Chapter 3 - Sacrifice 3: Enigma

On the other side of the hot springs, Sakura found herself tangling with a female ANBU agent. This agent had long brown hair, and a good, toned body, with swells of female muscle on her arms being particularly impressive. Both girls were naked for the moment, making this akward no matter how you thought about it.

The agent threw a kunai at Sakura, then charged in after it. Sakura ducked the kunai and aimed a swift punch at her attacker’s jaw. Her attacker deflected the punch and tried to wriggle around for an armbar. Sakura’s body was slick with water, so she slipped out of the hold easily, giving the ANBU agent a hard shove. The agent spun and stabbed with a kunai. The knife bit into Sakura’s flesh, drawing blood from her shoulder. She slapped a hand to the wound, wincing in pain. You never got used to this kind of injury.

“That’s it, dog!” Sakura snarled. Her hand glowed blue with energy- a Chakra Scalpel. Now her hand and forearm were as deadly as any kunai. Training with Tsunade was about to prove it’s worth.

Sakura took the initiative and charged. The ANBU agent produced a sword from it’s hiding place in a towel. She swung the sword in a side to side motion at chest height. Sakura blocked it with her glowing forearm. Using her other hand, she punched the agent’s arm, breaking the smaller bones and sending the sword clattering away.

Instantly following up, Sakura cut the ANBU agent’s leg muscles with a quick swipe of her Chakra Scalpel. With the agent incapacitated for a few minutes, Sakura decided to leave. But…

“I don’t have any clothes! Just my towel! Now what?!”

Luckily, Ryouko’s dog Holly came bounding over the fence. She ran straight for Sakura, her bushy little tail wagging full-speed.

“Hey kiddo! Wow! I bet my boy would be drooling over you right now! But never mind! He apparently foresaw something like this. Dig into my pouch here, and hurry!”

Holly growled at the ANBU agent as Sakura reached into Holly’s collar pouch. She pulled out Ryouko’s long black trench coat.

“Excellent!” she cried out, putting the coat on. “I’ll thank your boy later, Hol’! For now, you’d better split! Don’t worry, I’ll force him to summon you later and I’ll give you a good, long petting session as a reward!”

“I’ll hold you to that!” Holly called back happily. She disappeared in a puff of smoke as Sakura exited the hot springs.
--

The three met up outside. Ryouko had already stuffed a chakra cigarette in his mouth after doing the obvious- using a genjutsu to simulate normal clothes on his body. He hadn’t time to get dressed yet (Something that Sakura found delightful. Ryouko hoped Sai didn’t!) He looked at the other two, memorizing them the best he could. Producing three Shadow Clones, he had them transform into Sai and Sakura, while the third clone stayed as Ryouko.

“You three, run to the right!” the clone Ryouko announced. “We’re going straight!”

All six nodded and took off through the crowded streets, weaving in and out of Yukata and Kimono-wearing festival-goers. Stopping only to pick their packs up, the real three ran straight out of town.
--

They finally stopped to rest after about an hour of running. No one had followed them so far, which was a good sign. That meant they had a minute to stop and rest. Sakura also wanted to get dressed in her own clothes. She had made sure that Sai was in front of her, so she could keep an eye on him at all times. She trusted Ryouko more, letting him bring up the rear to protect against any attacks from behind.

“Ryouko, I’m going to get changed. Kindly keep Sai with you over here in the clearing. I’m going behind those rocks to throw my clothes on.”

Ryouko nodded obediently. Sakura threw his trench coat to him over the outcropping of rocks once she was safely hidden behind it. Ryouko caught it, then turned bright red.

Sakura…was naked…under this coat. MY coat. I’ve got to be careful or I’m going to wind up being a complete pervert…
Is it just me, or is she more open with me recently? I mean, in the past, she would have kept that coat on until we got to some place more private. But now she’s just hiding in some bushes to change her clothes. What does that mean? Well, one of two things:

a) She trusts me
b) She doesn’t think of me as a threat


Sakura came back into the clearing, in a fresh set of clothes. She was much happier-looking now, and easily more relaxed.

“Sakura, can I borrow you for a minute?”

Sakura cocked her head; it had been Sai calling her. That never ended well. But maybe this time he had made a breakthrough with bonds?
Well, he didn’t mention Ryouko’s privates yet, so maybe he’s on his best behavior? Either way, I shouldn’t ignore him…

So she got up and walked over to Sai. Ryouko was sitting on the ground, busy turning some kunai into traps by wrapping exploding tags around them. Some he tied together with wires to make razor wire traps. Sakura reminded herself to do the same as she finished the short jaunt over to Sai.

“What’s up?” she said casually.

“Well, I made you a picture. I’ve never given anyone one of my drawings before, but I thought you might like this picture.” Sai smiled and held out the picture. Sakura returned the smile.

Well, look at that! He’s being a gentleman! So, what did he draw…!

Sakura’s jaw dropped slightly and she turned very red. She was staring at a picture of Ryouko completely naked, baring nothing. He was anatomically correct, too. His body was straight toward her, but his head was posed so that she saw him from the side. His face was stunningly accurate, right down to the eyes. Granted, other accuracies caught Sakura’s eye, but all the same, Sai’s drawing skill was exceptional.

“It was hard to draw. Ryouko didn’t know I was drawing him, so he didn’t pose. But I copied everything exactly…” Sai happily informed her. Apparently, he thought he had finally earned the girl’s approval with this bit of smut. “I sketched him just as he was getting in the hot spring.”

Sakura gave Sai a hard punch to the face, sending him skidding across the clearing. Sai raised his head at the opposite end of the long crater, rubbing his cheek and sucking on his cut lip.

“What the hell is wrong with you?! You don’t do stuff like that; especially without permission!”

Sakura tucked the picture into her pack. Sai had gone to a lot of trouble, after all. And it’s not like Ryouko was too hard on the eyes for her. It was an innocent joke…kind of…sorta…right?

Don’t want to let all that hard work go to waste… she thought cheerfully.

Sai shook his head and rubbed his aching cheek. The book says you should treat all your friends equally… But how will I draw a picture of Sakura naked for Ryouko?
--

“So, where do we go from here?” Sakura finally asked. She and Sai both turned to Ryouko for an answer. He narrowed his eyes as he thought about it. Lady Tsunade hadn’t given any instructions about what to do in case of this kind of emergency. That meant it fell on him, as team leader, to make the best decision.

“We have a choice. We can head to a country that’s a friend of the Hidden Leaf; or we can try to fit in a country where they’re enemies with the Hidden Leaf.”

“Why would we go to an enemy country?”

Ryouko nodded to Sai to acknowledge he heard him before he outlined his thought process. “If we head to a land that’s friendly with the Leaf, then we risk being turned over to ANBU agents by the country’s government. If we go to a country that’s an enemy, then we don’t have to worry about ANBU agents coming. But we’ll have to deal with the country’s inhabitants.”

Sakura curled up against a tree, tucking her knees into her chest. “But isn’t staying in one place risky? Maybe we should just…keep moving? From place to place…”

“You know, you’ve got a point. We’ll just keep moving. Good idea, Sakura. We’ll head toward the Sand Village first. Given my past history with the Kazekage, it’s not likely we’ll be searched for there first. We should have time to stock up on supplies, then hightail it out of town.”

Tail…tail…Oh! That’s right! Holly! Sakura exclaimed, remembering she promised Holly a good petting session once she was out of trouble.

“Ryouko, could you summon Holly? I promised her some ‘girl time’ with me, since she came to my rescue earlier.”

Ryouko obediently summoned Holly. He made the handsigns, paid the blood tribute, and then tapped his palm on the ground. Smoke flared up instantly, making vision difficult. When the smoke dissipated, standing before the trio was Ryouko’s wise-cracking Keeshonden.

“Kid, you summon me one more time today, I swear I’ll neuter you! And I mean it, too! And if you even try to sweet-talk me, I’ll bite your face off! Now, whaddaya want?!”

Ryouko just pointed at Sakura, his head down. Getting browbeaten by a summon that was supposed to be your loyal companion was kind of embarrassing.

“Sakura!!!” Holly exclaimed happily, hearts practically in her eyes as she bolted for the pink-haired kunoichi as fast as her little legs would carry her. “I knew you wouldn’t forget me!”

“Because I neglect you so…” Ryouko muttered under his breath. Holly kicked a dirt clod at him, which bounced off his cheek with an audible ‘thunk’ sound.

Holly went over and plopped down in front of Sakura. Sakura thought that Holly treating Ryouko like that was kind of funny. Most people did. It was clear who was in charge in that relationship. Holly didn’t really dislike Ryouko, but she definitely had little patience for boys. As a girl dog, she preferred the company of girls. But also as a girl, she had a desire to see her boy meet a nice girl. And if that girl was Sakura, all the better for Holly.

“Besides that, the kid is just depressing!” Holly murmured, her head on Sakura’s lap. She was apparently very content as Sakura’s delicate hands moved over her fur. “He’s been doging-no pun intended- about being lonely lately.”

Sakura’s hand wavered for a moment, but resumed it’s course so that Holly didn’t really notice.

“Really? I’ve always wondered if he felt lonely. He’s so hard to read sometimes. It seems like he genuinely cares for most of the people he knows.”

Sakura was sitting comfortably under a big maple tree. The shade felt good against the summer heat. It helped cool her sweaty body a little. Running for so long took it’s toll on you. And when you were running from members of your own village, it took it’s toll mentally as well. Petting a dog, it seemed, was good therapy.

Holly snorted dismissively. “He does. But he’s stupid like that- he wants a real life, but he keeps getting in his own way. He had a crush on some girl for years, but he’s never gotten the guts up to ask her out.”

That’s you, Sakura! C’mon, go talk to my stupid kid! It would make his year! And then, when you two are hitched, you can be my summoner! And…well, the kid would be happy too…
(sigh) I guess I care more than I let on.

“Did he ever tell you who he meant? I mean, her name?”

Holly put a paw over her eyes in exasperation. Oh for crying out loud! My kid is practically drooling all over you! Wake up, Sakura! He lights up like a Christmas tree around you!
Aloud, Holly said “I shouldn’t say. That’s my kid’s business. But y’know, he probably needs help. He just doesn’t get girls.”

That was funny; too bad it was true.

“Well, it’s a crime he can’t get a girl. He’s too sweet to be single all his life. Even if he cops that hard-@$$ attitude, everyone knows that’s just work. I kind of wish he had gone after Tenten. She’s too good for Neji.”

Holly had to agree there. “Neji’s a dog. Again, no pun intended. My boy could wipe the floor with him, no sweat. Even with those freaky eyes of Hyuuga’s.”

Sakura smiled at Holly. “You’re kind of fond of your owner, aren’t you?”

Holly put her head between her paws. “Don’t say it like that! I worry for the kid because he’s so pathetic! And I own [/i]him, not the other way around! Don’t think I’m just the type of dog to roll over and…”

Sakura rubbed Holly’s belly. Holly rolled over.

“Yeah, that’s the spot!”

Sakura stayed that way for a while, rubbing Holly’s stomach, while turning thoughts over in her head.

The way he thanked me…I just can’t get it out of my mind. It had to mean something. I mean, he never gets that close to anyone. I guess he trusts me to some degree. It’s a badge of honor to get into Ryouko’s inner circle.

But I wish he would just let the village adopt him. He wants to; I know he does. But something holds him back, each and every time. I wish I knew what… it just seems like he’s suffering, and no one knows how to help. No one can see the suffering, unless you really look at his eyes. They’re the tell that he’s not yet comfortable in his own skin…

Holly opened one large, brown eye, seeing Sakura deep in thought. She saw Ryouko on the other side of the clearing, giving the slightest of wistful glances to Sakura. That made Holly sigh a little, but in a good way. A relaxed way.

They’re thinking about each other…Come on, Sakura! Pick up on his feelings!
--

The three congregated over the map, searching for a little town that was barely on the radar. Some town that none of them had ever heard of, even in passing. A place so obscure (and maybe useless) that they could just slip into the town, rest up, and leave. Hopefully, without engaging ANBU again.

As Ryouko looked at his two companions, he felt…not warm, but certainly…welcome. It wasn’t a sensation he had felt often before, so the feeling caught him off-guard a little. But it was a pleasant feeling, that was for sure.

I won’t let anything happen. It sounds cheesy, but who cares? I’ll see both of them safely back to the Leaf village. No matter what it means for me, I will do that much. No one has ever reached out to me like this; extended this much trust.

“How about here?” Ryouko asked, his finger hovering over a spot on the map.

“Yobaitsu?” Sai asked? His mind started to drift off in odd directions. Well, not ‘odd’ considering the name of the town.
((Note: ‘yobai’ is ‘to have sex’ in Japanese. -NG))

“Well, we’re not likely to run into anyone in that town, except for maybe Master Jiraiya…”
That’s what Ryouko said. But mentally he was smacking himself for picking such a stupid town. ‘Yobai’ hadn’t been what he was thinking about. He just saw a small town with a small population in the middle of nowhere.

Damn, Sakura looks uncomfortable…Maybe I can change things…

Ryouko chose his words carefully. “Maybe this place isn’t ideal…I mean…it sounds trashy…”

But to his surprise, Sakura shrugged.
“It’s really the best spot. If we don’t like it, we can just leave. But we can check it out either way.”

“Are you sure? I mean…”

Sakura rolled her eyes. “I’m a big girl. Besides, with you and Sai around, no one will try anything with me. And I’m not going to be offended by the content of this place. It’s not like they’ll pull perverted crap in the street.”

Ryouko wasn’t sure of that. He had been to other places on rather unsavory missions where there were less than sanitary (and sometimes ‘sane’ conditions). But if Sakura really didn’t have any objection, it WAS a good place to hide and get lost in the crowd.

“Okay,” he said finally, rolling the map up. “But if things are at all disgusting, we get right out of there. I’d rather fight ANBU agents than the perverted visions I’d have to get out of my head.”

“Yes, it’s much more fun to create your own, isn’t it?” Sai commented. “I wish I had the imagination to do so. Ryouko, do you have any fantasies?”

Ryouko reddened, and Sakura had to stuff her fist in her mouth to stop from laughing.

“Right now, I think not outlining my fantasies to you is my biggest fantasy.”
--

They had only traveled a short distance when a group of brown-clad shinobi surrounded the three.

“Yes?” Ryouko said with exaggerated patience, as if just going through the motions of some boring exercise.

“We’ll be taking all your money now!” one thug, presumably the leader, exclaimed enthusiastically.

“I think not,” Ryouko replied flatly, physically picking up the thug and throwing him off the road. “You’re picking a fight with the wrong people here. But I can’t say I’d be happy letting you roam free…You’re lucky I’ve got no authorities to turn you in to.”

This group was so pitiful that Ryouko didn’t even feel threatened. Sakura and Sai, normally more sensitive to such things, didn’t even flinch. Sakura just reached down, picked up a rock, and crushed it with her fist.

“We’ll be on our way now. And if I hear you’ve been bothering someone else…”

Ryouko leaned down and helped the hapless robber he had thrown up.
“…I’ll be back. With ten times the man power, so next time I won’t have to dirty my hands with you.”

With that, Ryouko tossed some ryo at the thug.
“…No way anyone so pathetic would try to just rob people. Not without being desperate. Go get yourselves a good meal, then inquire at the Hidden Leaf. You guys aren’t real criminals.”

Sai raised an eyebrow. Sakura was just stunned. It didn’t seem like Ryouko to take pity on anyone, but in this case he seemed to almost…relate to the criminals. Not in an obvious way, but Sakura saw something. And Ryouko obviously sensed something.

Who are you, Ryouko Amakatsu? You’re a mystery bundled inside an enigma to me…but all the same, I can’t think of many people I trust more.

Sakura vowed she would find out more about Ryouko. She didn’t like loose ends, and Ryouko was a loose end himself if there ever was one.

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