A/N: Hi everyone! Thank you so much for your reviews! I've decided to continue with this story (obviously), so here is the next chapter. This is Sakura's POV, so it's written a bit differently. However, I would still like to hear your comments on this story. The chapters will alternate between Sakura's POV and Naruto's, since a few of you have asked for Sakura's POV ^_^.
Regarding the honorifics, I try to apply it where necessary, but that does not mean it will always be there. Team Seven don't use honorifics with each other, since (as I understand it) the lack of honorifics after a person's name indicates a very close relationship with that person. Since Team Seven are like family, they just call each other by name. They will still call Kakashi Kakashi-sensei, but when they talk to each other, they drop the honorifics. If I'm mistaken by this, please correct me! I will also mostly use the English version of certain words, like forehead protector instead of hitai-ate and Country of Fire instead of Hi no Kuni, simply because I'm more familiar with the English words. This does not mean I've watched the dubbed version, so luckily I've been spared the constant "Believe it!"'s from the dubbed version (I've experienced it in a game though *shudder*). 'Dattebayo' is so much better than 'Believe it!'
Anyway, back to the story.
I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, never have, never will.
Edit 13/09/2010: Changed their age to 17 instead of 19 in order to let the plot flow more realistically.
Edit 07/12/2010: Changed some minor things that had been pointed out to me and added a few words here or there just to make the chapter read easier.
Towards the Light
Chapter 2
Sakura stared scowling into the flickering firelight, lost in her own thoughts. It had been a long and unproductive day, patrolling the border between the Country of Fire and the Country of Rice Fields. They had found nothing (excluding the occasional deer or squirrel), so the day had been pretty monotonous. She knew it was a case of 'no news is good news', but seriously! Is it even possible for a day to be more boring? A scowl appeared between her brows. She was tired of the monotony; she was tired of the wilderness and she was tired of the dirt! They had been stuck in the wilderness for over two weeks and her irritation was starting to reach levels she had previously thought impossible. She understood the necessity, but she was still not impressed. Still, they had been the only team available since the other teams were all out on different missions. If it wasn't for the fact that they were one team member short, they too would have gotten a different mission. But no, because of that deficiency they were stuck with border patrol duty!
Her scowling brow levelled out a bit when she thought of their missing teammate. He had always been the light in their days, with his smiling face and determined attitude. Whenever one of them had felt down, he had been the one to cheer them up. He had been their ray of sunlight and now, that ray was gone.
Her eyes narrowed in sadness. Over the years the two of them had grown closer than mere friends. Well, after she had stopped chasing after Sasuke's attention. She had realised that her feelings towards the Uchiha had never been anything but childish affection. Naruto's bright attitude had drawn her stronger than Sasuke's dark one ever did. Once she realised that, her relationship with Naruto had progressed with leaps and bounds. The time they had been together was one of the best times of her life.
She closed her eyes and sighed. If only he hadn't disappeared. Her mind still refused to believe he was dead, even though the Hokage's search parties had long since been called off. After six months of continuous searching with no results, the Hokage had been forced to call them off. Her team had never been the same after that. Sasuke had reverted back to the silent, brooding teen he had once been while Kakashi had started to request harder missions when he went on solo missions. She herself had started to go aimlessly through her life; something that disturbed her friends greatly. She still believed that he was alive, but with each passing day her hopes grew smaller and her fears bigger.
The sound of a step on the ground beside her alerted her to someone's presence. She looked up and saw Sasuke standing beside her, offering her a canteen with water. She took it gratefully and moved a bit to the side, creating space for Sasuke to sit down. He took the offered seat and they sat in content silence for a few minutes.
Sakura saw Sasuke look at her from the corner of her eye. After being teammates with him for over five years, she had learned how to read the almost non-existent signs of emotion in the Uchiha's eyes. Right now, he was looking at her with a questioning note in his eyes, but it changed into a ...disappointed look? She wasn't sure about the meaning of that look.
"You're thinking about him again," he stated neutrally. Sakura flushed slightly at his words. He had read the emotions on her face too well.
"So what? Am I not allowed to?" she retorted fiercely. Sasuke turned his gaze to the area beyond the fire.
"I didn't say that," he stated neutrally. Sakura scowled at his words, but remained silent. They sat in silence again, both scanning their peaceful surroundings, more out of habit that any real need.
Sakura felt her thoughts turn to Naruto again. She desperately wanted to believe that he was still alive, but her subconsciousness kept denying it. If he is still alive, then where is he? Why hasn't he returned? Why has there been no news about him? Despite herself, she felt her steadfast belief waver. Her mind kept coming up with reasons why he couldn't possibly be alive.
She bit her lip slightly. "Sasuke?" she addressed him softly. He didn't answer, but she knew she had his attention. She looked down into the fire. "Do you think he's still alive?" she asked insecurely. He remained silent as he pondered the question.
"I don't know," he finally replied after a few minutes of silence. "I want him to be, but I can't see how it's possible. Fighting alone against two Akatsuki while trying to protect the others on the mission..." He shook his head. "I just can't see how it can be done."
Sakura looked up at the stars in the clear winter sky. Sasuke's words only reinforced her fears. She sighed dejectedly and a sad smile slipped onto her face.
"I guess you're right," she said softly. Sasuke looked concernedly at her before he too turned his eyes skyward.
"But I could be wrong. After all, he is our number one unpredictable ninja," he told her when he noticed her dejected attitude. Sakura felt her heart lift again, if only a bit. A small, grateful smile slipped onto her face.
"That's right. He won't go down without a fight," she said nostalgically. Another crunch behind her alerted her to Kakashi's presence.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, his one visible eye turned upwards in a smile.
"Nothing much," Sakura replied while Sasuke shrugged. "We were talking about Naruto." The smile disappeared slowly from Kakashi's face, before he gave them a fake smile again.
"I see. Well, as long as you don't forget to stay aware of your surroundings, I guess that's alright." Sakura felt the annoyance rise in her. Of course we know that! What rank does he think we are? Academy students? She saw him throw an amused glance at her and opened her mouth to retort when a sudden sound in the distance alerted them of possible trouble. Kakashi's eye narrowed as he focused on the sound. They all sat in tense silence, trying to analyze the sound and whether it presented a threat to them or not. Kakashi's tense stance relaxed a bit.
"Sounds like somebody down in the Country of Rice Fields is trying to track someone. No idea who, though. It's far off, so they should pass us by. However, there's no proof of that, so stay on guard." Sakura nodded seriously and Sasuke grunted noncommittally. They waited a few more minutes until it became clear that the trackers were coming closer. Kakashi sighed in exasperation.
"Ready yourselves for battle and wait, but don't attack first. There's still a chance that they will pass us by," he said calmly. Sakura pulled on her black gloves and Sasuke assumed a battle-ready stance, activating his Sharingan. They all stood staring into the darkness, ready for battle at the slightest sign of trouble. A dry stick cracking in the darkness fixed their attention on the direction the sound came from. Sasuke narrowed his eyes dangerously.
"Somebody is coming closer. The person looks injured," he said while still staring into the darkness. His eyesight was better than the other members of his team's, thus allowing him to see things further off than the rest of them. Sakura fixed her eyes in the direction he was looking and could also vaguely discern a figure in the darkness, steadily approaching them. Kakashi stepped forward.
"Identify yourself," he ordered the figure, but the figure didn't reply. A frown appeared on Kakashi's face. "Did you not hear me? Identify yourself, or we will be compelled to use force on you," he tried again, but the person still didn't reply and just continued forward.
Sakura heard Sasuke gasp slightly beside her. She gave him a questioning glance, but noticed that he was staring at the approaching person with shock on his face.
"It can't be..." he said with a disbelieving expression on his face. It was the most emotion she had seen on his face in an entire year.
"Sasuke? What's wrong?" she asked the Sharigan wielder. He didn't answer, but Sakura didn't notice for in that moment the approaching figure stepped into their campsite and was illuminated by the flickering light from their campfire. The light illuminated features she never really expected to see again. Her eyes widened and she stared at the features with complete and utter disbelief.
"Naruto?" she asked, her voice thick with disbelief. The features were too familiar for it to be somebody else - the blond hair, the strong jaw line, the slightly slanted cerulean eyes and especially the three whisker-like stripes on each cheek; it had to be him. She started to step forward, but Kakashi's hand on her shoulder prevented her. She looked questioningly at him, her eyes asking him why he was stopping her. He merely shook his head at her.
"It could be someone else," he told her softly. She wanted to deny it, but she could not deny the truth in his words. She clenched her fists, but stopped moving. All of them stared cautiously at the figure who had stopped by the fire and was staring bemusedly at it. Kakashi started to demand his identity again, but before he could finish his sentence the figure's eyelids fluttered close and he started to pitch forward towards the fire. He would have fallen face first into the fire had Kakashi not caught him. He lowered the blood-soaked figure gently to the ground.
Sakura rushed towards the two of them, the medic in her taking over. She sank to her knees and activated her medical jutsu, examining the blood-soaked figure in front of her. He was covered in wounds and injuries, but the most worrisomeinjury was the one on his abdomen. 'It's in the same place where the seal that keeps the Kyuubi in check is supposed to be,' Sakura thought distantly while trying to heal the gaping wound. She noticed that Kakashi didn't miss that significance either. The longer she healed him, the surer she got. There were residues of demonic chakra in his blood: chakra she was certain once belonged to the Kyuubi. She looked at Kakashi.
"It's him. I'm certain of it," she told him with certainty in her voice. He looked neutrally at her for a few seconds before nodding slightly, mutely accepting her confirmation.
Sasuke approached the two figures surrounding the blond. "Are you sure?" At her terse nod, he continued. "Then why is he in this condition? Why isn't the Kyuubi healing his wounds?" Sakura closed her eyes and shook her head.
"I don't know. I can only find residues of the Kyuubi's chakra. Maybe the seal isn't working correctly anymore." Kakashi stared at the bloody seal on Naruto's stomach.
"Maybe," he agreed with Sakura. "Or maybe the Kyuubi is no longer sealed within him," he said, still regarding the still blonde. Sakura and Sasuke both stared at Kakashi.
"Then why isn't he dead?" Sasuke asked bluntly. Kakashi shrugged nonchalantly.
"I don't know. I don't have all the answers," he said neutrally. Sakura placed her hand on the bloodied blonde's forehead, but quickly snatched it back.
"If he doesn't get proper medical attention soon, he will be," she pointed out. "I can't do anything else out here. He's lost too much blood," she said, focusing green chakra into his burning brow, trying to lower his fever. Kakashi frowned slightly at her words.
"We are getting relieved from duty tomorrow morning sometime. Will you be able to keep him alive until then?" he asked the pinkette. She pursed her lips as she contemplated the question.
"I don't know. It will be pushing it. I may be able to keep him alive until then, but I don't know if he will be able to reach the village then," she finally responded. "He's not in a very good condition, to state it lightly." Kakashi looked at the blonde lying on the ground before addressing Sakura again.
"Do whatever you can. I will send a message to our relief and the village. If our relief manage to come sooner, his chances might increase, right?" he asked her.
She nodded. "If we manage to set off towards the village tonight, his chances will be much higher," she replied. Kakashi took out some writing utensils and Sakura turned her attention back towards the bloodied blonde. His breathing was ragged and he was clearly in pain. She felt her heart clench at the sight; she could not bear seeing him in so much pain. She felt Sasuke's presence settle beside her.
"How can you be so sure that it's really him?" he softly asked. She remained silent for a minute while she pondered his question.
"Everything points towards it. The Kyuubi's chakra is very prominent in his body, even if it is only residues of it. Normal people can't handle even a bit of demonic chakra and as I said, he still has some in his body," she finally replied. She heard Sasuke grunt his acceptance of her answer.
Kakashi approached them again. "I send Pakkun with the message," he told the two of them. "If we're lucky, our relief might come tonight," he said in a neutral tone. Sakura looked at him, her eyes unreadable. "However, the danger is not over yet. The trackers from the Country of Rice Fields were most likely tracking him," Kakashi continued and indicated with his head towards the blonde. "We'll have to handle it ourselves." Sakura felt her heart clench at the thought of losing Naruto again, especially now that they had finally found him. She looked at Kakashi with determination in her eyes.
"We can't allow them to get to him. We have to protect him," she said determinately. Kakashi's eye flickered between her and the blonde lying on the ground before focusing on her again.
"You're right. Seeing as he can't do anything to protect himself right now, we will have to keep his pursuers away for him," he said and turned his head away from them, but not before Sakura saw the doubt in his eyes. She frowned at the sight, but shrugged it off as she focused on the coming battle, the sounds of the pursuers closing in becoming clearer with each passing second.
_~...~_
A/N: So, what do you think? Is there anything you liked? Is there anything you didn't like? Is it realistic? I'm a huge sucker for realism, so I would like my stories to be as realistic as possible. If there's something that you feel is just too unrealistic, please tell me! Also, please point out to me the places where my grammar is messed up!
Please review! I would like to improve my writing, so if there's anything you feel I can improve on, please let me know!