SEE?! HINATA'S NOT DEAD!!!! BAHAHAHA, NARUSAKU LOVERS!!! DOWN WITH THEE!!!!
And I seriously fucked my leg up. It hurts. And this is pointless fluff. I love it.
Disclaimer Naruto does not belong to me. He belongs to Hinata.
Dedication: To Rammstein, and Breaking Benjamin and Escape the Fate, once again.
---
Sasuke's foot hit the gas as he took a sharp turn at sickening speed, and we flew through the night. We were moving faster, right at that second, than I'd ever moved in my life. We were moving so fast that everything outside the window was simply a dark blur. Either Sasuke could feel my screaming instincts, or he was as worried as I was.
And we got lucky, for once. Naruto had decided to take the van, so we had just enough space to get all the adults home. No one had even asked who was going to sit where. They knew that both Kakashi and Anko were going in whichever vehicle I was going in.
I couldn't stand to be away from them right now. I just couldn't.
And so I was sitting in the front seat, shooting glances at the two of them in the back, still as lifeless as they were the first second we pulled them out of that glowing green guck. If they were dead, I wouldn't sleep until Kabuto was dead, until he was nothing more the ash on the wind. As it was, he was going to be dead within the week.
I just would allow myself some time to sleep.
Or, I might just let Kendra deal with the slimy bastard. She really seems to dislike him. I don't really blame her, either. He's a creep.
At the thought of the red-headed noble girl who looked so much like my mother, my fingers clenched around the little crystal phial that was sitting in my palm. She would get it later, after I knew my parents were safe and sound and going to live. I raised my eyes to the mirror again, and caught sight of Anko's unconscious face, and just as I did, a tendril of thick, undiluted hatred ran through me.
Kabuto was going to die for this. He was just going to die. I didn't know how, but I knew that Sasuke was right in pulling me off the dude. I would have just crushed his windpipe, straight out, and ended his life, no pain involved.
But simple, straight, painless death was too damn good for the slimy bastard. I wanted him to feel as much pain as I have, in the last sixteen years of my life. I wanted him to scream for the mercy that I'd never let him have.
I sighed, and pressed my forehead against the cool glass of the window, trying to calm the sudden surge of sadism. It wasn't working very well, because the urge to rip Kabuto's heart out was still raging just beneath my skin.
I took a deep breath of oxygen, but it wasn't the ivy, mind-numbing-cold air that I knew would calm my reactions and clear my head.
I hate the cold, but it's very good for calming oneself down. But I didn't even have time to think about that, right at that second. We needed to get my extended family the medical attention they needed.
We'd been driving drive-drive-driving-down-highways-that-go-on-forever for so long, and I was starting to get edgy. I didn't know how long any of the adults had, and it was starting to physically pain me.
"How long?" I whispered into the still interior of the car.
"Ten minutes, max," Sasuke murmured back, and I let my breath rush out of my body in a huff of relief. Ten minutes was better then an hour, even though I knew I would be digging my nails into my hangs for the rest of the ride.
And I also knew that Tsunade would send us back to Kendra.
I mean, we'd left a bunch of our stuff in that dingy hotel, and it would not be good to leave so much evidence of our presence (not to mention the tell-tale guns that were hidden all over the place) in the room.
Because, let's face it, very bad things could happen if people put two and two together, and then figured out the reason that an apparently wealthy young man just disappeared from sight, and fairly randomly, too.
When he died, he'd burst into flames and salt, just like all the other leeches, and that would be the end of him.
I dug my nails farther into my palms. Five minutes… Three…
And then headquarters was in view, and a wave of relief and something else, something like regret, crashed over me. Tsunade would fix them. She'd save Kurenai's baby, and I'd be an aunt (or a cousin, depending on how you looked at it…) and then everything would be good again.
I might even go back to school, if it made Kakashi happy. And Anko would have plenty of opportunity to squeal over Sasuke and I.
Things would go back to being the way they were supposed to be.
But life never works out the way we want it to, and this was proof. I didn't even know if Tsunade was going to be here so late.
I shook my head furiously, and pulled Anko out of the car. Tsunade had to be here. She had to be.
I dragged my adoptive mother to the crappy door, and I didn't even knock. I just kick it in, my foot breaking through the fake-wood covering, and hitting solid, enchanted silver. I smirked, and did it a second time, the sounding sound clear as a ringing bell, and loud.
Someone pushed it open from the inside, and I dragged the dead weight I was carrying into the blackness.
Happily, it didn't go as dark as I was used to, and I knew the others were behind me, carefully carrying their charges, just as I was carrying mine.
The person who had opened the door was Lee.
Oh dear god, not now…
"Oh, my lovely Sakura! Your blossom of youth never ceases to amaze me-"
I cut him off. I did not have time for this. "Lee, get me Tsunade. Right. Now," I ground out, my teeth grinding together as I forced the words out.
The smile on his face died, and he looked concerned. I like Lee like a brother, and he knew when I was being serious. He nodded slowly, once, and disappeared into the pitch blackness beyond where our group was standing.
We didn't even have to wait a full sixty seconds.
Tsunade came flying out of the darkness at us, and we all managed to avoid getting hit. Her hair was in a sort of disarray, and I looked at her like she was a nut job.
"We found them."
"I can see that. I'm not even going to ask what happened, you can tell me tomorrow. Go back home, get some sleep, because you look exhausted. But I expect you back here tomorrow morning."
I nodded, my eyes half closed. I was so tired.
Someone pulled Anko away from me, and part of me wanted to cling to her, and to never let my mother out of my sight again. But the rational part of my brain registered that she needed medical attention, and fast.
I could feel myself falling asleep, the day catching up to me, and I swayed on my feet where I stood. Sasuke was standing beside me suddenly, and he gently wrapped his arms around my waist. I curled into his grip.
I didn't even care. Hell, if it had been Silver I would have curled into him. I was exhausted, and I felt safe, and that was all the mattered.
"Sasuke?" I mumbled.
"Yeah?" He answered my question with a question. How annoying.
"I'm gonna fall asleep on you now…"
"You do that," he said, his voice a soft chuckle.
And then I closed my eyes, tucked my head beneath his chin, and I stopped thinking for once.
---
I woke up in my own room for the first time in what seemed like a long time, with the crazy-colour-white not-white-white-white-anymore-not-untainted-not-pure walls, and I sighed in something like relief. I didn't know what time it was, but, once again, for the first time in a long time, I'd actually slept, no dreams of death and carnage and staring, empty eyes.
I felt like myself again, with no dreams to disturb my sleep. I felt… better. I rolled over, and was met with a chest. Sasuke's chest.
I didn't even freak out, I was so used it, by then.
Wow, that's actually kind of sad, now that I think about it… I nuzzled my nose into his collarbone, and was awarded with a soft groan. I smiled, and breathed on his throat. It was the exact same spot that had riled him up so badly last time.
He sat up, his eyes wild, and then he realized where he was.
"Damn it, Sakura, don't do that!"
I laughed, clear and high and happy and-don't-forget-crazy-crazy-crazy, and for once, it felt like it was worth something. I just laughed and laughed and laughed, early in the morning, and I smiled up at Sasuke, who was currently leaning over me, and who was running his fingers through my hair with a strange smile on his lips.
"You fascinate me, did you know that?"
I rolled my eyes at him. "Thanks, I appreciate the fact that I amuse you."
He shook his head. "I didn't say you amuse me, well, you do, but I said you fascinate me."
"It still seems like you're laughing at me," I muttered, with a roll of my eyes.
"I'm not." And then he brushed his nose along my jaw, and it kind of tickled. I giggled, and pushed him off of me. That didn't work so well.
We ended up wrestling on the bed like a pair of four-year-olds, and it was so much fun. I couldn't even remember having so much fun in my entire life. And I found out that he happens to be ticklish in random places, like just below his hip bone.
Insert evil giggle here.
Eventually, we ended up lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling, simply enjoying the early-morning silence.
"We have to go see Tsunade… she told me so last night."
"Hn, I know."
"Should we get up and go find Hinata and the others?"
I could feel his shrug of indifference. "I kind of like it here, actually."
I smiled, and curled close to him. It was so nice, being close to him. How did I ever dislike him? Oh, yeah… he was a pompous asshole. For that matter, he's still a pompous asshole. It's just cuter, now. And not as git-ish, for that matter.
I yawned, but it was 'fine-I'm-up' kind of yawn, rather then a 'screw-you-all-I'm-going-back-to-sleep' kind of yawn.
"C'mon, lazy, get up."
"No." And with this pronouncement, he locked his arms around my waist, and rolled on top of me, effectively cutting of any and all movement. Blah.
"Get offa meeeee!!!" I whined, but he just chuckled.
I pouted at him, and gave up. Forget it, I was still tired. This was the first time I'd been up before noon for the past week. I think I had a right to sleep after the kind of night I'd just had.
As I lay there beneath stupid Sasuke (somehow, he wasn't crushing me, but at the same time, he was impeding any and all movement…), I thought back on the previous day. I thought about Kabuto's creepy snake-grin, that evil experiment room, even Kaeleo and Kabuto's dumb conversation about Anko. I thought about the look on Hinata's face when she was holding Naruto's hand; scared and shy and happy and worried and every other emotion anyone had ever experienced at once. I thought about Tenten and Neji, and everything they represented. I thought about the look on Tsunade's face, when she saw the people we were carrying into her nutty little lair.
I thought about Sasuke, helping me carry my parents out of that hellish place.
I thought about everything, and then some.
And I realized, that even though we managed to get so much done, from dealing Kabuto a swift kick in the nuts, to getting that little phial for Kendra, there was still so much to be done. I mean, Kabuto was still alive, which I really didn't like.
And not only that, there would always be other leeches to kill, and then other leeches to take their place. There would always be more. Ours was a never-ending job.
Because no matter how old you were, you never really retired.
It just went against the grain, and Kakashi was living proof of that fact. He still couldn't lay off working missions, even though both Anko and I wished he would.
I just hope this last mission wouldn't kill some of the last people I really cared about. I looked up at Sasuke, still basically sitting on me, and I noted that he was staring at me.
"Why're you staring at me?" I asked him.
"Because I can?"
"Why do you always answer my questions with questions?"
"Why do you?"
I rolled my eyes in frustration. Seriously, could this guy get any more annoying? I lo- like him, but it's not enough to make me hate it any less when people answer my questions with questions. I want answers, damnit!
So I growled up at him, and pushed him off of me (or at least I tried), but it didn't work very well. He chuckled, and rolled off of me, but he didn't remove his arms from around my waist.
And I can't exactly move him on my own. He's twice my size. It kind of sucks, actually.
"Go back to sleep, princess."
"No, I want to go see the adults. Please?" I pouted at him as I said it, and made my eyes big and wide and teary
He didn't even roll his eyes, but he did let me get up. Ah, there were the magic words…
While I got dressed (tossing clothes all over the place in my haste to find something clean to wear…), he spent his time lying on the bed, looking for all the world totally in his element.
It was kind of scary that it was my bed he was lying in, actually, when I think about it. I shook the slight terror and the huge amounts of awe off, and I growled at nothing in particular.
I couldn't find anything to wear. Nothing!
WHERE WERE ALL MY FAVORITE CLOTHES?!
Oh, yeah, they were still at the hotel… shit… We'd have to go get them, at some point, and soon, too. I want my clothes back.
So, in the end, I decided on a pair of light-coloured jeans that I'd scribbled all over in crazy-colourful permanent marker, and a simple, clinging, black long-sleeved cotton shirt.
I pulled them on, and then went back to where Sasuke was still lying; staring at the ceiling like it was the most engrossing thing in the world. Idiot.
I sat down next to him, and I carefully grabbed the phial Kendra wanted, and tied it around my wrist like a bracelet, looping the string around my hand twice, and then I blinked down at him. "Hi."
"Hey."
"You gonna get up?" I asked him, and he shrugged.
I rolled my eyes, and answered my own question. "You're getting up. You'll root through my stuff if I'm not around to watch you."
A smirk twisted itself over his lips, and I knew I was right. He would have been going through everything he could get his hands on, if I let him.
I wasn't sure how I felt about that. He's the closest anyone has ever gotten to me, but I'm not sure I want him going through my life. That could be… awkward, if you know what I mean.
I stood up, and this time, I pulled him with me. I blinked when I realized he was still wearing his clothes from yesterday. They were all rumpled and not… Sasuke. I winced. He needed clothes, badly.
And the only guy clothes in the house were Kakashi's.
Dear lord, this was going to be awkward, especially if Kakashi was awake…
Obviously, Sasuke saw where my train of thought was going, and he chuckled. "Don't worry Sakura, we'll stop at the compound, and I'll grab some of my own clothes. Wearing Kakashi's are just… weird."
I nodded in relief. "Too weird to comprehend. I'm so glad you understand that."
He chuckled again, and he stood up, unfolding all six foot four of him. I glared up at him. He was exactly a foot taller then me. Argh. So. Annoying.
"I hate you, did you know that?"
He grinned down at me. "Yeah, I did."
I huffed, and pulled him out of the room without another glance at the mess. Who cared? I'd clean it later, when Anko's OCD acted up.
Because I refused to face the fact that she might not be around for her OCD to act up. I just… refused. I clamped my fingers tightly around Sasuke's, and I hoped he wouldn't ask.
But, of course I knew he wouldn't. I didn't have to tell him not to ask things like that, not anymore. He just knew what I wanted, what I needed.
He knew, the same way Kakashi and Anko had known to let me grieve for my birth parents the way I wanted to.
I needed people like them. Do-we-really-need-need-need-them?
I took a deep breath of air, and carefully leaned against his lanky frame as we walked. I felt the tiny smile cross his lips, and he gently untangled our fingers to wrap his arm around my shoulder.
He pressed his lips against my hair, and we walked out the front door.
---
I walked into the infirmary, my jaw clenched tight. I wasn't sure I was ready to see the adults in a state other then conscious. I wasn't ready for that at all, actually, even though I was mentally preparing myself for the worst. It was kind of dumb of me, but I always ready myself for the worst.
I pushed the doors open to the 'critical condition' area with a wince. I hate hospitals. I just hate them. I actually think I hate them more then I hate the cold, I really do.
Sasuke was beside me, his fingers curled around mine again. It was easier then having me cling to him. I didn't need, nor did I want, his pity.
But when I saw the six adults we'd saved last night laughing and joking with each other, I nearly screamed.
"You IDIOTS!!!!!" I screeched, my voice reaching decibels not previously known to the human voice.
They all turned around, and blinked at me innocently. "Don't kill us!!!" They chorused, because they all knew I was seriously contemplating it. I took a deep breath, to steady myself so that I didn't kill any of them, and so that I would have enough oxygen to keep screaming at them if I wanted to.
Turns out I just wanted to attack them all with hugs. "Do you have any idea how worried I've been?!"
"Probably as bad as Tsunade, I'm guessing," chirped Kurenai.
I blinked at her. "Is the baby alright?"
She blushed, smoothed her fingers across her sheet-covered abdomen, and nodded happily. "This little one will be fine."
I smiled back at her. "That's good. Now, you two," I said, turning and smiling dangerously at Kakashi and Anko. They both paled considerably, and a wave of smug satisfaction washed over me.
They had damn well better be scared. I was going to give them a tongue-lashing they'd never forget.
And just as I was about to start on my rant, something covered my mouth. It was Sasuke's hand. Fury hit me. No! I had this speech all planned out, too!!! I wanted him to let me go, and I was still angry, but it was fading fast. I had just been so damn scared that they were going to be dead…
I'd calmed down, and I wanted to breathe normally, so I tugged on Sasuke's shirt-sleeve, but he didn't move. I rolled my eyes, and manually tried to remove his hand. That didn't take, either. So I took the last option available to me.
I bit him.
Not hard, but hard enough to make him yelp and let me go. I smirked at him, while he glared at me, and nursed his hand.
The adults watched the proceedings with something like amusement.
"You know, those two kind of remind me of the way Shizune and Genma were… although, considering, it took Genma a hell of a lot longer to get through to Shizune. Remember, Shizu? You hated being in his presence for months."
Shizune rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Anko, I had my reasons."
"Of course you did, darling, of course you did."
Shizune just rolled her eyes again. "Sakura, get out of here, before they taint you with their idiocy."
I nodded at my surrogate aunt, and covered a smile with my hand. I went and hugged each one of them, saving Anko for last.
"I had plenty to tell you," I whispered in her ear as I pulled away, and her eyes went wide. Anko hates secrets. Especially tantalizing secrets, like that one. And it wasn't very nice of me to spring one on her.
Not nice at all. Just as she was about to protest me telling her such a thing, Sasuke's phone rang. She closed her mouth when he flipped it open. Ha-ha.
"Yes?"
Stupid Sasuke, he doesn't even say 'hello' anymore…
"Right now? Why?"
I perked up. It sounded like Tsunade was yelling at him.
"No, no we- Wait, yes, we are, Sakura wanted- Right now?!"
Yup, Tsunade was definitely yelling at him. I told him she wanted to see us first thing in the morning, but does he listen? No, of course not!
"Fine," he groaned, and then snapped the phone shut. I blinked at him.
"What'd she want?"
"We have to go."
"Told ya so. This is Tsunade. Her way, or the highway, remember?"
He groaned again. "Right."
And then the two of us left the infirmary, but I managed to turn around five times in that period of time, and I managed waves and worried looks galore. I was quite proud of myself.
Thankfully, the infirmary isn't very far from where Tsunade wanted to see us.
When we got there, the others were already there, and I got glomped by both Hinata and Tenten. I sighed. My dear friends are such idiots.
"So, Tsunade, why'd you call us all so early?" I asked.
She rubbed her forehead, and I noted that she looked even more exhausted then normal. She looked tired, and strangely old. Tsunade never looks old. Tsunade's timeless.
"First odd, I need to congratulate you on your performance last night. You did what you were told to do. You got my agents back, without them being in too serious condition."
I could feel a huge 'however' coming. And I was right.
"However," she said, holding up a hand, "You all let something happen that shouldn't have happened. You let a threat live."
I rolled my eyes. "Blame him," I said, pointing at Sasuke. "I would have crushed the bastards windpipe, and that would have been the end of him, and then we wouldn't have had to worry about him anymore."
Tsunade shook her head, silencing me.
"You children have to go back to Kendra, and tell her that he's still alive. You also need to gather the crap you left at that hotel. Be careful. I want you back within the week."
We blinked at her, and she glared at us.
"I told you what to do! Get out of my office! Go!"
We blinked at her again, and then at each other, and then we got the hell out of there. Tsunade's scary when she's angry.
As the six of us left the building, I took a deep breath of icy air.
"So, what are we waiting for? We've got our orders, don't we?"
They nodded at me, and we went and grabbed our separate cars, and we were on our way. When we were sitting in the car, my fingers clenched around the little crystal phial. I was burning to know just what the hell was in it, but I didn't dare open it.
I had a bad feeling about it. It was power, there was no doubt about it, but there was something… more then unsettling, something dangerous… about it.
I didn't like it one bit, but I clenched it close, as Sasuke hit the gas, and we were on our way.
---
I stared out the window, distaste thick on my tongue. I really didn't like that hotel, and I refused to stay another night there. We'd stay somewhere else, anywhere else, but I would not be confined to this place, any longer.
I finished stuffing all my clothes into my bag, and tossed it on the steadily-getting-larger pile of luggage that was sitting in the hallway. Both Neji and Sasuke standing guard around said pile of luggage, eyeing the people who went by warily.
Boys are so weird.
Then again, I don't blame them. I don't want people anywhere near the suitcases that are hiding my guns. That's one thing I'm exceedingly paranoid about. I don't like people I don't know going through my stuff, so sue me.
I went back into the room, and pulled out the last, huge, heavy suitcase, and I hauled it out with a huff. I can stand guard just as well as Sasuke can. I think he's just being a wimp about carrying heavy stuff, the loser.
"Is that everything?" I asked Tenten, who had just come out of their room, also carrying a huge bag.
"Yup," she answered with a nod.
"Then let's get out of here. This place still gives me the creeps."
So out we went, and we found Temari, Shikamaru, Karin, and Suigetsu all waiting patiently for us outside. Apparently, they'd been packed up and ready to go at a moment's notice.
"You guys going back to see Tsunade?" Temari asked all of us.
Naruto shook his head. "Nah, we've got to go see a bunch of blood suckers… Dunno why, though."
I shrugged, and picked up his train of thought. "I've got something for Kendra, and then she owes me an explanation. Or two. Or three. Or eight."
They nodded, and then we said our goodbyes. Honestly, I was surprised they had stayed and waited for us, for that long. In any other circumstances, I would have been out of there faster then light.
I hate creepy places.
We stuffed the three cars full of baggage, and we were ready to go. I slipped into the passenger seat of the Viper (because, let's face it, it had gotten to the point where I knew Sasuke wouldn't let me drive… It's a control thing, with him, I think…) and we sped away.
I love cars. I really do.
It took us maybe five minutes to get to the blood bar. We were dressed normally, and it wasn't even close to sunset, but right now, that didn't matter.
I looked down at the little crystal phial in my hand as we sped along. I wanted to get this thing to Kendra, and get it away from me. The longer I held it, the more I disliked it. There was just something about the way it sparkled, even when it was in a totally black room, that freaked me right out. Nothing normal does that.
I tucked it away, and tried not to think about the fact that even though I'd been holding it since early in the morning, it was still cold.
We got out at the blood bar (I wrinkled my nose in distaste), and we went down the eerily familiar route to the nobles' little hidey-hole.
I kind of expected them all to be asleep… I mean, it's the middle of the day and whatever, and I dunno… I just did.
I didn't expect them all to be wide awake, and staring strangely at us as we passed through the room, straight to where Kendra was sitting.
There was an odd little smile on her lips, and it quirked when she saw me.
I didn't even say anything; I just held out the crystal phial to her, and she reached down, and took it out of my grip. Something like triumph crossed her face, but it quickly changed to tender amusement.
Okay, that was just plain scary.
"Thank you, Sakura…" she whispered. "Thank you very much."