in. Her boots scraped across the surface as they slid sideways, catching her lost balance. A thick layer of perspiration was pasted all over her skin and her limbs felt locked in grimaced when the streets benches started looking rather comfortable.
Forcing the thought out of her head, she jumped off her momentary resting place with more power than what was necessary, and onto a series of roofs, flying as she went. Rushing wind whipped around at her fair skin and its sound beat at her ears. Her short rosette locks fluttered around her heart-shaped face as the Hokage Tower rose over the eaves of the buildings and into her sight.
And an apartment room suddenly lit up in her peripheral vision, the blinds snapping up and swinging to the side as she passed it. Turning her head briefly, she glanced back to the yellow light blazing against the black with dim interest. There was a person in the window, gripping onto the sill with both hands. The sides of the buildings overtook most of his face while she eased through the roofs. Facing the Hokage's Tower once more, she wondered who it could have been…
Landing silently at the back entrance, Sakura's tired legs easily worked through the maze of turns, leaving soft echoes off the shining, wood paneled floors. Hallways and hallways one after another grated against her patience while she counted the remaining steps. It was deserted in all the halls. She frowned; another missing guard. A guard was always supposed to be on dutyhere. Frowning at the empty building, Sakura made her last turn, expectant to see the double doors to Lady Tsunade's office.
Vibrancy overshadowed the dulled olive of her eyes- their corners crinkled affectionately. And her lips turned upwards as she neared, then dropped as the doors to the Hokage's Office were snatched open. Cool fingers wrapped themselves around her wrist, yanking her inside, but the memorable scent of formaldehyde filled her nostrils. The doors shut behind her silently and Sakura parted her lips, "What-" before a hand firmly clamped over her mouth.
(She wondered why that felt familiar.)
"Leave. Now."
The shape in front of her was distorted in the shadows, but she could plainly see two eyes a foot from her face. Cocking her head to the side, Sakura searched for the face in the dark, trying to match it to the familiar honeyed voice. She tried to push away the hand over her mouth, but it only held tighter.
"Don't… don't talk."
As her eyes adjusted to the lack of lighting, she began to make out blondehair and almond eyes, along with the smell of fingernail polish and sake. The soft sound of papers rustling and glass bottles clinking against each other threw a wave of nostalgia. The hand over her mouth withdrew slowly and Sakura stared, speechless.
"Tsuna-"
"Sakura, you have to leave. Now. You can't be here. Just trust me." Tsunade's glassy eyes were closed from sighing at the end as she tried to avoid eye contact. Her shoulders were slumped discouragingly and the tendons in her arms prodded up from her balled fists that hung tensely at her sides.
"What are you talking about, Lady Tsunade? It's not like you to play jokes." Sakura winced at the way her voice strained pathetically. No, she wasn't one to joke.
"I know.I'm serious, Sakura."
A wave of dread swept over Sakura like a sudden pang of nausea -disorienting and dizzying. "What-you-…you can't possibly be serious!" Sakura disbelievingly searched Tsunade's face, looking for some glimmer, some shred of hope.
She wouldn't find it. And she didn't get an answer either. Fighting back the urge to hug Tsunade's steadily slouching shoulders, she dipped her head to look at her teacher's lowered face. The vast windows in the back of the office spread light on Tsunade; Sakura stared at her blonde head of hair.
"Shin…sou?"
"Just go. You can't stay here. If someone sees you, they'll have to kill you." The whispered words lingered in the air between them and Sakura abruptly felt miles away and not just inches. Tsunade was staring at her, waiting, but the words died in her throat before she even opened her mouth. And Tsunade stood patiently in front of her, very controlled for a seconds; but as her slightly accelerated breathing raised her chest up and down irregularly, her voice came out louder than before at the lack of response.
"Damn it, Sakura, you're a missing ninja! Don't you get it? You've been gone so long; half the town actually thinks you're already dead. …And the Council's vote was unanimous." Tsunade's red-rimmed eyes bore holes into hers. Her voice was grave in all its finality. "You're in the bingo book, and there's nothing I can do. Even as Hokage." Her thick voice broke as she finished, "I'm so sorry, Sakura."
Moonlight peeked through the slits of the curtains and Tsunade's defeated expression made her feel numbed, more than anything. "How could that ever be your fault, Tsunade? You shouldn't blame yourself for it; you did everything you could do. And I half…expected it." She glanced through the drawn window curtains. "Just kind of been in denial."
Wood cracked and splintered as Tsunade broke the slab of wood on the door frame in half. "Shut up, Sakura. They had no reason for it. We had no proof of your 'defection' from Konoha, and you know that. You know the Council's laws and you haven't broken them. They didn't and still don't have any proof."
Sakura sighed. You have to be able to defend yourself in a trial like that. What could she say if she didn't remember? "Not really, Tsunade," she paused, flitting her eyes across the unkempt room in discomfort. "I don't… actually know what's happened to me since I was in Sand."
The quiet became more prominent as Tsunade was at a loss of words. "Nothing at all?"
Sakura looked down, half in frustration and half in guilt. "Not since the last day in Sand, when I supposed to come back," her voice dropping in thought. But what happened after she had talked to Gaara? Would he know?
Tsunade's hand reached up to her hair. "Do you have any injuries on your hea-"
The sudden clatter of someone at the end of the hall snapped both of them into the rush of the moment. Tsunade's hand quickly retracted and pressed on her upper arm. "Go, get out of here. Take the back entrance again; it's your best bet."
With a sharp nod, Sakura merely chose to settle with that as a response. She positioned herself to the door, but didn't move anymore.
"Sakura," Tsunade started out, struggling with her thoughts. She dropped her hand and glanced down, " …Just take care of yourself. Be safe."
Stepping toward the door, Sakura briefly glanced over her shoulder at her sensei and turned to leave. She made it two steps before spinning around and falling into a hug. She felt water begin to gather on the top of her pink head and Tsunade's muffled voice reached her ears, "Oh thank goodness you're alive, Sakura."
A pat on the head and a minute later, Sakura looked at Tsunade and left without a word. Goodbye didn't seem like the best choice of words for either of them. She slipped through the double doors and went opposite the direction of the earlier noise, keeping any sounds at a bare minimum.
Her mind in a daze, she somehow managed to make it back to the village gates. She kept to the elongated shadows of the alleys and soon enough, her footsteps echoed on the entrance's cobblestone street. Moonlight still flooded through the trees and her eyes blankly landed on the stone bench to her right before gazing up at the night sky. It was a full moon tonight, too.
Her fisted hands dug into the side of her clothes as she tried in vain to force back the few tears threatening to fall. Sakura wiped them away with the back of her hand and looked back at the village for the last time. Naruto's apartment was on this side of town; please be all right, she thought to herself.
Light pink tendrils had started to break up the once pitch black sky; and Sakura reached up into her hair to untie her Leaf headband. She supposed she should behave like normal missing ninjas, eh? She ran a calloused thumb over the familiar piece of metal and cloth before tying it around her upper arm, the Leaf symbol facing inward. The long ends fell down into her elbow and she thought a little bitterly about how Team Seven had turned out.
Two missing ninjas in one team. Poor Kakashi-sensei. Must be a record or something.
"Grandma Tsunade, they can't do that to Sakura-chan!! There's no reason to make her a missing ninja! We don't even know if she's…"
"They can, Naruto. And they did."
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a/n.
better, yes? and i can't wait til sasuke shows. i'm bored without him. /;
revised 12.26.08 (this one was really short before.)