Okay, wow. I can't believe this is done. D: Between illness and classes and posting it was hard to find time, but I did it! Woot... I dun have a song this time. xD Use your imagination, and the title should be a little more intruiging than the last one, hurhur... I couldn't help myself. Enjoy~

OH YEAH. NARUTO IS NOT MINE AND NEITHER IS SACHIKO. :3 JUST SO WE KNOW.

C R I S I S - - P A R T O N E

III: F A N S E R V I C E (also known as "I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS SHIT.")

I would love to tell you that everything went fine from there, and that Itachi swallowed his pride and told me what was going on and then I was able to blow his head off with my beloved shotgun and then I would be able to pass it off as an unfortunate accident when someone asked. But no, instead he said something that kinda confused me and then proceeded to press a button on his ComPilot thing and then a couple'a Hazmat guys came from behind and dragged me off in the same direction as Locke was being pulled in, which in my opinion was completely unfair. I had no idea that there were even people other than the group alive here in Tokyo, so of course I was more than pissed when it turns out that there were more than fifty-something people alive and well and working for Itachi here while the rest of us were fighting for our lives.

This is all what I assumed, of course. I had no way of knowing their true purpose, or who they were, or what was really going on... It was all a stroke of luck that I had run into Itachi that day. Yeah, luck—tentacle rape monsters, strange American men, glittering silver suits and loud noises... Something about Locke being infected. He didn't look infected to me, nor did he have any marks that would say otherwise—but then again, how many people had come into the hospitals looking just fine? More than I could count, really, so there was no way that I could just assume that he was perfectly well. I had to believe those odd men in Hazmat suits, though you can bet that I screamed and fought to try and get away when they tied my arms behind my back.

I don't really remember what happened next. I remember Itachi talking into his device to someone, a voice that I knew, about me... I can't recall what they were saying; their voices are fuzzy and blurred inside my mind. What I do recall, though, was a sharp, puncturing pain in my upper arm and liquid pressure as some sort of drug was injected into my system. I couldn't fight it as it worked its way through me, I could only hold onto the single thought that I had to find out what was going on here as my consciousness escaped me. And that Locke guy... As much as I wanted to string him up over a huge group of zombies and just ring the dinner bell, he had saved my life, and I would have to return the favour somehow.

Somehow... Yes, I would formulate a plan one way or another. I was a natural strategist, but that didn't mean that I would know where he was, or if he was even near me. I immediately regretted leaving the group, because they would have no idea where I was or if I was okay, and if I couldn't help myself, then how was I expected to help someone else? I had no goddamn idea where to even begin, and my mind flitted through possible scenarios even when I was out like that.

Apparently I was out for about six hours. Enough time for them to take me underground, strip me of all my weapons and leave me with only a pathetic 9mm handgun (which I had no idea how to use, considering that I had never even held a pistol) and a thin blanket on a stone floor. Luckily enough I had a partner.

She was the one that woke me up and helped me out—though it was only a side effect of helping herself. That woman became a valuable comrade, though, and I would love to spoil how our relationship went, but I could just show you.

Of course, I was pissed when I finally woke, and it didn't take much to guess as to who was pissing me off.

He should have been scared. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

- - -

August 5th, 9:57 AM

Unknown Location, Outside Tokyo

Underground Cell

- - -

It was cold.

Not even like, 'oh, it's winter so it's bound to be cold' kinda cold, but 'what the fuck, did someone shove me in a freezer?' kinda cold. And on top of that, it was August. It was not supposed to be chill-you-to-the-bones cold in August.

There was no good reason for it, but the roseate-haired woman lying on the ground, curled under a thin blanket had no way of knowing why it was so frigid, considering that she had been out like a light for a good few hours. She should probably have been waking up soon, but something inside her head was forcing her into some odd kind of hibernation due to the fact that it was so fucking chilly. She should probably have chosen thicker clothing considering that she knew that she was at war with the living dead, but there was no good way of knowing that heading to a collapsed building and blowing up a writhing mass of tentacles would get her captured and thrown into a cell.

And of course she still had no idea that she was curled up under a blanket in said cell, and that she wasn't alone.

Well, she was for the time being, but normally there was someone else there... Speak of the devil.

“Get your hands off of me!”

Sakura cringed at the feminine yell, sliding back into consciousness. Her head was already starting to hurt... She groaned as she sat up, rubbing her verdant and slightly sleep-swollen eyes.

“Whuzgoinon?” she yawned, rather groggy from the drugs pumping throughout her system as they faded. The other woman fixed her with a rather odd stare, apparently not expecting company.

“Who the hell're you?” Sakura finally opened her eyes fully, taking in her surroundings. Stone walls, iron bars, smelly cot... Oh, fuck her life. Over and over again.

“Haruno Sakura. To whom do I owe this pleasure?” Her tone was dripping with sarcasm, and the other woman only shook her head.

“Haretsu Sachiko. Did Itachi get you, too?” Huh. Someone else here knew the bastard. Sakura nodded in response as she looked the woman over—she was rather pretty, probably more so than herself. Red hair, green eyes, slim and wearing sweatpants and a tank top.

“Yeah, he did. I almost got absorbed by some giant tentacle rape monster thing, if you know what the hell that is--”

“You mean the giant writhing mass of goo? The one that eats zombies and is impossible to kill?” Sachiko's lips curled into a smirk, and Sakura allowed herself a small laugh.

“That's the one. I stuck a grenade in the fucker and then Itachi showed up.” The redhead's eyes lit up at the mention of explosives.

“Nice one. Did it work?”

“Yeah, it did. I was surprised, actually... But then our weasel came and dragged me off.” Sakura finished in a mutter, and Sachiko only nodded.

“Sounds the same as what happened to me. I was with a group, and we had teams—I was on Team Nine--” The rosette's lips parted in quiet surprise.

“Wait, you were one of the ones on Team Nine? Naruto said--”

“Naruto's okay?” Sachiko looked rather surprised, and Sakura nodded slowly. The other woman sighed in relief as she sank down onto the cot across from her, a rather happy smile crossing her features.

“Why do you... What does he have to do with anything?” The medic was a bit confused, but Sachiko merely grunted and straightened up.

“Nothing. I'm just happy he's okay.”

“Yeah right... Tell me what happened to Team Nine.”

“How about you tell me how you know Naruto?” Sakura rolled her eyes.

“He saved my ass and then tried to kiss me...” Sachiko frowned, but Sakura continued anyway. “And then he and Sasuke took me back to the station and assigned me a team. I was on Team Seven.”

“Oh. Well, I was there before... I was on Team Nine. We were sent to go and explore a couple of buildings where other groups of survivors had been to see if we could find anything, and instead were greeted by... Well, the thing that nearly got you,” her tone was rather dull, but Sakura was hanging onto every word as she continued. “We hadn't been expecting that—it grabbed my teammates before I could react and tore them to bits.”

“Ew.”

“'Ew' indeed. It was pulling me in when the helicopter showed up... Apparently the thing had been an escaped experiment. That's how I ended up here—our boy Itachi locked me up for seeing it.” The redhead shrugged. “I've only been here a couple weeks. I finally gathered enough things to escape.”

“And how do you plan to do that?” Sachiko's eyes glimmered, and Sakura immediately regretted asking the question.

“Explosives. What else?”

- - -

By the time the redhead finished explaining the plan to Sakura, the medic was completely sure that the woman was nuts. Yeah, when the guards came around every now and then to check on them Sachiko looked indifferent, but Sakura knew better. The woman had apparently been stockpiling supplies when she was taken out for exams and things, and under her bed was a rather large stash of gasoline, Comet and Drain-o. Now, Sakura didn't know exactly what she planned to be doing with these things, but it could not be good.

That was why Sakura watched with a worried expression as the other woman loaded a film canister (how she had gotten one was beyond the medic's comprehension) partially with Comet, filling the remaining half with the liquid Drain-o and recapping the little canister. Sakura may not have been an expert, but she knew that it could not be a good thing.

“Um... What exactly are you doing?”

“Building a bomb.” Her tone made Sakura frown, the sound of it making her think that Sachiko thought it was the most obvious thing in the world. It really wasn't in Sakura's opinion, considering that she had always found that explosives were best when they were ready-made and there was some way of lighting them, but Sachi seemed rather proud of herself as she held the tiny canister up for inspection.

“Are you sure it'll work?” Sakura watched as the woman poked her head through the bars to look for guards before beginning to move the beds into what looked like an impromptu shelter.

“Duh. Don'tcha trust me?” The woman was wearing a rather... Erm, well 'crazy' was a good way to put it, but not so nice... Well, it was a crazy expression. Who else did Sakura have to trust? That was the logic behind the medic's nod. “Then quit your whining and get behind here.”

Sakura did as she was told while the other woman placed the gas container right near the hinge of the door before dropping in the pellet that was full of cleaning supplies and booking it to where Sakura was. She watched out of morbid curiosity as a fizzling sound began to come from that location, but she didn't quite see what happened due to the fact that Sachiko shoved her head down within seconds.

Good timing, too, because there was a deafening BOOM and the smell of burning as a piece of metal hurtled into the spot where her head once was. Sakura let out a squeak, but Sachi only laughed and let out a loud whoop as she hopped over the beds. Sakura didn't move.

“Aren't you coming?”

“I...erm, well, I guess...”

“You sound like Hinata. Put on your big girl panties and let's go!” That got Sakura up. She did not sound like Hinata.

The two took off down the hallway, but apparently the explosion had been heard throughout the base—nothing out of the ordinary there—and that had prompted guards to come down the corridor, yelling something about escaped prisoners and how they couldn't let them get past here because everything past there was classified space and the boss would not be happy and blah blah blah. Like the duo really cared.

The first two were merely kicked over by the redhead, one of them managing to grab a hold of Sakura. She grabbed the man's arm and flung him forwards into yet another guard, this one carrying some type of machine gun. A few stray rounds found their way into the ceiling as Sakura grabbed the gun, hopping over the now-dazed man. Sachiko was in a rather heated-looking fight with the last couple of guards; the pink-haired woman could see from her location that her lip was split.

Okay, that was uncool. She did not hesitate to take aim and fire her hastily-procured gun into the man's back, causing him to let out a strangled yell as he fell to the floor. A rush of adrenaline bled through her veins as crimson fluid leaked from his corpse—it had just then dawned on her that she had killed someone, and that every time she killed a zombie it was murder, too. Undead or not, they were still human at one point, and it was murder pure and simple.

Well then. That would certainly help her sleep at night.

Though she didn't really care right now, as her life was on the line, and so was Sachi's. Even though she didn't really know the woman, she was the one that had broken her out and now made it possible for her to continue on in her mission to find the damnable man...

So she owed her one.

The roseate groaned before getting right back into battle, kicking the man at her back right where it hurt before sliding the handgun from it's holster, pressing it to his temple and pulling the trigger. Blood spattered onto her pale skin, but she didn't think of it as she turned, aimed the gun over the redhead's shoulder and yelled at her to duck before the bullet hit the bewildered guard right between the eyes.

He fell with a grunt, and Sakura wiped her brow with a shaky sigh as she kicked him over. Sachiko was wearing a look of relief, apparently not noticing that Sakura was having a bit of a mental breakdown at the fact that she had killed a man. An actual human being was lying there in front of her, dead. It was finally sinking in, and it almost made her want to cry.

“Oh...” Sachiko finally took notice of the other woman's expression, and knew exactly what it meant, but she would have to get over it quickly. “Sakura, he's a bad man.”

“Then I'm a bad person... I shouldn't have--”

“Sakura, you saved my life.” Sachiko took the medic's shoulders in her hands, staring her in the eye as she shook her. “You've killed before, and if you didn't do away with him he would have killed you. Is your life less important than his?”

“No life is unimportant.” Sakura's voice was a whisper, her verdant eyes filling with tears. “I'm a doctor... I can't put one life above another.”

“Even if it's your own? Don't you have something to accomplish?”

“Well yes, but I--”

“No buts, Sakura.” The woman's firm tone finally got through to her, but she continued to protest until Sachiko cut her off. “This man knew what he was getting into when he took that job. If he would have killed you, what would have become of me? Of everything that I know you're going to work towards? My dreams and goals?” Sakura fell silent, her eyes hitting the floor.

“I... I don't know.”

“Exactly. Now get yourself together, hm? We don't want more of them coming down here and making us waste more ammo than necessary.” Her words made Sakura's lips tug into a slight smile, and she nodded in agreement. “Good. Now let's find our way out—our weasel would be on an upper floor.”

“You sure?”

“Pfft, who needs to be sure in this society? If you've got the guts, you always get your way.”

- - -

August 5th, 10:27 AM

Unknown Location, Outside Tokyo

15th Floor Hallway

- - -

“Sa-chi-koooooooo, wait uuuuup!” Sakura called, her breath coming heavily as she followed the redhead up the stairs, considering that said woman was now out of her sights.

“Sakura, you're a slowpoke. How did you survive this long?” Tinkling laughter echoed in the space. Sakura rolled her eyes.

“That's not funny.”

“Says you. I think I'm pretty damn funny.” The redhead leaned against the railing, waiting for the medic to catch up. Once she was there, said medic fixed the explosives expert with a rather heated glare.

“Not. Funny.” Sachiko just continued to giggle, poking Sakura in the stomach, causing her to let out a squeak. “Damn it! Didn't I say not to do that?”

“Didn't I say I wasn't gonna listen?” Sakura groaned. She had said that...

“Oh shut up.”

The two exited the stairwell and onto the fifteenth floor—even though it certainly didn't look like they were above ground—and pressed against the wall, trying to be as quiet as possible as they began to sneak through the hallway. According to the map that Sakura had found on a lower floor Itachi's office was up here, and that was where both of them wanted to be.

“Just around this corner...” Sakura breathed, and the other woman nodded as she made her way around said corner. The dim lighting shone off of a door handle, and the two knew they had found it.

Sachiko stood against the right side, and jerked her head slightly to indicate for Sakura to come over. Footsteps sounded from inside... Jackpot.

“I'll stay out here... You go in.” Sachiko whispered, procuring the machine gun that Sakura had nicked off of a guard earlier. It would be good enough; she could make noise if someone came along... or something. Either way.

“Thanks, Sachiko... If I don't see you against after this, I owe you one.” The redhead gave a slight laugh.

“Same to you. Good luck.” With that Sakura placed her hand on the knob, turning it quickly and slipping inside.

Though the sight she was greeted with nearly had her eyes popping out of her skull.

Her jaw dropped silently, verdant eyes fixed upon the bare back she was presented with. Slightly muscled but still lean, the skin pulled taut over his sinewy build. She didn't look away for the whole three seconds that he was turned until he headed through another door—how he had not noticed her yet was beyond comprehension—and she could hear the rustle of clothing.

Okay, honestly, who had their wardrobe in their office... Well, Itachi apparently did. Sakura was still getting over how... erm, attractive he was when he returned, but this time he was facing forwards.

Damn it, didn't this man know that wearing clothes prevented this kind of thing from happening? His shirt was unbuttoned and hanging loose, the crimson fabric parted just enough that she could catch a glimpse of the pale skin and toned muscle that made up his abdomen. Sakura unconsciously bit her lip as her gaze travelled lower, following the line of his hipbones that dipped so invitingly into the waistband of his pants...

If she had known he looked like that underneath his clothes, she would have been much nicer when she confronted him. And then she would just stay here and gape for a moment longer... But he had to ruin it by opening his mouth to speak (not that his voice was unpleasant... It was just intrusive.).

“You escaped.” Way to state the obvious, but Sakura didn't really register what he said. She nodded, slightly dazed, her eyes unfocused as they finally found their way to his face.

“Yeah, Sachi and I... What're you...?” She was slightly confused as he made his way towards her, his eyes set on hers with such intent that it made her cheeks flush slightly. Why was he getting so close...? Her arm fell, the handgun that had been aimed at him now facing the ground and held with a lax grip.

“Mm... Two escapees...” Man, he really did have a nice voice... Sakura could only nod as she tilted her head up, his proximity making her realize just how much height was between them. Only a foot or so... It was a good distance. “What are your plans, exactly?”

Sakura's mind went completely blank as she backed into the door, one of his arms above her head as he looked down at her. Her lips went dry at the closeness, parting slightly as her tongue ran along them to moisten the skin. Why was it so hot and hard to breathe all of a sudden? He only smirked at her sudden silence, as if he knew exactly what he was doing to her.

“I, uh.. I think I was supposed to scare you into talking...” She finally found her voice, though it was nothing over a hushed whisper as he leaned closer to hear her. Itachi's hand brushed hers, his nose sliding gently against hers as he spoke.

“With this?” She nodded, eliciting a soft chuckle from him. Well, at least she remembered the plan, but it was getting harder to carry it out... Her fingers tightened on the weapon, but she couldn't find the willpower to raise it as his lips barely grazed hers.

Why wasn't she protesting? Something in her mind was screaming for her to stop this, and to shove him away and jam that goddamn weapon against his temple, but something else—a more dominant part—was shutting it up. She briefly wondered what his motives were, considering all the things he had said last time they met, but she just couldn't bring herself to think that he was going to harm her. She doubted it, actually... Though that was partially due to how close he was.

“I would like to see you try...” That was the last thing she heard before his hand curled around hers, pulling her against him as he closed the distance between their lips. A slightly surprised sound escaped her, but she did not protest, nor did she pull away. Instead she returned his kiss, completely oblivious to the fact that his hands were working easily to disarm her.

Something triggered her instincts and she tried to regain her grip on the cool metal, but he slid a hand into her hair to bring her closer and it just felt so damn good that she felt weak (that was her excuse if anyone asked. Damn this infernal man and whatnot) and it managed to slip from her fingers. It fell with a dull thud against the floor, and he kicked it away easily as his hand caught her wrists and raised them up above her head.

It was then that she realized that it was all an act, but why wasn't he stopping...? Not that she was complaining (even though she should have been) when his tongue swept past her parted lips, his fingers leaving her hair to roam her body.

Little did she know that he was completely disarming her, unclasping the belt that held the knives, removing the cases of ammo from their holster, sliding the knives out of her boots with his feet. By the time she pulled away, breathless, he had removed anything dangerous from her person.

“...Especially since you have nothing to frighten me with.” Aw, shit. Sakura groaned quietly, closing her eyes once more as it fell back against the door.

“You tricked me, you bastard,” she hissed, not wanting Sachiko to hear if this door was as thin as it looked. “And I swear I'm going to get you back for this.”

He shook his head slightly as he walked her over to the chair in front of his desk, using his belt to tie her hands together. The male was seemingly unaffected by that entire situation, his face as blank as always while hers was painted a magnificent red that clashed horribly with her hair.

“I am sure you will,” he said airily. Sakura grumbled something as the male headed into his closet thing once again, returning after a few moments, fully dressed. She fixed him with a glare, struggling slightly against her bindings. This was unfair...

“How did you escape?” Time he sounded genuinely curious, and Sakura only sighed.

“Explosives.” Itachi blinked. Explosives?

“How did you--”

“Sachiko knows what she's doing. Comet, Drain-o, gasoline and a film canister.” Well then. That was the last time he put any of the prisoners on cleaning duty. “Now can you answer one of my questions?”

“I would love to, but--” The phone rang. Oh, how convenient. The Uchiha flashed the rather pissed-off medic a smirk before picking up the phone. “Talk.”

Sakura watched angrily as his face fell from his haughty smirk to a look of bewilderment before a look of annoyance. It pleased her somewhat to know that things weren't going exactly how he wanted, either, and she leaned back against the chair as the conversation unfolded.

“Yes, I have her...I couldn't possibly... Her father said that—What do you mean, 'take her with you'? You know as well as I do that she wouldn't survive down there.” Why did everyone have to talk about her in front of her face? And what the hell did he mean by that last bit? Sakura's displeasure showed as a scowl crossed her features, but Itachi took no notice.

“Fine. I will meet you down there... Be sure to clear the place out.” With that he hung up, rested his elbows upon the desk, crossed his fingers and fixed her with another intense stare.

“You wanna tell me what the hell is going on here?” Sakura looked right into those pretty eyes, her fury lighting up her gaze.

“We have... a job to do.” Itachi winced at the woman's response—a rather angry 'WHAT!'. Why did she have to be so difficult? He explained the situation as calmly as he could,

“OH HELL NO. I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS SHIT.” He sighed, rubbing his temples as his head pounded from the incoming headache.

“Neither did I, but we're going to have to do it.”

“Says who, you?”

“Not me... Something higher. Do you want to fix this?”

“You mean this whole zombie thing?”

“Yes.”

“Well yeah, but—“ Sakura was a bit bewildered as he untied her.

“Then quit your complaining, grab your things and let's go.”

TO BE CONTINUED AT

10.16.09