Escape to the Stars
Chapter 4: Satellite
But if you let your heart open up your mind
There's a whole new world on the other side
I'm gonna be your satellite
Now hand over your world at night
- Satellite by Jorge Moreno feat. Santana (Dirty Dancing Havana Nights Soundtrack)
The morning after was chaotic. The rustling of preparations, the shouting and ramblings of Naruto's stupidity as he kept losing and finding items that were crucial to sneak inside the prison. Sasuke snarled irritatingly at his best friend as he repeatedly muttered his favorite word to describe Naruto's dense personality. Sakura awoke to their senseless verbal fights and she groaned with a hand sliding down her face. Blurs of blue and orange moved rapidly back and forth.
She only wondered where Kakashi was...Was he still in bed or was he awake and lounging around on he bridge while Naruto and Sasuke make fools of themselves? To be honest with herself, she mildly got over what happened to them just a couple of hours ago. She had hoped that he slept. It would be the last straw for her if she found him sleepless and zombie-like with sullen eyebags.
She quickly dressed herself in her main outfit and rode the elevator to the bridge. Her head peeked out to see if there was any presence in the control floor. As it turned out, someone was here. "Kakashi? Is that you?"
Whirring sounds broke the silence as a robotic looking human walked towards her. She stood with widened eyes as the figure stopped in front of her. The bolded letters that ingrained his right chest, his shoulders and his back adorned S.A.I.
"S.A.I.?" Sakura whispered lowly.
"Super Artificial Intelligence, I am here to report for duty for Team 7." The monotone robot blinked his mechanical eyes.
"Oh, welcome aboard then S.A.I!" She smiled sweetly at him. She reminded herself to ask why a robot had suddenly decided to grace their small team.
"Lady Tsunade sent him towards our path. Apparently it has something to do with us leaving Ichirakuunoccupied." A stern cough was enough to make her turn around.
Of course it had to been Kakashi, because if Naruto was still bickering with Sasuke who else was going to be left?
"I just sent the report before I went to bed! Doesn't she ever sleep?"
"She has Shizune around for a reason."
And, it happened again. His breath tingled against her ear. A minute shiver trailed up her spine as she shifted her position to throw him off. In the eyes of a trained official, she was pretty sure he knew what he just did.
"Naruto and Sasuke will be up shortly. They are still...getting ready." A light chuckled escaped his lips. He wasn't behind her anymore and she felt relieved, unaware that she tensed up in the first place.
"We'll be kicking some MATS ass, won't we?" Sakura smirked as she sat down at their breakfast table.
"After we rescue the members, we're allowed to create the entire ruckus as we escape. You have the list?"
"Yeah! It's right here!" Sakura patted to the small pouch on her right hip.
"Good, don't lose it." He eyed her keenly.
"I won't, I won't." A burst of energy shot through her system. Was it all right to be this excited for what could potentially be her last moments alive? Yep, it was perfectlynormal.
Loud voices and quick figures came tumbling through the elevator doors and placed their butts on opposite sides at the breakfast table. Sasuke and Naruto scowled at each other.
"Now, before we even start teleporting anywhere, I am here to give you upgraded weapons from the Queen herself." Grins were found on everyone's faces. Kakashi pulled out a heavy suitcase that seemed to stretch out forever. His figure stood in front of the bag, obscuring their view and to their dismay, ruining the chance to spoil their surprises.
Kakashi handed Sasuke a silver blade. But this silver blade wasn't just an average sword. Sasuke smirked to himself as he held a weapon that was a mysterious as a myth. The gunblade was a weapon hybrid that imbedded a gun and a sword. Only such treasures would be given to persons that were worthy of being called heroes or legends.
The scripted lettering on the handle only made the raven-haired man stare in amazement. The Ragnarok was – no, it is a legend. The wielder of this sword brought down destruction to the most tyrannical beings of authority. Having the Queen bestow such a magnificent weapon to his hands was a beloved and gracious honor. The Ragnarok's handle was a deep crimson color that contrasted to the many hues of blood it spilled in its lifetime.
Kakashi turned to Naruto who in turn was practically itching to reach out and grasp his weapon. Out of the suitcase, a light blue tinted handle and a shiny reflection of Naruto's face mirrored against the metal of a gun.
"OH, I HAVE TO THANK THE QUEEN ASAP! OH HO HO MAN! THE FUJIN IS BOMBING!"
"Naruto, Naruto, calm down." The elder man laughed as his blond cadet wouldn't stop caressing the secretive yet powerful gun of Fujin.
Sakura eyed in amazement at the beautiful sight of these powerful weapons. She could only hope that her equipment would be just as great as the Ragnarok or the Fujin.
Once again, reading her mind like he had done so earlier, he smiled at her. That small speck of a twinkle in his grey eye spoke to her. He was enjoying this too much.
"For our lovely cherry blossom," Kakashi kneeled down on one knee and presented her legendary weapon. "This is the God's Hand, a weapon that is only deemed worthy by your strength. You may be a human but that power you hold in your fist is inhuman."
Black leather gloves laid limp in his palms. The God's Hand didn't really look like much, which is probably why one should never judge a book by its cover. Slender fingers grasped the gloves and slipped them on.
"Give them a minute to adjust to your stats." He whispered to her and she did give the gloves a moment.
A minute later, a huge feeling embraced her hands. She definitely felt a lot stronger now. Sakura flashed a smile at Kakashi, letting him know that he was right.
Last but not least, Kakashi unsheathed a katana from its scabbard cover behind his back. "This is...the Masamune." The grin on his face was more than enough proof that he reveled in its glory. Of how many people actually touched this famed katana? Not many at all.
Katanas fit him like how gloves fit Sakura. With evasion, precision, finesse and loyalty exuding from the katana's history, he couldn't be happier for the weapon described his loyalty to his people.
"All right, let's go over our plan of action one more time, Sasuke?" Kakashi sheathed his katana back into the shielding case.
"First off, we're teleporting and arriving in a hidden transporter that is underground."
"More like, it's the sewer we're stepping into." Naruto scowled at his partner. Upon hearing the word sewer, Sakura scrunched up her nose.
"It's our best course of action! Onwards…after we break in stealthily through the basement of the prison's chambers, we're splitting up from there. Naruto and I will take the western wing and you two are to remain low while contacting Kiba. Kakashi, please don't forget to bring the Brain Communicator. The last issue we need to have is you forgetting a key device in bringing down the MATS."
Kakashi nodded his head with a sheepish grin on his face. He wasn't as old as they pegged him to be. At least, he didn't forget a lot…right?
"After you've made contact with Kiba, go in the eastern unit of the prison and release the Inuzuka members – if there are any. We will not be able to escape the same way we entered, so we'll head towards the hangar."
"Hangar? The Inuzuka's have a hangar in their prison? For what?" The female member asked.
"How else are they to transport their criminals, Sakura…It's actually pretty vital for a prison to have at least a hangar. Most don't even have teleporters underground, so we're pretty lucky that Kiba persuaded his mother to build one!"
"Oh, wow. Thanks Naruto, I'm so happy you told me." She rolled her eyes.
"You're welcome Sakura!" The blond scratched the back of his head with eyes creased.
The other three members sighed on cue as if his reaction was predictable.
Sasuke took a deep breath and continued their plan, "Once we arrive in the hangar, we'll steal one of the enemy ships. Naruto will disable the GPS system and we'll be free to fly around using the MATS technology. We can input Ichiraku's ID number into their teleporter and we can travel back and forth with no problem. So don't worry if you're missing a few items and forget to bring it with you." He coughed and his gaze seemed fixed on Sakura.
She scoffed as if it was typical for a girl to never bring what she really needed. He was just in for a surprise if he thought she was one of those girls.
"That's pretty much it, unless we stumble into trouble or something like that." The dark-haired man shrugged.
"Shouldn't half us stay on the MATS ship and the other stay on Ichiraku? Just in case, we get discovered?"
"That's not a bad idea, Sakura. That way, we'll travel on the same path using different routes. Instead of having one ship dormant, we'll always have a back-up ship."
"Ahaha, thanks Kakashi! Plus, S.A.I. will be able to take care of all your needs." She smiled happily; it was a good back-up plan, she couldn't deny that.
"Who the hell is S.A.I.?"
"A Super Artifical Intelligence robot that is being lend to us." Sakura giggled.
"And…what needs would we need to be taken care of?" Naruto's eyes slanted at her.
"Like, my breakfast, your laundry, the entertainment…"
"You're not gonna stay on Ichiraku with us?"
"Wherever Kakashi is, I go." She smiled. The said man chuckled nervously.
Kakashi cleared his throat, intentionally interrupting their off-topic discussion, "One last time to make sure we have everything we need. Naruto? Sasuke? Sakura?"
All three mentioned nodded their heads and went back to their rooms. Sakura joined the other two just to spare them the embarrassment. She had a good memory and she was sure nothing was out of place, or missing for that matter.
Just in their final moments before being teleported to the Inuzuka jail, she found out that only two people could teleport on the circular panel. As she stepped onto the blinding pale blue light that emitted from underneath the circle, Sakura couldn't help but cling onto the Kakashi's arm. A small nervous grin looked up at him and he only chuckled lightly at her anxiety. It was her first time teleporting, hell yeah she needed to hold on to something, to make sure that this was her reality. With a tight squeeze on her eyes, she felt like being dragged, sucked, and pulled into oblivion.
It was all over in a second as her hold on the encircled arm started to wiggle free.
"Sakura? You're fine, open your eyes." A firm shake to her shoulder dredged her eyes open and the stench of the putrid water encasing her feet was enough to make her hand cover her mouth in a mock action of vomiting.
"Ugh…the smell is unbearable…" She groaned as the sewer waters whooshed. The echo of her pain continued to bounce off the underground walls.
"Shh." Sasuke turned his head and put his index finger against his lips.
Sakura believed that since they were underground, the walls weren't exactly soundproof.
The team of four managed their way through a series of bridges, switches, levers and gates. It was confusing but how Kakashi knew where they had crossed a bridge, pushed a switch, flipped a lever and opened a gate was beyond her. Sakura realized that the eye patch that used to be glued to his left eye was lifted. She stared at the intense and entrancing red eye. A slight wobble in her footing made the mysterious eye covered once again.
"W-what is that?" She was still in a light-headed daze but all she could make out was Kakashi shaking his head. It wasn't time for a discussion on a subject like this.
As they passed one part of the seemingly large sewer, they got through the second room with ease. The party stopped before white doors that were obviously the entrance to the basement, as if it was to be inconspicuous.
In a hushed voice, Naruto turned to the other pair, "From here, we take the western wing. We'll make contact with you once we find out the total number of Inuzukas that are held here. Remember; don't forget to ask the questions for Kiba. See ya later!" With that, a small whirl of electronics opening, let the two male members in and closed behind them.
"Do we even have enough coverage for the BC?" The silver-haired leader leaned over her shoulder.
"Um, how should I know? I don't know how these things work!" She huffed and pushed the BC against his chest.
"See this little green light that is going up and down? That is the coverage. The higher the bar, the better the coverage. C'mon, let's find a compatible area."
The duo continued to move in odd ways according to the connector of the BC. In all honesty, it seemed like they were dancing for some type of voodoo god or something crazy. After a few misleading steps and various pauses to make sure the connection was plausible, they found the perfect spot.
"….Kiba Inuzuka, do you copy?"
"Shit, he's not responding." Kakashi gritted his teeth.
"Wait a moment, then try again."
"Kiba Inuzuka, do you copy?"
A small grunt and cough transmitted through the earpiece that was attached to the commander's ear.
"If you can hear me, have Akamaru bark twice."
Two sounds of a high-pitch bark were heard. Kakashi smirked, the BC really did work.
"Alright, I'm going to ask you a series of questions and Akamaru will bark in according to them. Twice for yes, once for no. Can you do that?"
Akamaru's barked twice.
"Good job, now my partner will take over. I'm sure you'll love her voice. Her name is Sakura, by the way." Kakashi chuckled and delicately helped Sakura put the earpiece against her ear.
"Ahem, hi Kiba. My name is Sakura as Kakashi previously stated. We'll be helping you in order to escape although I'm pretty sure you could do it on your own since you practically grew up here or something along that line." Insert her nervous chuckle here. "Um…."
A couple of excited barks followed as she spaced out. A light chuckle emerged from her lips. That meant they were pretty excited to hear a female's voice.
"Anyways, I'll start off with the first question. Do you know that there is a traitor among Konoha?
Two barks.
"Do you know who the traitor is?"
One bark.
"Damn it…" Sakura sighed; half of their questions were eliminated just like that. "Do you know anyone who might know?"
Two barks.
"Your cell, is it in the western wing?"
One bark.
"All right! We'll pick you up and you can tell us all the information when we're breaking out." A smile played on Sakura's lips. "We'll talk to you later, we're going to get you out soon."
She turned to her partner and nodded her head, symbolizing it was their turn to break in the eastern wing.
Kakashi grabbed her hand and burst through the double white doors. The sights that behold their eyes were stunning. For a basement torture chamber, it was fairly clean. Not even a speck of blood was spattered on the floor or the walls. It was painstakingly blinding white. If they were aiming to blind their opponents, they got it right on the mark.
Sakura opened up her mouth but one look from her silver-haired comrade told her to keep it shut. He dragged her slowly behind him, creeping silently to make sure the guards missed them in their line of sight. She tightened the gloves on her hand in nervousness. She knew what she had to do, if she had to.
Barely missing the heavy security in the basement, they finally found the door to the first floor. From there, they took the eastern path. The white seemed to be toned down and the walls were coated in dark blue hue. The pathway's walls went from sturdy to rocky and bumpy as they went from smooth plaster to harsh bricks. It was odd that there were hardly any guards patrolling the hallway. In fact, she didn't blame them since it was a long way to walk up and down.
Two iron gates stopped their onward journey. Sakura tugged on Kakashi's arm and looked at him with worried eyes. He gave her a small eye-crease, instantly that eased her worries. He always had the answer to everything.
He pulled out a small metal pin, inserting into the lock. With a little strain and creased eyebrows, a click sound was made. A tiny triumphant laugh came from Kakashi as the rusted iron gate was opened. "After you, m'lady." He extended his arm out, letting her step into the unknown area first.
Sakura smiled as they passed the threshold. There was no question that the rest of the path would hold all the cells. The chilly draft of air swept against her skin leaving goose bumps. The conditions continued to dwindle down as they proceeded deeper and deeper into the prison. The main walkway contained grime, mold and dirt all over the floor. It was frightening to say in the least, that just before the prison was all up-to-date on the hottest gadgets but once they reached the cells, the criminals were treated like dirt. She supposed the Inuzuka's had their reasons but now they were put in the same treatment.
Sakura was pulled from her immersed thinking when she felt her back being slammed onto a cold wall. Heat was radiating in front of her chest and she turned her head to find Kakashi pressed up against her. A tint of pink graced her cheeks as she felt his breath hover over her ear.
Kakashi's gray eye looked down at her. Her breathing was slow and he could feel her heartbeat pounding rapidly upon the sudden body contact. Just as she breathed in, her rosy lips parted. His gaze stayed on her lips, his elbows rested against the sides of her head. Slowly pulling his eye away from her lips, he locked onto her stare. Even in the dark hiding spot, her green eyes still shimmered.
"U-uh, sorry. There was a guard coming by." Kakashi pushed himself off his stance.
"N-no. It's all right. You were just hiding, I got it." Sakura allowed an awkward laugh from her lips.
"Maybe we should contact Kiba, if we can?" He suggested in a whisper.
Sakura nodded her head and pulled out the BC device. The green bars were barely making the halfway mark but it was better than nothing. She pushed the earpiece and held it close to her ear.
"Kiba, are you there?"
Two barks were heard and the sound reverberated off the prison walls. Kakashi tugged Sakura's hand and hauled her down the main corridor. He signaled her to keep on asking and she continued to do so. With each step, they were closer and closer.
"Hey! Shut that dog up!" An unknown grunt yelled and rattled the cell's bars.
"Akamaru will bark as much as he wants!" A young man in a gray coat and red triangular markings on his cheek gritted his teeth.
Before the guard could turn his back, a strong fist punched his cheek sending him on the ground from the force. The sound of a katana being heaved from its sheath and the silver sword pressed against the throat of the guard. "Give up the keys and I promise not to kill you."
Sakura growled, "Is that even advisable? Shouldn't we…knock him out?"
"Nah, after all, we should spare the guy's life so he can run off to his little superiors."
"Hey, if you guys could hurry it up and let me out, I'd knock him out for you." Kiba gripped the clanging bars with a grin at his two rescuers.
"Are there any other members on this wing?" Sakura turned to him as Kakashi handed the keys to her.
"Nope, they only kept me here; everyone else is on the western part. It has lower maintenance and security. We have cameras on that part; we were getting around to adding cameras for this wing." He grumbled as the white dog beside him barked happily at the duo.
"Shit, we have to get to the hangar as quick as we can. Which way is the hangar?" The three-man assemble started their way back.
"The only way to get there is if you take the central elevator to the roof. In case anyone forgot, we have airships now. They fly." Kiba snickered.
"We didn't actually break in from the entrance…we came from the sewer…" Sakura scrunched up her nose with a sound of disgust.
"Oh! The teleporter! Ahahaha! I forgot about installing that forbidden transportation. Sorry about that, little lady. There wasn't any other location that I could place it without my family finding out."
"It's all good. We managed to sneak in pretty good."
"Sakura, could you please try to contact Naruto and Sasuke? We have to get to the hangar…now."
"Mhm," she nodded her head and fiddled with the electronic device. "Naruto? Sasuke? Do you read me?"
A minute of static crackled before Naruto's voice chimed in, "Sakura! What's up?"
They passed the iron gate that the pair opened moments before.
"Naruto! We have to meet at the hangar as soon as you can. There are cameras following your every move in the western wing! You have to take the central elevator toward the roof, that's where the hangar is, we'll see you there. Make it here as quick as you can." She hissed.
"Roger that, Sakura!" Naruto laughed before the communication line cut off.
The rays of the sun heated her team's backsides. The windy weather almost made her glad there was a breeze. Leaves fluttered their way on top of the roof. The crunches underneath Sakura's footing as she paced created a rhythm.
"Where are they?" She snarled in impatience.
"Give them a moment, Sakura. They're most likely fending off some of the enemies. In the meantime, what's the code for one of these ships?" Kakashi talked with Kiba. Their best course of action was to have a ship up and ready to depart by the time they reached the roof.
Kiba muttered some words to Kakashi but Sakura wasn't in the mood to eavesdrop on their conversation. She just wanted Sasuke and Naruto to return. They shouldn't be taking this long. What if one of them was injured? She'd have to heal them on the ship. Her lower lip was being abused by her constant tugging.
"Sakura! Kakashi! Sakuraaa! Kakashiii!"
She turned her head towards the entrance and found Naruto and Sasuke running towards her. Luckily to Kakashi's gut feeling, a low rumble of machinery indicated life starting for one of the MATS ship.
"C'mon, c'mon! Let's go!" Sakura strained her tone in a hurry.
When the two males caught up to her, she rushed to push them in the airship. Kiba stood on the rooftop and smiled at her. She blinked and stared at him in confusion.
"Aren't you coming aboard?"
"No, no. Besides, I'm an Inuzuka. We fight for dominance." He smirked, "Have a good flight and I hope you find out that traitor!"
"W-wait! You never told us who would know the identity!"
"Itachi Uchiha will know! Good luck!"
The S5 lifted off as the glass doors closed against Sakura's will. She turned herself around and walked to the bridge.
"Itachi Uchiha might know the identity of the betrayer…" She muttered as she passed her teammates. A forceful grip on her bicep flipped her body around. Sasuke stood in front of her with a scowl.
"What did you say?"
"Kiba said that an Itachi Uchiha knows the identity of the betrayer. That means he works for MATS, doesn't it? Why? Do you know who Itachi is?"
"He's….my brother." His teeth grounded against each other.
"Oh…" A shocked expression appeared on her face.
Sasuke bumped into Sakura's shoulder as he walked away from her. A consolation squeeze on her shoulder from Naruto comforted her.
"He's upset, that's all. Give him some time and he'll be okay." He smiled at her.
"I didn't know…He's an Uchiha?"
Naruto nodded his head, "Like you said, you didn't know. It's all right." He offered a smile once more. "I should go…see if he's okay."
Sakura bobbed her head in agreement. Naruto's face was filled with genuine worry for his best friend. She sighed as she sat down in an empty chair. Her fingers massaged her forehead, somehow she felt like she screwed up big time.
Kakashi stood beside her. "The coordinates of our ship are planted on the memory disc. Don't fret over anything Sasuke does. He'll come to his senses, eventually." Sakura felt calm with the blanket of his authority.
"Thanks, Kakashi." She whispered.
"You're welcome anytime, Sakura." His lips grazed her ear.
Sakura's body tensed underneath his spell. "W-why do you do this to me?" She let out a breathy sigh.
"Isn't it obvious?" His gloved fingers trailed up and down on her arm.
"I-is what o-obvious?" His hand that played on her arm stopped and wrapped around her waist.
"You shouldn't play dumb, Sakura. I know you're not that naïve." His lips muttered against her cheek.
Sakura shifted in her seat as her skin felt blazing. The atmosphere around her turned hot like she was in being baked in oven. The cold air washed over her skin as his presence moved away from her. She sighed to herself and closed her eyes. Kakashi was trouble and a flirt, a terrible flirt to her.
She straightened her outfit as she found an empty room to compose an emergency video report for Tsunade. She just hoped that Tsunade found some clues already.
•••
Sakura Haruno, reporting for duty. Today's date is August 21th, 2815. We are located in the Oturanian Universe at the Inuzuka Planet on an MATS ship, Sound Five. Please don't be alarmed when you see this message.
Lady Tsunade, I am regretful to report that an Itachi Uchiha has been working for MATS. Kiba Inuzuka passed this information down to me. I hope this helps you in your search to find our traitor.
I wish you all the luck.
Sakura Haruno, over and out.