Chapter Four: Musings and Missions

Present Day:

Alexandria, Constantinople, Rome, Thebes, they were all great cities that he had once loved. Or in more correct terms, had a deep appreciation for. He had watched them all rise, thrive, and fall. He had seen many cities do this over ages. Some had been rebuilt, while others had been replaced with another upon its rubble, but few were ever restored to their former glory. They were only mock replicas of the original masterpiece. Like the cheap souvenirs mortals bought when they visited said places.

He had done his fair share in the work that caused many of these cities to crumble and fall. Some he had done it out of spite, others because he was instructed to, and a few, he destroyed just because he could. But it had been a long time since he truly wrecked havoc upon a city. Great cities seemed to flourish all over the earth now, but many did not quite hold the same finesse that the ancient empires once created. Those cities were true works of art.

There were still some that he admired during these modern times. Cape Town, Barcelona, Dubai, and London to name a few. Los Angeles fell under many other people's lists, but he could never bring himself to like the place. But then again, he was a bit biased. While his days of razing cities were over, he would be okay with that one sliding into the ocean after a good earthquake, if only because its namesake. It was perhaps a cruel thought, but he did not care. He was good at not caring, he excelled at it.

Currently he was in one of his favorites. Crouched down on the overhang of a skyscraper, he sat poised like a statue as he drank in the essence of what made New York. There was no starlight to be seen in the night sky, only the silver half moon that hung high in the sky managed to permeate through the light pollution from the city. Flashing traffic lights switching from red to green. The moving red line of brake lights running parallel to a white line of headlights flowing the opposite direction, highlighting the city streets. Yellow squares glowed from windows of late night workers and apartments. Display boards that advertised the wondrous entertainment that the city had to offer. They all lit up the city and basked its tall towers in a glow of LED and neon.

The smell was an orchestra of everything good and bad the city had to offer. The smell of food wafted through the air from vendors and restaurants that littered the city and the blooming trees in Central Park that was not far off was delicious. But in between the floral and cuisine scents, there was the wafting stench that accompanied the city. It was not a humid hot summer night, but already the warm spring had brought the beginnings of the sweaty odor that usually took over the city during a heat wave. Garbage and urine from the littered streets and subways also weaved itself into the aroma that made up the city's air. Mixed together, it was a pungent potpourri of various smells. Not all would consider it appealing, but it was the smell of New York.

Sirens wailed from all directions. Distinguishing sounds of fire, ambulance, and police vehicles crashing together and mixing in with the rest of the auditory stimulation. The rev of an engine sounded and echoed out from an alleyway. The blare of thousands of horns, all being blown at various intervals from impatient taxi cabs and town cars. Mixed with the sounds of man made machines were the shouts and cries of humans themselves. Businessmen calling out for cabs, clubbers voicing their excitement as they waited in line, and street vendors peddling their merchandise. It was an orchestra of the intertwined culture and lifestyles of over eight million individuals.

It was all part of the nightlife of New York and he loved it. It was the chaos that he loved. The constant distraction of sounds, light, and smells that kept his mind busy and off of other things. The city had changed with time but not in a way that marred what made New York, New York. Just more buildings, more lights, and more noise, all which elevated the potency of it all. He was indifferent to the city during the day light, but at night, it held a type of energy that had been there since the beginning. He had been drawn to it the first time he came to the city back in the late 1800's and it was what brought him back ever since.

In the most recent years, he had been experiencing a certain phenomenon that also made the city stand out to him. Every time he came, he felt his body constantly searching and reaching out. He did not know what to expect to find, or why he was even looking, but something in his bones told him that when he did find it, he would know.

A pulse of energy grasped his attention and pulled him away from his thoughts. His dark eyes bled from onyx to blood red as he focused on the eastern side of the city. His eyes narrowed as he tried to pinpoint the exact location of what had caught his attention. There were several chakras out but nothing more than lesser demons, nothing that would be powerful enough to have distracted him. And then he caught it. The familiar faint glow of two chakra signatures.

It was too far away to make out the actual individuals, but he did not need to see them to confirm to whom the signatures belonged. The strongest and most familiar signature was bright and warm. There was no mistaking that it belonged to a useless blonde idiot that got on every single one of his nerves. Next to it, flowed a more average but just as familiar signature. Given the relaxed way the chakra flowed and swirled with ease, he was willing to bet a heavy wager that this one belonged to his long ago mentor. As he focused more closely, he suddenly found himself detecting a third chakra mixed in with them. It was faint and smaller than the other two but he could see the faint green mixed in with the red and white that dominated it. His head tilted to the side. It was not odd for the other two to have a companion with them, however he found himself intrigued. The steady calm of it, the way it seemed to flow so smoothly and controlled. Despite him never having come across such a signature, he could not help but feel a strange sense of familiarity.

He was already running late but he did not exactly care for the person who had summoned him. It annoyed him that he even received the summons, but it would bother the other person even more the longer he made them wait. A smirk graced his thin lips as he decided that perhaps it was time for a little reunion. Standing up from his crouched position, he casually walked to the corner of the building before stepping off the side. He fell through the air, plummeting towards the ground. His dark hair whipped around in the cool night air that rushed past. As he reached the halfway point to the ground, his wings spread open with a sharp snap of leather. Instantly he took a sharp turn and beat his wings to regain the altitude he had lost from the plummet. Rushing past the building he once perched on, he escalated towards the moon. His momentum slowed and died as he rotated towards his destination and with a single powerful flap of his wings began to soar across with a silent ease.

"Now what is a little thing like you, doing alone in such a big city?" came a deep voice, dripping with dark intentions.

Resisting the urge to grimace at the man's words, Sakura quickly planted a look of innocence on her face as she turned to watch the demon slide into the empty barstool beside her. His lust filled eyes scanned her body, a lecherous smile coming to his face as they moved along the mass of exposed leg that the too small of dress failed to cover.

"May I join you?" He asked. "Perhaps buy you a drink?"

Sakura swallowed the words that would point out that facts that, one, he had already joined her before asking, and two, she already had a drink in front of her. She flashed him a sweet smile. "Of course," she replied instead.

The demon turned to the bartender and gestured for two drinks. As the man behind the bar table began pouring their beverages, the demon turned back to face Sakura. His teeth flashed sharply as he grinned at her. Their drinks appeared in front of them quickly before the bartender moved onto the next patron, leaving them alone. The demon took a quick swig of his alcohol and set it down on the table as he turned sideways on his stool to fully face her.

"Now," he began, pushing her drink towards her, "you were about to tell me what brings you to New York and why a delicate thing like you is alone."

Sakura ignored the drink being pushed towards her and gave him a saccharine smile. "My husband and I are on our honeymoon here."

The demons eyes alighted. "A newly wed," he said, then tilted his head as if in contemplation. "I would think that a newly married couple would be inseparable, don't tell me you are having marital problems already."

The tone in which he spoke was a mockery of concern. Sakura could see the delight in his eyes at the idea which told her that the lure was working. The ploy was a new one that they had recently developed, and so far, it seemed to be earning a place in successful missions. It had been Kakashi's idea for her to wear the dress. After a great amount of protesting, Sakura had given in and put on the too short and too low of a cut dress. She had argued that it made her seem already uncaring about morals and did not match the character, but Kakashi assured her they would be too distracted and would overlook that small detail. So here she was, sitting in a bar, playing the innocent and happy newlywed, and hoping beyond hope that she would not flash more than just leg and neck if she bent forward too much.

"Well, we had a date for tonight but he got called into work," she said with feigned disappointment as she leaned forward and rested her chin on her hand. "He has several offices in major cities, it's why we came here so he could be close to one in case of an emergency. His secretary called just as we were headed out the door."

The demons brow raised and she suddenly felt a tingle running up her forearm. She realized it was caused by a finger being drawn along her skin and she did her best not to recede away from his touch.

"Does he often have these emergencies with his secretary?"

"Yes," she said, putting a small hint of hesitancy in her voice.

"So you mean to tell me," he began, leaning in closer than she cared. "That your husband is off with his so called secretary, alone in an office, on your honeymoon, because there was some kind of 'emergency'?"

"...yes…" she replied, again with uncertainty.

He leaned in more closely. "Would you like to know what I think?" She nodded, keeping her eyes wide and naive. "I think that if your husband really wanted to be here, he would."

She gave him a look of confusion. "What do you mean?" she queried, forcing some waver in her voice. "His work is important, he did not have a choice...didn't he?"

The demons face turned into a wicked grin. "Oh darling," he said darkly as he took a strand of her hair and played with it between his fingers. "We have so much to get into that pretty little head of yours."

"How dare he!" Sakura shouted, slurring her words slightly to sell the idea that the four rounds of drinks were affecting her. Instead, she was slowly filtering the alcohol with her chakra, burning it away while simultaneously keeping it masked with such precision that she continued to appear as a mortal.

She had spent the last hour letting the demon in front of her think that he was convincing her that her none existent husband, was in fact, cheating on her with his secretary while on their honeymoon. She had quickly let him believe she was easily swayed. She had started briefly with denial, insisting that he would never do such a thing. That they trusted and loved each other equally. Then, she finally feigned accepting the idea and moved into an episode of displaying herself in hysterical tears. She had put on a spectacular show, grieving about how much she valued their relationship and how she would never do something like that herself. For a quick moment she made off that perhaps they could work through it, that she could forgive him. But the demon was quick to dissuade her from that. Insisting that she could not let him get off so easily. Now, she was currently putting on a show of anger. Slamming her fist down and making threats about what she would do with his favorite appendage. With each violent fantasy, the demon grinned wider, his eyes growing lustful with each darker and more vengeful idea that she voiced.

"...I spent the last year nearly killing myself to make sure the wedding was perfect for all of his corporate friends and his high end family. I moved away from my family, and gave up my job! I gave up everything for him! I am going to kill him...no, I am going to destroy him. Destroy his company...no, take his company and everything else. I am going to..."

She continued on and by the time she finished her rant, her hands fisted and her body tight, she was breathing heavily. With a deep breath her chest expanded and as she exhaled, she let her body collapse in defeat. "Who am I kidding...I will probably just go back to the hotel and act as if nothing happened. My mother always said I was too forgiving," she let out a sigh, "I guess she is right, because as much as it hurts, I still love him."

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk." The demon tutted. "Oh darling, you may not be able to do those things now, but with my help you can," he said. His voice was seductive and alluring. If Sakura were mortal, she knew that she would feel herself being pulled.

"You can?" she asked timidly.

His smile widened. "Oh yes," his hand came up and stroked her cheek. He slowly leaned into her ear. "Come with me, we can start tonight by getting even and then tomorrow, we will go beyond even."

He pulled away slowly, his eyes connecting with hers and with smooth movements, his hand lifted in silent invitation. Without saying a word, Sakura slowly lifted her own hand and placed it in his with acceptance. He flashed her his teeth in a wide grin, his canines looking sharp like a predators as his eyes heated with chaotic joy.

They walked out of the bar, Sakura making a show of stumbling in an effort to continue the charade of her drunken state. He moved to call a taxi but Sakura pulled him away from the street into a darkened alley. The demon gave her a small look of inquiry but she responded with a look of heady want.

"You are an eager one aren't you," he said.

Sakura turned away and directed her attention to the dark alley in an effort to hide the look of disgust. She took him as far as she could before she suddenly felt her body being tugged and pushed up against the brick wall. She could have easily overpowered him, but she let her body be pushed and positioned as the demon pressed up against her and attacked her neck with hot wet kisses. She masked a disgusted groan as a hum of appreciation as her green eyes stayed open and began to scan the area from over his shoulder, doing her best to ignore the sloppy tongue that ran along her pulse point.

Where the hell were they! She thought to herself. She felt his hand wander up her hip, it traced her waist, and then it...Oh hell no!

The wet kisses assaulting her neck were cut off when the demon's head fell back as he let out an anguished cry. Along with his cry was the accompaniment of the cracking and breaking of bones of the earlier offending hand. The demon fell down to his knees as Sakura stood over him, staring down at him with an empowered smirk on her face. His hand, now a disfigured bag of flesh, was grasped tightly in hers.

"What the hell you bitー"

He was cut off when he was suddenly yanked off the ground and away from her upon the arrival of two individuals.

"Now that is not how you talk to a lady," Kakashi said as he grabbed the man's arm and shoulder.

"Yeah, and don't you know it's wrong to take advantage of a woman who is drunk?" Naruto said as he took the other shoulder and arm. "Drunk is not consent."

"What took you two so long?" Sakura asked drawing the attention of her two newly arrived companions.

"We got a little held up, ran into one of this guy's friends and had to have a little chat," Kakashi answered.

The demon's eyes snapped from Kakashi to Sakura then narrowed. "You're one of them!" he said, his tone full of disgust. "Thought whoring would be above you heavenly buzzards, or is it all just for show? I always thought you were all a bunch of prudes but who would've thought a blessed could turn out to be a good fuー"

Two growls interrupted the demon's insults. They were followed by the sound of ripping and tearing of flesh as Kakashi and Naruto pulled the demon apart. Sakura quickly looked away, her stomach still not used to the blood and gore that came with the duty as an archangel. If there was something that she quickly learned in the last three weeks, it was that the duty was somewhat hypocritical. It bothered her at first, she was a guardian, she taught not to kill, not to have violence, to be forgiving. Yet, here she was, playing a role that resulted in something being torn apart and erased from existence.

Kakashi had explained to her that it was their purpose, that they had to get their hands dirty in order to save mortals. As seraphim, they had different rules and regulations, there were exemptions. As long as their actions served their true purpose, their deeds were valid. He was patient with her and had spoken more deeply, even opening up about his times during the war which he rarely spoke of. In the end she still struggled with it but she was growing to accept it. She had still yet to actually take a life and Kakashi had promised her that he would not require her to until she was ready. A gift to which she was grateful for.

Shaking herself out of her queasy stupor, Sakura readjusted her dress for what seemed like the one hundredth time that night while Naruto and Kakashi busied themselves with the body. As she finished, she looked up from her now, not quite so exposed chest, to see Kakashi walking towards her as he clapped his hands together as if brushing off dust.

"I told you that dress would be productive," he commented as his lazy eye grazed over her body.

Sakura gave the pervert a glower as she folded her arms across her chest. "Just because your pervy idea worked still does not mean it was a good idea," she hissed. "It was demeaning and wholly demoralizing."

"Ah well, morals are for mortals," he replied with a relaxed charm. He pulled out a book that put several morals into question and began to walk back into the building. As he went past her, he paused to pat her on the head with an amused twinkle in his eye. "If it makes you feel better, we can try out for an innocent school girl look tomorrow."

Sakura gave him a look of disgust then another to the book in his hand. Pictured on it was a scene of a girl in a plaid skirt and knee high socks being chased around a desk by a man who looked an awful lot like a teacher. Another wave of disgust washed across her face. And here she thought Kakashi was a genius, turns out he was just taking inspiration from an even bigger debauchee.

"Forget it," she snapped. "I have no desire to play in some twisted live action performance of your pervy trash!"

Kakashi actually had the audacity to look offended and Sakura rolled her eyes as he walked away, stroking his book soothingly. She was nearly positive she heard him whisper hushed words of comfort to the cover before Naruto came striding up. He clapped her on the back and began dragging her along to follow Kakashi.

"I am not going to lie Sakura," he began, "as much as I love having you come with us, I kinda miss the old days. It's almost too easy now. Two weeks and I am already starting to get bored with the lack of challenge. These demons nowadays, they just lack imagination like they used to. It used to take a lot more than an innocent face and a few bats of lashes to get them away from mortal witnesses."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Trust me, it takes a little more than that to get them out here," she said through gritted teeth.

"Common you two," Kakashi called as he held the door of the bar open for them. "One more and then we will be done for the night."

Naruto was the first to burst through the roof top door, he stretched his arms as he gave out a big yawn. Sakura followed after and took in a deep breath, relishing the fresh air and open space after a night of sitting in dismal bars with stale air and crowded bodies. Kakashi was the last to walk out of the dark stairwell that had led to the roof, his nose stuck inside his book as he quietly giggled to himself.

"Boy I am beat," Naruto announced loudly. "Although…" he turned to his teammates with an eager grin. "We could always stop by that ramen stand near the park and…"

His proposal was cut short by a groan from Sakura. "We have already eaten there four times this week!"

"What's wrong with that!" Naruto exclaimed.

"It's Tuesday," Sakura deadpanned.

"But it's tradition!" Naruto retorted. "Kakashi, back me up here."

He turned to look at his long time teacher only to find that his teacher was distracted. While this was not unusual as his the pervert seemed to always have his nose buried deep in his books, this time was different. The silver haired angel stood in pause near the edge of the building, his eyes scanning the skyline of the city, not paying a single thought to his old student.

"Oi! Kakashi!"

"He obviously doesn't want to go either Naruto," Sakura shot at him, distracting the blonde from his mission to gain another to his ramen cause. Instead his attention went back to defending his precious ramen.

Kakashi stood motionless. The loud babble of exchanges, followed by the familiar sound of a blonde being hit over the head by a small fist, became white noise as he scanned the black towers surrounding them. Something felt off. Slowly raising the cloth that normally covered his left eye, he scanned the sky.

He felt him, rather than saw him first. It was so familiar and distinct. The unruly and raw power of the chakra signature. It was not as dark as it had once been but there was no mistaking who it belonged to. It was distant, several miles away but it was quickly moving. Moving directly towards them. Both eyes widened and he quickly spun around.

"Both of you silence."

They each froze and looked at him. Sakura stood with her arm outstretched and hovering above Naruto's head with her fist paused mid pummeling. Naruto was already cringing, his hand nursing an earlier assault as his eyes flinched in preparation for the next hit. When the next blow did not come, Naruto cracked an eye open to look at Kakashi. When he saw the spinning red eye that Kakashi only revealed on rare occasions, he opened the second eye and straightened up.

"Kakashi?" Sakura asked, "What's wronー"

Before she could complete her question, Kakashi had grabbed ahold of her and was dragging her to the other side of the roof.

Sakura let out an exclamation of surprise as she was yanked along. "Kakashi, what's wrong?"

He gave no reply as he continued to pull her. Two large air ducts protruded from the roof. The vents blew out cool air and created a loud billowing sound as the heating and cooling ducts worked to keep the building they were standing atop at a comfortable temperature. The pair of towering metal airways cast a large shadow to which Kakashi pulled Sakura into.

"Surpress your chakra," he hissed.

"But Iー"

"Do it now!" he said in a slightly raised voice.

If she did not know any better, Sakura felt as if she sensed a panic in Kakashi's voice. It was something she thought the heaven's most relaxed seraph was incapable of feeling. Despite this, she did not question the urgency and immediately followed his instruction. It took little effort on her part as she had a gift for it. One moment it was flowing through her body like any other seraph, the next moment it was completely masked. To anyone who did not know who she was, she would appear as a mere mortal.

"Oi, Kakashi. What the hell is going on?" Naruto hollered as he followed closely on their heels. "I don't understand what—"

Kakashi turned around for a moment and stared past Naruto and nodded his chin in the direction of the sky. Confused, Naruto followed Kakashi's indication. Sakura tried to look as well but Kakashi obstructed her view. She tried to focus on the minimal amount Kakashi's visible face in hopes to glean information but she became distracted by the explicits that sounded past his shoulder, drawing her attention to Naruto.

"Shit," the blonde seraph swore. "Shit, shit, double shit, shit." He continued as he hurried the rest of the way towards her, pulling his sweater from his body.

Before she could manage to even inquire as to what was happening again, she was interrupted by a mass of orange cloth suddenly being pulled over her head. She thrashed for a moment, trying to free herself but gave up quickly as Naruto overpowered her. Her arms found sleeves and slipped in, although her hands remained hidden in the too long of arms. When her head managed to slip through the neck hole, she moved to push the hood off as it hung over her eyes like a veil, but the blonde seraph quickly stopped her from pulling it all the way off. She shot him an affronted expression, her face scrunching into displeasure of being manhandled into the offensively orange clothing. Naruto remained unaffected as he continued to adjust the article of clothing. The blonde seraph was in her view for only a moment more before Kakashi replaced him and began to push Sakura farther into the shadows. In the whirlwind of movement, the hood slipped from her head.

"Rule number two, what is it?" He asked as he pulled on the hood again, adjusting it so she could see but low enough for her face to remain hidden.

"Always appear as a mortal unless told otherwise," she recited. She gave him a confused look. "Kakashi, what isー"

"What is rule number four?" He interrupted as he tucked a few strands of hair that had been exposed behind her ear, hiding them from sight.

"Always listen to you and do exactly as you say."

He paused in his adjusting of the sweater and looked straight into her face. Sakura could barely make out his expression. The shadow from the air vents and the mask that covered the majority of his face did well to hide his face. Only his eyes were visible but even then, she could not make out the distinguishing lines that crinkled when he expressed himself.

"No matter what, you are to stay here. Do not make a sound, do not move, and do not draw attention to yourself," he said in a stern tone. "If you are spoken to, do not reply. Am I understood?"

"But Iー"

His red eye fixed on her with a firmness that Sakura had never witnessed before. Again she gave him a confused look that he could not see on her shadowed face. She was desperate for an answer, but she trusted the silver haired man. She may not understand it, but she would follow. She gave a nod of her head to convey her submission to his command.

Seemingly satisfied, Kakashi nodded in return before turning to stand next to Naruto, who was already taking a stance at the edge of the shadowed area. As he stood, he faced the night sky, his eyes locked on something in the distance. A quick flash of light and both their wings were out. Rigid and tense, they each took a stance as they whispered quietly to one another. Together they made a barrier, cornering her against the air vent and blocking the majority of the roof from view.

Her heart beat rapidly. Gone was the confusion as it was replaced with panic. Something was going on, and judging by the reactions and the seriousness in which they were both acting, the severity of it was dire. Her hands moved up to her chest in an effort to keep herself calm and she focused on keeping her chakra suppressed. She was in no danger in losing control of it, but the focus kept her mind less frantic as her eyes surveyed the pieces of sky that she could see in the spaces between Naruto and Kakashi.

Suddenly, a silhouette of a man appeared before them, he had been so quick and so quiet that it almost appeared as if he manifested out of thin air. He had glid so smoothly through the dark sky and alighted with such graceful agility on the edge of the roof, that he did so without a sound. With the moon behind the stranger, Sakura could only make out the outline of the tall male figure. His face was hidden in the shadow of the ebony locks that hung over his face, but despite not seeing his eyes, Sakura could feel his stare as it briefly glanced over her. It was but a brief moment but the intense feeling of scrutiny made her feel uneasy.

She moved to take a step back, hoping to dampen the intensity, but she was greeted by the cold metal from the air ducts behind her. In the earlier chaos, she had not realized that Kakashi had backed her up so far into the shadows. The stranger's head moved from side to side, as if scanning the area, looking for something or someone. When he had concluded his scan of the area, his attention moved back to their direction. It was then he finally spoke, his deep voice sent shivers down her spine with an eerie familiarity.

"Where did the other one go?" he said, sounding almost bored. "I detected three chakras earlier."

"Just a messenger," Kakashi replied in a stony tone before quickly diverting the subject. "It's been a long time Sasuke, what brings you to New York?"

Sakura felt, rather than saw him looking at her again. The silhouette of his head tilted slightly, the way a bird of prey surveys its target before it moves in for an attack. With the new angle of his head, the side of his face caught a sliver of light. Pale skin and high cheek bones were revealed and she saw the faint glow of red where his eyes were. There was a rustle of feathers as Naruto's wings slightly adjusted. Lifting higher and obstructing Sakura's entire view of the man.

"Who is your little friend?" she heard him ask, his voice dangerously curious.

At his question, Sakura saw both Kakashi and Naruto stiffen.