empathy (rewritten 2019)

chapter twenty-four

Shortly after Keiko was made jounin, she was chosen for a long-term mission. The details were classified, but Keiko came to training that day telling Sakura that it was a simple report mission, where she'd go under an alias for a few months and return once her replacement came.

For the first few weeks, Keiko sent back alongside her reports letters for Sakura, telling her of the sunshine and the fishermen by the shoreline and such. The last letter Sakura received was Keiko saying she had to go dark for a while, i was almost caught.

Sakura waited three more months for another letter. She never got one. And so she waited a few more. Eventually it dipped into a year long of radio silence, a year of training alone and asking Tsunade for any updates on Keiko's mission (and, ultimately, receiving no help).

Naruto returned and the team was replaced and Sakura, in the midst of all this change, hoped for another letter in the mail, another call; just a sign that Keiko was there and would still be there for her. It never came, not until Team Yamato formed and they embarked on their first mission of infiltrating an old base and sweeping it through.

The team split up between hallways and Sakura busted down door after door, searching for an Uchiha, before busting down another door and finding a red head. "Hey! Wha--Sakura?"

"Keiko?" Before the Sakura could utter another word, Keiko dragged the pinkette inside and closed the door, lighting the torch by her bedside. "Keiko? What are you doing here? I haven't heard from you since--"

"Sakura, I need your hel--What? I've been sending letters ever since I left. What do you mean?" Keiko looked different; her hair was stringy and cut to her chin, her eyes were red and dry, and her clothes were dirtied and rugged. "Whatever. We can talk about that later. I need you to listen to me, right now."

"Wha--"

"Listen, please, Sakura. This mission--I was sent here to infiltrate Orochimaru's base and report on Sasuke Uchiha's state so the Hokage could keep an eye on Orochimaru's progress." Keiko held the pinkette's hands tight. "But I stole something from him that I need you to deliver to the Hokage, please, it's important."

"Keiko, you're not making any sense, you told me it was just a--"

"I lied. I had to." They heard Yamato's voice down the hall, calling her. Keiko squeezed their hands together once more and broke their bond apart, blowing out the light and pushing Sakura out. "You need to go, now. He can't know we talked."

Sakura stumbled out of the hall and opened her hand. It was a necklace, with a wooden charm in the middle carved like a mini scroll. "Sakura!" Yamato called down the hall.

Sakura spared another glance at the door, silent and dark as the others, and ran down the hall.