#torusaku | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thefreckledone · 7 years

Text

Pompeii 38

“Naruto!”

Sakura heard the outcry of those around her but ignored it as she darted forward, catching the brunt of Naruto as he fell. She grunted, bracing her feet and slowly brought both of their bodies to the ground. She pressed her fingers to his pulse, glad to find it steady and strong. His skin, however, was cool to the touch and ashen grey. What the hell was going on?

“Naruto,” Sakura murmured, balancing his head on her lap. His eyelids fluttered slightly but remained firmly shut. “Naruto.”

“What the hell happened?” Menma demanded, brushing her shoulder brusquely as he sat down next to her. He took in the way her hands caressed Naruto’s temples and scowled. “Take your hands off him!”

“W-What?” Sakura said, so startled that she did as he asked. She looked to him, confused. “I’m trying to help him, Menma.”

Menma glared at her, leaning in close. “I’ve overheard my parents talking with Hashirama. Strange things are happening in Pompeii. The forest is…doing something to people. And it’s your fault!” His voice was soft, but Sakura saw a few onlookers react to the statement in shock.

“My fault?” Sakura asked, frowning softly. “I have nothing to do with this.”

Menma sneered, shaking his head. “So you say. All I know is mom and dad wouldn’t want you touching Naruto so back off.”

“Menma-”

“I said back off!”

Menma’s eyes flashed blue for a moment as golden energy spread from him and Naruto, buffeting Sakura and sending her skidding across the floor. She hit the wall hard, breath knocked from her body as her ribcage twinged in pain.

There was a flurry of movement from multiple people and Sakura heard Ino shouting, her voice shrill as she rained insults down on Menma. Sakura made to stand, frowning when she found she could not. Sai’s face swam into view and even through the fuzziness, Sakura could see the anger in his eyes. Was he mad at her too?”

Sakura’s head lolled to the side as Sai lifted her into his arms, holding her close. He looked her over and something ran across his expression but Sakura couldn’t quite read it. Not now, when she was distracted by the pretty light cast by the lamps in the room.

Ink leapt free from Sai’s arm, forming into an eagle as Sakura continued to watch the dancing lights.

“Let’s go home Sakura.”

The eagle’s wings swallowed them whole as something tugged at Sakura’s gut before they suddenly reappeared in Yamato and Sai’s apartment. There was a discordant twang as Yamato slammed down his instrument of the day, a banjo this time.

“What happened?” he demanded, rough voice belying the gentleness with which he pulled Sakura into his arms. “Who did this?”

“Uzumaki,” Sai replied.

“Hey Yamato,” Sakura said, bringing her hand up and patting Yamato’s face clumsily.

“Hey sunshine,” Yamato said, voice soft as he brushed the hair out of her eyes. His gaze cut to Sai, icy. “What happened?”

“Naruto collapsed at Ino’s party,” Sai said, clenching and releasing his fists rhythmically. “Sakura started to help but Menma knocked her away. She hit her head against the wall pretty hard.”

Yamato nodded, carrying Sakura downstairs to the clinic. He set her up on one of the examination tables, checking her eyes. “Her pupils look normal which is good, but I think that asshole concussed her.”

He turned to Sai, who was fidgeting with his hands, trying to ignore the strange feeling that was nearly overwhelming him. It was similar to the way he felt when Shin died, but he didn’t know the name to the experience. He just knew he hated it.

“Sai, go upstairs and make her something to eat. Get her some water too. She’ll need to sleep.”

Sai nodded, throat tight as he watched Sakura list against Yamato’s side. He turned, heading upstairs quickly, hoping to escape the feelings that threatened to overwhelm him.

It didn’t help.

“Alright,” Yamato said, methodically checking Sakura over for any signs of injury. “Would you prefer to stay at my apartment tonight or yours?”

“Yours will be fine,” Sakura said, balance still off. “I’m sorry for being such a hassle.”

“Nonsense,” Yamato said firmly, mouth tightening when Sakura flinched under his touch as he explored her ribs. “May I?”

Sakura nodded, sitting up and nearly toppling over as she tried to pull up her shirt. Yamato caught her and adjusted her shirt so he could check her ribcage. He caught his breath as the livid blossom of bruises came into view.

“Lay down,” Yamato ordered, assisting her in doing so before he began to explore the side cabinet where Sakura kept common, nonprescription potions and the like. He pulled out one clear vial filled with something that looked like a liquid storm cloud. He knew this potion all too well from the Senju compound. While such precious resources were rarely expended on him, he’d seen many Senju use it after patrols or a particularly aggressive spar. “Let’s get you up to bed.”

“Dinner in bed?” Sakura asked, curling into Yamato’s warmth. “That’s pretty special.”

“You’re a special woman, Sakura,” Yamato replied.

“I’m not though,” Sakura said, thinking of the fear in Menma’s eyes. “I’m really not.”

Yamato just tightened his grip on her, carrying her up to his bedroom and placing her in his bed. “Sai?”

“Here,” Sai replied, bringing in a tray laden with a grilled cheese sandwich and fruit slices. “I added the tomato to the grilled cheese, just as you like it.”

“You spoil me,” Sakura said, grabbing the tray and starting in on the sandwich.

Sai sat down on the corner of the bed, watching as she consumed the meal. Something warm burned in his chest, battering against his ribs and threatening to draw him under. He looked to Yamato as he leaned against the doorway, eyes dark with contemplation. Sai wasn’t too good at sussing out emotional responses, but he was familiar with this particular expression.

Anger.

“You need to go to bed, Sakura,” Yamato said as he took the tray away. “We’ll wake you every hour and a half to check on you.”

“You don’t have to worry about that!” Sakura protested around a yawn. “I don’t want to be a burden.”

“You’re not,” Sai said shortly. “See you soon.”

Yamato and Sai watched as she drifted off into sleep, troubled expression falling slack.

“I’ll take first watch,” Yamato said, focus entirely on Sakura.

Sai nodded, moving silently from the room and taking a seat on the couch. He frowned, clutching at the hollow feeling that pervaded his chest.

It persisted through the night.

Sakura glanced up from her computer to Shizune as she hung up the phone. “Another cancellation?”

Shizune nodded, scowling down at the phone. “Last minute too! People can be so rude!”

“At least they called in,” Sakura replied, biting her lip as she removed the only appointment on the calendar for the day. Her eyes burned with embarrassment, but her voice was steady as she said, “Shizune, how about you head out for the day? I know Tsunade was getting your help in a few potions.”

“But what about the clinic?” Shizune asked, coming around her desk to press a hand to Sakura’s shoulder.

“I’ve got it covered,” Sakura replied, still refusing to meet her gaze for fear of the pity she’d find. “I’ll keep working on adding old files to our computer database. Go on now, I can handle whatever comes in.”

Shizune squeezed her shoulder once before heading out. As the bell above the door chimed her exit, Sakura slumped forward, groaning into her arms. Ever since the debacle that was Ino’s party, there was a noticeable drop in clients. Sakura wasn’t sure what was going on with the residents of Pompeii and they seemed disinclined to tell her. She certainly felt their stares and heard their whispers as she walked around town.

It wasn’t surprising really.

She overstayed her welcome.

She always did, eventually.

Truthfully, Sakura lasted longer in Pompeii than she had elsewhere. A full year. She thought, in her most secret of thoughts, that she’d finally found her place, that she’d carved out a Sakura-sized niche into the town.

It was too good to be true.

The bell above the door tinkled and Sakura shot up, shoving her self-pity aside as she eagerly looked to her client. Except…there was no one there.

Wind whipped up Sakura’s hair around her face as a familiar voice said, “Why the long face, dear?”

“Fujin,” she greeted with a laugh. “It is good to hear your voice.”

Fujin rumbled a laugh that sounded of thunder claps. “You avoid my question.”

“It’s nothing really,” Sakura said. “The slow day allows for some morose introspection.”

“I’m surprised you aren’t seeing more business,” Fujin said and, from the way the papers on her desk fluttered, Sakura thought perhaps he was sitting upon her desk now.

“Why is that?” Sakura asked. He remained silent. “Fujin, you can tell me. What’s going on?”

“Well, it’s just…I’ve watched several of the town’s citizens collapse abruptly. I’d thought that they would come here for treatment, of course. Is that not the case?”

Sakura swallowed around her tight throat. “No, I hadn’t been informed. Thank you for letting me know.”

Fujin stayed with her for a while, chattering on about some inanity or another. When he noticed her lack of attention, he huffed warm winds against her face before leaving the clinic.

Sakura followed after him, locking the door to the clinic before taking a seat on one of the examination tables. She pressed her face into her hands and breathed deep, trying to center herself. It seemed that whatever was afflicting Naruto spread to the rest of the town. She couldn’t think of any illness that could do such a thing to supernatural beings like the townspeople. What was going on in Pompeii?

Sakura bit down on her lip until it bled.

Whatever it was, it clearly wouldn’t be shared with her. They didn’t trust her. And Sakura could certainly understand why.

She was the outsider, the interloper.

Sakura didn’t belong in Pompeii.

She’d known that on some level for quite some time now. After all, didn’t the very bones of Pompeii, its forest, hunt and hate her? Why did it surprise her that many of its denizens followed suit?

Try as she might, her hands did very little to muffle her sobs as they echoed around the empty clinic.

Sakura wasn’t sure how much time passed before she became aware of a persistent tapping at the door. She swiped at her eyes, splashing her face with cold water and surveying her face. Her eyes were red and it was obvious that she’d been crying. However, she didn’t have the time for vanity as she hurried out to the front. Two men she’d never seen stood outside the door, faces blank.

One’s face was mostly obscured by a set of goggles, tufts of dark hair sticking out above it. The other was taller, with long red hair and pale brown eyes. This was the one who tapped upon the door in a concise rhythm.

Sakura unlocked the door, letting in the two men.

“How may I help you?” Sakura asked.

“I am known as Torune,” the dark haired man said. “This one is known as Fu. We require assistance.”

“Of course,” Sakura replied, snapping to attention.

Fu stepped forward, proffering his leg. He pulled up the leg of his pants, exposing a substantial third-degree burn.

Sakura was surprised that he was even able to walk.

“Follow me,” she said, glancing askance at Torune as he moved to follow as well.

“He will accompany me,” Fu said, face still slack despite the obvious pain the burn must be causing him.

Sakura nodded, setting him up in one of the examination rooms before pulling on her gloves. She rifled through the potions on the shelves, pulling free a pale blue poultice with a consistency like molasses.

“This will numb the pain and negate any further damage to the flesh,” Sakura said, unscrewing the lid. She used tweezers to pick up a swab, dipping it into the potion. Even with the distance between herself and the potion, Sakura could feel the chill rising off of it. “From there I will be able to apply a regenerative potion. Do you have any questions?”

“Your eyes are red and bloodshot,” Fu said, staring at her. “Do you have allergies?”

“Have you recently partaken in cannabis?” Torune asked.

Sakura snorted at their unexpected questions, even as she continued applying the poultice to Fu’s burn. “I was crying,” Sakura admitted, surprised that it hadn’t been there first guess.

“Crying,” they both repeated, canting their heads to the side at the same time.

Sakura couldn’t help it, she laughed and laughed until there were tears springing to her eyes again. She placed down the tweezers, hands shaking. Torune leaned in, drawing a gloved hand across the corner of her eye and collecting the tears.

“Fascinating,” he said.

When she finally caught herself, she finished Fu’s treatment rather quickly, bandaging the wound. She couldn’t help but be impressed. Not once during the treatment had Fu expressed any sign of pain, not even a flinch.

She completed a prescription note and passed it to Fu, saying, “Make sure to change the dressing every other day. Run by Chiyo’s and get your prescription filled. With the regenerative treatment, your wound should be gone in a week, week and a half at most. Come back by if you see any signs of infection.”

Both men nodded.

“Thank you, Dr. Haruno,” Fu said.

“And where should I direct the bill?”

“Danzo will take care of it,” Torune said. “Goodbye Dr. Haruno. We will see you again soon.”

Sakura checked her phone once more, making sure she was moving in the right direction. She was on the other side of Lake Icarus, in an area of Pompeii that once boomed with industrial prosperity. Pompeii was at one point a leader in the logging industry, as small pockets of supernatural beings moved into the town and found prosperity in the honest work. As the community was built up into the thriving civilization it currently was and the States began to import many of their goods, the logging business fell to the wayside, making way for the varied small businesses that made up the community of Pompeii.

Ahead, Sakura could see several towering, brick work buildings. They were all in various stages of disrepair and covered in telltale burn marks on both the exterior and interior. There’d been a skirmish here between the Uchiha and Senju and the fire damage was the remaining proof of it. A sense of unease crept up Sakura’s back as she walked down the dirt path between the buildings, taking in the gouges to the ground left from decades of hauling logs along the same path. This was a forgotten place, a reminder of the fickleness of supernatural beings. As soon as something ceased to be new and exciting, it was abandoned. Sakura could relate.

So too, she knew, could the transients.

They’d been mentioned in passing by Yamato as he discussed his former duties for the Senju. One of which was making sure that no one trespassed on the Senju compound.

Sakura hadn’t the slightest idea up until this point that there was a disproportionately large homeless population in Pompeii. She’d never encountered it during her exploration of the town nor in her clinic. From what Yamato said, it seemed there was a reason for that.

Sakura couldn’t help but wonder what else she’d been blind to, the amorality that undergirded the opulence of Pompeii.

(The trees weren’t the only vicious thing in Pompeii. Frankly, the people were much more worrisome.)

It was as Sakura approached the boat house that was on the verge of collapse that she saw a flicker of movement.

Sakura turned, casting her eyes up to the old watchtower. It was a tall, spindly thing and Sakura was surprised to find it still standing as it looked like a mere breeze could blow it asunder. There were multiple flat platforms leading up to the top, connected by sets of ladders. At the crest of the tower was a sort of roost, a lookout point from which a keen eyed individual once monitored the logging process. She clutched her seeing stone, catching faint trails of pink energy around the legs of the tower. At the top of the tower, Sakura could make out tendrils of long brown hair.

Sakura set about climbing the tower, tucking her bag against her side as she scampered from one ladder to the next. The wind coming off the lake buffeted her as she climbed higher and higher until, finally, she stood on the platform below the roost. There was a sort of door in the floor of the roost that Sakura pushed open as she climbed through. She looked up into the wary faces of four strangers.

All were dressed in ill-fitting, threadbare garments that hung loosely about their limbs. There was a gaunt look to them, a hunger that ran bone-deep. Sakura now saw that the wisps of hair belonged to the sole woman in the group who looked up at her with baleful dark eyes.

“What do you want?” one of them, his face covered in bandages, demanded, leaping to his feet. “What could you possibly want from us?”

Sakura stayed in her position low to the ground, holding up her empty hands. “I don’t want anything from you. I brought some items with me I’d like to give you. If you’re willing, I’d like to give you a physical check-up and make sure you’re doing well.”

He laughed, the sound grating with anger. “We know better than to trust doctors around here.”

Sakura looked between them all, taking in their resolute expressions before nodding. “Very well. I’ll just leave these things here and go,” Sakura said as she reached for her bag.

As she did so, the bandaged man’s arms came up and she saw the glint of silver before she heard a high-pitched whistling. Sakura frowned for a moment as her ears began to ring and suddenly she was falling over, clutching at the side of the roost. She brought a shaky hand up to her ear, staring as it came away tacky with blood.

“What did you do?” Sakura asked, voice distant and garbled even to herself. It was as if she was speaking underwater. “How did you rupture my eardrum?”

“With the ‘blessing’ the last doctor in Pompeii gave me,” he replied, moving over to her side.

“Dosu, what the hell are you doing?” the woman in the group hissed. “If anyone in town finds out…”

“Remember what happened last time?” one asked. Sakura wasn’t sure if it was the disorientation or not, but it looked like he had six arms. “We can’t afford another purge.”

“Shut up!” Dosu snapped, pulling her bag roughly from Sakura’s shoulder. She didn’t protest, merely holding her ear. “What have we here?” He stopped as he surveyed the bag’s contents, turning an assessing eye back to Sakura.

“What is it?” the woman asked, standing up and making her way over.

“She wasn’t lying,” Dosu said, voice soft and unreadable.

Sakura blinked as something was thrust into her face. A hand. She took Dosu’s hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet once more. Sakura nearly fell against him, her equilibrium thrown by her perforated eardrum. He braced her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as he assisted her over to the rest of the group. They all made space for her upon the pallets and furs they had gathered in this corner of the roost.

“Sorry about Dosu,” the six-armed man said, glaring at Dosu. “He means well but he is far too hasty.”

Dosu made a response, but it wasn’t one that Sakura could hear, seeing as he sat to her right side.

“I should be the one apologizing,” Sakura replied. “I didn’t even stop to think how my approach could be seen as threatening. I am sorry for frightening you.” All of them paused in their brewing argument, just looking at her. “Here,” Sakura said, taking the bag from Dosu and opening it up. She wanted a distraction from the weight of their stares. “I brought a few blankets with me. I have some coats back at home as well, but I wasn’t sure about sizes. Oh, and I have some food items!” Sakura began doling out the items, until she reached the bottom of the bag.

She pulled her stethoscope free, looking at the four individuals. “I know that you’ve been mistreated in the past by doctors and for that I am truly sorry. I cannot begin to imagine the betrayal you experienced at that doctor’s hands. Please, I ask that you will consider receiving a check-up. I will be as quick and noninvasive as possible.”

They all exchanged looks for a moment before the woman moved forward, situating herself in front of Sakura. “I’m Kin,” she introduced. “I would be happy to receive a physical from you.”

Sakura quickly set to work, making the best of the unconventional circumstances. Now that they’d deemed her a non-threat, the group was rather lively, making sure to introduce themselves: Dosu, Kidomaru, Kin, and Zaku. With her perforated eardrum, Sakura only caught snippets of the conversation that swirled around her, but she appreciated their general good cheer.

As Sakura brushed Kin’s hair away from her back, Kin flinched, hand clamping down on the side of her neck. Everyone fell silent as Sakura withdrew her hands.

Sakura’s eyes caught on the side of Kin’s neck. There was a bandage there, in a similar position to the one she saw on Juugo just a few weeks ago. As Sakura covertly looked over the others, she found similar bandages in the same area.

“What happened to you all?” Sakura asked, voice soft with empathy. “Who did this to you?”

“Orochimaru,” Kidomaru said, arms folding in disgust.

“Kabuto,” Dosu said at the same time.

“Kabuto?” Sakura asked, unfamiliar with the name.

“The last doctor in Pompeii,” Zaku said, speaking up for the first time aside from introductions. “He was twisted, thought he could bend the laws of reality and unreality to his vision...by the time his experiments were discovered, it was too late for many of us.”

“What happened to him?” Sakura asked.

“He was destroyed,” Kidomaru replied, grim satisfaction in his face. “Consumed by his experiments until not a trace of him was left upon this plane of existence.”

“How does this relate to Orochimaru?”

“Kabuto was a fanatic follower of the snake,” Kin replied, lifting the bandage at her shoulder. Three tear shaped dots were arranged in a circle. “He followed meticulously in Orochimaru’s footsteps, branding us as the monsters among monsters.”

“And now you live here?” Sakura asked, treading lightly.

Dosu snorted. “Kabuto chose his targets well; none of us were attached to large, established clans. We didn’t have roots in Pompeii, so when the time came and all was revealed...well, it was easy enough to uproot us and sweep us into the cracks.” Sakura was almost certain he was smiling beneath the bandages. “We’re weeds after all.”

Sakura stood to her feet abruptly, lurching to the right as her lack of balance made itself known.

“Sakura?”

“No,” Sakura said. “You aren’t just something that can be tossed aside!” She traipsed recklessly toward the hatch in the floor, oblivious to the way that Kidomaru’s arms came up on both sides of her, ready to catch her should she fall. She stopped beside the hatch, gesturing out to the abandoned logging mill. “So they decided to overlook you and leave you to rot, fine. You’re made of sterner stuff; you’re weeds dammit!” Sakura grinned, looking at them again. “Do you know what weeds do best? They come back again and again, making those inhospital cracks a home.”

“What do you plan to do?” Zaku asked, watching her with wide eyes.

“We’re gonna make this place a home,” Sakura replied.

Sakura marched back toward her apartment, joy making her light and airy. Her plans were coming along quite nicely, thanks to the efforts that both Sai and Yamato made to assist. It had been a rough start truthfully, especially when they realized that her eardrum was ruptured. Still, with a quick recovery to the injury and some fast talking on Sakura’s part, they made peace with the idea of helping.

The two of them were still at the logging mill, assisting Dosu and the others in making the place truly habitable once more.

She just had to grab a few items, the journal among them, and she’d be heading back to continue the rebuilding process. As she rounded to the front of the clinic, Sakura paused as she took in the sight of a nondescript black vehicle. Among the luxury cars of Pompeii, it stood out in its plainness.

Trepidation rising, Sakura’s gaze moved toward the door where she met bright red eyes.

“I need to ask you some questions,” Tobirama said, mouth firm and gaze hard.

#pompeii #sakura haruno #saisaku #yamasaku #weird wednesdays #my fic #our fic #things are heating up y'all #yamato #sai #zaku #dosu #torune #fu #kin #kidomaru #torusaku #fusaku #dosusaku

80 notes · View notes