A continuation of "Under the Grove Trees - Part 1".
A sasusaku au (angst w/ a happy ending?) snippet. TBC?
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Rough paw pads raced over gravel, crunching and flinging up small rocks as the she-wolf raced down the driveway to her pack house. She yipped at a few of the pack members as she passed them, the ones who waved or gave a small nod in greeting to their alpha's little princess.
She leaped up the front steps, two at a time, before swiftly slipping past one of the guardsmen as he swung the door open for her, a small eye roll and tired smile hidden from her view. Sakura skidded, slipped and stumbled across the linoleum floor before finally reaching her destination. She was panting and looked up to see the familiar name of the pack's only healer (and also her adoptive mother) written across a golden plaque hanging along the upper part of it.
She reached up on hind legs and scratched at the wood, a small whimper coming from her throat as she waited and listened. A small curse sounded from the other side before heavy footsteps began to approach. Sakura lowered back to the ground and backed up a few steps before taking a seat. The doorknob turned and she cocked her head to the side as Tsunade swung the door wider.
The older female gave her a very severe once over before shaking her head. "Again? What am I going to do with you, child? Seriously, what happened this time," she asked as she stepped to the side and indicated for Sakura to enter. Her tail was swaying slightly and a wolfy grin was present on her jowls as she entered.
Sakura made her way into the dimly lit room and moved to her usual spot by the heat of the hearth... shaking out her fur once before laying down on the large floor rug with her paws outstretched. Tsunade made a sound in the back of her throat before shutting the door behind her. "Staying in that form?" Sakura simply huffed and the blonde sighed. "I guess it will have to do, but we need to form a mind link so that I can understand what happened. Okay?"
The woman gathered her supplies and then moved to sit beside Sakura by the fire. "So, what happened," she asked again before setting to work with her tweezers, pulling tiny pieces of glass from the young wolf's fur.
She sighed before closing her eyes, her mind transporting her back in time to a couple of hours ago. "I... went to see him again. Before you say anything, I know it's dangerous and I shouldn't have done it. But... you should also know that I can't stay away from him. I love him..."
Tsunade shook her head and then scowled as she wiggled a particularly stubborn piece from Sakura's thick coat. "I do understand, but that doesn't mean I agree with your stupid decisions, child. You know what the consequences would be if they found you... it was reckless of you to go alone."
"I know and I'm sorry."
"That said, it still doesn't explain the state you are in. What happened? Did you jump through a window or something."
"... maybe."
"SAKURA HAR—"
"It's not what you think," she said as she shifted to lay on her other side. She gave a small hiss, her body sore from the wounds that she had sustained, the severity of which were much worse than she had previously thought. "I did it to save a child... a newborn."
"A baby?"
"Yes. After I left Sasuke... I was running through the forest on my way back home when I heard a wreck. So, I went to investigate it and that's when I found him. Tsunade-sama, it was horrific. It's parents... and then the poor baby... they were human."
Tsunade stopped mid pull and shifted her gaze to Sakura's face. "Humans? Why would they have been way out here? Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. I know the difference."
"How odd..."
"That's not all, apart from the vampire's and humans there was another scent... one I haven't smelt before."
"What did it smell like?"
"... it's hard to explain. It wasn't normal. It was... evil. I fear that it may be something we have no idea about and with it being so close to the pack lands..."
"I'll talk to Kakashi about it. I'm sure he will look into it."
"Just tell him to be careful, please. Something didn't feel right about the whole thing. It felt... staged or intentional or something."
"I will. You know he will be just fine. He's strong and smart. There isn't much out there that can surprise him."
"... yeah."
Sakura grew silent and was grateful that Tsunade seemed to sense her need for space, simply resuming the onerous task of removing the sharp glass and then stitching her up in the places that were much too deep and jagged to heal properly on their own. That night, once she had finally left Tsunade's company, her brain and body were still reeling from everything that has happened as she made her way back to her room and after Sakura had finally fallen asleep after a quick shower her mind was still as restless as ever; filled with wayward dreams full of both light and love... but also despair and anguish as she was forced to relive her horrific night terrors over and over again.
The endless cycle of which she seemed unable to escape from.