(WIP) Suiren Fourteen: [UNTITLED] Scene 1 – Incomplete Draft

Well… now that we all know the perils of poking the rabid author, i suppose we can move on to something a bit less confusing and dramatic O_O;…

(And if you don’t understand the above statement, i’m not going to explain it…)

As with Wolves, i’m going to be posting scenes of chapter fourteen as i write them. Sometimes (as in this case) these scenes will be incomplete when they are first posted. Some of these scenes will be completely rewritten, reordered or even discarded before i’m finished with them, so this is all very much a Work In Progress. Take care not to get too attached to anything you dare to read here…

[Edit #1, 8/22/08 - Minor edits, small amount of new material]
[Edit #2, 8/22/08 - Small amount of new material]

 
  
 

“Are you sure you’ve got all of your gear? They didn’t take anything, did they?” Standing in the doorway of the small security room, Sakura tried to visually locate all of the equipment that Hinata had been carrying the day before.

“It’s fine, Sakura-chan,” Hinata assured her with a nervous smile as she knelt to strap on her thigh holster. “Everything’s here; I checked.” Once the leather case containing the bulk of her weapons was properly secured, Hinata twisted around to slip on the shoulder straps of her backpack and stood up.

Sakura’s own smile was slightly strained as she watched Hinata make her final checks. A good night’s sleep had done wonders for the pale girl’s spirits, but now that she was looking for them, Sakura could detect some hints that Hinata was still more tired than she was letting on. The curse seal was probably putting a considerable strain on her body while it healed.

At least it’s not like the Heaven Seal, Sakura told herself, absently rubbing her shoulder to dispel the pain of remembering that evil mark. As horrible as the Branch Family Seal was, the worst it could do was kill you. ‘The lucky ones are the ones that die,’ Sakura mused with a shudder, wishing she could be happier that Sasuke had survived.

Wrenching herself back to the present, Sakura frowned at the smaller girl. “I told you to just call me ‘Sakura,’” she chided gently, stepping forward to pick at the sleeve of Hinata’s baggy jacket, “and if you’re not gonna wear any weapons or armor under this, you definitely need to get something that fits you better!”

Giving her friend a sly look, Sakura released Hinata’s sleeve, ghosting her fingertips along the inside of Hinata’s arm to cup a handful of well-concealed breast. “Remember, if I can’t see ‘em, I might have to ‘check’ to make sure they’re there,” she warned with a playful squeeze.

Sakura chuckled as Hinata squeaked out a mortified, “S-sorry!” and stumbled away.

Part of her still railed at abusing the poor girl like this, but it was a rapidly diminishing part. Dammit, it’s for her own good! If Hinata could to just get over that shyness, Sakura was sure she would feel so much better about herself! As such, Sakura was determined to grope, fondle, tease, tickle and torment the timid girl until Hinata either learned to appreciate the attention or made her stop. Either way, Hinata would be better for it.

And if I keep telling myself that, maybe I won’t feel so guilty about enjoying it so much. Sakura would kill herself before admitting it to Anko, but having an outlet for her… less ‘inhibited’ side was actually kind of addicting- and while the cat was away…

Knuckling her forehead, Sakura breathed an exasperated sigh. “Don’t apologize, Hinata, I’m just being an idiot again,” she muttered. As much fun as it would be to play with Hinata some more, the other girl really didn’t need any extra worries today. Goddammit Grandpa, why do you always have to be such a dick?

when the men had come to inform them that Kurenai had already been sent away, it had been all Sakura could do to keep Hinata from having a nervous breakdown. And what the hell was with that lame excuse? I don’t remember telling anyone that we didn’t want to be disturbed! Eventually, Sakura had been able to convince Hinata that everything would be fine if she left the next morning, rather than chasing after her teacher in the middle of the night, but it had taken a surprising amount of cajoling.

In the end, it was the pragmatic approach that had finally won her over (though the genjutsu-enhanced puppy-dog eyes probably hadn’t hurt). Osawaramachi wasn’t the closest town, but Sakura knew from experience that it only had one halfway-decent inn. That was probably why her grandfather had chosen it as the meeting place; easier to keep track of the ninja that way. By the same token, it would be easier for Hinata to find Kurenai there as well.

Sakura still felt dirty for picking on Hinata’s nonfunctional Byakugan like that, but she was willing to play the villain if that’s what it took to keep her friends safe. Sending Hinata off to scour the wilderness night-blind, exhausted and alone was unacceptable. Thanks to her arm-twisting, Hinata was reasonably calm and well-rested, and had a good idea of where to start looking- but the ‘alone’ part was still a problem.

“I wish I could go with you,” Sakura murmured unhappily. Her grandfather had requested that she stay at the castle until he selected a representative, but that meant she wouldn’t be able to help Hinata present her case to Kurenai. “I don’t understand why I can’t just go and come back. I’d only be gone half a day, at most,” she spat a bit more acidly.

“I’m sure your grandfather has a reason,” Hinata consoled her with a bittersweet smile that said she was disappointed as well. “B-But you don’t need to worry about me,” Hinata added with a bit of forced cheer, obviously trying to lighten the mood. “I know Kurenai-sensei will make the right choice.”

Sakura resisted the urge to scoff. She didn’t have a lot of personal experience with the woman, but Anko’s feelings on the matter were painfully clear. For Yuuhi Kurenai, the ‘right choice’ would be to send Hinata home. The political calculus of the situation was just too hazy right now to allow for any other option- and Hinata would accept that, because she knew her teacher to be cautious and sensible and wise; well-deserving of her faith and trust.

“Don’t just let her send you away,” Sakura commanded with an unyielding stare. “It’s her mission and her decision, but the only thing she should consider when she makes that decision is whether or not she wants you to participate- as her student, and as a ninja.” Sakura reached up to tap the plate of Hinata’s forehead protector directly over the curse seal. “This is what you chose; this is your responsibility. Make her understand that.”

For a moment Sakura was afraid that she’d said too much, as Hinata’s expression clouded with discomfort, but then a knot of tension formed in the middle of the white-eyed girl’s brow. “Mmm…” Hinata acknowledged with a slow nod, like the frown on her face suddenly weighed a thousand pounds. “I… I’ll try,” she managed in a firmer tone. Hinata wasn’t happy with the idea of confronting her teacher, but she understood that some things needed to be said.

“Good,” Sakura affirmed with a curt nod, as through she expected nothing less. Sakura held on to her stoic mask for a few seconds longer before finally allowing herself a small, challenging smirk. “I’ll see you in a few days, then,” she joked half-seriously. 

“Mmm,” Hinata agreed, her lips twitching into the shadow of a rueful grin that would have done Shikamaru proud.

Exiting the security room, Sakura escorted Hinata to the road away from the ferry crossing and the two girls exchanged an awkward hug, with Sakura mostly struggling to reach around Hinata’s overstuffed backpack. Sakura watched Hinata’s departing back until the other girl disappeared over a rise at the other side of the cross-dotted plain.

“Sakura-dono?”

Unsuccessfully suppressing a violent flinch, Sakura spun on her heel, her hand brushing her thigh where she normally kept her weapon holster. “Ah! Itsuki-san, good morning!” she babbled, instantly identifying the man standing behind her as the head of her grandfather’s personal guard. Even in the gloom of early morning, Itsuki Gin’s trademark shaved head and amber-tinted glasses were easily recognizable.

“Does Grandfather need to see me?” she asked, straightening her kimono as she tried to scrape together the pieces of her shattered composure. Dammit, stop doing that, you creepy bastard! Word around the castle was that Gin had once trained as a monk, since he was the third son of a samurai family and didn’t stand to inherit anything, but Sakura was starting to wonder if ‘monk’ wasn’t just a polite euphemism for ‘ninja.’
 

つづく (To be continued – Section Incomplete)