Chapter 2: Cover Me
-X-
The sealing process is draining for any medic, Sakura noted absently as she walked back to the ANBU's assigned room. The good thing was that Shizune seemed to have everything under control, most surely because she took Tsunade's silent support as she stood next to Sakura, observing the procedure.
Yawning again, she stopped in front of a window. The night was clear and the stars glittered quite noticeably. A lovely sight, she mused. Too bad that almost all the people of Konoha didn't appreciate the beauty that nature offered.
Her thoughts were dwelling on Sasuke's scornful words. It was true that she pined for him for too long, but certainly she had grown under Tsunade's guidance. Her lips curved with fondness when she remembered how she had stormed inside the Hokage's office, all but demanding – she thought she was begging, but the blonde had assured her that her eyes said another thing from the fierce determination that shone in them – for the blonde to teach her. Sakura remembered how strict the training with the Slug Princess had been, doubting that any of her teammates would have endured it. Naruto probably would have thrown a fit from frustration at his inability to punch the busty female back – he was all but too afraid of her insane strength, but also because he said he couldn't hit a woman – and Sasuke had also been quite intimidated with the Godaime's display of massive destruction with just one of her fingers.
And now Sakura, sweet and weak Haruno Sakura, who liked to wash her teammates with tears, had the same strong feature. Tsunade had teased about how her chakra control could be regarded as a bloodline trait, despite of how the clans were adamant in not recognizing the very few that had this excellent control over their energy.
No matter how much it had hurt – because the truth had the ability to cut ruthlessly when it was said with harsh words – Sasuke's words had jolted a nerve inside the pink-haired kunoichi. Tsunade's lessons were of utmost importance to Sakura's self-esteem, because the blonde just knew how much she hurt seeing her teammates advancing in their careers in jumps and leaps and bounds, leaving her behind, as usual.
Kakashi had to make the mistake of neglecting her; he understood that when he was told about Sakura's apprenticeship with no other than their powerful Hokage. He knew that she had the potential to be one of the greatest kunoichi of the village, yet he had chosen to take Sasuke under his wing, teaching him a few things that even his family had no idea how to perform. The Chidori was proof enough of this, since the seasoned Jounin had seen how ignored and undermined the younger son of the Clan Head was.
Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, had taken upon himself the mentorship of the loudmouthed blond, shaping him just like his father when he lived. Naruto had grown incredibly, showing how much he mastered his skills and those from his father's creation, including the power that was lurking inside his body under that swirled seal.
In the shadow of those genii in their own field, Sakura had found herself lost and forgotten, always being the last in their tacit but fierce race to surpass the others.
Sakura sighed, moving away from the window. Maybe the last criticism from Sasuke would prove useful, despite how awful it felt for her. She realized how silly she had been by pursuing someone who simply didn't want her back. It dealt a severe blow to her femininity, but she refused to feel the biting rejection.
Knocking on her patient's door, she entered without his permission. The masked ANBU sat still on the bed, with his legs hanging from it. It looked like he was about to rise from the bed.
"Sorry I'm late, ANBU-san," she said absently, extending her hands on his bandaged torso. "The procedure took a little longer than expected. Your lung is healing nicely, but it's still sore. Refrain for taijutsu training for a week and it will be restored completely."
"What about my ribs?"
Sakura blinked, looking up at the white rodent mask. A strong aura filled her senses, making her realize that this ANBU was not a regular one. A hard frown curved her lips downward unconsciously.
"The ribs are perfectly healed," she deadpanned. "My chakra repaired them when I examined you a while ago."
"Good," his voice filtered through his mask, cold and detached but well-mannered nonetheless. "Shall I come back for another check-up?"
"That won't be necessary, ANBU-san, I have the feeling you won't be happy if you have to come back," she answered, withdrawing her hands and warm chakra from his body and turned to grab his chart, scribbling something on it. "You are free to go, ANBU-san. Remember not to overdo it or your lung will be re-injured. Have a good night."
"Thank you, Haruno-san," he said politely, snapping her attention. Locking her gaze with the impassive mask, she nodded as he descended from the bed, pulling his sandals on.
"No need. We are here to help, after all."
As she went to the door, she felt the sharp gaze of the White Op on her back.
She gritted her teeth in annoyance, closing the door softly.
-X-
All in all, she didn't know why the ANBU operatives were so dislikeable to her, Sakura mused three days later at noon, when she noted three brown-cloaked figures jumping over the rooftops of Konoha.
She sighed, recalling how callous that ANBU Captain had been when she pleaded for his squad to come back to the village. It seemed that all the White Ops were a bunch of cold-hearted bastards, she concluded, knowing why she was so nervous about Naruto and Sasuke entering the Assassination Corps. Mostly she feared for Naruto, because his usual bright and loud personality was going to be crushed by all that hard-ass training.
Bowing in thanks to the fruit vendor, she made her way through the bustling market square, waving to people she knew from missions, a few medic colleagues and some of her patients, who greeted her fondly. True, she had been busy with field missions and a few night shifts at the hospital, but the now restored people remembered her cheerful bedside manner and how thorough she had been in nursing them back to full health.
"Haruno-san!" called out a lady she knew because of her son, because the little one kept messing with his Academy training, but nothing more serious than scraped knees or a few nicks from shuriken and stray kunai.
Waving back at the lady, she turned her head just in time to collide with a hard form, sending her fruit flying all over the ground and her landing on her rump painfully.
"Ouch..." she groused, rubbing her sore spot before opening her eyes and looking at the wall she had bumped.
Instead of a wall, a tall man with raven hair was staring back at her with a sheepish smirk. He was dressed in black pants and a dark shirt with a wide collar, a hand on his knee while the other was splayed, its palm up, at her.
"I apologize, I was not looking where I was going," he said hastily, blinking his midnight black eyes and taking in all the fruity mess he had provoked. "Here, let me help you," he added, picking the peaches and apples delicately from the dirt and placing them back in the bag in a few seconds. "Are you okay, Haruno-san?"
She was surprised at the effectiveness of his fruit gathering, but she gaped when the tall man addressed her with her surname.
"How do you know my name?" she blurted out, watching the man leaning back on her and offering her his hand. She hesitated for a moment, but seeing how he had picked up all her purchases she took it, allowing him to pull her up to her feet.
"You are well known, Haruno-san," he said with a hint of amusement under his serious tone as he handed her fruit bag back. "Please forgive me for my clumsiness," he continued, bowing at her slightly.
Finally, taking the style of his clothes and the dark eyes and hair in, Sakura realized who she was talking to. One of the Uchiha clansmen, a relative of Sasuke. This was weird, because the entire village knew that the Clan liked to keep to themselves, hardly leaving their vast District because they had most of supplies and provisions granted by their own crops and livestock.
"No problem," she eventually answered politely, with a little fake smile. "I wasn't looking either. And the fruit is fine, so no harm done, Uchiha-san."
"I trust you are not hurt, Haruno-san? The impact was rather harsh, I believe, for I was almost down on the floor myself."
Furrowing her fine brows for a moment, she realized what he was hinting at. "Oh, yes. I'm fine, Uchiha-san."
"Yokatta," he said in relief, displaying a great change in his features by smiling at her. Sakura was shocked at how different he looked when he smiled despite how little the gesture was, so she blinked to get a grip on the rampage going on inside her mind thanks to a lunatic and hormone-crazed inner personality.
"Thank you for gathering my fruit," she said, not being able to slip a smile of her own on her lips. He nodded, making his short dark locks – pulled into a little ponytail – fly with the motion.
"There is no need to thank me, Haruno-san," he replied with a glint of humor in his tone. "Now I owe you two."
"Eh?"
"I am Uchiha Shisui," he introduced himself, smirking again good-naturedly. "Nice to meet you—oh, here it is. I thought I had lost it."
Bending to pick up a little parcel, he blew on it to disperse any trace of dirt in the little white box. "Medicines, why are they so delicate?" he added with a fake dejected tone, which made Sakura hide a laugh behind a hand.
"Because they hold health on their little bottles... or pills, whatever the case is," she shot back amusedly. He raised a hand to his nape and laughed lightly, seemingly embarrassed when he realized he was talking about medicines to a medic.
"Well, these are pills indeed," he confided, lowering his voice. "They are for my cousin, whohas been suffering with migraines for quite a while now. He refuses to go to the hospital, so I'm stuck with his little display of stubbornness."
"I'm not surprised," she observed with a raised brow. "Most of the people I know refuse to go to the hospital, even if they're bleeding to death," she added, noticing the hitai-ate on Shisui's forehead. "So I get a few migraines myself for treating my patients in any location, because they won't budge despite how much I argue with them."
"Sounds like my predicament, indeed," he said with a pained expression, eliciting a laugh from the pink-haired medic. "I think I'll snoop half of these for myself, if this situation keeps on."
"And why don't you force your cousin to go to the hospital? You're a shinobi, Uchiha-san. Even if he's a ninja he should listen to you."
Shisui snorted, much to Sakura's surprise. "Forcing him to go somewhere would be like asking Yondaime-sama's stone head to dance the Matsuri," he said with a devious smirk. "Besides, I'm too fond of my unscathed state, mind you."
"Oh come on, Uchiha-san, it shouldn't be that bad," she laughed, shifting her bag from hand to hand. "What about the Clan's medics? I've been told that they're quite skilled."
"They are, yes," he said, the humor in his seemingly blank façade seeping through his voice as he looked up to the Hokage Monument thoughtfully. "However, they haven't been able to locate the reason of my poor cousin's headaches, much to their complete frustration."
"They haven't?" Sakura repeated, blinking in surprise, leaning back when he turned to look at her with wide eyes.
"Can I owe you another thing, Haruno-san, if you agree to help us with this predicament?" he said, as she started. "I'm sure you can alleviate his migraines – and mine – with a quick examination."
Sakura seemed shocked with the unexpected petition. "Err... I don't do house calls, Uchiha-san--"
"Please, Haruno-san, I humbly request this of you," he bowed again, a little more deeply than his last. "My family would be deeply grateful for your assistance in this matter."
She sighed, hanging her head in defeat. "...Fine, Uchiha-san. Tell your cousin to go to my office tomorrow and I'll check him up. I have the day off today, and--"
"You have the day off? Most excellent!" he exclaimed, changing his features again with a surprised smile that threw her off balance. "Haruno-san, please come with me now. I beg for your assistance in this very moment. My cousin had been suffering this pain for far too long, and to tell you the truth my patience is wearing thin."
She tried to hide her laugh, but Shisui's anxious face was too comical for her.
"So he's being a pain, huh? I wonder if your cousin is one of my teammates," she said sarcastically.
"I wouldn't know, Haruno-san, we Uchiha are quite the lot."
Both laughed at his unexpected remark. Sakura had to lean over to hide her mirth, her face flushing with the humor that coursed through her.
"Oh, fine, Uchiha-san, you win," she gasped, trying to regain her composure. "To tell you the truth, you are the first of your Clan that had been friendly to me, so I'll consent to your wish. But, you will do something for me in return, okay?"
"I am most grateful, Haruno-san! You just name it and I'll grant your request."
"Sa-ku-ra," she said playfully, enunciating all the syllables of her name. "My name is Sakura, Uchiha-san."
He nodded, smiling pleasantly. "Very well, Sakura-san. But you must address me by my name as well."
"Deal," she laughed as he extended a hand towards the street, falling into step beside her. "So your cousin has severe migraines?" she asked, entering into medic mode. "When did they start? How long they last? Had he been under stress lately?"
"A long time, I wouldn't know and yes, always," Shisui shot back, slipping his hands on his pants pockets, walking slowly but with long strides. "He's a very accomplished ninja, you see. His skills are quite in demand by our village's customers."
Sakura pursed her lips. "I know the type," she mused aloud. "My Team Leader is quite famous because of his abilities as well."
"Who is your Team Leader?" he asked curiously. She sighed again, exasperated.
"He's a good-for-nothing pervert, but he's one of Konoha's main assets. He's also known by his penchant of walking with his nose buried in a book and his tardiness..."
"Hatake Kakashi?"
Her laugh served as an affirmation, as she transferred her bag to the other hand.
"Yeah, he's my Team Leader and former sensei. And he's also my main migraine inducer as he runs away from the hospital when the opportunity is at hand."
"My father was like that until he met my mother," Shisui said. "She knocked him out and dragged him back to the hospital once, and apparently this was the reason he chose to marry her."
Sakura let out an unladylike snort. "A lovely woman indeed! I'd shake her hand if I meet her. We need more medics like her, that's for sure!"
"They passed away, but they lived a great life together," he said with a pensive but fond smile. "I'm proud of being their son. I can only hope they're in a better place now."
"I'm sorry, Shisui-san," Sakura offered, touched by his wistful remembrance. He nodded in thanks, as they walked in a comfortable silence.
After a while, she was the one who spoke. "I lost my parents too. And illness took them away from me. But somehow I know they are fine now."
"I'm sorry for your loss, Sakura-san," he said politely, and she smiled appreciatively. "Oh, we are here. Welcome to the Uchiha District," he added, waving a hand to the sentinel who nodded back.
Sakura stood speechless. She had passed near the walls of the District, but she had never entered it. When Sasuke was needed for a mission or for training, it was Naruto or Kakashi who went to contact him. On one occasion, the three of them stood in front of the Uchiha gates, but they had been denied entrance, one of the sentinels going to retrieve their teammate for an emergency mission in the middle of the night.
Sasuke had emerged from the District, looking a bit drowsy but downright disgruntled. However, he went with them, recovering the scroll and pulling a great battle with the enemy shinobi that had stole it in the first place.
On that mission, Sakura only treated her teammates, once again watching them from the sidelines as they did all the work.
And after they came back to the village, Sasuke turned her down, as usual.
Sakura gritted her teeth in annoyance at herself. How stupid she had been. She had the massive strength from her mentor and yet again she had been protected by her teammates, leaving her behind. She had impressive chakra control and yet she had been underestimated because of her gender and soft personality.
Well, fuck that. She was going to show how much fire she had in her spirit from now on.
"Sakura-san?"
A deep voice broke her from her reverie. Snapping her head, she looked at her guide.
"You looked a bit upset for a moment. Are you alright?" Shisui asked, his eyes showing his concern for a moment. Sakura shook her head, offering him a sheepish smile.
"Sorry, I was remembering something."
"I see," he answered, as he pointed at a building they were passing. "Our shrine," he explained. "Our Clan is devoted to the Gods, making offerings to ensure a good return of our people from their daily tasks or missions."
"Interesting," she murmured, feeling a lot like a fish out of the water. The shrine was impeccable, with dark blue and red flags hanging on its entrance. An old lady was sweeping the stone front yard, with the traditional sweep made of bamboo, while a young man ran on the engawa, a rag on his hands, cleaning it in its proper but surely uncomfortable manner.
Sakura then took the time to look around her. Several people was minding their own business, tending to their task as if no one was observing them. A man was sharpening a kunai with a stone, his eyes closed as he went through the practiced and repetitive motions. A young girl was mending the hood of a black cloak, humming softly to herself as the needle came and went. An old lady waved at Shisui, nodding in greeting at the pink-haired medic as her wrinkled hands never stopped their movements in the refining of the flour on a well-used stone mill.
"Almost there," he said lightly, keeping his guest entertained by pointing at several interesting things to see on their walk to his cousin. "I'm certain that he won't like my intruding in his affairs, but I'm past caring if he's offended, to be honest."
"Sounds about right," she answered with a little smile. "Are you sure you don't know Sasuke-kun?"
"Sasuke?" he repeated, tilting his head in thought. "I think so. We're too many to keep count, you know."
Somehow she knew he was blatantly lying, but she didn't care. Shisui was about the only Uchiha she had met that hadn't treated her like a peasant or a doormat. Even Sasuke had so much arrogance in his way to carry himself; she had only concluded that all the Uchiha clan was a lot of arrogant and holier-than-thou bastards.
But now she was walking among Uchiha with the most kind Uchiha she had ever known. Surely the world was coming to an end, Sakura thought with dry amusement.
"Ah, here we are," he finally said, stopping in front of a house that was surely bigger than others they had encountered in their way. "Shall we?"
She only nodded, busy as she was with all the observing. "What a beautiful house," she murmured in awe. A sturdy, traditional manor with a large engawa and white shoji doors, but the walls were painted in sandy yellow and dark blue with the Uchiha fan crest from time to time. Seeing the crest repeatedly since she had entered the District in different ways and profuse blazoned signs – not that they were proud of their roots, of course not – the way the emblem played with the decoration colors was rather sober but elegant, in her secret opinion.
Sakura absentmindedly heard Shisui talking to the maid that had emerged from the manor, asking for his cousin in a low whisper. The woman bowed deeply – a sign of how well-bred the seasoned woman was – to him and then to her, to Sakura's inward surprise.
Following the maid to the garden in the back of the house, she took the time to observe how pristine clean was everything. Pictures, scrolls and portraits littered the walls--
She stopped abruptly when her eyes fixed on a large family photo. A woman with warm eyes and equal smile was sitting on a chair, with a man with a stern façade and three younglings: two boys of apparently twelve years old at the most, smiling briefly at the camera from the woman's sides while the other child was soundly asleep in his mother's arms.
She could recognize that spiky hair anywhere. The slumbering child was Sasuke.
Trailing her gaze to Shisui, she was regarded with a sheepish smile and a hand on his neck, clearly embarrassed and a tad uncomfortable.
Looking back at the picture, she could recognize one of the youngsters as Shisui, and the other one was--
"Shisui, what brings you here?" a blank voice sounded from the garden door. Snapping her head at the newcomer, her eyes went wide when she realized who the other boy in the picture was.
No other than Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's older brother.
"Ah, Itachi! I was in the market when I ran into Haruno-san... and I asked her to come here to look at your migraines, since you seem to be quite in pain."
The vacant look on the tall, raven-haired man was none akin to a pained one, she thought as he slid his gaze to hers, promptly narrowing his eyes slightly when he saw her standing next to the family portrait.
"I believe I only asked you to pick up the pills, Shisui," he finally said in a detached tone. "Not to trick a medic to come here to look at my head."
Emerald eyes narrowed in anger, snapping to the other Uchiha, who was sporting a comical look of fear on his face.
"I can't believe it," a low feminine voice cut off Shisui's attempt to explain. "And here I thought you were the only kind Uchiha. You tricked me! You, you--"
"I'm so sorry, Sakura-san!" he quickly blurted out, bowing deeply at her. "I knew you weren't going to come if you knew who my cousin was, and I knew Itachi wouldn't approve of me bringing another medic here. I'm a ninja, and ninja tricks others, am I right?"
Sakura's palm met her forehead in frustration. "Of course I would have come!" she snapped at the surprised but cowering man. "You requested a medic and here I am! I'll settle my score with you later, because this house is way too beautiful to rattle if I punch your body through its walls."
Shisui winced visibly, his face lowered in shame. "I apologize, Sakura-san, I only did what I judged appropriate for my cousin's wellbeing."
"I did not need your meddling, Shisui," the other Uchiha deadpanned, crossing his arms on his chest in a rather intimidating manner.
"Oh, bullshit, Itachi!" the other snapped, surprising the medic as he straightened. He was taller than Sasuke's aniki, his body a bit more sturdy and broad than Itachi's lean and slender form. "I've had enough of your brooding and your migraines! I tricked Sakura-san because you have been nothing but a pain in these past months! You will allow her to check up on you or I'm filing a squad change request tomorrow!"
A tense silence ensued after Shisui's outburst. Distinctive chakra signatures rolled out from their forms, making Sakura's impeccable but slow memory to remember where she had encountered them.
Both Uchiha turned their heads to a low growl coming from the livid pink-haired kunoichi, who was clenching her fists in order to control her anger, her mind suddenly realizing why Shisui was referring to 'owing her one'. "You-- you are the ANBU Captain-- And you are the other one what thanked me in the forest--"
Shisui blanched, astounded at her blunt but spot on conclusion. "Sakura-san, I--"
She whipped a hand up to shut him up. "I came here and I met none other than the Uchiha Heir and now I realize who you really are," she hissed, grinding her teeth. "I would have forgiven a trick, but not a lie. I'm out of here."
"Sakura-san, please understand--"
"No, I won't understand!" she finally exclaimed, allowing her rage to seep on her aura. "You lied to me! And you!" she pointed at a poker-faced Itachi. "You got me in trouble with Tsunade-shishou! I knew you weren't going back to the village like I told you to, but you forced my Team Leader to snitch on me!"
"I merely provided him with the regular procedures," he answered smoothly, not even paying attention to her angry splutter. "You defied me in front of my teammates. I was not about to let it go. Besides, if I were the one telling to the Hokage about your display, I am sure you would be locked up in a cell right now."
Shisui watched nervously how Sakura's face went from flushed with rage to pale white. Her eyes were wide in surprise, but something in her stance told him she was on the verge of attacking.
"Itachi, what is done is done," he tried, but the younger Uchiha didn't pay any attention to his cousin. "I'll lead Sakura-san back to the gates--"
"She is not going anywhere."
Sakura froze in her anger.
"What?" Shisui asked, clearly confused by this unexpected turn of events.
"You tricked her into coming here. She came to heal a patient, so she won't leave until she does so. She can pummel you afterwards."
"Itachi, I don't think that's such a good--"
"I'll do it," Sakura cut the elder Uchiha off with her cold answer. She had seen the challenging glint in his dark eyes when she was about to maul him for his scathing remark, as if he was daring her to do it. Then she thought she saw a flash of amusement at her shock when he stopped his cousin from driving her away.
He was mocking her. He was nothing but amused at her fury.
And just like when the competition with her teammates starts to get a little brash, she allowed a smirk to curl minutely on her lips. Sakura wasn't about to back down from a challenge so easily, even if the proverbial gauntlet was laid by the one and only Uchiha Itachi.
"I'm sure you are in pain, Uchiha-san," she drawled detachedly. "I'm sure we can make you feel better."
Watching them stare at each other with narrowed eyes and dangerous intent on their auras, Shisui wisely kept his mouth shut, sighing to himself.
-XxX-
AN: I'm completely sure that Itachi is totally and utterly OOC, so there's no need to point that out. Just bear with me for a while, aye?
Who else is surprised by Shisui's appearance? My dear beta surely did a double-take, hahaha!
BTW, Yokatta means "That's good / I'm glad". Hooray for online dictionaries!