#on muck-up day she straightened my hair and i had extremely mixed feelings about it but i remember she was very gentle

[bincliff]

.

[yangssunglasses]

SSM Day 1 Prompt: Far From Home

Read on FFnet

.

Into the Jungle

.

This was Sakura’s first solo mission outside of the village. A training mission, the young kunoichi reminded herself firmly as she slowly picked her way through the dense tropical foliage, careful not to trip over gnarled roots. Her sandaled feet were sinking into the muddy ground, giving her a disgusting slimy feeling between her toes. Sakura clenched her jaw in determination, trying not to think of all kinds of worms that lived in this muck and were probably touching her skin right now.

She had researched the conditions in this terrain before the mission, but nothing could have prepared her for the oppressive, wet heat of the southern jungle. Sakura was bathing in her own sweat but no amount of toweling could make her dry in this muggy atmosphere. Even breathing was harder because of the moisture in the air. And the smells! At least Sakura wasn’t overly reliant on her nose to find the way. She imagined even Kakashi-sensei would have gotten a headache from the hundreds of various smells mixing together in a confusing cacophony. Intense flower fragrances were only overpowered by the all-present scent of rot and decay, which both only partially hid the more subtle animal musks. She almost wished for a gas mask like those worn by Rain ninja.

Sakura stumbled along the path that wasn’t really a path, not one made by humans by any means. She would have preferred to jump on the trees like she was used to doing back home, but here it would have been nigh impossible with all the tangled, slippery and unstable branches forming a dense labyrinth of a canopy. She was better off on the ground, closer to the goal of her mission.

Shishou, why? Sakura sighed and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. She wearily adjusted the shoulder straps of her backpack that were biting into her skin. She’d been trekking through the jungle for five days already and her exhaustion had been steadily building up in that time. In preparation for the Sand chunin exams, Tsunade sent her alone to gather a certain type of mushroom that only grew in this specific rainforest. The chance to encounter enemy ninja was extremely low, wild beasts and poisonous plants on the other hand… Obviously, Sakura was expected to deal with any danger she would face like a well-rounded, self-reliant chunin. Still, it would’ve been useful to have someone to watch her back. On top of that, she planned to make use of this occasion to bring back some exotic toxins for her own personal study. As a result, she didn’t get much sleep at night and her backpack was bursting with specimens collected on her way.

A suspicious rustle coming from the bushes put her on alert. In a blink of an eye, Sakura whipped out a kunai and scanned her surroundings for the threat, heart in her throat as she strained to sense anything or anyone approaching her position. When a small critter skulked out and quickly ran through the open space to its next hiding spot, Sakura’s shoulders slumped in relief. She turned away to continue her march, a kunai in hand.

Cutting the lianas and foliage in her way, Sakura came into a bit of an open space. A marsh area stretched wide before her. Sakura looked suspiciously at the dark surface, rotted logs and algae drifting in the still water between clumps of high grass. Then she gave out an excited gasp when she spotted a strip of land in the middle, positively brimming with the mushrooms she was looking for!

With a burst of speed, she rushed across the murky water for the small island, not caring about the splashes. She squatted to inspect the mushrooms closer, then grinned. They were perfect!

Sakura worked quickly, cutting the stems of mushrooms so they could grow back and sealing them in a special storage scroll. She straightened up and stretched languidly in satisfaction. With her main objective reached, she could finally go home. She hefted the backpack on her shoulders again and turned around—

Only to face a gaping maw filled with rows of sharp teeth.

Sakura did something which for a ninja was an unforgivable mistake—for a split second, she froze. It was completely involuntary, an instinctual reaction that could not be purged with any amount of training. The animal part of her brain took over, choosing to stay still as she stared into the jaws of death in total shock, unable to react. And no matter how little time it took for her reflexes to kick in, it was still going to be too late and she knew it.

In a flash of blinding speed, something violently pushed her back. Sakura fell, hitting her head hard, but the boggy soil somewhat softened the impact. Blinking through dark spots flying in front of her eyes, she registered electric blue flashing lights, followed by a pained roar and a smell of smoke and burned flesh. She scrambled up on her knees to see what had happened. She was certain someone had just used a lightning jutsu.

What she saw took her breath away. There was a man standing tall over the fallen beast’s carcass, breathing hard, a bloodied spear clutched in his hand. His hair was black, wet and wildly tangled, his body dark with what looked like mud and possibly paint (for camouflage, the analytic part of her brain supplied). Her gaze wandered lower and she couldn’t help blushing when it hit her that he was wearing only a loincloth.

Then he looked at her and she stopped breathing for a moment. Even though he was wearing a mask, she got an impression that he was checking up on her too from the way his stance relaxed after a few seconds.

Before she could gather her thoughts, her mysterious savior turned to already leave. Sakura gasped loudly. Red was dripping from his other arm down his elbow. “Wait! You’re hurt!” she called out to him.

Sakura pushed herself to her feet and fought through the wave of dizziness. She suspected she might have a mild concussion. She groaned, cradling her head and walked to him, spending more concentration than usual on the simple task of channeling chakra to her feet so she wouldn’t sink in the bog.

“Wait,” she repeated, softer than before. “I’m a medic-nin, I can heal your injury. You don’t want an infection to get in. Let me repay you for saving me.” She gave him an imploring look.

The man—no, the boy, she noticed, as he wasn’t much taller than her and he seemed younger than what she initially thought, maybe around her age—stilled in consideration, then gave a small nod. Sakura smiled in relief.

“Okay. Okay,” she said, gathering her sluggish thoughts. “First, let’s get to the stable land. Do you know any safe place to camp nearby?”

The boy nodded again and headed off, but after a few moments he doubled back when he noticed her lagging behind in disorientation. He took her gently by the arm and Sakura thankfully leaned on him. She didn’t even bother to watch where they were going, trusting that he’d get her there. If the ease with which she came to depend on him seemed a little strange her, she didn’t think much of it.

Finally, they made their way to a secluded spot at the foot of an ancient tree. It was easily defensible, with the wide, solid trunk behind their backs, rocks to the left and thick bushes to the right. No more chance for the wild beasts getting a drop on one of them.

“Thanks,” Sakura told the boy as she put her weight against the tree. She shrugged off the heavy overflowing pack from her shoulders. It landed with a thud on the ground beside her. She pulled out her medkit and water canteen before looking at him. “Come here,” she said softly.

Warily, he approached her. “Don’t worry, I’ll just clean and bandage your wound,” she reassured him with an easy smile. “Please, sit.” She patted the even spot next to her.

He stuck his spear upright into the ground, then kneeled at her side. Their thighs brushed and he abruptly straightened up, breaking the skin contact. Still tense, his hand curled around the weapon, as if he was not ready to let it go.

To break the awkward pause, Sakura coughed. “Um, your arm? Please.”

Very gently, she put her hand on his and pried it off the spear. He didn’t fight her. Sakura held his arm with her left hand and poured water from her canteen over the injury, cleaning it. The gash wasn’t very deep, but it was long, bisecting his upper arm from the shoulder almost to the elbow.

“Alright,” Sakura muttered, feeling around the wound. “Do you feel any unusual pain?”

In response, she got a headshake.

She pulled a roll of bandages out of the medkit. “I’ll wrap it for now,” she explained. “I’d stitch it up for you, but it’s not necessary.”

The smooth wooden mask tilted questioningly.

“I’m sorry, but my concussion will mess up medical ninjutsu. I need to rest for a bit and when I’m better, I’ll heal it completely for you. Can you hang on that long?”

The boy inclined his head in affirmative and she rewarded him with a smile. “Pinch me if I start nodding off, okay? I need to stay awake for a few hours.”

She wrapped his arm quickly and professionally, then let it go. They settled side by side against the tree, Sakura with her knees drawn up to her chin, the masked boy cross-legged.

“By the way, my name is Sakura. Can you tell me yours?” she asked in a friendly tone.

He gave her a piercing look through the mask and she sighed. “I guess no,” she mumbled dejectedly. “You’re not much of a talker, are you? Trying to stay silent and mysterious, is that right?”

Even though she couldn’t see his expression, he radiated amusement.

She huffed. “Very well, be this way. I’ll go first and tell you a bit about myself. You’re probably just dying to know what I’m doing in this jungle, aren’t you?” she said with a self-deprecating snark.

Against her expectations, the boy propped his cheek on his hand and leaned towards her in a listening posture. Sakura’s expression lit up.

“Okay, so it all started when my shishou ran out of sake…” she began telling her story animatedly.

.

The masked stranger looked down at the girl he had rescued. The night had finally fallen and she had gone to sleep, deeming enough time had passed since she had hit her head. Her head was now resting on his thigh where he had gently moved it after noticing how uncomfortable she was, sleeping on the ground.

He had started a campfire before it had gotten too dark but he didn’t trust the flames to scare away all of the night’s predators. So he kept a silent vigil over the girl—just like he had done every night for the last week.

Unbeknownst to Sakura, her mysterious savior wasn’t really a stranger to her. And when he was sure she was fast asleep, he finally took off the cumbersome wooden mask.

When Aoda had informed him of an intruder entering his territory, Uchiha Sasuke had found himself in a predicament he never would have foreseen. Had it been anyone else, he’d have dealt with them with no mercy or hesitation, but Sakura was a complication he couldn’t get rid of with his usual methods.

Tsk, excuses. You could knock her out, drug her, cast a genjutsu on her, or toss her out anytime you wished, but you’re still too soft, Ssasssuke-kun. Too weak to defeat Itachi. The sibilant voice of Orochimaru mocked him inside his head while the cursed seal pulsed with burning pain. Sasuke grabbed his neck and clenched his jaw, taking the punishment.

It had been almost a month since his sinister teacher left him with nothing, no supplies, not even clothes on his back and told him to become the apex predator of this jungle. Sasuke spent the time honing his instincts as well as the mastery over the lightning techniques, but it was all put on hold when Sakura entered the picture.

With one look, he could see she’d gotten stronger, more confident, more capable in their time apart, however at first he was incensed that she would take such a big risk, coming there alone. She didn’t know all the dangers of this jungle and she had no one to watch her back. Sasuke doubted she possessed the same immunity to poisons like the one he’d built up through Kabuto’s disgusting cocktails and sadistic injections.

He treated following Sakura, watching over her while staying out of her sight as just another form of training. He had more than a few close calls when she almost found him out. Her powers of observation greatly increased and Sasuke learned not to underestimate her. He was becoming convinced he could leave her and she’d make it fine back on her own, when she relaxed her iron-clad guard for one critical moment and almost ended up as crocodile food.

His body moved on instinct when he jumped in between her and the attacking beast, a razor sharp fang slicing a long gash on his arm when he pulled it away just before the massive jaws would have clamped on it. It was the worst injury he’d sustained during his stay in the jungle. When Orochimaru sees it, Sasuke would suffer a “penalty” for damaging his future perfect body. Not that he cared much. Surviving Orochimaru’s cruel and unusual ideas for punishment would only serve to make him stronger, more resilient, more prepared to kill Itachi.

At least Sakura was going to leave soon, which was a relief to Sasuke. He didn’t relish the perspective of her running into his teacher or anyone that would be sent to summon him back to the Sound base. In the morning, he’d escort her to the edge of the forest.

Sasuke was jolted when the girl sleeping on his lap unexpectedly shifted. She made a distressed sound in the back of her throat, her face scrunched up funnily. Sasuke carefully brushed away a longer strand of her hair which was tickling her nose. She settled down immediately, but he didn’t pull his hand back. Very gently, he traced over her cheek and earlobe with his fingertips.

Sakura gave out a contented hum, so he continued touching her. This night, being far away from civilization and possible onlookers, Sakura’s obliviousness to his real identity—it all gave him an unparalleled privacy. He couldn’t help himself. No one would ever know, not even her.

He petted her hair, marveling at the silkiness of it, he greedily brushed his fingers on the smoothness of her bare arm, then back up. He stroked her nape, then along her jaw and chin, stopping just shy of her lips.

That’s when Sakura turned her head upwards, green eyes foggily peeking at him through the eyelashes and he froze in shock.

“Sasuke-kun,” she murmured with a drowsy smile, hand closing around his.

“… Sakura,” he said, feeling at a loss. She caught him without the mask, now what?

“I missed you… so much… Sasuke-kun…” she slurred sleepily.

“Aa,” he rasped through a tightened throat. “Go to sleep. I’ll be here,” he told her in a low tone.

Sakura mumbled her agreement and closed her eyes, drifting off. Sasuke released his breath. With a bit of luck, she’d dismiss this conversation as a strange dream. In any case, this was a warning. This one annoying girl made him lose his focus, his edge too easily. He wouldn’t let it happen again.

Sasuke picked up the mask and fastened it on his face.

.

Sakura woke up refreshed and after sharing canned rations with her masked companion, she had felt good enough to attempt the medical ninjutsu. There was just that nagging feeling in the back of her mind, like she was forgetting something vital…

“Did anything happen when I was asleep?” she asked.

For a split second, she thought she might have seen him tense up. Then the boy shook his head once. Nothing.

Sakura still worried at her lower lip in thought, then let the matter drop. It was probably nothing. She must have dreamt something and simply forgot. That wasn’t unusual. She then turned her mind to more important things.

Delicately, she unwrapped the bandage from his injured arm and put her hands over the scabbing, reddened wound. Green chakra enveloped her palms and seeped under his skin as she concentrated on knitting his flesh. This was a fairly simple healing and it didn’t take long for her to finish, leaving behind smooth, untouched and pink skin where otherwise there would have been a long, ugly scar. Sakura ran her hand down his arm one last time, making sure all was in order. She noticed a small, oval birthmark just below his elbow, which struck her as odd, but not malignant, so she left it alone.

“All done!” she announced with a smile, raising her gaze to the slits in his mask.

The boy tentatively tried moving the arm and found no difficult or pain. He inclined his head in thanks.

“You’re welcome. You saved my life anyway, so this is the least I could do.” Sakura stood up and put on her backpack. “Now, how do I get out of this jungle?”

The boy touched her shoulder and pointed the way, before setting off in the lead. With his help as a guide, Sakura traveled a long distance across the jungle in a matter of hours. Soon her surroundings became familiar.

“I recognize this place… It’s near to where I entered!” she said excitedly and nearly ran into the boy’s back when he abruptly stopped.

“What, why did you stop?” she asked. He crossed his arms and she understood. “Oh… right, you’re not going back with me…” she said quietly, looking to the side, before lifting her face up to him. “Then, I guess this is where we say goodbye.”

Sakura formally bowed. “Thank you for saving my life and guiding me out of here. I owe you.” Then she straightened up with a smile. “I hope we’ll meet again and you won’t be wearing that mask,” she added with a sly look.

He shrugged, giving her the impression that he would consider it, but no promises.

Sakura chuckled. “Maybe not then. Well, I’m going. See you next time!” she said as she pivoted and started walking.

After a dozen steps, she looked back. He was standing where she’d left him, still like a statue. She raised her hand and waved.

He waved back, the darker spot of the birthmark visible from the distance. Sakura was taken aback by the familiarity of his posture, there was something about it that she’d seen before…

She continued walking for a while, mulling over this and then the realization hit her. She whirled around, casting a desperate look.

“Sasuke-kun?! Sasuke-kun, is that really you?”

But the masked boy had already disappeared into the jungle.

.

.

AN: Sorry for the lateness of this entry. Happy SasuSaku Month! XD