An Addictive Nature
Summary: Some say the first part to solving a problem is admitting it. Sakura thinks it's going to be a little harder than that for her. SakuMulti. This is a rewrite of my previous fic, Drugs. Warnings that there may be triggers for this. (Physical abuse, drug abuse etc.)
Chapter One
Ruffling her vividly coloured hair, the young woman sighed, slouching her weight onto one leg while she rested a hand on her hip. Turning green eyes away from the gate in front of her and up to the man beside her, she delicately let a pink brow rise. "Do I really have to do this Iruka?" she asked, her voice clipped and harsh and almost petulant. The only thing missing was a foot stomp.
Iruka smiled weakly at her. "This is going to be your new home for a while, Sakura-chan. So, sorry, but I have to do this. You'll enjoy it here!"
"I don't have to enjoy anything," Sakura muttered, letting her hand drop away from her hip to grip the handle of a suitcase that was sat next to her. "I'm eighteen, I'm allowed to live where I want or by myself and whatever not at...this place."
"You need help Sakura," Iruka admonished, and, before she could complain further, pushed the button to the intercom set in the wall next to the gate. There was a nasal buzz, a clatter, and then Iruka was talking softly to someone. Sakura slouched her weight again while she glared childishly at the ground, hand not holding the case moving to rub her neck as she drowned out Iruka's speaking.
After a few moments the gates screeched open, and Iruka gestured forward. Sakura gave him a foul look and strode forward, dragging the suitcase behind her and not even turning to look at him as he caught up, the two of them making their way up the driveway to the extravagant and large building that would be Sakura's home for an indeterminable amount of time.
When a gust of wind caused some wayward hair to flutter into her face, Sakura sighed, letting her shoulders slump as she reached out her hand to grab onto Iruka's wrist, fingers twitching a little. Iruka barely spared her a glance, but shook his wrist free until he could take her hand in his own, fingers slipping between hers as he clasped her hand gently.
"It'll all be okay, Sakura."
"You can't even promise that. This is just a trial anyway. As soon as it doesn't work out, I'm going home," Sakura bitterly replied, tightening her hand weakly on the handle of her suitcase and ignoring Iruka's wince at her words, before she cast her eyes upwards, watching the gathering of grey clouds above them as the wind began to pick up.
Iruka rubbed his thumb over the side of Sakura's hand gently, not offering her a reply because of the truth of her words. Instead, he followed the direction of her eyes and quietly murmured, "Seems as if it's going to thunder today."
"Will you stay until it has passed?"
Will you stay until this is over? Was her unspoken question, the fear and anxiety, the worry and nervousness apparent in her voice.
"It wouldn't do well to drive back in these sorts of weather conditions."
As long as I am able to. His voice was soft and reassuring, his fingers squeezing hers as he gave his reply.
Sakura felt something within her that let her lips twist weakly into some semblance of a grimace when she attempted a smile. Iruka seemed to appreciate the attempt either way, smiling down at her before they came to a stop in front of the door of the house.
Iruka was the one to knock, with his free hand, rapping his knuckles three consecutive times against the thick wood before dropping his hand and patiently waiting to be answered.
Sakura, despite absolutely loathing the situation she was in, felt a little afraid of what, who would be on the other side and her hand was given another squeeze by Iruka, prompting one more half grimace on her face.
The expression dropped as she heard the scrambling and shouting on the other side of the door before it was thrown open, giving way to a young man with sunny blonde hair, tanned skin and stunning blue eyes. For a brief moment, Sakura found herself staring before she turned to glare at her feet again.
She was ignored.
"Iruka-sensei! It's good to see you!"
"It's good to see you too, Naruto." Iruka was forced to let go of Sakura's hand as he reached forward to hug the blonde and she briefly floundered, trying not to panic in the face of this stranger now she no longer had the support of Iruka.
"Are you coming back to stay?" The now named Naruto enquired cheerfully, even as he clutched Iruka in what must have been a back breaking hug and, with difficulty, the brown haired man shook his head.
"I'm only going to be here for a short while. I'm not sure how much you've been told, but I'm only really here to bring in Sakura-chan."
It was then Sakura realised all attention had been turned to her, but she resolutely kept her stare on the floor until a hand appeared in her vision. If it hadn't of been for Iruka's arm suddenly lifting to rest across her back, she would have stumbled back in fear of being struck.
Instead, when her attempt at backing away was aborted, she lifted her eyes to see that the blonde was focused on her, smiling brightly, as he said, hand still held out, "Hey there! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, one of the councillors here!" He jerked the thumb of his free hand over his shoulder. "What's your name?"
Sakura stared for a moment, noticing the whisker looking marks on his cheeks, three to each side bizarrely enough, before she wrapped her free arm not holding the case around her, hoping that Naruto would drop his arm. She moved her eyes away from his face to focus on his shoulder as she bit out, "Sakura Haruno. Charmed."
Naruto watched her for a moment, smile faltering and hand wavering before he smiled even wider and reached out as if to set a hand on her shoulder. Sakura immediately jerked her arm up to tightly grip his wrist, displaying surprising strength for her short, skinny stature, and forcibly twisted his hand away from her, whispering, "Don't touch me. Please." The plea was tacked on almost hastily, so as to make her retort just a little less harsh.
"Whoops, my mistake." Naruto carefully freed his wrist from her grasp and wisely didn't ask why, still staying cheery as he held his hands up in mock surrender and took a step back. "But wow, aren't you pretty Sakura-chan! A little on the underweight side, don't worry, we'll get that sorted real quick, but pretty nonetheless! Iruka, you sly dog, keeping her to yourself all this time."
Iruka chuckled and moved with exaggeratedly slow movements to clasp Sakura's hand in his own again, squeezing gently. Slowly, noticeably, the young woman relaxed, exhaling heavily and ignoring how Naruto keenly watched the interaction.
Naruto lifted a hand to rub his jaw speculatively before suddenly turning around and calling over his shoulder, "Oi, Sasuke-teme! You still about? Come take Sakura-chan's case so I can show her around!"
From the corner of his eye, he observed Sakura's discreet flinch as she grimaced at his raised tone, brows furrowed and he himself had to fight the urge to frown when she gave another flinch at the distant shout he was given in reply. He still forced a smile as he faced the two again, paying more attention to Sakura.
"Sasuke-teme is a little rough around the edges, but he's nice enough. Don't let him intimidate you, okay?" He reached out as if to touch her shoulder again and then abruptly pulled back, curbing his habit of invading personal space. Sakura would approach him when she was ready.
Sakura just gave a curt nod, her eyes on her feet again and her hair shadowing her eyes. With her eyes downcast, Naruto was able to take in her appearance without unnerving her with his stare before he suddenly started, taking a step back and laughing nervously.
"Wow, I haven't, uh, invited you in that. That was kinda rude of me, dad's gonna have my head...Sakura-chan, Iruka-sensei, come in please. Sasuke'll be here to take the suitcase in a minute, but if you just bring it inside the door."
Gently, as if coaxing a small animal, Iruka managed to get Sakura to step inside, dragging her case behind her. She was acting unusually timid; he was used to her having a brash and abrasive personality, but he determined it was because of meeting a stranger. When he had met her himself, she had stayed away from him before he had shown he meant no harm, though he'd been bruised and broken his nose more times than he cared to count when trying to make friends with her. At one point she'd lashed out with a weapon and scarred the bridge of his nose. Still, to calm her no doubt fraying nerves, he kept her small cold hand clasped in his own and offered another squeeze, to which she offered one back.
Upon stepping over the threshold, Sakura lifted her head slightly to let her eyes flicker over the furnishings. The walls and carpet of the foyer were all in bright, but not overly obnoxious, colours, giving the room, despite it only being the entrance, large as it was, a warm and homely look.
At the lack of broken furniture and old stains on the carpet and walls, Sakura began to relax, letting her eyes drift over to Naruto who was talking amiably and inanely about this person, Sasuke that he had called forward. At his enthusiasm Sakura couldn't help the weak smile that threatened to twitch her lips and was startled when Naruto suddenly stopped talking and smiled widely at her.
Unnerved by his rapt attention, Sakura swallowed drily, dimly noting the sound of Iruka closing the door behind them, and asked, "What are you looking at?"
"You're even prettier when you smile, Sakura-chan! You should do it more often!"
Sakura couldn't help but scoff, letting go of her suitcase handle to lift her hand and toss her short hair over her shoulder, brushing her fringe from her face as she muttered, "That was cheesy, Uzumaki-san."
"It worked though, eh? You're looking up and talking to me. Though, call me 'Naruto', huh?"
The sincere smile he gave to her made her stomach clench and Sakura fought the urge to drop her eyes to the floor again. She wasn't forced into giving him an answer because, at that that moment, a tall, pale young man with hair as black as a dark night silently walked through from one of the corridors connected to the foyer, dark eyes focusing onto Sakura.
Sakura gave him a quick, cursory glance and promptly ducked her head again, lifting her hand to her mouth and promptly fighting the urge to snort unattractively at the new entrant's hair. It would be rude and unorthodox to laugh at someone because of their hair when her own was a bright shade of pink. It probably wasn't his fault that it grew in a style reminiscent of the backside of a chicken.
"Looks like your face scared her, Sasuke-teme," Naruto scolded, though there was a hint of humour in his voice and words.
"I'm pretty sure she's just tired of having to deal with your idiocy, dobe," Sasuke drawled in return as he stopped by Naruto's side, hand shoved in his pockets as he briefly bowed his head forward in greeting. "Sasuke Uchiha."
Sakura briefly pondered the familiarity of the name 'Uchiha' before she gave a jerky nod and muttered, "Sakura Haruno."
Naruto slowly rocked on the balls of his feet and then leaned into Sasuke's space, murmuring in his ear, "No sudden movements around Sakura-chan, Sasuke, she's one who doesn't like contact at the moment."
"Hnn," Sasuke hummed in reply before watching Sakura again as he stated, "I'll be taking your suitcase to your room. Is there anything you want taken out of it before I leave?"
Sakura gave a jerky shake of her head, feeling her stomach twist in knots as she wondered whether or not her suitcase would be searched before she managed to see it again. Iruka had let her pack in peace so she knew her secret was safe for now but, if they checked it before she could find any suitable hiding places...she gave a nervous, dry swallow and pursed her lips.
"I'm going to come closer now. Is that okay?"
Sakura slowly exhaled and nodded this time, lifting her eyes to face him and feeling a little angry at her cowardly reactions to meeting new people. Her normal reaction to this situation would be to kick and fight and scratch her way out but she had promised Iruka that she would try. Now that she wasn't scrambling to get free and away she was feeling scared instead, that they would act untoward to her. It was a stupid feeling, but it was there all the same.
Brazenly, when he approached her, she ripped her hand free of Iruka's, to his sharp inhale – fear she was going to hit Sasuke – and shoved it in Sasuke's direction, setting her shoulders straight and ignoring the intermittent tremble in her hand as she waited for a handshake.
She almost flinched away (or retaliated negatively, she could never tell) when soft fingertips touched her palm ever so gently, sliding along her hand to the heel of her palm before strong fingers closed around her hand with such care it was if Sasuke was handling glass, not a timid young woman, and Sakura very nearly sobbed at how careful he was being. She also had the urge to snap at him for handling her so gently, since it hurt her pride. She swallowed that urge down.
Very carefully, Sakura squeezed her own, admittedly bony, fingers around Sasuke's large, warm hand and let her arm give an awkward movement to initiate a shake, which he returned in a movement that was less jerky before he let go as quickly as he dared, fingers once again dragging against her palm and all the way to her fingertips before he reached out for her suitcase.
He was close, but not close enough to warrant Sakura to panic, so when he murmured, "Well done," to her, she could hear it, and she felt her heart well with gratitude in her chest as she offered him a shy smile, which still was no more than a tired grimace. He even offered her a twitch of the lips in return. Her heart soared ever higher as she watched him leave with her suitcase and she caught the look of pride on Naruto's face directed to her. She'd forgotten the name of the emotion she was feeling, it had been so long.
With her new found confidence, Sakura cleared her throat and asked, pleased that she had no bitterness or shakiness in her voice, "Should we try our greeting again now, N-Naruto-san?"
The pleased grin that crossed his face made a curious warm feeling bloom in Sakura's stomach as she held her hand, still feeling warm from Sasuke's handshake, out towards him.
Blind panic rushed through her when Naruto suddenly bounded forward, hand stuck out and just as she began to flinch away, free hand jerking up to cover her face, fear of being hit making her heart pound in her ears, Naruto seemed to realise where he was and who he was approaching and came to an abrupt halt before quickly taking a handful of steps backwards, an expression akin to a kicked puppy pulling his lips and brows down in a chagrined fashion.
"S-Sorry Sakura-chan! I've been told I'm too exuberant sometimes! C-Can we still shake hands?"
Sakura stared at him, heart still beating fast and pure terror still flooding her veins. Both slowly dropped to normal levels and she replied quietly, "Y-Yes. But I'll go t-to you, I think, if you don't mind." She looked up to Iruka and was given a small smile of encouragement, even as Naruto nodded exuberantly.
Sucking in a deep breath and steeling herself, Sakura shuffled forward timidly and stopped a distance in front of Naruto, lifting her arm and holding her hand out. She watched with almost bated breath and narrowed eyes as he lifted his own hand ever so slowly and she ignored her instinct to grab his hand and toss him over her shoulder in a move professional wrestlers would be proud of.
Similar to Sasuke, his fingertips started at her palm, though his were rougher than Sasuke's, calloused, as they slid across to her wrist and he gently held his hand in hers. Sakura stared at their hands, noting the great difference in colour and size. His hand was warm too.
Naruto watched her face as a weak myriad of emotions crossed through her eyes before his gaze dropped to their hands. Sakura had made no move to shake his hand or pull away, so he didn't move either, not wanting to startle her. He had to admit he didn't like how cold and clammy her skin was compared to his own.
When it seemed as if Sakura wouldn't move, Naruto softly murmured, "Would you like me to give you some introductions then and show you around Sakura-chan?"
Sakura started gently at his words, fingers twitching erratically around his before she lifted her head and looked at him, where he was watching her with a strangely solemn expression that seemed almost out of place on his face. From what she had discerned of his personality, he was joking and easy going. Looking sad didn't fit his expression.
Dropping her eyes back to their hands, Sakura slowly nodded and moved to slip her hand out of his before she reached for his other hand instead, timidly holding onto his fingers, hoping he wouldn't reject the action and feeling her heart pound at the base of her throat in worry. Naruto's response tossed her worry to the wind.
Naruto couldn't keep the grin off of his face when he gently squeezed her hand as he had seen Iruka do earlier, pulling ever so gently. When Sakura moved at the gentle instigation, he walked down a corridor, letting her trail quietly after him. To fill the silence, he chatted aimlessly before he focused some generic questions on her, hoping she would answer.
"So, how old are you Sakura-chan? I turned twenty recently!"
"E-Eighteen," Sakura responded quietly, turning her head slightly to look up at the blonde next to her, watching how his eyes widened slightly in surprise and he looked down at her.
"Really? You're so...small. I thought you were maybe sixteen." He squeezed her hand again. "It's no problem though! Eighteen, sixteen or even eleven, we look after everyone. S'like one big happy family here." If he noticed the subtle flinch Sakura gave, he ignored it and she was thankful for that.
Turning her head again, Sakura made sure she could see Iruka behind them before answering Naruto's next question.
"Yeah, this is my natural hair colour." Her free hand reached up to tug her just past shoulder length hair, fingers combing through the limp tresses. "It was longer before..." and she fell silent. Naruto wisely didn't ask.
Soon enough they came across what looked like a large lounge, which already held three people. One of them, the redhead, was sat in an armchair near the window, reading a book. The other two, one with silver hair jutting against gravity and the other, a blonde as striking as Naruto, were sat on a couch, quietly conversing.
All three turned to the doorway as Sakura, Naruto and Iruka entered and Sakura responded by cringing into Naruto's side, trying not to get frustrated at her attitude to her situation once again.
"Hey dad," Naruto called over, waving exuberantly at the blonde and gaining a wave in return, peeking at Sakura to see if she'd be comfortable walking into the room. Instead of worry or anxiety on her face he watched as her brow furrowed with confusion as she glanced between his father and himself.
"N-Naruto-san," Sakura asked quietly, eyes on his face and Naruto found himself amazed at how green they were, if a little dull, before he focused onto the girl herself.
"Yeah, Sakura-chan?"
"How old is your father?"
"Dad?" Naruto glanced over towards the other blonde who was still watching them, head cocked over in question at this point. Naruto dropped his gaze back to Sakura as he replied, "He's thirty one."
Naruto watched as Sakura did the mental math and then her small mouth was opening in surprise, her eyes widening as she stammered, "B-But – "
"He's adopted," Naruto's father had excused himself from his companion and approached, leaving a respectable distance away as he smiled at the two of them. "I picked him up when I was twenty and he'd just recently turned nine, though the likeness is uncanny for us not being related, huh? I'm Minato Namikaze and I'm one of the heads of the little family we have here. Am I right in thinking you're Sakura Haruno?"
Sakura's fingers tightened around Naruto's as she pursed her lips, trying to maintain eye contact with the older man before she simply ducked her head and nodded quickly with a mumble of; "Yes, I'm Sakura."
"Iruka told me a lot about you. It's nice to meet you." Minato held out a hand towards her and, with a comforting squeeze from Naruto who nodded encouragingly at her, Sakura moved to take hold of his hand. Her fingertips were shaking, and she couldn't quite get a good hold on his hand because it was large compared to hers, but he squeezed her hand gently in his own, moving his second hand to rest on top of hers, comforting and warm.
Sakura found herself relaxing as she shook his hand and she murmured, "I-It's nice to meet y-you Namikaze-san."
Minato laughed, shaking his head gently, and Sakura couldn't help but give a twitchy smile as his face brightened and his hair bounced. Squeezing her hand once more, thumb rubbing comfortingly against the back of it, he told her, "Please, just 'Minato'. Namikaze-san makes me sound a lot older than I am."
"You kind of are old dad!" Naruto laughed and Minato took his hands away from Sakura's to gently cuff the side of Naruto's head, ruffling his hair softly as he quietly chastised him.
Sakura watched them for a moment, feeling something awful sink to the bottom of her stomach and wasn't expecting it when a hand gently fell on her shoulder from behind. For a brief moment she twisted to grip a wrist tightly in her hands and almost flipped the person over her shoulder before she realised it was Iruka by the way he was drumming his fingers against her shoulder and apologising quietly. Sakura very nearly blushed when she realised Minato and Naruto were watching and, slowly, she let her hands drop away from Iruka's wrist.
"Little bit jumpy there are we Sakura-chan?" Minato chuckled softly and Sakura did blush then, but with an angry mumble of, "With every right to be I think."
"No, no, it's okay. From that little wince on Iruka's face, and the fact that you were about to initiate a martial arts move, I'd say you're stronger than what you look, huh?"
Sakura blushed darker and shrugged a shoulder weakly as she muttered, "I know how to fight, sure..."
Only Iruka picked up the unspoken I had to fight, more aware of her situation than the rest.
"Well, if you ever want to fight, just pick someone out. I'm pretty sure they'd be fine having a therapeutic wrestle." He smiled, reaching out to rest a hand on the shoulder Iruka didn't have his hand on, and Sakura closely watched him, making sure he wouldn't make any sudden movements she would have to react to.
Minato simply squeezed her shoulder before amending, "Well, maybe not a fight, but we do have a gym for that sort of thing. How about you have a sit down in here – I'll go and bring some lunch through because you probably haven't eaten, right? - And then I can get around to explaining your stay here for you."
Sakura looked towards Iruka for confirmation but when he didn't give her any indication, she realised he was pushing her into the position of making the choice herself. Immediately ignoring the twist in her stomach, Sakura turned back to face Minato, slowly lifted her hand to his on her shoulder to very carefully push it off and gave a small, curt nod.
"I'll be back in a moment. Kakashi and Gaara can introduce themselves while I'm gone." He gestured widely behind him before offering Sakura one more bright, sunny smile and walking towards a door on the opposite side of the room. When he was gone Naruto turned to Sakura with a wide smile of his own as he offered her his hand again.
Watching his face for a moment, Sakura watched the smile slowly begin to falter as she ignored his invitation. But, since she was being bold today, Sakura decided to loop her arm with Naruto's, hand sliding gently down the inside of his forearm before she could slip her fingers between his, clasping weakly onto his hand.
If she noticed his startled expression, or the faint blush that crept across his face, she didn't mention it.
Abruptly clearing his throat and closing his hand around hers, Naruto declared, "We'll talk to Kakashi first. He was the one talking to dad, the one with the old guy hair." He pulled her over to the couch where the other man was and Sakura took a moment to take in his features.
Sakura let herself get pulled, content with the fact that Iruka was close behind them, and she stopped when Naruto stopped, in front of the couch, offering a twitch of the mouth to the man that was sat there as she silently took him in.
"Wow, you really do have old guy hair," Sakura blurted out and the man, who was strangely enough wearing a fancy eye patch and a face mask, had a double take before he bluntly responded, eyebrow rising, "And you look like your head was dipped into a cotton candy machine."
Sakura felt her face burn in a blush of embarrassment, her hand not gripping Naruto's clenching into a fist. She watched the man as he let his visible eye peer almost apprehensively at her tightly fisted hand and snapped his gaze back to her face as she bit out, "Sakura Haruno."
"Kakashi Hatake. Thirty."
Taking in a deep breath through her nose, Sakura forced a smile but, before she could offer a hand to him, Naruto was dragging her away to the last occupant of the room, the redhead who, before they approached, had been reading his book. As they came closer he politely dog-eared the page he was on and closed the book, setting it on the arm of the chair and gracefully unfolding himself from his seated position.
The redhead bowed shallowly before Sakura could get a clear look of his face and he murmured, "Gaara Sabaku, twenty one."
"Sakura Haruno."
"Yes, I heard." Gaara straightened up and Sakura couldn't help the twitch of the corner of her mouth that threatened a smile when she realised he had a similar eye colour to her own though her eyes widened as she took in the dark mark on his forehead.
"It's nice to meet you, Sabaku-san. I-If you don't mind me asking...?"
Sakura watched an almost amused expression cross the other's face and he quietly moved to brush the wayward bangs of hair away from his forehead with a pale, long fingered hand. His movements were deliberately slow.
Leaning forward and rocking almost onto tiptoes so she could see, Sakura peered at the mark on Gaara's forehead, situated above his left eye. Silently, she let her lips part as she read the kanji, mouthing the word it represented and letting her eyebrows furrow before she asked, "L-Love?"
"Yes." Gaara gave a curt nod, letting the hair fall back into his face as Sakura leaned away.
Sakura tried smiling again, her lips twisting awkwardly as she quietly offered, "I-It's nice?"
"My father carved it there against my permission when I was six years old," was Gaara's bland reply and neither Gaara nor Naruto were expecting Sakura's violent flinch at the statement, her free hand jerking down to her side and fisting into her shirt as she lurched half a step back, body physically twisting away from Gaara. It was a painfully defensive posture
In the same frenzied movement, Iruka had crossed the room towards her and Kakashi had abruptly stood.
"Sakura-chan," Iruka began softly and she pressed her lips together, shoulders hunching ever so slightly before she forced herself to relax, giving a strained smile to the widely concerned face of Naruto and the ever so slightly shocked face of Gaara as she mumbled out an apology.
Gaara shook his head slowly. "Don't worry. I'm already past it. It was a little harsh of me to be so rude to you, however. My apologies, Haruno-san."
"It's okay." Sakura gave a bark of choked out laughter. "We all have skeletons buried in the closet. Sounds as if you've already dragged yours out and dusted them off." She flinched when a large, gentle hand dropped onto her head, softly ruffling her hair.
"I suppose that's one way of putting it. You aren't alone Haruno-san."
"'Sakura' will be fine," Sakura whispered, lifting her head slightly to meet his eyes with her own and he offered her a tight smile, his lips barely curving as he placidly stared at her. The silence stretched out uncomfortably before he inclined his head and murmured, "So long as you call me 'Gaara' then, Sakura-san."
"Gaara-san." Sakura nodded, before untangling her fingers from the hem of her weathered shirt and shoving her hand out towards him, the extension of her arm causing her to accidentally jab him with her fingertips in his surprisingly hard stomach.
Sakura had the feeling that if Gaara had eyebrows – when scrutinising the...mark on his forehead, she had noticed the distinct lack of them – they would have disappeared into his hair. As it was, his expression stayed mostly neutral as he let his hand drop from her hair and he clasped hers in his own. His skin was cool and dry. It was also calloused, like Naruto's.
Giving an almost mechanical shake of his hand, Sakura offered him a wan smile and then, when his grip was loose enough, wrenched her hand back to settle at her side, feeling his eyes follow her across the room as Naruto bustled her into a chair that was more comfortable than it had any right to be.
Iruka planted himself on the arm of the chair she was sat on, right next to her, and let her grasp his fingers tightly in hers.
For an achingly long moment, Sakura was worried the room would descend into awkward silence, and then Minato was walking back into the room, a tray in his hands as he murmured to someone over his shoulder.
Sakura watched as a tall man with thick long hair followed after Minato, Sasuke, who was carrying a tray of his own, by his side.
As they came further into the room, Sakura could hear them talking.
"Thank you for coming through, Madara," Minato murmured, offering a quick smile to Sakura which she tried to return as he set his tray onto the coffee table that was situated by the couch Kakashi was on, "It makes it a little easier to explain about Sakura-chan's stay here. Iruka nominated her and filled in her paperwork," he added offhandedly, as if it meant something.
As Sakura watched them, situating herself further in her chair so she could see everyone in the room, she noticed the resemblances between the new entrant and Sasuke, who had also set his tray down and who had then thrown himself onto the couch next to Kakashi.
Sakura watched as the person who had been called Madara approached her and felt her throat suddenly clog up in irrational fear as he stared at her from a greater height. She wasted no time in scrambling to her feet as her heart hammered wildly in her chest. He was an impressive looking person that was for sure. Tall, imposing, dark. His hair covered one of his eyes and the one that was visible was as dark as Sasuke's had been.
Despite her irrational fear she couldn't help but asking, almost forcing the words out between clenched teeth, "Related to Uchiha-san?"
And then he blinked – she assumed, the only seeing one eye thing made it hard – and let his gaze cross the room to Sasuke who was watching them silently, nursing a cup of tea in his hands that he'd made from the pot and chinaware that had been brought through on his tray.
"Indeed. In fact, I'm an 'Uchiha-san' too, Madara Uchiha, twenty nine years old and uncle to Sasuke-chan. My brother is much older than me, as you can imagine. You can call me 'Madara' if you want. Though, I'm surprised you don't know our family very well."
"I didn't get out very much, Uchiha-san," Sakura blithely replied and, against her almost screeching instincts, held a hand out towards him, ignoring the twitch of his expression as she called him by his last name instead of the one he proposed. Barrelling on, should her confidence disappear she continued, "Sakura Haruno. Eighteen years of age."
Sakura was as taut as a bowstring, ready to punch Madara should his handshake do anything to unnerve her and she watched his eye flicker past her shoulder to Iruka who had settled a warning, yet comforting hand against her lower back.
A small smile curved his mouth and then Madara was reaching out his hand to take hers in his own, thumb tapping against the side of her own. Sakura was barely aware of the hush in the room and slowly began to relax when the slight upturn of Madara's lips suddenly stretched into a grin that didn't show his teeth and his free arm was coming towards her, far too quickly. She later realised he was reaching out to pull her into an embrace but she had taken the gesture as one to be violent.
Sakura immediately went for his throat with her free hand and could have potentially caused some damaged – to him or herself - if Iruka hadn't intervened as quickly as humanly possible, one of his hands slapping Madara's arm away as his other settled around the curve of Sakura's shoulders, tugging her back in a sharp, smooth movement as he pushed her into the chair she'd recently vacated.
The room was still quiet and Sakura felt the back of her neck and the tips of her ears begin to burn as she realised what she had done and had almost let happen before she stared at her lap angrily, hands fisted on her knees.
Suddenly, Sasuke snorted into his tea and Madara started chuckling as he bowed his head and stepped back, breaking the tense atmosphere and awkward silence simultaneously. To Sakura's chagrin, he chose to kneel in front of her, lips still twisted up in mirth as he murmured, "My apologies for frightening you, Sakura-chan. It wasn't my intention to do so."
"I'm also sorry, Uchiha-san. I didn't mean to try and hurt you." Sakura felt her mouth turn down in a pout and Madara chuckled again, a deep, humoured sound as he reached out to pat her knee and then stood, choosing to sit in the armchair closest to hers as he replied, "Please, Sakura-chan. Uchiha-san was my father. Madara really is fine."
"M-Madara-san then..." Sakura reluctantly and softly replied, tacking the suffix on almost as an afterthought.
Madara watched her before he smiled once more, cheerfully saying, "We'll get a 'Madara-kun' out of you yet, Sakura-chan. Did you want to explain then, Minato-kun? Sorry for being a distraction."
"Well, Sakura-chan." Minato focused his attention on the pink haired young woman who was trying to disappear into her chair. "I'm just going to give you a brief talk over how things work here – just the basics – and then I'll leave you to have a wander around to find your room, unless you'd rather be led there." He waited for her confirmation before smiling and then gesturing towards the coffee table. "Do you want anything?"
"Some of the tea will be fine," Sakura mumbled and made a move as if to make it herself before a pale hand was suddenly offering her a china cup balance on a saucer alongside a small teaspoon. She followed the hand to its owner stood before her and Gaara regarded her quietly before asking, "Do you take sugar?"
"Two, please. I-I don't have milk." Sakura nodded curtly as Gaara twisted away with her drink towards the table to quietly make it to her liking and then offer it to her again. Sakura carefully accepted it and inhaled softly from the steam rising from the liquid before she smiled at Gaara, making to say thanks before he simply ducked his head in recognition and returned to his seat.
Minato watched the exchange quietly before asking, "Did you want anything else? Something to eat perhaps?"
"Ah...I'm not very hungry. I think it's because I'm a little nervous." Sakura gave a bleak smile and blew softly on her tea before taking a sip, giving a quiet sigh.
"You enjoy tea?" Sasuke suddenly asked, before Minato could continue with explaining, ignoring the glare he was subsequently given since Minato didn't seem to be fond of the consistent interruptions.
"Very much so. I wasn't very often given the opportunity to enjoy it, however..."
"At some point during your stay, would you like to take part in a tea ceremony? I'm quite versed in conducting them..."
Sakura paused mid-sip of her tea and turned bright green eyes, brimming with almost unbridled excitement towards him as she asked, voice soft and almost reverent, "I-It's possible to...?"
Sasuke nodded and was treated to a sincere smile from the girl across the room. Abruptly, he turned his attention back to his own tea, quietly clearing his throat before murmuring, "Of course. Sorry for the interruption, Minato-san."
Minato simply hummed and shook his head before turning to Sakura again as he held up two fingers.
"There are two primary groups that live on site. I'd go as far as to say that this is home to a majority of them. I'm the head of one of the groups, Konoha. Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi and Gaara, who've you've already met, are part of this group. You'll be working around and with them first. The head of the second group, Akatsuki, is Madara over there. If the situation calls for it, or if they offer to help, you'll be with them too." Minato leaned forward, elbows on his knees, with a hopeful and bright expression on his face. "We're here to help you, okay, Sakura?"
Sakura stared into her teacup as if it was the most fascinating object in the room and almost spilled the dregs of it onto her lap when she jumped at Naruto's suddenly exuberant shout of, "Well, now that's over, I can show you around Sakura-chan! You can learn the rest as you go along!"
Hesitating, Sakura turned to face first Minato, who inclined his head in agreement, and then to Iruka who simply urged her along by taking her tea from her and nudging her shoulder ever so gently.
As soon as Sakura was out of the room, the door softly closing behind her, Madara was chuckling, shaking his head gently. "Like a little firecracker, isn't she? Not as timid as she looks. What's wrong with this one then? Do I need to get involved? She's certainly interesting enough..."
"You'll leave her alone until we get our chance, Madara," Minato murmured firmly. "Though, as for your question as to what's wrong, I only have her basic information. Iruka demanded I see her though, and...I still can't see what's wrong."
"Sakura-chan has become very adept at hiding the signs," Iruka sighed from where he had planted himself into Sakura's empty seat and was aware of the eyes in the room staring at him. Leaning forward to place the saucer and teacup on the table, he added, "It was only recently I made the decision to ask you to have her come here."
"So you want us to see a girl who has only been expressing symptoms for a short while? Surely it would have been easier for her to visit someone more locally to help her."
"I didn't say it was for a short while." Iruka raked a hand over his head, staring at his feet. "Sakura-chan openly admitted to having suffering from abuse since the age of at least seven which has been given - "
"Other places can deal with – "
"Emotionally, physically and otherwise, though she wouldn't go into the exclusive details," Iruka interrupted. "Eleven days ago, she showed me her track marks. Eight days before that, she showed me the scars from her attempt at her own life. One of many, I assume." Taking in a deep breath, Iruka let it out in another hefty sigh and tapped his nose. "She gave me this, as well."
"She seems stable enough..." Minato began a frown on his face. "Yet, when suddenly approached or unexpectedly touched she can get quite violent?"
"Very. Two times in juvenile detention, of which she didn't take well, the first time for breaking four ribs and fracturing a fifth of a man who attempted to intimidate her into something she wanted no part of. She got let off lightly for self defence. The second person went the same route Uchiha-san here almost suffered – she damaged his trachea extensively."
"So you think it's safer for her here," Kakashi hazarded a guess, "The only way you could get her to agree to this is that you admitted you knew us."
Iruka nodded before hesitating for a brief moment before adding, "Completely by coincident, Tsunade-sama came across Sakura-chan."
Inciting the name caused the room to fall silent until Minato prompted Iruka to continue.
"She advised I bring forward the date I was intending to bring Sakura-chan here. I wasn't supposed to have suggested this option to Sakura-chan for another six months but Tsunade-sama thought it best for her to be here. Sakura-chan, apparently, has been conditioned to her situation."
Kakashi hissed sympathetically between his teeth before he tugged an orange bound book out from the small space under the coffee table, effectively pulling himself from the conversation despite the fact he was still very obviously listening.
"What reactions can we expect? Any disorders?"
"Eating ones, obviously. She barely even drinks, either, whether it's because of limited availability or by choice, I'm not sure. Tsunade-sama gave me a report of what she thought could be going on...Sakura-chan has an inkling of what she might have as well, though she won't admit it easily..." Iruka trailed off as he started rummaging around inside of his jacket before pulling out a slightly crumpled envelope.
"If Tsunade-sama's word isn't enough, she managed to wrangle Jiraiya-sama and Orochimaru-sama into signing this document as well. Whatever she saw in Sakura-chan..." Iruka shrugged and handed the somewhat thick envelope, made of expensive looking paper, over to an interested looking Madara who then passed it off to Minato after the warning glance he was given.
Minato smoothed the envelope out and then turned it over to very gently break the wax seal before he carefully slid the document out and unfolded it, pressing it out on his thigh to remove the majority of the creases.
The frown furrowing his brow deepened with each sentence as he read the letter.
"This is your room, Sakura!" Naruto cheerfully threw the door open and ushered the pink haired into the room ahead of him.
Sakura froze just past the doorway, feeling her jaw slacken in surprise as she whispered quietly, "I-It's big."
"Really?" Naruto peered in after her, eyes darting about the room before he shrugged and added, "I don't think so. Looks about the same size as mine. Oh, that door over there is probably the bathroom. The double doors would be the wardrobe."
"I get my own bathroom?" There was surprise in her voice, mingled with apprehension and a little awe and Naruto, who had crossed the room towards the bed, glanced at her over his shoulder, head tilted in question.
"Is that so much of a surprise?"
Sakura shot Naruto such a look that he cringed back and flopped onto the mattress, wrinkling his nose in response with a muttered, "Sorry...I'm still in the sorta learning process of figuring out how to, y'know...act with 'tact and grace' as Sasuke-teme puts it."
Since Naruto looked sheepish enough, Sakura let him be and walked across the room to the bathroom door, gently opening it and tilting her body forward to have a look at the interior, keeping Naruto in sight at the corner of her eye.
"Did you want me to leave so you can have a shower or something? It was a long journey here, right?" Naruto asked and Sakura debated his option for a moment, eyes flickering to her case as she chewed her bottom lip in thought.
"I-If you don't mind. I might even have a nap..."
"That's fine! I'll show you my room." Naruto rocked himself onto his feet and holding his hand out towards her. "It's not that far from yours, just don't the corridor, but I'll show you and point out some doors, okay? Just in case you need to find someone during the night for whatever reason."
Sakura moved to take his hand without a second thought, already at ease with and in the blonde's presence. Oh, if he made any sudden movements she'd throw him to the floor without mercy, but he was becoming somewhat comforting and she was accustomed to him now.
Naruto led her into the corridor, shutting the door to her room gently behind her and, when she glanced over her shoulder, she caught sight of the small, lacquered nameplate situated neatly on the door, a deep cherry wood with her name painstakingly engraved in beautiful, white lettering upon it.
Noticing her scrutinising it, Naruto told her quietly, "Sasori, Deidara and Sai make the nameplates. I'm not sure who did yours – Sasori and Deidara is in Akatsuki, and Sai is Konoha."
"C-Can you ask who did it for me?" Sakura murmured, free hand brushing the carved letters, feeling the smooth grooves with the pad of her thumb. "I'd like to thank them. It looks as if a lot of work went into it. The type of wood is beautiful as well. If, stereotypical." She tugged on her hair before facing him again, ignoring how he stared her almost adoringly.
"Your room, Naruto-san?"
Naruto cleared his throat nervously before nodding and leading her down the hallway. Two doors down the expansive hallway, on her side, was Sasuke's and Naruto's joint room. When Sakura expressed her confusion at this – she had a single room, they didn't – Naruto simply explained how it had always been that way, since he and Sasuke liked rooming together, and that since she was a girl and a guest, they couldn't just stick her in with a stranger and expect her to be happy.
Naruto quite liked the small, thankful smile he was given for his quick description. He left out the part where he and Sasuke slept in the same room because they couldn't comfortably sleep without another presence close by. Somehow, he knew it would dampen the atmosphere between the two of them.
The fifth door down the corridor, on the opposite side to Sakura's side, was Gaara's room. At the moment, he was by himself but, occasionally, he would room with his brother Kankurou if the other came to stay – Gaara had a brother and a sister, both of which lived further into the city in their own branches of work was his answer this time and Sakura nodded in understanding.
"You don't have to explain so thoroughly, Naruto-san...but thank you for doing so." Sakura smiled up at him again, fingers nervously squeezing his and Naruto offered a soft laugh, rubbing the back of his head with his hand not occupied with hers.
"It's okay. It's a little less scary when you know more, right? A-Anyway, this door here is Kakashi's – it doubles as an office cause he's a more senior guy here, second to dad. The door at the end of the hallway is dad's room. He has this open door policy thing which means it's never locked! So, if you can't get into anyone else's room should you need help or something, then you can just go in here, okay?"
Sakura nodded to all of his words and decided not to tell him that she would never willingly enter someone else's room unless she was absolutely forced to or if it was a life and death situation.
"I'd point out all of the other rooms for you, but until you know more people I don't think it'd be practical. So long as you remember our rooms – they all mostly have names on them – then you'll be fine for now. We're here to keep an eye out for you."
Sakura tried not to grimace but simply nodded again, free hand wrapping around her middle as she apprehensively asked, "Are there many more to meet?"
"A fair few. But we're all nice here Sakura-chan, I promise you that." Naruto squeezed Sakura's hand in his gently, thumb rubbing briefly against the side of her hand as he tried to simultaneously ignore and soothe the twitch of panic she brief gave.
"Could I return to my room now?" Sakura murmured in reply to that, fingers twitching around his in return before she let go. "To have that shower and sleep."
"Of course. I'll see you later Sakura. D-Do you have a phone? I mean, I won't always be immediately around so it's good to exchange numbers in case you quickly need to contact one of us..." Naruto approached the matter carefully and was immediately worried he'd made the wrong move when Sakura took a long time to reply.
Sakura contemplated his question before hesitantly reaching into her pocket and pulling out a battered, aged flip phone and mumbling, "Tell me yours. I'll call and hang up."
Naruto hurriedly pulled his phone out and rattled off his number, watching as she slowly typed it in with her thumbs, painstakingly slow and careful before she pressed the call number. Naruto couldn't help the small smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth as the number appeared on the screen of his phone and he rejected the call before Sakura hung up, quickly saving the number to his phone.
"Sleep well Sakura. If you aren't up by dinner time, I'll make sure to wake you up. Only if you want."
"Don't worry Naruto. I'll set an alarm or something." Sakura let her mouth twitch into an attempt of a smile and then bowed slowly towards him and ambled down the corridor and into her room, ignoring the prickling sensation of feeling him stare between her shoulderblades.
When the door clicked shut behind her, Sakura felt a weight lift off of her shoulders when the lock latched into place and she staggered towards her suitcase, feeling cold sweat prickle at the back of her neck and noticing the faint tremble of her shoulders.
Unzipping the case, Sakura tipped it upside down to empty it, before opening it fully so the two pieces gaped like an open book. With shaking, almost eager fingers, Sakura carefully felt along the bottom half of the suitcase, close to the edge, until her nails caught the catch and she painstakingly peeled back the cover, to show the makeshift hidden compartment she had made in desperation.
Five minutes later, she was tying the ribbon around her upper arm with her free hand and teeth, before reaching for the syringe, breathing coming out in heady little gasps.
She'd promised Iruka, really, she had.
But habit was hard to break.
Addiction was even harder.
This is a rewrite of 'Drugs' for those of you who didn't know! Hope you liked it.
I'm aware that certain aspects of this may be triggers for some of you. I apologise in advance for that.