HOWLING LOVE

Chapter Three xx Escape

The creature's eyes, just for a moment, flicked towards hers. Something faint seemed to glimmer out of nowhere in their midsts, and though he did not give her even hesitate as he darted past her, the Haruno knew that he had seen her. The famous young prodigy had made direct eye contact and had recognized her. Sakura found herself looking wistfully after him, stuck on whether or not she should follow in his footsteps.

She mentally kicked herself. She had changed since the days of her childhood. The little petty girl who had have instantly flung herself around the animals neck in a fit of happy sobs had been replaced by a newer, stronger and more independent woman. She gazed after her long lost team mate now with a strange look of contempt, as if his very presence might stimulate the return of her former self.

The wolf scampered on regardless, its large curved claws scrabbling against the cement floor as it tried desperately to manuever away from the people who were chasing him. He skidded to a stop at the foot of the spiraling stairs and emitted a low growl as he heaved himself over the first several. The stone stairs proved to be a much bigger obstacle than he had initially assumed, and he had severely overlooked their sheer steepness.

The Uchiha leaped up several more anyway even as his lean muscles rippled and bulged with the effort. Finally, for now he was but half-way up, he shudderered to a stop, his chest heaving as he fought for breath. His exceptionally long tongue lulled doggishly from his jaws.

The hellish staircase was built specifically to keep the animal prisoners from doing just as he was trying to do; escape. It was fitting that he wasn't able to get over them, but never-the-less he would continue to try. He struck out another paw and dug his protruding claws in deep and heaved his whole body up and over another step. Then another.

He was going to make it. The light from outside was just ahead of him... A few more steps and he'd be free. He placed another paw up onto an even higher step, now breathing very hard. The fact that kanines didn't sweat was making itself quite clear to the Uchiha, for he was having to gasp in breath in an attempt to keep his body temperature at a moderate level...

Just as he was hoisting himself up onto yet another stair, he felt something snap in his foreleg. He blinked in perpetual confusion as if time had utterly frozen. And then all too quickly, his foreleg gave out. His body swayed precauriously backwards...

And then he was falling. He hit a few stairs on the way down, but other than that his free-fall went undisturbed.

With a final crash, the wolf landed with a resounding thud onto the hard ground. He attempted to heave himself up onto his feet once more as he saw the handful of guards appear from down the hallway, but his his previously injured leg buckled dangerously and he collapsed once more with a piercingly high-pitched yelp.

This time he did not get up.

Sakura continued to gaze at the motionless animal. her humble mouth held slightly ajar. Only now was her fumbling mind finally grasping what was happening so swiftly about her. Over and over again in her mind the same thought kept repeating: This is him. This is him. This is him.

It seemed so unorthodix, to meet the man whom she'd chased across the country in search for in such a fashion. To see him in such a foreign state made her feel awkward. She longed to rush forward, to scoop his battered body up into her arms and stroke his soft fur, to tell him that everything would be alright, and that they would would be home and safe soon.

Reality pressed its vexatious head into the situation once more, and the Haruno was again faced with the looming fact: what if the Uchiha didn't want to come with her? What if he didn't want to be rescued? What if he ran away, again?

She didn't want to be the same pathetic and helpless girl she'd been when they were twelve. She had to do something. This time she would make a difference. This time the pesky little Uchiha would not get away from her.

Sakura fought to control her brimming emotions as she quickly inspected the raven-black wolf from afar and gripped the edge of her shirt. Her toes wriggled as she battled against the urge to take a step forward.

A sudden ball of fury seemed to sink into her abdomen. She was furious with this younger Uchiha. He was ruining her entire mission... Everything was going so perfectly. She was going to get a tour of the whole facility, and then have a nice long chat with Katsuo in order to get information and such for her village... She would have socked him right in the nose if he had been human, thus destroying his perfectly unmarred, alabaster face...

Hell.

The Haruno still loved him. She had tried for years and years to put him out and away from her mind, but she just couldn't get away from her awash emotions. She felt an unavoidably strong attraction to this quiet, angsty little avenger. Though he was a wolf at the present time, and thus she was not attracted to his actual physical features, she felt a strong affection towards the boy behind those beautiful, obsidian orbs...

Her expression softened ever so slightly and then sucked in a deep breath as she continued to survey the wolf.

Sasuke was right in front of her, had been overcome by some illegal jutsu, and was hurt. That was her initial assessment. Immediately her medical mind was set into action, and she began to clench and unclench her delicate fingers in anxious anticipation.

The wolf turned his head ever so slightly so that his glinting eyes were looking right into hers. Searching her, questioning her. She felt so uncontrollably vulnerable as he stared critically at her stature, as if he was able to read her thoughts and emotions just by looking at her. She shivered.

The Haruno took a hesitant step forward and then froze when she observed his onyx depths flicking towards her feet and then back up to her face. They narrowed slightly, and the thick fur ruff around his arching neck seemed to bristle as he glared at her venomously. Sakura turned her head to see her tour guide begin to approach followed by the other guards who had appeared moments before.

Got to think of something...! She swore inwardly as she grappled for something, anything, to say.

"He's hurt." the kunoichi informed them simply, turning to the men with her arms crossed. A wide-spread grin blossomed across her lips as a plan began to unfurl in her plotting mind. Fighting and Medical Ninjutsu weren't the only things her shishou had taught her: strategy and careful planning were right up there as well. She was as confident as ever.

The whole lot of them stopped and exchanged glances just behind her, nervous as how they should react. They obviously were unsure of her rank compared to their own, all except for the little man from before, so they were all fumbling rather stupidly for a reply.

"Miss, that is a highly dangerous criminal, just back away slowly--" It was one of the guards, who was now motioning for her to go towards them. A brave little soul, speaking out in front of her excellency like that. Sakura grinned to herself. They're all just playing around in the palm of my hand...Heh.

Sakura waved the guard off, turning back towards the wolf with an arrogantly playful expression on her face. She was playing her part perfectly.

"This creature is obviously very seriously injured," she continued slyly, twisting a lose lock of her pale-pink hair around a pointer finger. "Since Katsuo-san is going to such great lengths to meet me today, I feel obliged to help him with whatever I can. And seeing as how I happen to be rather skilled in the art of Medical Ninjutsu, I would be honored to be allowed the task of healing this creature." Sakura gave a very un-girlish smirk as the little man and the guards nodded slowly. Some frowned, but the large majority didn't seem perturbed by her offer.

The kunoichi then turned back towards her soon-to-be patient, a very sincerely concerned expression now adorning her face now that the guards couldn't see. She took a tentative step towards her formed team mate.

A deep, vicious snarl ripped out from the throat of the Uchiha, reverberating around the dark corridor in an ominous sort of echo. He followed up with a series of low, feral growls, and then a final bark when she continued to edge closer. He snapped his jaws a few times too, continuing to bristle his rippling pelt throughout his whole ordeal.

Sakura hide the fear that seemed to bubble up from her lungs with each step.

She just to ignore him, hoping that the Uchiha would have the decency not to bite her. Though he continued to shoot her savage sort of glares he did not make any sudden move as if to cause her harm.

Sakura gathered up her now scattering courage and bent over so that her viridian eyes were level with his, then reached out touched an uncertain, quivering hand towards his pointed ear.

The creature watched reproachfully as her hand advanced towards his head. He bent his ear back and away from it, and then scooted away from her quickly. A soft 'hurr' sound came forth from the back of his throat, his eyes still staring at her.

The Haruno, whose hand had pulled back swiftly when he'd moved, slowly began to migrate it once more towards the creature's thick, charcoal pelt. He flinched slightly when she finally touched down, but other than that did nothing in reaction to it. His strangely human eyes just watched her, examining her with the acuteness of the shinobi that she knew to be inside him.

His fur was extremely soft. It was sleek and smooth, and just thick enough so that she could weave her hands through it and completely lose them. He was warm, pleasantly warm, the kind of living warmth that you just want to wrap your arms around. She held back the urge.

Sakura's hands began to glow a glimmering cerulean as she began to charge up an extensive amount of chakra into them. She had learned how to heal animals and humans, but she had never healed a combination of the two before. She would consider this a learning experience, to put it at the least.

She pressed her blue probing-chakra-infused hands up against the creature's hide, this time a bit more forcefully than gently, and closed her eyes as she began a quick examination to assess where and what was injured. This was always a procedure that all medics had to perform before any healing a patient.

Throughout the whole process, the Uchiha just stared at her. Though he had recognized the kunoichi at his flank the moment she had passed across his vision, he was still having quite a bit of trouble really swallowing the fact. Out of nowhere she had come right to his aid, and judging by the utterly perplexed expression that had been oh-so evident on her flushed cheeks, it had just been a mere coincidence that they had run into eachother.

From there a sinking sort of dread filled up his gut as he realized that it had been sheer luck that she had been there during his frenzied prison break. Without her little offer to heal him up, the guards would have been dragged him right back to that god-forsaken cell by his tail. They were ruthless monstrosities, the lot of 'em. He loathed them all, right to their very hellish cores. Though he would never admit to it, he was a bit thankful for that. The Uchiha removed his eyes from the kunoichi slowly and rested his head cautiously onto his great paws, all-the-while flicking his jet-black tail back and forth in a monotonous fashion.

He was wagging his tail. He immediately stopped, horrified at himself. He was acting more and more like a stupid animal everyday fucking day. It was terrible!

God, the pure, malicious fury that he bent up inside him towards that bastard-son-of-a-bitch who'd turned him into this, this creature was unmeasurable through words. The repulsive excuse for a man would die for what he'd done, that he was sure of. He would then burn into the fiery bits of hell itself until he went mad. Then--

He exhaled deeply, laying his prodigious head once more onto his forelegs.

A wolf. He was a fucking wolf; and he couldn't do a thing about it. His attack methods had been slimmed down from his extensive range of ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu into three very simple techniques: bite, scratch, and run like hell. Pretty god-damned useful.

His communication skills, even as meagerly as he had used them when he actually had the ability to speak, were now completely diminished. He could make a large variety of animal noises, but how useful were those when you had the unquenchable urge to curse?

He was interrupted from his diving thoughts as a sudden pain erupted along his flank after his former teammate ran a hand too close to an injured rib. He pulled back his lips and emitted a low, tense growl, though unlike his previous fit of wolf-noises, this one held no venom. It was more of a 'that hurt you idiot' sort of growl.

Regardless of whether or not the kunoichi could tell the different between the two growls, she began to move her probing hands away from the area anyway.

It had been ages since the young Sasuke had last seen this pink-haired kunoichi. She'd changed to a phenomonal extent. She wasn't all bubbly and talkative and smily; no. She held herself in a manor that expressed independence and confidence. Her emerald eyes had bloomed from their old grayish-green to a new radiant luminous shade of emerald. They glimmered and gleamed like two jewels set into her rosy face. Her hair had been more well-kept when they'd been genin for she had spent exceedingly long hours as a child grooming herself. Now it looked tousled and dysfunctional, just how a shinobi's hair should be. Her bangs were pulled up and away from her face in a way that Sasuke had never witnessed before...

Almost-pretty. Almost.

Another burst of pain, though this time grit his angled teeth together and ignored it. He grumbled bitterly to himself, flicking his tail impatiently. Sakura had said specifically to the guards that she would heal him, but she sure was taking a damn long time to get to it. The dull throb of his battered body was becoming steadily worse.

The Uchiha, who previously had had his eyes closed in a vain effort to ignore the real world, flicked them open suddenly when he felt a stiff finger jab into the end of his nose. He shot the kunoichi a glare, and continued to do so as even as he realized that she was trying to say something to him. Or rather, mouth something at him. It dawned on him that the guards were still all standing there, and he shot a glare at them before returning his gaze to the kunoichi He stared quizzically at her as she moved her lips slowly, noting on how ridiculous she looked before actually taking time to read what she was trying to get across.

'Sas...uke?' He stared at her blankly for a few seconds, then turned his head and nimbly picked up the Uchiha necklace in his jaws, glancing back up at her to see if she had got the message. She nodded slowly, then bit her lip as if she were thinking hard about something. Then her eyes lit up, and she began mouthing hurriedly again. The Uchiha glanced around her at the guards again, who were all beginning to disperse besides that one little man, and then returned to her moving lips.

'I am going to start healing now.' She finished mouthing the words, and then her hands, which previously had been an electric blue, became shrouded in a hazy green. Instantly, Sasuke's whole body completely relaxed as a comfortably warm sensation pulsated through him from her nimble fingertips. The throbbing pain that had been radiating from several points along his side and along his foreleg instantly ceased as her delicate hand moved over them, and a refreshed sort of strength began to circulate within his rejuvenated veins. He glanced up at the kunoich as her lips moved to form yet another string of words.

'Follow my lead.' Then she held out her hand for him to stay, and like a fucking dog, he didn't budge. It was quite demeaning to have to listen to hand gestures like some obedient kanine to his human counterpart. He huffed his annoyance and took to watching the only member of the opposition left: the short and rather squat man.

The warm sensation slowly left his body as the kunoichi removed her hands to stand up. She stretched her legs lazily and then turned to face the short old man, placing her hands on her hips in a distasteful manor. She was trying desperately to stay in character, yet at the same time the urgency of escape was biting on her heels, and she found a cold sweat starting to break out along her forehead.

"This creature must be cleaned. He has a severe puncture wound on his left hind leg, which pierced the main artery. Along with an extensive amount of blood loss, it is also extremely infected. Do you have a restroom somewhere in this facility?" She raised an eyebrow at the man as he fumbled for something to say. Then, wordlessly, he pointed upstairs.

Perfect.

"Ah, I'll show you to it, if you'd like--" he faltered.

"No need, It shouldn't be too hard to find." With that, she turned towards the wolf, and before giving him any time to protest, hauled him up into her arms. He wasn't nearly as heavy as she'd presumed... actually his alarmingly light weight somewhat concerned her. She chose to think of it later

The Uchiha would have none of this. His pride and ego had already been damaged enough, but to be carried around like a little stuffed animal was far beyond his tolerance level. He began to growl venomously and struggle against her thin arms, trying vainly to wiggle out from underneath her graps.

Yet she continued to hold him in her steady grip, her glowing cerulean depths defiant against his. She was stronger than when they were younger, much stronger. She moved right towards the stairs with a few awkward strides, and then after getting the hang of manuevering around with a live animal in her arms, continued to carry him all the way up the steep steps and right through the little shack. She took all the way outside, at which time she deposited his body right onto the grass beyond.

The Uchiha stood in the light and shook his glossy pelt as he welcomed the warm rays of the sun against his face. His muscles rippling beneath as he took a hesitant step forward, towards the forest before him. The thick smell of pine hung in the air as it wafted about his acute kanine nose. Birds chirped and called, wind rustled through the trees overhead, smal mammals rustled around in the undergrowth.

He was free, he was finally free. The wolf trotted forward, timidly sniffing a nearby bush. He smelled such a flurry of objects around him... It was an odd and strangely exhilarating experience being a dog.

Then he turned to the kunoichi, his great neck arching around as his gleaming hues came to stare at her. He flicked his tail nimbly, his giant paws digging deep trenches into the mud as he stood. Her expression was exactly as he remembered the last time they'd met: soft and smooth, yet filled with an overwhelming sadnessat and just a hint of wary happiness.

The Haruno was just happy to see him; to see her old team mate before her and to be able to just help him. Though the Uchiha knew that she was angry at him for being away for so long, he could see from her expression one very clear thing: she still loved him... Sasuke dug his claws into the dirt, glancing back towards the forest again.

And then he turned on his tail and came trotting right back towards her, his great obsidian eyes gleaming smugly as he brushed against her leg.

Thank you, Sasuke-kun... Thank you.

Ughh this is a long one. D: Took me ages to comb through for grammar edits and stuff.
I'm kind of unsatisfied with this chapter. Originally I wrote it to be a LOT shorter, but I just really didn't like it, so I basically rewrote the whole thing.
Ah well, it works.

Okay, I have some questions for you guys.
#1. How do you like this so far? Likes and dislikes. Not too harsh though, please. :
#2. Do you have anything that you might want to have happen later along in the story? I've got the majority of this all planned out, but if you have a good idea thatI like, I might just add it in. You never know.
#3. I've been working my ass off to get these updates up as soon as I can. Would you guys get mad if I took a day off-or-two just to rest my creative muse?
#4. Errrr, you guys saw Prince Caspian, right? I just got a big poster of Ben Barnes' face ON MY WALL. Yeah, pretty cool. (Wait...that wasn't a question... o3o;; )

Well, I'm getting on a plane tomorrow for a big softball tournament in Utah, so I'll have a good three hours to get another chapter finished during the flight. So hopefully it'll be up by tomorrow night. : Wish my luck in the tournament!

Please, please review? ;3 3333 Thanks!

-- xxIndigo