Damaged Pieces (SasuSaku AU)

XXV. Anatomy Of A Hum

DAMAGED PIECES:

One of the tasks of true friendship is to listen compassionately and creatively to the hidden silences. Often secrets are not revealed in words, they lie concealed in the silence between the words or in the depth of what is unsayable between two people.

John O'Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom
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The room that had quickly come to be their makeshift headquarters of sorts for dicussion buzzed with the kind of nervous energy that could only come from a mix of anticipation and fear. Seeing people bustling around outside made Sasuke even more jittery, though he clamped down on the feeling the best he could.

He needed no one to remind him he was in a foreign land. Suna unnerved him in the way that it wasn't as friendly as his homeland always seemed to be. The people here were seemingly more aggressive and didn't take very well to direct questioning, as he'd recently come to conclude firsthand.

Also, there was an everpresent worry for Sakura that he miraculously managed shifting to the back of his mind, so as to think clearly during planning regarding their future course of action and its consequences.

Sasuke distinctly remembered the turbid stench his senses had taken a hit from, the moment he'd stepped foot into Yakushi Mental Asylum. And to think his Sakura was somewhere in there by compelled volunteering was demoralizing.

If the rude lady at the desk hadn't budged under Sasuke's stare and allowed them to go check the cells out unmanned, he was sure there would have been consequences. They found her caged in a special cell in the east wing, where rather special patients were kept.

The sight itself didn't threaten to cause the disgorging of Sasuke's stomach contents as much as what it implied did. He felt as helpless as a strangled puppy, watching her behave exactly like he had seen a few other's they had passed on their way. Naruto had to nearly crush his forearm for Sasuke to snap out of his desperation to break the barrier between them and take her away from this insanity, hopefully forever.

And he would have too, if unfortunately, there weren't so many complexities in play. She'd reacted to his voice and calmed down which was a good sign, he'd convinced himself. Leaving her in her state to wait for their return felt nothing short of criminally terrible but, it had to be done. This mess had to be taken care of once and for all.

With the reluctance of a mother leaving her child behind, Sasuke forced himself to walk out of there. Soon, they'd been on the road to Suna in search of answers. Not 5 minutes in, he'd had Gaara pull over and emptied his breakfast and lunch at roadside.

Take it easy, Gaara had told him then. Sasuke couldn't understand why this man was so unaffected. He'd known Sakura practically his whole life, hadn't he? Maybe he really was as cold as his first impression had told Sasuke.

Watching his best friend's forlorn expression, Naruto had the urge to reach out and give him a lengthy pep talk. Thankfully, he knew better than to do that. Sasuke was better left to his own devices. He knew the guy would eventually come around.

As soon as the knock resounded at the door, all three men in the room stiffened. Gaara was quicker than the rest to react. Wary of the informant entering, he eyed the man even as he took a seat at the far corner of the big room.

A faintly amused curve of his lips could be caught without really trying to. "How've you been, Gaara?"

"Baki, I would prefer you explain yourself without further ado," he stoically crossed his arms.

Naruto and Sasuke shifted to sit closer to the Suna man.

Said Baki let out a smirk. "As direct as ever, I see."