title: Gorgeous Nightmare

summary: They were each gorgeous, animalistic nightmares in their own way. And it only took a night locked in an abandoned, supposedly haunted hotel for Sakura to figure out why.

pairing: Uchiha/Sakura. Which means Madara/Sakura, Itachi/Sakura, Sasuke/Sakura, Tobi/Sakura, and Shisui/Sakura

A bit of Sai/Sakura and implied Izuna/Sakura and Sasori/Sakura ('cause I just can't resist)

genre: Romance, Suspense, Drama, Adventure/Action, Horror (kind of), and Humor

AU?: Why yes, yes it is.

song: Gorgeous Nightmare by Escape the Fate. Awesome song. I highly recommend it. Go listen to it. Now.

warning: Some scary/suspenseful scenes. Crack, OOCness, and possible spelling and grammatical errors.

disclaimer: Naruto and its characters rightfully belong to Masashi Kishimoto. All quotes/lyrics used belong to their respectful owner. I own nothing but the plot and possible OCs used.

Notes: This is my entry for StormDragon666's October Sakura-Centric Oneshot Contest!

I've been working on this on and off since October 11; I was so worried I wouldn't get it out in time! But, luckily, Storm extended the deadline. Technically, I'm sorta late, but I messaged Storm and she said it was fine to turn in tonight :)

I was already planning on doing a Halloween oneshot, but when I heard about Storm's contest I decided that my original idea was way too long. So, I came up with a different story and, personally, I like this one much better! I still might do the other one though...

Kind of nervous about writing Shisui. Never done him before. I have my fingers crossed that he turns out alright!

I'm sort of stepping out of my safety-zone for this particular oneshot. This is probably the closest thing to a M-rating that I've ever written or going to write.

Lime has never been my forte. But, then again, I've never actually tried my hand at it.

So, who knows?

Let's find out.

Enjoy!

::

Gorgeous Nightmare

::

I've got another confession to make
So complicated let me try to explain
Don't want this feeling to go away
So it stays, it stays, it stays, it stays

Is it the way that you talk
That's causing me to freak?
Is it the way that you laugh
That's making my heart beat?
Is it the way that you kiss?

It's gotta be the way that you taste, you taste, you taste, you taste.

::

"Black Dragon to Barbie Girl, do you read me Barbie Girl? Over."

"Forehead, seriously. What the hell?"

"Don't mess with my mojo Barbie Girl. Report. Over."

"Fine. Barbie Girl to Black Dragon, perimeter is clear. Over."

Sakura grinned to herself and kicked off, riding her skateboard down Ino's drive. She slipped her walky-talky into the pocket of her hoodie as she leaned to her right at the end of the driveway, starting down the street. She knew Ino was watching her progress down the block and she could feel two other sets of eyes following her. The sensation of being watched would have been unnerving had she not know who the other two gazes belonged to.

The sun had set only minutes prior and the night was chilled by the cold autumn air. Despite it being the night before Halloween, no trick-or-treaters had braved the cold for some early goodies. But Sakura had no doubt that the streets of the little neighborhood would be buzzing with children in costumes the following evening, cold or no cold.

She smiled to herself as she thought of fond memories of Halloween's past; nights full of costumes and candy, tricks and treats, fun and fear.

Finally, she reached a small plot of land. At the center was a decrepit building, perched over dead grass and overgrown weeds. It took up nearly an entire block and, at the opposite end, was a small, dense grove of trees. Most of the neighborhood had been built around the hotel, long after it had closed down. They'd yet to tear the building down; activists argued that the hotel was a historical landmark for the city.

Sakura paused and gazed at the towering gate before her, eyes traveling over the rusted wrought-iron bars and worn sign which read "Kyoko Hotel" in elegant writing as she removed her helmet. Stepping off her board, she set her messenger bag down on the ground and crouched down next to it, hand digging inside.

After a moment, she found the wireless webcam and, with the aid of a bit of duct tape, attached it to her helmet. She fiddled with the cam for a bit before the red light blinked at her. Pulling the walky-talky out of her pocket, she pressed the button and spoke.

"Black Dragon to Doc Brown, how's the connection? Can you see me? Over." She held the helmet up, webcam facing her, and waited for a reply.

"Doc Brown to Black dragon, picture is crystal-clear. Over." the bored voice of 'Doc Brown' said after a moment. She ignored the muttered comment of "So troublesome." and spoke again.

"Black Dragon to Marty McFly, how's your feed? Over."

"Why do I have to be Marty? Why can't I be something cool like Batman or Charizard? Hell, even Reptar would be better, 'ttebayo!"

There was a pause.

"Over."

Sakura frowned to herself. "You shut your mouth. Marty kicks ass."

"But Sakura-chaaan! I don't see why I have to be Marty!"

Sakura sighed, strapping the helmet back in place and pulling out her overweight flashlight. "Shika's already Doc Brown. We need a Marty McFly to complete the pair. You can't have one without the other!" she heard a muffled grumble and continued, clicking the flashlight on. "Besides, you're personality matches Marty's almost exactly. And you both wear orange!"

"Actually Sakura, if I had to be a doctor, I'd much rather be Dr. Facilier. You know? Shadow man?"

"Shut it Shika."

"Well," Ino's voice interrupted, "Since we're on the subject of codename-changes, can mine be changed to Wonder Woman? Barbie Girl is so fifth grade. Besides, I'm not that plastic, Forehead."

"That's Black Dragon to you."

"Pshaw. More like Toothless."

"I'd gladly take Toothless, 'ttebayo. He rocks my Viking socks."

"As if, Naruto. If anyone deserves to be a dragon, it's me." She sent a fond gaze down at her skateboard, on the underside of which was the picture of a black spiraling dragon, curled around a cherry blossom tree.

"Focus people." Shikamaru interrupted in his normal lethargic tone. "Officer Genma will be making his rounds near the hotel soon."

"Right. Once again. Black Dragon to Marty McFly, how's the feed? Over."

Naruto groaned overdramatically before answering. "Yeah, it's good Sa-I mean Black Dragon. Ramen-vid is a go, 'ttebayo. Over."

"Doc?"

"Pineapple-vid is still good. Over."

"Roger that. Barbie Girl? Can you see me?" They'd tested the view from Ino's house multiple times and found that, from her room on the top floor and the aid of binoculars, they could see directly to the front gate of the hotel.

When Sakura waited a few minutes and Ino still hadn't answered, she sighed in defeat.

"Wonder Woman? Can you see me?"

"Yup!" Ino chirped, "I can see you and the gate perfectly! Whoa! I think I just saw a dog!"

"Focus Wonder Woman."

Naruto's whine of "Why does she get to change her codename?" went by ignored. Sakura tapped her flashlight to her shoulder and listened as Ino reported that she didn't see Officer Genma's car yet.

"Got it. I'm going to see if I can get past the gate. Over and out."

"Wait, Sakura."

She paused, waiting for Ino to continue.

"You don't have to do this, you know? It's just a stupid bet! Karin will probably have forgotten all about it once we get back after break."

"Ino's right Sakura-chan. What if you get hurt? It isn't worth it, 'ttebayo."

She could hear Shikamaru's grunt of agreement and snorted to herself.

"I'm going to see this through. I won't have that bitch calling me a coward. It's just a night in a rundown hotel, ok? Nothing's going to happen to me. Thanks for the concern guys, but I'll be fine." She knew they would be able to hear the smile in her voice and she turned, facing the approximate direction of Ino's house. She waved and sent her a thumbs up. After a moment, her friend replied.

"If you're sure, Forehead. Just be careful. Go kick some ghostly ass."

"You know I don't believe in ghosts Pig."

"Psh. Do we need to have another sleepover at Tenten's house? Even Temari said that place is fucking haunted."

Sakura laughed to herself, "See you in the morning Pig. You too guys."

They all wished her luck simultaneously and she pocketed the walky-talky. She turned to the gate, reaching out silently. The rusted bars were icy cold against her hands but unyielding. She regarded the width between the bars and gauged whether she could slip through them. Deciding against it, she looked up. From where she stood, the gate looked tall – too tall to climb.

She let the beam of her flashlight travel over the fence on either side of the gate, grinning to herself when she spotted a place where the bars were bent apart. She removed her messenger bag and pushed it through the fence to the other side, her skateboard and flashlight soon following. Taking a deep breath she turned sideways and squeezed her way through.

It took a bit of struggling, but she soon found herself on the other side of the fence. Picking up her bag, board, and flashlight, she took out the walky-talky again, heading for the doors of the hotel. The dark had settled in quickly and Sakura had to pick her way carefully down the path to the hotel so she didn't trip over overgrown weeds and cracks in the concrete. She brought the walky-talky up, eye's darting up to the crescent moon briefly.

"'Kay guys, I'm past the gate. I-" As she neared the large double doors, static crackled from the walky-talky. She frowned, stopping and speaking again.

"Guys? Can you hear me?"

"You...eakin...up...akura. –an't...lly...hear...ou." Ino answered, her own words garbled and broken.

"-eah. Signa...ust...be...ssed up. –ebcam...kay...ough."

"Thi...eaky...kura-cha...ebayo."

Sakura nodded at their words and let her gaze travel over the doors, inwardly wondering how she was going to get the pieces of plywood nailed to the front of the doors off. "Ok then. I'm going to shut off my walky-talky, the batteries must be dying. If you need to tell me anything really important, just call me on my cell. Black Dragon, out."

"I...on't...ow...mayb...ad...idea."

But, before Sakura could reply, her walky-talky beeped and blanked out, the air suddenly quiet with the loss of voices and static. She straightened her shoulders and slipped the now useless walky-talky into her bag. Sakura regarded the rotting wood briefly before starting to pry off one of the pieces.

Surprisingly, it came off easily enough and two more pieces soon followed it. Now, one of the doors had nothing holding it and Sakura managed to shove it open enough to slip through.

She coughed as the stale and musty air hit her and she stepped back, taking a deep breath of the fresh night air outside. After a moment, she stepped inside the hotel's lobby, skateboard clutched tightly in her hand, and took a good look at her surroundings. The first thing that caught her eye was the giant, crystal chandelier that lay shattered in thousands of pieces in the middle of the lobby.

'Time and rats must have worn the old cable, years ago, causing it to fall.' she thought to herself. Sakura took a few more steps and jumped as a loud creak echoed through the spacious foyer. She sighed and laughed weakly to herself, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. She spotted the front desk and made her way towards it, wincing at every creak and moan the floorboards made.

She stopped in front of the destroyed chandelier to examine it for a moment. Every single crystal piece laid across the floor, shattered, a fine layer of dust collected over the wreckage. She peered into the mass of wires and crystals, a sad sigh rising through her.

"It must have been so beautiful." she said aloud, hoping the webcam connection was still clear enough for the boys to hear her. She started to walk around it carefully but stopped when she spied a single whole crystal, laying just at the edge of the debris. She smiled to herself and reached down to pick it up. It was expertly cut and unblemished; the perfect souvenir.

Sakura ran her finger along the edge, wincing when the sharp tip sliced the skin. Blood surfaced and she quickly brought the digit to her mouth, slipping the crystal into her jacket pocket. She continued on to the check-in desk and hopped over the counter, leaving her board on top of the marble surface. She took a moment to gaze at the wall of hooks and keys, eyes traveling over the name plates with numbers hanging under them.

She frowned and considered taking all the keys. Fortunately, she spotted a key off to the side labeled 'master key'. She took it off its hook and put it with the crystal.

"There's only five floors, I don't think I'll get lost that easily." she mused to herself as she hopped back over the counter, grabbing her skateboard on the way. There was an ancient-looking, old-fashioned lift at one end of the lobby, but Sakura didn't dare use it. It was obviously far from safe to use.

Instead she headed for the door marked 'stairwell'. It was rotted and falling off its hinges but, upon further inspection, she found the actual stone stairs safe. Grinning to herself and sending one last glance over her shoulder at the lobby, she ascended the stairs.

::

You're such a gorgeous nightmare
Old habits never seem to go away
You make me feel brand new, yeah
We resurrect, it's like I've come back to life

I feel so alive
I feel so alive

::

She'd chosen to explore the sixth and topmost floor first. Sakura idly rolled down the long hallway, her headphones around her neck and music filling the air. She'd found that the hotel was a much more friendly place with the soothing voices of Lauri Ylönen and Sakurai Takahiro blasting from her iPod. She hummed along and let her gaze travel over the many doors on either side of the hallway.

It was warmer than she expected, but, occasionally, an icy tendril of wind would wrap around her, sending a chill up her spine. She found it unnerving and the (now becoming increasingly frequent) sounds of the building were only adding to her discomfort. She was sure that at any moment some sort of rat or raccoon would pop out of nowhere and scurry across the hallway.

"Man, this is creepier than I thought it would be." Sakura mumbled to herself, pulling a fallen spider web off her arm.

Of course, all these thoughts of things going wrong and the sheer eeriness of the hotel getting to her were only topped by the sound of a sudden malicious laugh and a spine-tingling chill shooting up her spine.

It was only after she'd slammed her body against the wall and stopped screaming that she realized it had simply been her phone signaling a new text. The evil laugh was a tone she'd assigned to a certain someone and the chill had been the feel of her cell vibrating in her back pocket.

Face warm and undoubtedly red, she fumbled with her phone and sent a glare upwards.

"You two had better shut up." she just knew Shikamaru and Naruto were laughing at her behind their computer screens. She snorted to brush off her embarrassment and checked her phone, though she already knew who had texted her.

"So how's the hotel lock-in going? Seen any ghosts yet?"

"Dude, you nearly gave me a heart attack. And no, only a bunch of cobwebs and dust. But, I really need to watch my step, this place is SO about to collapse in on itself." She leaned against the wall, fingers flying over the small keypad. She smiled distractedly to herself and waited for him to reply.

"Hm, I see. Should I text back later? When you can afford to be distracted?"

"Yes. Thanks PuppetMan."

"No problem Blossom. Also, I plan on taking you out for coffee tomorrow afternoon. Kthxbai :]"

"No! Wait!" But, every text she sent thereafter was ignored and no amount of exasperated groans managed to change the fact that she now had a date. She reread the message over and over and found the smily-face to be looking up at her with a teasing smirk.

With a sigh she tapped the back of her head against the wall, frowning when dust rained down on her, and slipped her phone back into her pocket. Sakura picked up her board, tucking it under the arm that held her flashlight, and walked down the hallway a bit. The fingers of her free hand grazed over the peeling wallpaper and she finally stopped in front of one of the doors.

She glanced at the nameplate labeled '666' and grinned to herself, pulling the master key out of her hoodie pocket. "This is as good a room as any to spend the night in." she mused to herself.

Sakura unlocked the door and stepped inside the musty room. It was a single bed-and-bathroom combo but felt more lived in than she expected. There was something about it; it was almost homely.

She shrugged to herself and tossed her bag and board onto the bed, flopping down with her belongings soon after. She gazed up at the ceiling, eyes tracing patterns in the cracked surface. Was this it? Was she simply going to laze about in a deserted hotel room for the entire night?

"Well," she murmured, "It's not like I have anything better to do." So, she let her eyes close and lost herself in the music still blasting from around her neck.

This time, she only jumped a little when her phone suddenly rang.

She growled to herself and ripped her phone out of her pocket, pretty sure she already knew who was calling her.

"Listen you. If you think you can ju-"

"Sakura."

"Ino-Pig?" She froze, popping up straight in the bed. She'd heard urgency, alarm in Ino's voice.

"Sakura. Get out. Now."

"Huh? What are you talking about Ino?"

"Get. Out. Fast."

"Why? What's going o-"

"Uchiha's." she hissed.

Sakura felt her blood run cold.

"W-what?"

"I can see them, they're standing outside the gates. Get out of there Sakura. Abort, abort!"

"What do you mean you see them at the gate?" Sakura asked, hurrying towards the window of the room as she turned off her iPod and stuffed it into her bag.

"I wouldn't have recognized them if it hadn't been for Madara's crazy hair, but, shit Sakura, they're climbing over the fucking fence."

Sure enough, when she glanced out the window, she could see five figures scaling the fence and hopping to the other side. She quickly backed away and hurried to the bed, grabbing her stuff. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, Ino. This is bad. How'd they find out I was going to be here?"

"Naruto blabbed."

Sakura growled to herself and ripped her walky-talky out of her bag as she threw open the door to the room. "Black Dragon to Marty McFly. If you can hear me Marty, you are in some deep shit."

She swore she heard a whimper but she'd already stuffed the walky-talky back into her bag. This was bad. Everyone knew the Uchiha's loved Halloween; it was the one day that all their pent up demented sociopathic tendencies were unloaded on anyone and everyone around them. It was practically their goal to scare the shit out of at least one person a year.

And it always seemed to be Sakura they tormented.

They freaking hated her. She just knew it.

Hell, she'd nearly been sent to the hospital one year when they rigged the floor of the haunted house to sporadically collapse in random places, nearly breaking her leg when she fell through.

They were monsters.

Sure, Sasuke wasn't as bad, since he was practically Naruto's best friend, but that one day, every year.

And here she was, alone and vulnerable in a deserted hotel.

With five sadistic and crazed men on the prowl.

Shit.

::

First impressions are hard to erase
Etched in my mind and it just won't go away
Maybe I'm playing my cards way too safe
I've gotta change, change, change, change

Is it the way that you feel against my body?
Is it the way that you act so damn naughty?
Is it the way that you shake
When your hips move to the bass, the bass, the bass, the bass?

::

She stuck close to the walls. Something told her that they'd each take a floor to search, undoubtedly herself as the common goal. Fuck, what did they have planned this year? Another horror-mask game of tag like when she was eight? Her running in terror from the faces of too many scary creatures to count?

Or would they simply be lying in wait for her to pass by their hiding places? To jump out and tackle her to the ground when she least expected it? They were eventually going to give her a freaking heart attack. They were demented. Nightmarish creatures of the dark, their only purpose to terrorize her for one night, then continue on with the year as if she didn't exist.

Sakura had thought she'd kept her whereabouts a secret this Halloween. Hoped she'd finally be able to spend the holiday without constantly having to glance over her shoulder for fear of spotting those strange, haunting red eyes they all possessed.

She shook her head free of these thoughts and slowly opened the door to the second stairwell. She was lucky she'd found it; she almost mistook it for a janitors closet. She took the steps quickly but as quietly as possible. She was constantly glancing back up the way she had come, just in case.

She had just reached the third floor when she heard the distinguishable sound of footsteps making their way up the stairwell. She froze, quickly stopping the inevitable squeak of fright, and tried to contain her inner panic.

What should she do? Make a mad dash down the rest of the stair and hopefully make it past whoever was coming up? Or hide in the corner and hope they didn't notice her?

'No,' she thought to herself with a barely audible growl. She turned and raced through the door to the third floor. 'No more hiding. It's time I outsmart them rather than the other way around.'

The door closed with a soft click behind her and she winced, racing down the hallway a bit to quickly unlock one of the rooms and slip inside. She heard footsteps hurry down the hallway and the door to the stairwell open. She pressed her ear close to the door and listened to a muffled conversation. Sakura couldn't make out their words, but, after a moment, she heard them part.

She waited a few moments before stepping out into the hallway and heading back to the stairwell. She knew it was risky to go back the way she had come, but she didn't really have any other options. She raced down the steps, taking them two at a time.

Sakura was almost to the ground floor when she heard a tremendous rumble and crash.

She froze. Dust fell down around her from the force of the crash, shaking the building subtly. What was that? Gulping, she dashed down the rest of the stairs and flung the door to the lobby open. She gasped as her eyes fell on the front doors of the hotel. Wood and drywall and debris laid in a huge pile before the doors, a gaping hole in the ceiling directly above the blockage. There was no way she was getting out that way.

After a moment of staring in shock at the mountain of debris, the sound of hurried, muffled footsteps met her ears. She cursed and panicked, eyes darting about before she spotted a hallway off to her right that led further into the hotel.

She ran down the corridor before skidding to a halt in front of two doors. She bit her lip and pushed past them, entering what appeared to be a kitchen. It was large and dark and perfect for hiding in. She chose a far corner and squeezed into a crevice between a stove and fridge.

Sakura brushed cobwebs from her face and brought her knees up to her chest, hugging them closer. She shivered, forehead falling to rest on her knees. Kami, she was terrified by what they might be planning. She never should have come here; she should have stayed at home, watching scary movies with Ino and Hinata. But, her damn pride just had to get in the way – she absolutely refused to let anyone call her a coward.

Sakura's head snapped up and her back straightened.

What was she doing? Why was she hiding like some scared little girl? Why wasn't she fighting back?

As if on cue, she heard the sound of light footsteps outside the kitchen, so soft they were just a whisper of a breath. Her eyebrows turned down at the soft sound and she slowly rose, worming her way out of her hiding place.

She moved silently and quickly towards a cabinet and pulled out one of the drawers, hand fishing around inside. The footsteps stopped and she heard the squeak of the double doors being pushed inward. Her hand curled around something cold and round and she hoped to Kami it was something sharp and dangerous.

She didn't care if she fucking maimed one of those bastards. It was high time this game ended.

And like hell she was going to be the loser.

The footsteps started again and Sakura crouched down behind a large island counter, her weapon clutched tightly in her fist. She glanced at it, mentally cursing when she realized she'd grabbed a wooden spoon. But it was too late to grab something else; whoever had entered the kitchen was heading right for her.

Through the dark, she saw what appeared to be a cloth covered leg appear around the corner and she jumped up, spinning toward the shadow and swinging the spoon at it like a baseball bat. The shadow dodged and grabbed her wrist, twisting her arm behind her back and forcing her to face away from him.

At least, it was most likely a 'him'. The hard chest her back was pressed against certainly felt like it belonged to a 'him'.

She growled and took a guess as to who it was holding her captive, her wooden spoon still in hand.

"Itachi, you bastard, let. Me. Go."

The voice that replied sounded nothing like she had thought it would be; it was much too soft and quiet to belong to any of the Uchiha's.

"I believe you have me mistaken for someone else, hag."

Sakura stiffened and attempted to look over her shoulder at the stranger. She was met with a face paler than paper, eyes as black and blank as ink, and a smile so fake, it could have been a plastic mask. His eyes closed and he tilted his head to the side.

"I don't appreciate being attacked so suddenly." He released his hold on her arm and pushed her away from him.

She felt her face flush; who was this guy? "I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else." she murmured before frowning to herself. He seemed familiar. He looked so much like one of the bastards that he could be related. In the dim light, she could see that he held himself with that holier-than-thou aura. He also had a 'socially-inept' feel to him and there was an arrogant gleam in his dead-like eyes.

Maybe it was just a coincidence?

"Hn, obviously you thought I was someone else. Otherwise, you wouldn't have attacked me so recklessly, ugly."

Her frown deepened. Definitely related.

But, he despite his words, he somehow kept that fake smile of his in place. The only Uchiha's she knew to smile were Tobi (but that was more of an idiotic grin) and Madara's (who's was more of a terrifyingly gleeful smile than fake). Maybe a distant relative?

At the back of Sakura mind, she recalled Naruto mentioning that a cousin of Sasuke's would be in town, visiting.

'This is probably that cousin.' Sakura thought to herself as her narrowed eyes roved over the tall boy. She let her frown melt away to be replaced by a nervous smile. He hadn't done anything to deserve her hate and fear; he at least warranted a chance to prove to be not-so-evil.

But, the fact that she'd only seen five figures at the gate continued to nag her at the back of her mind.

"Are you here with those bastards?" she asked suddenly. He replied with a simple smile (that just screamed "Fake!") and a head tilt.

Considering his lineage, she figured this was the best answer she was going to get. Sakura sighed and leaned against a cabinet behind her, sliding down to the floor. She idly spun the spoon in her hand before glancing up at him. He stood there, awkwardly, and regarded her with an empty expression. She snorted in amusement and patted the space next to her.

He blinked in surprise before moving to sit next to her, movements slow but sure. She found herself smiling at him, he wasn't that bad.

"So, what's your name?"

His head turned to face her as his smile returned.

"It's customary for one to give ones name before asking another for theirs, hag."

And, just like that, Sakura's smile fell and she outright glared at him. Her eye twitched as she attempted to control her temper and she extended her hand.

"Sakura."

His lips quirked and he grasped her offered hand.

"Sai."

She jumped at the cold feel of his skin; it was like ice. No wonder this guy was so pale. Still, her mind played with his name, turning it over and over mentally.

'Uchiha Sai, Sai Uchiha. It...it doesn't really seem to fit.' Nonetheless, her smile returned. Albeit, it was a little forced. She nodded to him and leaned back, head resting against the wooden cabinet. Her helmet made a small thud and she distractedly reached up to finger the webcam, making sure it was still there.

"So, what brings you here?" she supposed the extra line of "With those bastards." was implied. Sai seemed to understand.

"Curiosity."

::

You're such a gorgeous nightmare
Old habits never seem to go away
You make me feel brand new, yeah
We resurrect, it's like I've come back to life

I feel so alive
I feel so alive
I feel so alive

::

Almost ten minutes had passed when Sakura heard the muffled footsteps coming from above. Sai had turned out to be nice enough company, though his occasional remarks to her 'ugliness' still peeved her off. He didn't seem to notice the sound and continued to stare at her out of the corner of his eye. He hadn't spoken much, only answering her occasional question, but Sakura found his silence comforting.

But now, with the reminder that they weren't the only two people in the hotel, Sakura was beginning to tense up again. She sighed, hand digging into her bag for the Ziploc plastic baggie filled with her favorite snacks. She grinned down at the sight of the mix of Pringles, Skittles, and beef jerky, inwardly knowing that Ino would have given her a disgusting glower had she seen her special trail mix.

She offered some to Sai, but he simply sent her a questionable eyebrow raise. She snorted at the vague decline and pulled a chip from the bag, mumbling a slightly dejected "Fine, more for me." under her breath. He smiled over at her and she gave an exasperated sigh, closing the baggie and slipping it back into her bag, and slowly rose to her feet.

"Well, it's time I got out of here." she said, arms reaching skyward in a stretch. Sai's head tilted to the side and he stood as well. Sakura grabbed her belongings and headed for the doors, Sai close behind her. She poked a head out into the hallway, glancing down both directions warily before fully stepping out of the kitchen and into the corridor.

"Now, the front doors' all blocked up. How am I going to get out of here?" she mumbled, a hand at her chin. Suddenly, Sai was directly behind her, his hand hovering over hers at her side and his mouth right next to her ear. Sakura froze, eyes going wide. His breath was as icy-cold as his skin and he paused for a moment before speaking.

"Try the ballroom, Sakura."

She blinked and, just like that, he was gone. She spun around, gazed frantically down both ends of the hallway, even searched above her, but he was nowhere to be found. A chill raced up her spine and Sakura clutched her bag closer to her chest. That was freaky.

She took a breath and thought back to his words. Ballroom? This place had a freaking ballroom?

Unfortunately, Sakura had no time to search for this alleged ballroom. She could hear muffled conversation again. Maybe she could hide out in one of the room upstairs and think up a plan?

Master key in hand, Sakura set off back down the hallway to the lobby and into one of the stairwells. She chose the second floor and slowed down to a walk as she traversed its main corridor. She'd reached about halfway down the hallway when she heard footsteps behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and realized a figure was racing towards her.

Her heartbeat sped up and adrenaline flooded her veins as she took off, ignoring the shout that followed her.

She turned a corner and kept running, stopping only when she could no longer felt the floor beneath her feet. Her gasp turned into a scream as she fell down the hole, arms reaching out to grab the broken wood of the floor. She panicked, glancing down to see nothing but darkness and held on as hard as she could. She heard a yell and the footstep that had been chasing her increased in pace and grew louder.

"Sakura!"

Then, suddenly, she was met with Uchiha Shisui's worried face, his hands reaching for hers. She would have flinched and ripped her hands from his grip had she not been dangling for her life. She freaked, thinking he was going to do a Scar and toss her to her doom. But, surprisingly, he was pulling her up and into his chest, pressing her face into his shirt.

"Are you ok?" Shisui asked softly, holding her tight.

She didn't speak, her shoulders stiff. What was going on? This was so unlike him, so unlike the boy that had tormented her when she was six with rubber snakes and spiders. His hand was in her hair and his face nuzzling at her head and voice soft as he murmured empty words and she swore she was freaking out.

"Why did you run? I tried to warn you about the hole. But you just kept running and, oh Kami, you could have died." His ramblings did nothing to calm her and Sakura soon found herself struggling. Her hands were pushing against his chest; she was attempting to get him away from her and her breathing was sporadic.

"Get away from me!" she growled, almost kicking at him to gain some distance. Shisui appeared somewhat hurt at her actions but he wouldn't let her go, only held her closer and tighter.

"Hey, hey, it's ok. You're safe now."

And all Sakura could think was how could she possibly be safe so close to him? What was he planning?

Suddenly, his lips were at her forehead and he was hushing her against her bare skin, hand rubbing comforting circles in the small of her back. Her eyes were wide and her breathing sped up even more and – oh Kami, his lips were traveling down the side of her face and to her neck.

Now, he wasn't trying to comfort her.

Now, he wasn't just scaring the crap out of her.

Now, he was terrifying her.

Now, he was trying to eat her.

She felt his teeth at her neck, nipping the soft skin. She squeaked and she felt the deep rumble in his chest as he laughed. His teeth were replaced by tongue and he drew slow circles with his fingers along her side.

What was he doing? What was his game?

His lips dipped lower, hovering over her collar bone and Sakura couldn't help the moan that rose to her mouth. Shisui's body relaxed and continued his kisses, his grip going slack.

"Little flower, why did you run?"

And then, Sakura was on her feet, racing back down the hallway. She was scared out of her wits and barely regarded Shisui's shout behind her. She didn't realize that she no longer had her bag, or her board, or her flashlight, or even the wooden spoon. She didn't know that her helmet was no longer strapped onto her head, now dangling from Shisui's fingers, the webcam blinking down at the ground.

All she knew was that she was scared and needed to get out of there.

Away from him.

Away from them.

She was running up the stairs now, to the third floor. Maybe no one was there? To hell with coming up with a plan. Sakura just wanted to catch her breath and figure out what the hell was going on.

She flung open the door to the third floor and stepped through cautiously, eyes darting from side to side.

She took slow steps, making sure they were as silent as possible. There didn't seem to be anyone here, but the dark often told lies. Lies she would believe too readily. She chose a room close to the stairwell and quickly slipped inside, locking the door behind her.

She ripped the topmost, dust-covered sheet off the single bed and fell onto the mattress with a quivering sigh. She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her body, shivering not just from the cold.

Sakrua didn't try to sleep, she didn't want to, but her eyes closed on their own accord. She didn't relax, didn't stop shaking and, when she heard the sound of a key turning in a lock, she almost started crying.

She heard the door open and she stayed where she was, eyes shut tightly. Maybe they would think she was asleep and leave her alone? But the footsteps were making their way towards her and she felt the bed dip under the weight of whoever had entered the room. She felt the mattress shift just in front of her face and behind her head and she could feel his warm body hovering above her.

His hands were braced on either side of her head, knees bent as he crouched above her on all four. She felt him lower himself, hot breath hovering over her exposed ear. She whimpered and he paused.

The mattress shifted again and she thought he was leaving. But then he was right back where he had been, his teeth now nibbling on her earlobe.

Sakura gasped, fists curling around the cotton sheet beneath her. She heard a growl sound in his chest and it sounded so possessive and animalistic. His teeth released her lobe and his tongue darted out, licking the shell of her ear. She jumped slightly and there was that growl again.

She didn't dare move though, anything could set him off. Kami, she didn't even know which Uchiha it was. What if it was Shisui again? That would explain the strange behavior.

But, he wasn't speaking, only nipping and licking her ear. And then his mouth traveled down to her jawline, planting butterfly kisses along the edge. Her jaw clenched under his mouth and he paused again.

This time, his mouth left her and his hand was on her shoulder, pushing her from her curled position on her side to lay flat of the bed on her back. His knees were just by her hips and his hands were reaching for hers, pinning them above her head.

And yet, she still refused to open her eyes, even as she struggled in his grip.

One hand held her wrists and the other was at the hem of her jacket, lifting the material of the hoodie and her shirt underneath up to expose her stomach. His fingers danced along her side, his mouth hovering over her middle.

His breath was even warmer now but Sakura shivered. He planted kisses randomly on her stomach, anywhere, everywhere. It felt like he was everywhere, all at once.

She pressed her lips together in attempt to contain the whimper and the mewl and the moan that wanted to break free. A million thoughts raced through her mind. Who was he? What was he doing? Why was he doing this? How had he gotten into the room? She'd locked the door, hadn't she?

Sakura must have said the last bit aloud, because she suddenly felt him smirk into her skin. He spoke at last, and Sakura recognized his voice.

"There is more than one master key, little one." she frowned, attempting to ignore his action (but he just kept touching her and making her feel hotter and hotter). But, as he started to lift her jacket and shirt more, fingers brushing the base of her bra, her eyes finally snapped open as everything began to sink in.

"Please, Itachi." She whispered, eyes searching for his face in the dark. "Don't."

He paused and sat back, his normally apathetic expression softening at the look of fear in her gaze. He slowly released her wrists and moved off of her, placing a soft kiss on her forehead, murmuring against her warm skin.

"There is no need to worry, Sakura."

He left, then. Leaving her to stare up at the ceiling in the darkness, body still shaking. What was going on? Now, not only Shisui, but fucking Itachi had had an enormous change in his usual attitude.

She almost stayed there in the room, lying on the bed with rumpled sheets around her, but the thought of Itachi returning scared her into moving. Sakura crawled off the bed and left the room, heading for the stairwell.

She knew it would have been wiser to return to the lobby and find a way out, but she felt compelled to travel up to the next floor. She wanted to prove something to herself. But, whether it was if she wanted to find just one place there were no Uchiha's or she wanted to finally fight back she didn't know for sure.

Apparently, it was neither.

Tobi proved to be relentless as he hung onto her arm, following her around the fourth floor. Truthfully, he was the least scary of the Uchiha's and the easiest to be around. But, it was Halloween, and Sakura didn't know what to expect.

He wasn't all smiles and childish-antics like everyone thought. Sakura had seen the darker side to Tobi, experienced it. She was afraid that if she tried to run from Tobi or pushed him away, she'd lay witness to that rarely seen darker side of him.

So, she tolerated him as she walked along the hallways, searching for something. Although, what she was searching for escaped her. Maybe a certain pale boy?

"Sakura-chan! Why are you ignoring Tobi?" he asked, pulling her closer to him. Sakura frowned and tried to inconspicuously move away from him.

"Tobi doesn't like to be ignored, especially by Sakura-chan." she was jerk to a halt by Tobi and she looked over at him worriedly. He grinned at her, but it didn't seem as happy as his smiles usually did.

He pulled her into his chest and, like both Shisui and Itachi, lowered his lips to her neck.

And the night continued in this manner, Sakura climbing the stairs to each floor and encountering each Uchiha. They each did uncharacteristic things, from kissing to licking to biting.

Sasuke was much more forceful than his brother and cousins. He's pinned her against the wall the moment she stepped foot on the fifth floor, mouth at her jaw and his body impossibly close to hers.

But, like his brother, when he tried to remove her shirt she was snapped out of her daze and managed to escape him, inwardly wondering why he didn't follow her to the stairwell and overtake her again.

It was the sixth floor that Sakura found the most terrifying.

Madara's mouth was much more sinful and, she hated to admit it, talented. She'd never realized that a simple kiss on the inside of her wrist could leave her shivering. She was so lost with him that she didn't realize he was pinning her to the wall with her legs wrapped around his waist and his mouth on shoulder and her shirt and jacket on the floor and, oh Kami, he was kissing her jaw now.

Before she knew it, his lips were on hers and his tongue was pushing its way into her mouth. She fought against him, a battle for dominance, but eventually lost. He held her against him, whispering sweet nothings into her ear, and, like the other four, gave a gentle kiss to her forehead.

Like Itachi, he let her go, and she hurried back to the stairwell, her clothes in returned to her body. She felt dazed and slightly empty – whatever she had been looking for hadn't appeared. This night had been much too crazy for Sakura to handle and she could barely even comprehend what had all happened. Where had the ruthless, striving-to-scare men she'd grown up with? The men she'd feared for reasons entirely different than what had transpired this night?

She returned to the lobby and crouched down behind the check in desk, head on her knees as she thought back to everything. She felt her face heat up and she shuddered. What was going on?

She froze when the sound of footsteps returned to her – this time, a set of five. She listened to their conversation, four of the voices accusing while the fifth sounded indifferent and slightly smug.

"The deal was that no one would actually kiss her on the lips, Madara. You broke your promise."

Sakura stiffened at Shisui's claim.

"Hmph, it was simply a peck."

"That was no peck. We all saw it."

"My foolish brother is right; you stepped over the line, Madara. And now, she is nowhere to be found."

Sakura's head slowly rose from its place on her knees and her eyes narrowed. They'd been watching? They had each been somewhere in the background, watching her be molested? Each time? Those fucking bastards. That was their game. That was their goal.

They'd been playing to see who could get her to lower her guard the most, then humiliate her in the wrongest of ways.

Those sick bastards.

Sakura jumped up and faced them, emerald eyes hard and full of hate. Gone was the scared little girl. Gone was the dazed-by-pleasure girl. Here now was the lioness, a wildcat ready to unsheathe her claws against the men that had wronged her, terrified her.

Here stood Sakura, ready to kick some ass.

They hadn't been expecting her to suddenly appear and attack them and, after they had picked themselves off the floor and nursed their wounds, they followed her down one of the hallways branching off from the lobby. She didn't run, no. Now, she walked confidently, her steps thudding against the floor as her anger overpowered her fear.

She didn't know where she was going, but she trusted her instincts and knew she was going to find a way out of the hotel. Sakura ignored their calls and pushed open a pair of huge, carved double doors.

She paused in shock as she realized she had found the ballroom. She smiled and stepped inside, only vaguely aware that the five were coming up behind her.

It was Tobi that wrapped his arms around her first, a flurry of words and explanations falling from his mouth as what appeared to be tears flowed over his cheeks.

"Sakura-chan, please don't be mad at us! You've got it all wrong! We've never wanted to hurt you. We love you."

Sakura's glare snapped to his face and he flinched, his grip loosening momentarily.

"How dare you. You think you can just say you love me after all these years of trying your hardest to scare me? Lies. You monsters can't love."

Itachi pulled her from Tobi's grip, spinning her around as they fell into a dance, a slow waltz. He whispered close to her ear, "If I didn't love you, how would I know that you love to dance?"

Sakura's eyes widened; it was true, but how did he know?

Itachi passed her onto Sasuke, and he dipped her down, hand at the small of her back. "And if I didn't love you, how would I know that the only reason you are still here tonight is because you refuse to let anyone think of you as a coward?"

Suddenly, she was in Shisui's arms, swaying from side to side. "What about the fact that I know that when it rains, you always have a smile on your face. Because you love the fresh smell in the air after a rain shower?" He twirled her around, smiling softly, "Would someone that didn't really love you know that?"

Tobi smiled at her, spinning her childishly. "And Tobi knows that Sakura-chan can lay for hours, finding shapes and pictures in the clouds."

And then, she was in Madara's arms. Her anger had melted away, only to be replaced by curiosity and confusion. How did they know these things about her?

"And would someone who didn't love you spend an entire night, year after year, in attempt to have your full, undivided attention? True, our methods were unorthodox, but we didn't know how to go about it. Seeing the fear on your face broke our hearts, but the anger you would send us, everyday afterwards made up for it. We knew we would be on your mind, even if it meant that your thoughts were hate-filled." He kissed her forehead and Sakura blinked, thinking through their words.

She wasn't sure she believed them, but they'd proved something to her. If they knew such important things about her, things not even her closest of friends knew, maybe she had a reason to give them a second chance.

She stepped away from Madara, now realized that she'd danced with them halfway across the ballroom.

"Fine. I'll give you each another chance, a chance to prove you aren't the nightmares I've believed you to be, all these years." They sent her identical smiles. She crossed her arms, brows furrowing. "But only one chance, you screw it up, and I'll go back to hating you."

Tobi cheered and hugged her and she couldn't help the small (slightly weak) smile that rose to her lips. They crossed the rest of the ballroom, each stealing her away from the other. Shisui had her bag and board, but claimed to have lost her helmet. It was just as she spotted the door, the door she was sure led outside that something occurred to her.

"Where's Sai? Should we wait for him?"

They each sent her a questioning look and Sasuke spoke first.

"Who?"

She frowned. "Sai, your cousin? He's in town visiting? Came here with you guys?"

"Our only relative visiting is my brother, Izuna. But, he got sick at the last moment and was unable to accompany us." Madara paused, turning thoughtful. "He really wanted to meet you Sakura. Maybe you can come over tomorrow?"

She nodded slowly and they opened the door, stepping out into the cold night air.

'If only the five of them came here tonight, who was it that I was talking to?'

::

You're such a gorgeous nightmare
Old habits never seem to go away
You make me feel brand new, yeah
We resurrect, it's like I've come back to life

::

The next day, they all crowded around Shikamaru's laptop. Ino stood next to him and Naruto kept poking and prodding at Sasuke with a goofy and cheeky grin, asking what had all happened the night before. Madara pulled Sakura down into his lap and Shisui shot him a glare. Izuna, who had been delighted to finally meet the "famous Sakura-chan." Stood next to his brother, his hand traveling to Sakura's to feel her soft skin against his cool. Tobi was spinning in Shikamaru's extra swivel-chair. Itachi patiently waited, next to Sasuke, for the video to finish loading.

"The connection to my laptop went fuzzy a couple of times last night, but I think the actual video saved ok." Shikamaru mumbled, sending distrusting glances at the six Uchiha. Ino seemed tense, unused to Sakura being so comfortable around the men they had gladly hated (and kinda, sorta secretly crushed on) for years.

"Yeah, my video was acting weird too, 'ttebayo."

"Here we go."

They watched the video, from the moment Sakura first turned on the webcam to her text conversation with Sasori (which the six all narrowed their eyes at) to Sakura finding the front doors blocked.

But, as they watched where Sakura was in the kitchen, something strange happened. She swung her wooden spoon at thin air and was locked in a defensive position by apparently nothing.

There was an entire ten minutes of Sakura talking to no one, the only replies faint whispers in the air.

::

You're such a gorgeous nightmare
Old habits don't go away
You make me feel brand new, yeah
We resurrect, it's like I've come back to life

I feel so alive
I feel so alive
I feel so alive
I feel so alive

::

notes: Phew. It's finally over...

Did I really just write that?

Wow.

Well, anyways, how did you guys like it? Scary enough? Romance-y enough? Towards the end, I bet you can really tell how rushed I was feeling. I kind of like how it jumps around a bit. Though, if I had had my way, there would have been more developed scenes for Tobi, Sasuke, and Madara.

I'm glad I gave Shisui and Itachi longer scenes though. :)

Hope everyone enjoyed it!

There's probably a lot of spelling and grammatical mistakes in the second half, because I didn't get a chance to go back and proofread.

Anyways...Thanks for reading! And please review (and voting would be appreciated!)

Reviews = Love = Happiness = Inspiration = Faster Updates = More Smiles

Create some smiles people

::Thirrin73::