SHATTERED xxx Chapter Four
.: Pillars :.
Cautiously the pinkette reached a hesitant hand out towards the gleaming metal handle of the door standing before her, her delicate fingers poised above its wintry surface. She anxiously bit her lower lip before shifting her weight uneasily onto her right foot, a deep surge of apprehension flooding her system as the idea of taking the big plunge and entering floated through her mind. In her office she'd felt that the thick mess of obstacles that were so densely stacked in front of her could be easily detoured if she could only see his face. Now it felt different; she felt as if opening that closed door would let even more problems escape like demons into her already-disheveled life, leaving her utterly defenseless.
She delayed for one, last second before finally wrapping her thin fingers fluidly around the frigid bar to pull it evenly towards her.
She plunged into the unknown with an awkward step, her glittering jade orbs widening as they took in the flawless, porcelain features of the youth's face, the quiet rise and fall of his chest, the perfection of his chiseled, statue-like form.... She breathed a shuddering sigh of relief after quickly examining him from afar, the complete calm serenity of his current state giving her an immense amount of comfort, despite her earlier qualms.
The Haruno rapidly approached his bedside, making her way over the turquoise tiles in swift and easy strides. She reached his the cot after a short time, and she simply stood and watched him lay there; surveying him with a saddened half-smile.
Sakura fluidly slid into her medic routine by checking and readjusting his IVs and the monitors surrounding his bed, choosing to distract herself with unimportant chores.
She then moved to the closed curtains and threw them wide open, a silent smile splashing across her lips as she enjoyed the brilliant morning sun as it soaked through her chilled skin. She cracked open the window as well, welcoming the soft and fresh breeze that rippled through her clothing as it brought a chromatic assortment of scents and outside fragrances with it. She gazed distantly down into the small garden laid out below her, absently watching as a nurse helped an older patient hobble around one of the cobblestone walkways.
Sakura's ears picked up on a small and sudden sound emitted from behind her and she whirled, her vibrant hues darting back and forth as she furiously searched for the culprit. Her emeralds eventually coming to rest on her old teammate's face, and she felt instant panic flooding up through her veins like liquid ice.
The Uchiha youth's brow had suddenly knit together and the heart monitor next to the bed had started to beep frantically. The Haruno rushed to his side, hysteria fluttering in the pit of her abdomen just as he coughed weakly into the mask covering his face, causing his breathing to turn frighteningly erratic. Fear and adrenaline were pumping furiously into her system as she scurried to check his pulse and IVs, sweat beginning to form along her temple.
She stopped abruptly, a thought clicking in her head. Gently she pulled the oxygen mask off and away from his face, and almost immediately the machine beside her quieted, his breathing slowed into a normal rhythm, and his alabaster face fell back into its normal serene state.
The medic took a deep breath, closing her eyes as her momentary panic slowly subsided.
Her emotions were getting the best of her, and as much as she loathed herself for it, it was a fact that she could not bring herself to ignore. She was too biased, too deeply snared in the patient's background to be on medical duty for him. She heaved a defeated sigh as she turned back towards the window, drumming her digits along the frame listlessly.
Why the hell had she panicked like that?!
Oxygen masks are supposed to be removed as soon as possible during recovery, anyone who knew anything about medicine knew that! The highly-concentrated and dry air coming out of the masks is eventually rejected by the human body its feeding after extended amounts of time, where it becomes the healthy for the body to breath natural air.
She exhaled deeply as she gazed dishearteningly down at the hospital grounds, her expression pained. She finally bit her lip lower lip out of annoyance before throwing the mask uselessly on a nearby table and running a hand through her loose hair as she turned towards the door. Her eyes zeroed in on a vase of wilted flowers on his bedside table as she passed it, and a dull idea sparked to life.
The kunoichi nodded softly to herself before striding out, her thick pink hair rippling out behind her like a thin curtain as she slipped fluidly out the door.
Ignoring the blatant "CLOSED" sign hanging over the large front door, the pinkette quietly let herself right into the small flower shop that sat so snugly on the market street. Several brass bells twinkled as the door closed behind her, and she listened to their soft chimes contentedly as she stood just within the threshold, glancing around for any sign of human life amongst all the different shades of green.
"We're closed, read the damn sign!"
The voice was annoyingly high-pitched and laced with a thick coating of obvious distaste. It was slightly muffled as well, as it seemed to have come from a room adjoined to the one in which the Haruno stood in, thus the walls were in the way. A pale face suddenly poked out from behind a small door crammed into the corner of the room, followed by a thick rope of bleach-blond hair. The woman's face brightened considerably from her harsh frown as her glittering, cyan orbs met with Sakura's, and the blond instantly alighted into a high string of giggles.
"Sorry Forehead, didn't realize it was you." She came out to greet her friend with a slight skip in her step, but her happy expression immediately vanished when she really saw the rose-haired kunoichi standing before her.
"Hey, Ino." She was surprised by how hoarse and low her voice sounded, but she made no move to clear her throat after speaking.
"You okay?"
Sakura glanced up at her friend, surprised by the genuine sincerity that was scrawled clearly across the blond's features. The pinkette loosened a sigh and shrugged mildly before running a hand through her bubble-gum locks, her expression indifferent.
"Well, whatever it is, I definitely have something that will cheer you up. The new editions of Shinobi Illustrated arrived this morning and this month's cover model is gorgeous..."
It felt so natural to allow herself to be swept away with trivials of Ino's friendship. It felt perfect to just let herself follow along with the blond's rapid conversations on guys and fashion and parties just to escape from the overwhelming dilemmas that she was struggling to get away from. The two of them merely retreated into Ino's bedroom just above the flowershop as they always used to as kids with a large jug of iced tea and a family-sized bag of chips. While Ino jabbered away, Sakura forced an array of smiles and giggles, and the time they spent was almost enjoyable. Almost.
Unfortunately, their arsenal of snacks were gone after a little less than an hour, so Sakura offered to go trek downstairs into Ino's kitchen to stock up on refills. Ino quickly agreed, unwillingly to be separated from her male swim-suit magazines. So Sakura slung the empty jug and bag over her shoulder before slipping out into the hallway to pad easily down the stairs. Upon reaching the bottom step, however, several distinct voices alerted the kunoichi to the presence of two other shinobi in the room.
"It's bad luck, saying that I mean." Ino's father's rough and sturdy voice was fairly easy to pick out, and he didn't sound too pleased.
"I'm not superstitious." The answering voice was nasally and obnoxious to listen to, but nevertheless Sakura felt compelled to listen.
"Hell, neither am I, but in a world full of risks, why not make a point of avoiding a few?" A grunt was the curt reply to Inoichi Yamanaka's rhetorical question.
"Regardless, if it does happen, you're breaking down that code and figuring out how it works. And on the off chance that is doesn't, perhaps you'll be able to get through the blockade of nurses at the hospital and get a blood test?"
"Like that will happen. I hear some of them can get pretty vicious." They both chuckled darkly, but Ino's dad suddenly cut in. "What if I do refuse?" His companion hesitated momentarily before launching into a well-rehearsed statement.
"You'd be disobeying a direct order from the Godaime herself, which would result in your immediately dismissal from the ANBU ranks. I'm sorry my friend, if it were up to me, I'd give the bloody job to someone who was more deserving.... That old dog Danzou, perhaps...?"
Low chuckles and the sound of heavy foot fall slowly leaving followed, and Sakura hesitantly crept out into the kitchen, expression blank. She made her slow approach to the fridge and pulled out a fresh bottle of their favorite drink before stuffing the garbage into a can, and then quick as could be, rushed back towards the stairs.
Ino hadn't moved. She lay sprawled across her bed, whipping through a magazine with an unnaturally-tan, shirtless surfer emblazoned across its cover. The blond's expression brightened upon seeing the pinkette, and she hurriedly shoved the magazine cover in Sakura's face, pointing wildly at the guy on it.
"This guy is totally your type, Sakura. Look at his face, so perfect and gorgeous..."
"Ino, he's your type, not mine."
"Sak-ur-a! Open your eyes! There are plenty of fish in the sea, stop pretending like that arrogant, bastard-Uchiha is the only one for you, seriously--"
Sakura dropped the full bottle of iced-tea on the floor, where it hit the blond's presteen white carpet and exploded into thousands of tiny shards. She glared venomously at her friend, her thin fingers curled into tight fists, her emerald hues glittering defiantly. Without a word, the pinkette abruptly turned and strode from the room.
She was running.
Her heart hammered against her chest assweat trailed down her brow, and her lungs literally burned with the extreme exertion. She skidded to an uneven start and wavered for a moment before finding her balance.
In front of her stood the three identical wooden poles, the same ones that marked the start of her geninship, and the start of all of the friendships, and the joy, and all of the loss and pain she'd felt since that fateful day..
It was the place in which she and her three teammates endured Hatake Kakashi's bell challenge, only to discover that the point of the game wasn't really to steal the bells but to truly learn what it meant to work together as a fully-functional team. Now the bases of the three pillars were covered in a thick layer of powdery snow, and they looked almost eerie against all of the unblemished white.
The kunoichi gazed evenly at the three lone poles, her jade hues glimmering brightly. And then, with all of her strength, she pulled back her gloved fist and smashed it into the ground before her.
Like glass the ground cracked and exploded, forming a giant cloud of dust and rubble that was sent shooting into the air above her. She leaped a few feet back, staring at the three logs which had, against all odds, withstood the crumbling rocks and boulders around it and had managed to remain standing as a single, unbreakable unit.
If only it were that simple.
A/N: Merry Christmas everybody! And an early Happy New Year too!
I sincerely apologize for the late update, I've been extremely busy lately what with finals and then the holidays. I've also had a lot of ideas for my other fanfiction lately, so I've been giving it a lot more attention than this one, and for neglecting you guys I am very sorry. D: I promise I will start updating faster soon enough!
Thanks for reading and please REVIEW! :D I'll give you a cookie! With lots of frosting, yum. :]
--xxIndigo