I – The Beginning
Her feet pounded on the sidewalk as she pushed her body to run faster, trying to get as far away from her house as possible. Her lungs burned, struggling to get adequate air in, and her thighs ached. Sakura sprinted through the streets of her neighborhood, in the suburbs of Konoha.
Cars sped past with no regard for the woman sprinting down the sidewalk. No one stopped or pulled over for her. Why should they? How would they know?
Tears dripped down her cheeks at the thought of the scene that had met her when she returned from her jog around the neighborhood. Her mother sprawled on the rug in the living room, on her stomach, and her hair and clothes soaked through with her own blood. Her father sitting against a wall, organs spilling into his lap while his eyes had rolled heavenward.
She squeezed her eyes shut, a sob escaping between clenched teeth.
How?
Why?
And now, there were men chasing her. No doubt they had returned to look for her and she walked right into their hands. "Help me," she screamed, waving her arms as another car passed.
It didn't stop. But the two men were closer than she thought.
"Please, help me," she begged to the next car. But the driver didn't even spare her a glance.
In her effort to run and beg for help, she tripped over her own two feet, skidding along her elbows and stomach. She tried to catch herself, but the masked men were on her sooner than she could regain her momentum. They grabbed her by her upper arms, gloved fingers digging into her skin and muscle. She tried to kick and scream, but they dragged her into the woods behind some houses. A third man waited for them just inside the tree line, gagging her with a piece of cloth.
"Let's go. We don't have time to waste," he gruffed, voice deep and gravelly.
She thrashed and jerked her body around as they moved, in hopes their grip would loosen up. But the third one spun around and gripped her face between his thick fingers, dark brown eyes the only thing she could see of his face, the skin around it a deep tan color.
"You'll keep still if you know what's best for you, bitch," he sneered.
She stopped, withholding the whimper that wanted to bubble up, and allowed them to drag her along, her feet barely able to keep up at their fast clip. She kept tripping and slipping, their harsh grips the only thing keeping her upright.
The day had been overcast and grey. The trees, even in the middle of summer, seemed menacing and ominous beneath the grey sky. Deep into the forest, someone had built a Western-styled cottage into the side of a hill. There wasn't much to it – one-story, white bricks, brown shingles across the roof, a black door, and a small square opening above the door.
They dragged her inside. She didn't get to see much of the interior before the third guy grabbed a fistful of her long pink hair and dragged her down some stairs towards the back of the cottage. Her screams of pain were muffled by the gag and she tried to scratch his arm. But his clothes kept his skin protected. He threw her on a bed and handcuffed her to the headboard of the bed.
Sakura swung her foot out to kick the man, but he grabbed her ankle and squeezed. She screamed, the bones protesting.
"Enough."
Immediately, the man released her ankle. Two men stood in the doorway. The taller one had long, lank black hair, pale skin, and gleaming amber-colored eyes. His face was gaunt, shadows hidden in the hollows of his cheeks. He wore a violet kimono top with lavender-colored lining around the collar and a black mesh top underneath. He wore loose black pants that fell around his bare white feet.
"Kabuto. Strip her."
The other man, the shorter one, stepped forward and began to tear her clothes off. He had long grey hair pulled back into a ponytail with similar, snake-like amber eyes. He tore off all her clothes, despite her cries, leaving her bare and naked. She tried to curl up, tried to save some remaining shred of her dignity.
The other one moved towards the bed and stood over her, smirking at the watery glare she tried to aim at him. "I'm sure you're very confused, Sakura-chan," he hissed softly, reaching a finger out to run down her cheek. She jerked her head away. "And things will become clear soon enough later on. But, for now, I need you relaxed and submissive."
Sakura screamed beneath her gag, but it only made him smirk harder. He turned towards the masked man, who still stood in the room. "Give her the sedatives. We'll check on her later."
She didn't have the chance to even attempt to fight back. The man grabbed her arm and sunk the needle in her arm.
Then the darkness came down.
Sakura was a prisoner to her own bodily experiences, a backseat observer to what they did to her. They fed her, sure. But it was everything else. When she wasn't completely alone or being tube fed food, they were running tests on her and touching her. Kabuto had touched her first, his hand passing over her toned stomach, soft touches and skims of his fingertips. Her body had tensed, instinctively. But Sakura didn't otherwise protest. She couldn't. Even if she tried to force her lips to form a verbal protest, or will her body to turn away, she couldn't.
Kabuto smirked and laid his hand flat on her lower stomach, too close to her pink curls. His hand stayed there for a few beats before he left. The next time, it had been Kabuto again, trailing his fingers across her curls and public bone. He spread her legs and gently petted her lips. She'd been more present then, not completely, but enough for a tear to slip out of the corner of her eye and her lips to part with a soft gasp.
He looked at her face and frowned. "Seems we'll have to up your dosage. It's bad enough that your body is still resistant to us. We don't need your will getting in the way too."
One of the masked men was tasked with feeding her, which consisted of easing a tube down her throat and forcing some puree-looking food down into her stomach. They never touched her, only her chin and neck.
The pale man was named Orochimaru and he scared her the most.
The first time he came in was after all the tests seemed to be done. Like the first time, he was barefoot, slipping in quietly with that smirk permanently on his lips. He trailed his fingers up the underside of her foot, over her leg, and brushing the sides of her curls. As he sat on the edge of the bed, he reached to cup a breast, a finger circling a nipple.
She couldn't move. And she hated how her nipple pebbled, enticed by his simple ministration.
"I know you can hear me, even in this state. Do you know something I find fascinating about the human body, Sakura-chan?" His smirk deepened. "Even if our minds reject the idea of an external influence on the body, our body will still react how it was programmed to react. For example, your nipple hardens at my touch. I'm sure, inside the pretty head of yours, you're repulsed. But your body, on its own, can't differentiate between what you want and what you don't want."
Orochimaru touched a finger to the center of her forehead. "And your will is strong. If I let your will remain at the front, it'll get in my way. You see, I experiment on people. And I've had many… test subjects before you, using them to achieve a certain goal I'm trying to reach. You're probably wondering why I chose you then."
His hand cupped between her legs, a finger dipping between her lips and touching her clitoris. Something snapped in Sakura and, suddenly, she was arching her back up off the bed, arms yanking at her handcuffs, and legs snapping closed. Instead of being deterred, he circled her clitoris harder and faster.
And then his hand was gone. She panted, her chest seizing as she tried to cry out in disgust. But nothing beyond heavy breathing happened. His smirk turned devilish. "See? With the amount of our sedative formula in your system, you shouldn't even be able to react."
Sakura didn't know how much time had passed. For all she knew, it had only been a day, or a week, or some other length of time
What she did know was that Orochimaru and Kabuto were both in the room with her. And Orochimaru was removing his clothes. They hadn't sedated her in the last couple times they'd been in and teased her body. She tried to fight, tried to move around and scream behind the gag that Kabuto had tied around her mouth. But her muscles were weak, unresponsive.
Orochimaru smirked, standing naked before her. She could see his erection. There was clear ulterior motives behind his eyes and, whether she suffered from this or not didn't concern him. She tried to beg him not to. And all that came out was muffled noises
"Just lay back and relax," he hissed as he crawled over her, his tongue slipping out. It was forked and long, passing over her labia. Her body froze and then seemed to relax. "Ah, yes. Your body has learned to crave this attention."
He lowered his head and lapped at her. His hands kept her thighs spread but if her foot began to move in a protesting manner, Kabuto would restrain it until she lost the effort. A shudder traveled up her spine, her inner muscles fluttered and contracted, and her eyes almost rolled back in her eyes. Tears slipped into her hair, unbidden.
Why? Why was this happening… to her?
Somewhere above them, a door was kicked down and feet thundered above them. Kabuto looked up and the snake-like man above her frowned. "The police are here," Kabuto said.
Orochimaru scowled, baring his teeth. "We'll have to make this quick then."
But before he could penetrate her, the door to the bedroom swung open and someone shot him in the shoulder and stomach. He cried out and fell sideways off the bed. Kabuto pulled out a gun, but the figure shot him three times before he could pull the trigger. Sakura tried to move, show that she was coherent.
The police officer, dressed in the beige and grey Konoha Police uniform, had spiky yellow hair and moved to help her. Sakura forced a plaintive moan out and his cerulean blue eyes connected with hers as her unlocked her wrists. "Don't worry. I'm here to save you." He looked around the room and pulled out a blanket to wrap her in.
Moving was impossible with how long she'd been immobile and unable to use her muscles. He helped her sit up long enough to wrap the blanket around her and picked her up in his arms. As he carried her up the stairs, three more police officers ran downstairs with their own guns drawn to capture the wounded perpetrators. As the man carried her towards his cruiser, she could feel the immobility and sluggishness leaching from her body.
The blonde man opened the passenger door, setting her on the edge of the seat. Her head lolled against the seat back. "My name is Uzamaki Naruto. Let me grab a med kit from my trunk."
Her hand reached out, barely brushing him. But it caught his attention and he knelt before her again. "My parents…"
His eyes saddened, and he looked away. "I'm sorry, Sakura. Your parents are dead. We only found you because your neighbors reported the crime."
"…I need to go there."
"We need to get you some medical attention."
"Please."
"Naruto."
He looked back to see a black-haired man with onyx eyes standing directly behind him. She gasped at his sudden appearance. He looked at her with narrowed eyes before looking back at his partner. "Orochimaru and Kabuto escaped. He has a network of tunnels underground."
Sakura got Naruto's attention. "My house…" She wanted to say more than just a few words at a time. But her body seemed to still be readjusting to the reconnection to her brain.
"She thinks they might go to her house. We should get there ASAP."
"We're not taking her with us if they're there."
"We are if we want to catch them. Get in, Teme." Naruto jumped in the driver's seat and Sasuke strode around to get in the front passenger seat. The blonde drove them out of the woods and onto the main road back towards her house. She had to consciously force the words out of her coherently to lead him in the right direction, not realizing how far she'd been able to run away from her house.
They pulled up to a crème-colored, two-story house and a police cruiser in front of one of the two car garages, next to her father's Jeep. Naruto and Sasuke pulled out their guns and climbed out of the car. Sasuke looked back and told her, "Stay in the car."
Sakura pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders as she watched the two men stalk around to the front door. Caution tape wrapped around the structure, warning people that this was a restricted area for police activity only. The two officers disappeared for only a split second before a German Shepherd tackled Naruto to the ground, growling in his face. Sasuke kicked it off and pointed his gun at it. The dog growled at him, fur on end.
She launched herself out of the car. But her legs gave out beneath her and she sprawled on the ground. The dog spun and looked at her before bounding over. Sakura struggled to push herself up and looped an arm around her neck. "Good girl, Kaji. Good girl."
Kaji, the dog, licked her face, barking softly and whining as she rubbed her face against her. "I'm okay now."
Gunshots fired all of a sudden and she lifted her head just as something sliced her arm through the blanket. She screamed, grasping her arm. Kaji spun and took up a defensive stance in front of her. Sasuke backed out of the house, firing shots into the house while Naruto ran out to grab her. Kaji snapped at him.
"Dog, I'm helping her."
Sakura struggled to sit up. "Kaji, heel."
She backed down and Naruto lifted her back into the cruiser. Kaji jumped in after, climbing onto the seat next to her. Naruto shout to Sasuke, "Teme, we need to get out of here. She's been hurt."
Sasuke rolled away from the front door, leaping over the hood of the cruiser, and lunging in. Naruto slammed his foot on the gas just as two figures ran out of the house, shooting at the back windshield. Sakura screamed as she heard the bullets ricocheting off the glass. Sasuke leaned out the window, firing shots.
"Teme, I'm turning."
Sasuke slid back in, reloading his magazine as they left the neighborhood.
Sakura had fallen asleep, curled up against the door while Kaji laid her head in her lap, occasionally licking her fingers. Neither Naruto nor Sasuke bothered to wake her as they drove further outside of Konoha proper, but they spoke quietly to each other.
The blonde pulled up to a black metal gate that marked the start of a tree-lined dirt road, the mansion itself far in the back and out of sight. He rolled down the window and punched in the clearance code then scanned his hand on a scanner. The gates opened, and he rolled in, waiting for the gates to close before continuing on. The large two-story white mansion was hidden amongst the trees, their multi-car garages off to the left side of the circular driveway.
As Naruto stopped in front of the front steps, Sasuke climbed out and opened the back door.
"I'll hide the cruiser," Naruto said, jogging over to the garage to open it.
Kaji jumped out first, turning to bark at her master. Sakura's eyes fluttered open, eyes circling around as if reminding herself of where she was. Then they landed on Sasuke as he knelt inside on the seat to grab her. There was a curious expression on his face that she just couldn't place. But, given what she'd gone through, she didn't care to analyze it. She took his hand as he helped her slide out. Her legs were wobbly, still, so he swung her up in his arms, effortlessly and strode up the stairs.
Sasuke waited at the top of the stairs while Naruto moved the cruiser into the garage. Then the blonde came running up the stairs to unlock the front door.
White tile made the floor as it stretched towards the back of the house and of to the sides, into the wings. A grand staircase marked the middle of the entry space the led to a landing and two branching hallways. Above their heads hung a five-tiered chandelier, reflecting dots of light around the walls and ceiling. However, at the top of the stairs stood a man who looked similar to Sasuke, but older.
Sasuke set her down, making sure she could at least stand, before helping her close the blanket around her. The man scrutinized her, narrowing his eyes. She gripped the sleeve of Naruto's beige shirt, her heart hammering in her chest from the look. He turned to call down the hall to his left, "Kakashi. They brought another. And she has a dog."
A man with messy grey hair appeared, head first before edging out. He had a mask that covered his nose and mouth, wearing a simple, navy blue yukata with a black tie. "What? I didn't catch that."
"Quit playing around, old man," Naruto called.
The man, supposedly Kakashi, looked down just as Sakura managed to slowly shuffle behind the blonde and the German Shepherd that stood protectively in front of her. He sighed and came down the stairs with his hands tucked into his sleeves. "Why do you insist on bringing your rescues here first every time? She can't stay here."
"She's got nowhere else to go," Naruto said. "Orochimaru killed her parents and held her hostage. He also drugged her pretty hard. She'll be safer here than anywhere else we could have left her."
"The snake still has no idea about this place," Sasuke added.
Kakashi eyed both men. "Is that why you both rushed out of here after Tsunade called you?"
They nodded.
The man stopped before them, hands now on his hips. Kaji had yet to back down, growling softly. Sakura reached down to touch her head, trying to convey that she could relax. But Kakashi took that as a sign that he could pet her. As he reached a hand out, she snapped at him.
"Tst," she said. "Behave, for now."
Kaji barked.
"You understand that mongrel?" Itachi asked.
Sakura glared as much as she could. "She's not a mongrel. I've had Kaji since she was born. We have a special bond." And then her legs gave out again, the room spinning. She gasped as she collapsed, cupping her head. Naruto was quick to grab her up. "I'll take you to one of the spare rooms and get you settled in. Kakashi will get you some clothes."
"I will?"
Naruto elbowed him as they moved upstairs, Kaji following the blonde closely behind. Sasuke walked down the hall behind the stairs, heading for the kitchen. From the fridge, he grabbed a beer can, sitting at the island. Itachi was suddenly sitting next to him, his back and elbows against the counter with his face tilted towards the ceiling. "Tell me, Otouto, does she know what we are?"
"I've barely said a word to her. Naruto maybe clueless, but he wouldn't have let on." He took a deep gulp of the beer, ignoring the way it bubbled in his throat. But he didn't look at Itachi as he spoke his next thought. "She was shot in the arm when we went to her house. But her wound is already healed. And she's taking everything better than any of the others Tsunade's made us rescue in the past from Orochimaru and his minions."
Itachi hummed. "Indeed. Many of the others have screamed and begged for death after being rescued. Let's see how she fares through the night."
They sat quietly for a while, sitting in the silence as they listened to the house.
"Did Orochimaru get her blood?"
Sasuke shrugged.
"…Have you had her blood?"
Now he looked at his older brother. "I'm not Naruto or Kiba. I know Kakashi and Tsunade's rules."
"There's nothing wrong with me checking." He sat up and slid off the barstool. "I'll alert Yuka about her presence since she asked Tsunade keep tabs on her. I'm sure she'll be glad to see her."
"Don't really care."
Itachi left the kitchen, no doubt to head upstairs. A couple minutes later, as Sasuke cracked open his second beer, Sai came in. Sasuke closed his eyes, counting back from one hundred. He had to do it every time Sai came to bother him.
"I hear you and Brainless brought another girl back." He moved next to Sasuke. "Do you like her? You usually insist you drop them off at Tsunade's the same night."
Sasuke said nothing, reaching seventy-five faster than he should have. He started over, knowing his current pace would reach zero too soon.
"Maybe actually having someone to connect with might help keep your bloodlust and temper in check. And maybe even your sexual urges too. Karin doesn't seem to be enough."
"Fuck off, Sai," he snapped, glaring. "Nobody asked for your opinion. Shouldn't you be upstairs fucking Ino?"
Sai stared at him, his face a blank slate like it always was. "She's sleeping. Yelling at me won't get you laid anytime soon, though." He smiled at Sasuke's scowl. "Who knows when you'll have a good romp again, if ever."
The can crumpled in his grip.
"See you in the morning, Sasuke-kun."
\/\/\/
Upstairs, Naruto sat her on the edge of a bed. Kaji immediately moved to her side, pressing against her legs while the blonde moved into the adjoining bathroom, looking beneath the sink. "While we wait for Kakashi, I'll take a look at your arm. You got shot, right?"
"I guess," she said softly.
He came back with a box and set it on the bed, sitting next to her. But as he moved to take her arm, he remembered that she was completely naked underneath. She looked away, clutching the blanket tighter. "Maybe we should wait for Kakashi."
"Uh, yeah. In fact, uh, he's actually better at that stuff than I am. Maybe he should take a look."
"No," she said, whipping her head around.
His eyes widened.
"I…" She squeezed her eyes shut. "Everything has happened so quickly. How long have I even been missing?"
Naruto made a soft noise, looking at his lap. "The initial call came in about ten days ago."
Sakura shuddered. "For ten days, I've been in and out of consciousness. They force fed me mystery food, ran tests on me, and touched me. I was so drugged that even when I was awake, it's like I was an outside observer to my own body."
"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan."
She looked over at him. "I'm sure Kakashi is a lot better at medical stuff. But I don't know him. And I don't know you either. For all I know, you could have rescued me just to use me for your own twisted plans. But my hesitant trust is in you right now."
He nodded. "I can do that. You can always trust me here, Sakura-chan. And, I promise, none of us have any twisted plans for you."
A knock came at the door and Kakashi poked his head in. "I brought a bundle of clothes for you to wear. I wasn't sure of your size, so whatever doesn't fit, you can just give back to me."
Naruto placed the bundle in the bathroom, on the counter, before moving back to carry her into the bathroom, setting her on the toilet cover. He closed the door behind him after letting Kaji in. Her companion was more astute than an average dog, grabbing a yukata in her teeth and dragging it over to her. Sakura had trouble breathing as she tried to get the yukata on over her arms and the belt around her body.
Kaji whined and then started to bark as she slid to the floor, laying on her side. It was the only position she was capable of existing in at the moment. Her heart thundered in her ears and it felt like her stomach had bottomed out for no reason. That feeling people got when they were falling – free or otherwise – was suddenly upon her.
The door opened and Naruto knelt before her, speaking, but she could barely hear him. He picked her up, despite her weak protests, and laid her on the bed. Kakashi passed him a pill and a glass of water with a straw.
"Here," the blonde offered. "It's a food pill. I promise it's not poison."
She could barely nod and he slipped it in her mouth before giving her the straw. She drank greedily, feeling the cool water filling her stomach.
"The food pill should tide you over for the night," Kakashi said. "We don't want to give you too much food and then your body reject it. Your body has been through some sudden and traumatizing stuff. We need to acclimate you."
She nodded, feeling the room stabilizing.
"I'm going to go ahead and check your arm, Sakura-chan. You can rest afterwards."
As Naruto lifted her sleeve above her shoulder, she noticed somebody new standing in the doorway of the bedroom. He looked similar to Sasuke, except his skin was paler, black hair shorter, and the smile on his mouth seemed fake. "Who's the hag you've brought here this time? If she's staying, I think 'Ugly' is an appropriate name for her."
Sakura couldn't muster the strength to even frown, feeling only now returning to her lips. But Kaji growled menacingly for her spot on the bed next to her, baring her teeth. Kakashi was standing next to him all of a sudden, a restraining hand on the man's shoulder. "Sai, honestly, I thought I taught you not to insult our guests."
But the man only frowned slightly. "It was an insult? But I was speaking the truth."
Naruto stood, closing the medical kit. "We'll leave you alone, Sakura-chan. Sleep well." He smiled and set the kit on the dresser before following Kakashi and Sai out. The door closed and the light turned off.
And she was immediately out.
"They got away with her, Orochimaru-sama."
The snake-like man smirked. "I expected at such. You two have fulfilled your purpose."
In the next second, their heads tumbled to the floor and their bodies collapsed. He licked his fingers and claws of the sticky red fluids, tongue curling around each digit. Kabuto resumed his task of pulling the bullets from beneath his muscle. "Are you going to go after them?"
"No, let them come out of hiding and drop their guard on their own. We have multiple samples of her blood. We don't need her right now."
"Should we start the initial phase of testing then?"
"Yes. It's time that we did. I think we've finally found the right subject."
Finally! I updated the story. This is still very much a work in progress since I can hardly stand to read what I wrote before. Please leave reviews and let me know what you think of this updated chapter. After, feel free to read my Drabbles or Lady Haruno stories centered around Sakura and Kuchiki Byakuya (from Bleach).
Hopefully, as I continue, I'll make some more Sakura x Sasuke stories.
Stay tuned!