Ever since Sakura Haruno was a child she had had a fear of the dark. Her parents wrote it off as nothing, as Sakura had many fears. Monsters under the bed, monsters hiding in her closet, monsters in the woods, monsters, monsters, monsters. The little pinkette had been seeing these so called 'monsters' since she had learned how to talk. At first it seemed as though the girl had many imaginary friends, but then things took a dark turn as she began expressing her fears towards these demons that hid in the dark. It was unsettling the way the child's eyes would gravitate towards dark spaces and shadows, widening in fear before quickly looking away.
"What do you see Sakura?" Her mother would ask, exasperated. Why did her daughter have to be so damn odd?
"Can't you see him, mommy? The man with the red eyes? He is standing right there…" Sakura would trail off, her big beryl green eyes now trained on her mother, as if she was purposely not seeing the demonic presence.
Her mother would sigh, before quickly reprimanding Sakura, telling her that no one was there and to stop making up stories. What if she were to say something like this in front of company? The thought was mortifying.
Grandma Chiyo was the only one who encouraged the girls fabrications. She told Sakura stories of when she was a child and would see a man with long white hair, she called him Jiraiya. She still saw him to this day, and even spoke to him often. Chiyo taught the girl many things when she was still alive, such as showing her how to keep demons out of rooms and how to dispel dangerous ones from the premises. Sakura was never the same after her grandmothers death.
"Go away Naruto, I don't want to play!" An eleven-year-old Sakura shouted, her eyes narrowed to slits as she glowered into her closet. Dumb fox, she thought to herself, giving one more glance to the blonde boy around her age that bounced around eagerly in her dark closet. "But Sakura cha-" She flicked on the light making him vanish, giving Sakura a moment of peace. Sakura was very wise for her age and had learned by now that it was better to keep what she saw to herself, telling her parents that she no longer saw men in the darkness. They were only too happy to believe her.
She plopped down on her bed, pulling the quilt her deceased grandmother had made for her up to her chin. There were five separate lights in Sakura's room, a night light under her bed, and one light she had installed herself in her closet. All of them stayed on most of the time, only being turned off when her parents had been in the room or when the light bulbs blew out. The rest of the house was dangerous though, as her parents didn't like to waste electricity and turned lights off when they exited the room (much to Sakura's displeasure).
The men had been her friends at one point, but that was before they started acting strange. They would try and touch her, scaring her when they succeeded. It was usually just a head pat from the older demons, or hugs from the younger ones around her age. This didn't bother her too much, as it proved to her that they were real. It only took one incident to change her mind though. It happened when she was eight.
One of the boys that was around her age had been playing with her in the barn behind their farm house. It was dark in the abandoned barn, and there was tons of fun obstacles for the two kids. The boy she was playing with, Sasuke, was the youngest of all of the scary red-eyed men. He was her playmate at the time though, and she felt safe with him.
So when he hugged her real tight as she had started to go back home it didn't shock her too much. When he closed his eyes and scrunched up his nose like he was thinking really hard Sakura wasn't too freaked out. She thought he was just trying not to cry. But when she found herself in a place that was not where she had been moments before she panicked.
Sasuke tried to assure his frightened friend that she was safe, and that he had brought her home and that now she would never have to go back to her house, back into the light. He had brought her to the shadow world that all of the demons haunting her lived in. She had not been pleased, but was relieved when Itachi showed up, greatly disturbed by what his brother had done. He quickly spirited her back to the barn, telling her to be more careful or next time he would not return her home. The memory of this incident never left her and she from then on shied away from the people who lurked in the shadows.
At the age of eleven she slept with all her lights on, leaving a ring of salt around her bed to keep away any unwelcome demons. Every month she would light a bundle of sage in her room and smoke the place out, getting rid of the truly dangerous demons. Her parents thought it was all something she did in her grandmothers honor, which was fine with Sakura since she knew of the tension it would cause if the real reason for her actions were to come out.
Even though she had a number of eccentricities, Sakura was very popular at the school she went to. She had a fairly big group of friends at school, and since Konoha was a tiny town located in the back woods of Fire County they all lived near by, or at least close enough for Sakura to ride her trusty red bike to meet up with them. Her best friend was a girl named Ino, and she was the only one who knew about Sakura's serious fear of the dark. She was two years older than Sakura and felt very overprotective of her. Nobody could even look at the pinkette the wrong way without having Ino to deal with.
Sakura was also good friends with her next door neighbor Hinata, and Hinata's cousin Neji. They had known each other since child hood, and Sakura was a frequent visitor in the Hyuugas, thankfully bright, house. She was also friends with a boy down hill from her house named Shikamaru, and his stepbrother Chouji. As well as Shino, Tenten, Lee, Suigetsu, and Juugo from school. She had a few suitors, as many as an eleven year old girl could have, really. Not that Sakura was ever confident enough to realize it.
As she grew older Sakura didn't just grow in wisdom but also in beauty. She had wavy, thick, pastel pink hair that went down to her lower back. Her fringe almost covered one of her wide, pale green eyes. Her lips were pink and plush, sitting below a celestial nose on a face that looked like it was made of the smoothest porcelain. She was a little over 5'4 and weighed around 115 pounds. By the time she turned sixteen she had a slim body with soft curves, and a bra size of 32C. Overall, she was Konoha's beloved beauty. Nobody but Ino knew about her problem though, the problem that she never quite grew out of.
She still saw men in the darkness around her, but the way they treated her had changed. Now they looked at her differently, making comments that made Sakura's stomach tingle. The times where they managed to sneak up on her were few and far between, but whenever they did manage to touch her it was short lived yet always sparked that fire inside of her. The looks they would give her, she had been given before by the guys around town, but seeing that look in the eyes of the monsters that had haunted her child hood was unsettling.
So when Ino invited her to her eighteenth birthday party, a camping trip out by Lake Mononoke, Sakura was hesitant. It was her best friends very special birthday and saying no was almost unthinkable, but Sakura had never slept anywhere other than her own home or Ino's house. Ino, being the only one who knew of Sakura's problem, was her only friend who would understand why Sakura had to sleep with multiple lights situated around the room. Being out in the darkness of the woods that surrounded Lake Mononoke would be like a nightmare, and she was a little surprised that Ino hadn't realize this. Or maybe her best friend finally had enough and was trying to break her of her habit.
In her defense, she was better now then she had been when she was younger. She would go out with her friends at night, and as long as she was in a group she would feel comfortable ignoring the gazes that bored into her from the dark. She just had a rule about not sleeping in the dark, since it would leave her defenseless.
After much prodding from her parents and guilt trips from Ino, Sakura found herself squeezed into Ino's boyfriend Chouji's Volkswagen Bus. She was sitting on Juugo's lap, as he was one of the least perverted boys in the group, in between Tenten who sat on top of Lee, and Hinata what was on top of Shino (much to Neji's displeasure). Ino was squished on top Chouji in the passengers seat and a very grumpy Shikamaru was driving. Neji and Suigetsu sat in the back with the luggage. Since they were only staying for the weekend, they had all packed lightly.
Sakura was in a tight white cami and a pair of high-waisted light colored jean shorts. Her hair fell around her like a curtain. Her red high tops tapped along with the radio. She was completely oblivious to the dark blush glowing on Juugo's face as she sang along with the rest of the girls to Heart and Bones by The Pines.
'Last night you were in my dreams
oh heart and bones
when I woke up you were next to me
oh heart and bones
Blood is red and the sky is blue
oh heart and bones
and I never met any one like you
oh heart and bones'
The drive to the lake only took about an hour and a half, but the road they had to take to get there was half grown in and covered in pot holes, jostling them about every time they hit one, making poor Juugo even more uncomfortable. He had quite the crush on the girl that was sitting on his lap, and their position was pleasant but also made him a nervous wreck. Sakura, as always, was oblivious.
SAKURAS POV
'Big white moon over ole' Saint Paul
oh heart and bones
and I met you when the apples fall
oh heart and bones
Last night you were in my dreams
Oh heart and bones
When I woke up you were next to me
oh heart and bones'
"Hey pig-chan, what made you want to come all the way out here? No offense, but you're not exactly the outdoorsy type." I asked nonchalantly as the song came to an end.
"For your information, Forehead, I am totally an outdoorsy person. I just don't like bugs…or animals. That's you and Shino's thing. Also, Lake Mononoke is known for its scenic appeal, with the waterfalls and stuff, which is a totally awesome photo op." Ino replied in her Im-so-smart-and clever voice. Ino is a wanna-be photographer who's going to college for it in Suna next year. I really don't know what I will do without her for the two years I have to wait before I join her there. Suna is renowned for its medical program, which I will be majoring in.
"I just don't get how you plan to survive for a whole two days without a shower or a comfy bed, it's so unlike you." It really was strange for Ino to want to do this, but I didn't mind. Apart from the terrifying fact that I would be sleeping in the very dark woods by the lake, the thought of another wilderness adventure to have under my belt had me thrilled.
"Whatever, Sakura, I have way more balls then you give me credit for. Now Shika-kun, you turn right on this next path up here and that should lead us to the platform overlooking the lake. I haven't been here since my uncle took me when I was nine, things look so much more overgrown…" Ino muttered, peering out into the surrounding forest. It was late morning, around eleven thirty and the light filtered through the trees dreamily.
"So…Hinata-chan," Ino blurted turning around and pushing her camcorder into the shy Hyuuga's face. "Are you excited for a full two days of s'mores, beer, and skinny dipping?"
Hinata's face flushed red as she started to stutter, Neji looking alarmed at the prospect of his cousin being involved in either of the latter two. "Yamanaka, you never mentioned all that when you invited us-" He started in, a full blown lecture at the tip of his tongue. Ino quickly waved him off, telling him to take the nine inch stick out of his ass and calm down, since she was half-kidding. Sort of.
Ino then turned her trusty camcorder, which was always on and filming in her hand, on me. Her interest in photography was only equalled by her love for candid video taping, much to the groups distaste.
"What about you forehead, you up for a little bit of rule breaking?" I laughed, giving her a wink.
"You know it Piggie, when am I ever not?" It was the truth really, Ino and I had caused tons of mischief in our lives and I certainly didn't plan on stopping any time soon. Monsters in the dark be damned, I was going to enjoy this trip.
The overflowing bus pulled up to a dead end, where we would have to continue for a short bit on foot. We all climbed out, stretching like lazy cats before we began unloading. Which was more of us girls running ahead excitedly leaving the guys to grumble and complain about carrying all our crap. It only took us about two minutes before we reached the platform, all of us freezing as we stared down at the fantastic view of the lake.
The dark waters sparkled in the sun, tall pine tree rising up around it casting shade around the edges. On one end was the remains of a beavers damn, but no beavers, and on the other end was the Mononoke water falls. They were a grouping of about twenty short but wide water falls, all pouring out into the lake. The guys came trudging up a few minutes later, carrying duffel bags, a tent, food, sleeping bags, and supplies. They didn't look happy, until they saw the view and got over their petty irritation.
"Well, fuck…" Suigetsu murmured, rubbing his neck as he gazed downwards.
Another trip to the bus was necessary to get our canoe off the top of it, all of us helping for that, before carrying it down to the waters edge directly under the platform which rose upwards on a cliff about fifteen feet. With that taken care of we started to set up camp, putting wood in the tin fire pit that was set permanently in the middle of the wooden platform, surrounded by logs that were to be used as seats. Shikamaru and Neji put together a tent at one end of the area as me and Hinata started unrolling sleeping bags. Suigetsu and Juugo worked on putting strings of old christmas lights up around our spot, plugging them into a generator, as well as two pairs of speakers.
"Chouji, babe, can you please make us lunch?" Ino called from her perch on a nearby tree branch, taking photos of the lake with her wide angle lens.
"Im on it!" He called back, opening one of the many coolers to get the sandwich supplies.
Once everything was set up it was around twelve thirty and we all settled down to have lunch and plan the rest of our day.
"Oi Sakura, hows about you and I take a little swim, eh?" Suigetsu commented, grinning perversely around his turkey sandwich. Lee and Tenten had already headed down to the lake for a little private time. They had been dating for about a month now, Lee having finally gotten over me.
"I don't know Sui-kun, I don't want to walk in on those two doing anything freaky…" I stated, giving the two down in the water a suspicious look. They were standing awfully close, and I didn't want to accidentally cockblock them.
"Yeah I get cha' sweetheart, but I wasn't thinking of walking anywhere." Suigetsu replied, eyeing a rope that dangled from one of the impressive maples that overlooked both the lake and the platform we were situated on.
Catching his drift I scarfed down the rest of my sandwich, feeling bad for not savoring it since Chouji's culinary skills were orgasmic. As I wasn't overly prudish I had no problem with quickly stripping down to my underwear in front of my friends. They had all seen it when I was in a bathing suit anyway, how much different was that from a bra and underwear? I was in a lacy pair of icy blue and white panties with a matching bra. Suigetsu got down to just his red plaid boxers, as Juugo decided he would also come and supervise. Which wasn't bad since Sui-kun was a fucking pervert.
Ino declared she would join us later, going into the tent for some birthday girl time with Chouji. Hinata was much to modest to take her clothes off and instead hung back with her more-than-friend Shino, who was looking around for a certain type of bug native to this area. Neji of course stayed back to make sure everything stayed PG between the two.
Suigetsu went first, grabbing the rope and running full speed towards the lake. Screaming like an indian he let go, catapulting himself into the waters below, startling the shit out of Tenten and Lee.
I was up next, and my stomach twisting in excited nerves. I latched onto the rope before hurdling myself full speed over the edge. For a moment my world was made of blue, blue sky and then blue water. I splashed down into it, a small shriek erupting from somewhere inside me. The water was cold and I was filled with a strange sort of energy as I tread closer to my friends.
"Come on Juugo, don't be a pussy! Jump already!" Suigetsu hollered, startling me and making me look back up to see Juugo standing nervously by the rope.
"Let the spirit of Youth take control of your body, friend! Take the youthful leap, the water is full of blissful youth! I can feel the youth all the way down to my-" Juugo cut Lee off, leaping with the rope off the edge and into the water ungracefully.
"See what the power of youth can do, my love?" I heard Lee mutter to Tenten, who rolled her eyes exasperated.
Juugo came out of the water, coughing some up at the same time. I stayed in the water for a little while before getting out and sitting by the water's edge, watching Tenten dunk Lee under the water playfully.
A pair of dry masculine arms wrapped around me from behind, causing me to flinch in surprise. It couldn't be one of them, I told myself, they shouldn't be able to find me here during the day. At least, not so quickly. Turning around nervously, I came face-to-face with Shikamaru. I had been wondering where he had been…
"You scared me, you asswipe!" I whined, swatting him on the shoulder, secretly enjoying the warmth he exuded.
"Hmm," He hummed, "So troublesome." Yawning, he burrowed his head into my neck. The heat of his breath gave me goosebumps.
" Uhh…Shika-kun?" He slowly gave me little butterfly kisses up my neck to my jaw, before his eyes lifted to catch my own. "Yes?"
"What are you- I mean, why are you…" I trailed off as he continued his pathway of kisses from my neck up my chin to my-SPLASH!
We jumped apart, now thoroughly soaked. Suigetsu stood knee deep in the water looking irate.
"I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" He snarled sarcastically. I glared back, fuckin' men.
"No Sui, nothing at all," I gave Shikamaru a warning look before storming off to find other people to amuse myself with. Assholes.
I quickly found Neji, who's face turned the color of a tomato when he saw me soaking wet in my bra and underwear, silly boy. Otherwise he looked super bored, since he was still chaperoning Hinata and Shino.
"Hey Neji-kun, you look bored as hell, want me to fix that?" I asked, leaning over to get a better look at him. Blush bloomed across his face, making me realize the ample cleavage I had just flashed him. Were all men such perverts?
Throwing my arms in the air I waltzed off, barely acknowledging his apologies with a flick of my wrist. All was well.
A few hours later after forgiving the male gender and having a chicken fight with Tenten and Lee, I hopped off of Juugo's shoulders. It was getting to be about time for the sun to set so we all threw on some clothes and crowded around the now lit fire, oohing and ahhing over the pretty red and oranges that splashed across the sky. Hot dogs were skewered on sticks and a can of beans was being cooked over the fire. World At Large by Modest Mouse blasted out of the speakers.
I was cushioned in between Neji and Suigetsu, laughing as they sandwiched me between them, their slim fingers tickling my waist. Beers were being passed around and Ino, who had already had a few herself, was now standing up waving her hot dog around as she told us all a scary story about psycho clown hicks killing campers.
She was a kinda disturbing drunk.
After eating a super hot, yummy weiner with tons of ketchup on it and finishing off my portion of beans I waited for Shikamaru to finish getting out the s'more supplies. My head felt a little light, having already finished off one beer and heading for another. I didn't plan on getting smashed tonight since there was a chance my demons had followed me here. I shuddered at the thought.
Time passed quickly and soon we all sat around the fire, trying to keep warm, marshmallows digesting in some of our stomachs while some were still eating them.
After the food was put away, but the beers remained, we turned on the white christmas lights which dispelled some of the darkness. Freelance Whales was playing through the speakers and we were all spread out across the platform dancing. I swung around with a blushing Juugo, who to my surprise totally couldn't hold his alcohol.
'Do you ever play with kids in the basement
Soot up on your face oh you were a mess
all your little molars cracked under pressure
come now little sister lets get you to bed'
"Oh you caught me sleeping in power sockets!" Ino sang, off tuned but still lovely, clinging to Chouji like a koala while he spun her around.
'oh you shot a glance like I was doing okay
but I am never on my way'
"Do you ever run with him in the morning, think about jumping over the back fence!" I half yelled back, running forward and stealing her from Chouji. We waltzed for a minute as the instruments played.
"Hey Saku-chan?" Ino slurred in a baby voice, "Can we going skinny dipping? I haven't gone swimming once since we got here."
I smirked, I had finished 4 beers by now and was just about drunk enough to agree. The two of us wandered down towards the water, the others trailing behind us curiously with flashlights in their hands. A flash of red caught my eye, making my heart squeeze as I spun around to look for it. It was gone, but had definitely been there to begin with. Great, now I was paranoid.
Suigetsu threw an arm around my shoulder, grinning as Ino announced her plan to everyone. Hinata and Shino went back up to camp, no interest in our antics. To my surprise Neji stayed, and Tenten did too although Lee was passed out back in his sleeping bag. First we went in our underwear, going up to our necks. I only now realized that the christmas lights extended down into the pines along the waters edge for a good ten yards in each direction away from the platform. It looked magical, reflecting in the water beautifully. Hovering over the water like a fog were tons and tons of fireflies, flicking the lights on and off lazily. I felt like I could stay here frever, for once enjoying the darkness.
Blinking, I felt the presence of someone behind me just seconds before I felt my bra unhook. Spinning around I spotted Neji holding up my strapless bra, smirking at me as I sunk lower under water. To be honest, I was surprised Neji had the balls to do such a thing until I noticed the small blush on his cheeks showing that he was intoxicated. Strange since he didn't seem like the type to drink.
I heard something akin to a wolf's howl, making me freeze, before I realized it was just a really drunk Ino who was waving her underwear around like a flag. Oh, Ino…
Things were going fine, I had decided to keep my panties on unlike Ino, when I was yanked under water. Bubbles rose around me when I puffed my cheeks out, holding my breath and trying to get back to the surface. I felt lips hit mine and then cool air enveloped me as I was pulled to the surface by my attacker. It only took me a moment to realize that it was Suigetsu.
His lips stayed pressed against mine and it was surprising how tightly yet carefully he held me against him. His lips were soft, but his teeth sure as hell weren't. He nibbled lightly on my lip, making me whimper. Damn, they were sharp. My insides felt warm and the music in the background kind of faded out. It was just me and him, his hand trailing down my back, past my bum, to my legs. He hoisted me up against him, me wrapping my legs around him immediately. Worrying about anyone seeing my breasts didn't account in my mind since they were pretty much squished against Suigetsu's chest. I wanted him to stop, but saying so was kind of hard when he was making me feel this way. He needed to stop though, this was bad. This was Suigetsu, I didn't feel that way towards him. We broke apart for a second, foreheads still touching, so we could breathe. And a rock hit Suigestu right on the head.
What the…?
We both turned, alarmed, expecting to see one of the boys looking guilty but instead all we saw were Juugo and Neji playfully wrestling in the water, Tenten singing with Ino, who was being held by Chouji while he played with her hair. They were all oblivious to us, and the rock had come from the opposite direction of the platform. Thoroughly disturbed, Suigetsu let me down.
"W-who the hell…" He stuttered, looking less angry and more confused. Making our way closer to our group I immediately asked if one of them threw it, a bad feeling settling itself in my stomach. None of them had, and when they saw how freaked out me and Sui were they all sobered up. The atmosphere got kind of tense as what ifs began flittering through our heads. Who…?
Filing out of the water, we headed back up to camp, the happy feeling gone. Ino was getting herself worked up, imagining that some sort of murderer was hiding out in the woods. I tried to calm myself down as we all got into our sleeping bags, Ino going into the tent with Chouji. I should have brought some salt with me, that way I could be shielded, I thought, cursing myself silently.
We left the music on since none of us liked the thought of the impending silence that would follow if we turned it off. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. I squished my sleeping bag in between Juugo and Neji's, trying to gain a sense of comfort. After sitting awake for a while searching the cloudy sky for stars, I finally fell into a restless sleep.
I was back in the barn with Sasuke, standing on top of a mound of moldy hay. It was dark, but light filtered in threw the spaces between the wood planks on the walls, illuminating it enough for me to see. I always had been good at seeing in the dark, like an owl Nana Chiyo said.
When I saw him hiding in a horses stall I let out a victory cry, running towards him. He sped ahead of me, almost flying through the darkness.
We had been playing hide and seek tag for the past two hours and I could tell from the dimming light outside that it was about time I got home. I slowed down, waiting for him to realize I stopped chasing him. It only took a minute before he materialized in front of me, his head cocked in confusion like a puppy.
"Sakura-chan?"
"I'm really sorry Sasuke, but if I don't head home now Momma will get really mad at me. I'll come play with you in a few days, 'kay?" I said, hoping to appease the boy. His face instantly darkened, and he jutted his lip out in a pout. I would have commented on how cute he looked if he didn't stomp towards me and gather me in a tight bear hug.
"Hey, hey Sasuke it's okay. It will only be a few days…" I murmured, patting his head when I saw how his face was all scrunched up. The poor guy was gonna start crying, it looked like. I buried my head in his shoulder, patting his back awkwardly. A weird feeling started in my toes, creeping up my body like pin pricks, leaving goosebumps as it went. I suddenly noticed how cold it was getting.
Figuring it was from Sasuke's super tight hug I tried to pull out of it, but when I raised my head I choked out a gasp. I wasn't in the barn anymore, and Sasuke wasn't crying, instead he stood proudly with an arm still around my waist.
"W-what the…Sas- Sasuke where are we?" I shouted, panicking as I backed out of his hug. My hands were shaking as I raised them towards my lips. All around me everything was grey, except for the dark blue sky above me where stars sat twinkling. If I wasn't spazzing out I might have appreciated the never ending mass of stars that were visible, as well as the milky way that was directly above us. Slowly color started to seep into things around me, the grass beneath my feet becoming a rich green and the house I stood outside turned white with a red door and green shutters.
"Woah…" Sasuke muttered, staring at the colors as if he had never seen them there. Which I would later learn that he hadn't.
"Sakura, you're magic!" He cried out, reaching to pull me into another hug. But I was much to scared to let that happen. Turning around I sprinted away from him, running into the garden behind us. As I ran past flowers they gained colors. Purples, pinks, blues, yellows and reds blurred behind me, as well as a large amount of green.
Fear pounded in my blood, I needed to get home and soon. Ever step I took caused more color to erupt around me, and I wondered in the back of my mind how Sasuke hadn't caught me yet. Turning to see if he was chasing me I ran straight into something that was both hard and soft at the same time. I fell backwards waiting for pain to sprout up on my bottom, only to feel hands wrap around my thin arms, holding me still. Chancing a glance upwards I made eye contact with my second favorite red eyed guy, Itachi. He visited me a lot when I wandered downstairs in the middle of the night for a snack. One day she went straight to the fridge without turning a light on and was shocked when she found herself sharing the company of a man with black hair in a low ponytail that looked to be around sixteen. He was the one she saw standing behind her mother once.
"Hn, you should be more careful, little one." Itachi stated, breaking eye contact to look me up and down.
"I-I'm sorry Itachi-san…I don't mean to be forward but, well, is there any way you could help me return home?" I stuttered, looking down at my feet. Itachi put a finger under my chin, raising my head so that my eyes found his. His tired red eyes watched me sternly as he spoke.
"Little one, you being here is a mistake. Of course I shall return you, but I must ask. Did my foolish little brother bring you here?" His eyes took on a hypnotic spin, three little black comas began circling his pupil.
"Hai, Itachi-san. He hugged me and then I started to feel really funny and when I opened my eyes here I was. It was the strangest thing at first, everything was all grey. But as I walked around things started to gain color!" I cried out, looking at Itachi in astonishment.
The man chuckled sardonically, nodding his head grimly. Reaching down he clasped my hand in his, leading me through the garden into a meadow. We walked in silence for the most part, although I could feel his eyes on me the whole time. As we entered the meadow, his hand squeezed mine tightly, his steps growing ridged.
In the middle of the meadow there was an area where rays of sunshine shined down upon, which was confusing because I could have sworn it was night time here. Looking up I saw a clear blue sky, not a cloud in it, with a sun shining blindingly down on us. Things clearly worked differently here.
Itachi walked me to the middle of the field, bending down to meet my eyes right before we reached where all the sun was shining down.
"Sakura," he growled through tightly closed teeth, "I will allow you to go back to your home today, but if you ever show up in this world again I will not do this twice. You don't know how hard it is to let you go!" He pulled me into a hug, pressing his face into my hair.
"Itachi-san?" I whispered, looking up at him curiously.
"Go Sakura, before I change my mind, get out of here!" Itachi barked, pushing me into the sunlight. I spun around to face him when that same tingling erupted in my body, this time though everything began to get warm. I looked at Itachi's saddened face, before noticing two smaller people behind him. Sasuke and Naruto stood, horrified, watching as I left their domain. The domain of shadow demons.
'Ive been, watching your world from afar
I've been trying to be where you are
and I've been, secretly falling apart
I see'
'To me your strange and your beautiful
you'd be so perfect with me but
you just can see
you turn every head but you don't see me'
You know when a sound wakes you up, and you're not sure if the sound really happened or if it was just part of your dream? Somewhere close to the platform I heard a twig snap. This made my heart start pounding so loud I wouldn't be surprised if it woke up one of the two men sleeping next to me. Against my better judgement my eyes snapped open, no longer able to pretend I was still asleep as I had just heard leaves crunch under someone or somethings foot. The first thing I noticed was the overwhelming amount of stars that filled the nights sky. The view looked familiar but I couldn't remember where I had seen it. The music still played loudly over the speakers, but something about it gave me the creeps.
'I'll put a spell on you, you'll fall asleep
and I'll put a spell on you, and when I wake you
I'll be the first thing you see
and you'll realize that you love me'
Sitting up, I took in my surroundings. Everyone around me was still asleep, and I could hear two different snores originating from the tent. So it hadn't been one of them. Getting out of my sleeping bag seemed like a bad idea, but I did it anyway. I felt like a character in a horror film that walked right into a trap while you screamed for them to stop. But I had to do this, there was no way I could go back to bed without proving to myself that they weren't there. I didn't want to think of what would happen if they were.
Rising from my sleeping bag I felt around for a flashlight. The fire near my feet was reduced to a smolder and while the christmas lights lit the area quite nicely, I wanted to be positive. Getting up I shined the light into the woods around me, brightening shadows and dark areas. Slowly I turned in a circle, the light shining on the bark of the trees eerily, and when I heard a howl in the distance I flinched. Having spun in a full 360, I flicked off my flashlight. Turning to go back to sleep I let out a choked scream, taking a big step back. It took me a good minute to recognize Naruto in the dim lighting, but when I did I felt like my head was swimming. I was surprised he could be this close to me with the christmas lights still on, but the light they gave off was too weak to hold him back I guess. He was in his usual black wife beater with a pair orange jumper pants.
"Sakura-chan!" He whisper shouted, leaping towards me like a jungle cat. Behind him I could make out nine tails made of shadow waving back and forth. I dodged him quickly, turning and running into the forest. Damn it I shouldn't have gotten up. I ran as fast as I could, pushing through the underbrush and praying that I wouldn't trip on a rock or root. A moment later I realized something was wrong because I could barely hear the music from the speakers. And I also couldn't hear Naruto. Shit! Where I stood now was nearly pitch black, any of them could snatch me. No, no, no! Somewhere nearby, to close for comfort, I heard a wolf's howl break the still air. Kiba was in the area.
Turning and running back towards camp, Naruto be damned, I was felt someone grab me by my wrist. My arm jolted, and I was pulled backwards towards the dark stranger. It could be any of them, oh no…The arms wound themselves around me and they pulled me against him, proving him to be much taller since I hardly came up to his shoulder. He lent over, pressing his face into my shoulder, purring. He was dressed in a pair of grey fitted jeans with a black v-neck over it, looking way to appetizing.
"Sakura, my Sakura. Mine. Only mine…" He whispered possessively in my ear, nuzzling against me. I recognized that voice, how could I not? I had spent many nights curled up in bed with my headphones on trying to block out the seductive voice of the monster who frequented the shade under my bed. Madara. He was one of the worst out of all the demons haunting me, and the reason I put a night light under my bed.
He pressed my back against one of the trees behind my, making me regret my choice of sleep wear. I was in a tight red tank top with short grey pajama shorts. He gave my neck one light kiss before ducking his head down to my collar bone, sucking harshly against my skin. The groan that came through my lips was foreign to me, my thoughts focusing on not letting him seduce me. No, I had to be strong even if this felt exceptionally good. When he bit down I lost it for a second, before quickly remembering who this was. The obsessive demon who usually sent chills down my spine in fear, was now sending them in lust. Not good.
No matter how hard I pushed against his chest, he didn't relent.
"Sakura baby, I'm not going to hurt you, I would never hurt you, love. I just want to protect you, like I did earlier when that disgusting boy was all over you. Stop squirming!" he hissed against my chest, his hands had at some point gone up my shirt and now squeezed my waist. They moved as if he was playing a piano, rising up towards the under wiring of my bra. His lips found my jaw, licking upwards to my ear where he gently sucked on my ear lobe. The feeling of this breath made me gasp.
"Madara, get off! You dirty fucking perver-" Madara was ripped off me, a snarling sound filled the air as my saviour wrestled against him. I wasted no time in trying to get back to our camping platform. I found my way towards it as the music got louder, Jezebel by Iron and Wine was playing.
I could almost make out the lights when someone grabbed the back of my shirt, halting me immediately. Turning around I smacked Naruto right across the face, barreling towards camp. I would have been in the clear too if Sasuke hadn't stepped out from behind a tree, blocking my way. I almost smacked into his chest before I came to a stop, weighing my options. Naruto had gotten up from behind me and was now closing in as sasuke slowly approached me as if trying to tame a wild animal.
Stuck, I went to turn to the right only to have Naruto clasp me from behind as sasuke wrapped his arms around me from the front. I was blocked in without an escape route and I knew it. What to do, what to do…and sasuke was looking so good it should be illegal in his black hoodie and crimson basketball shorts. Why couldn't they be ugly? it would be so much easier to resist them.
"Sakura-chan, calm down. We just wanna talk!" Naruto whined, pressing himself against my back. Did he just sniff me? Ugh.
"Naruto, why can't you guys just leave me alone. You shouldn't be so attached, I do nothing but push you away. Please, guys, let me go." I pleaded, practically begging Sasuke with my eyes. His eyes weren't on mine though, they had travelled down to my neckline where madara had left his mark. His eyes darkened, and his grip on me tightened.
"Sakura, it seems as though you don't understand something. You belong to the two of us, and you belong with us. Back home, back where you can shine brightly and light up our shadow land. That is where your were born to go Sakura. Where we can protect you properly." As S said this I could feel that familiar feeling of pin pricks creeping up my leg, goose bumps breaking out all over my body as I shivered, the temperature was dropping quickly. No, not again!
Trying to break away I managed one more look towards the camp before my vision was swallowed in darkness, extreme dizziness rendering me useless. When I finally overcame it I stared in horror at the beautiful grey house in front of me. Just as it was before stars lit up the night sky, making me remember what I had forgotten earlier. This, this place is where I had seen those stars before. Nausea ran through me as I fell to her knees, color shooting up all around me as my body sunk to the ground. A hand on my elbow made me look up, just now remembering that I was in the company of the two men. They both stared at me, concerned and worried. I wanted to kick them.
"Sakura-chan, are you all right? It must be really overwhelming, feel free to hold my hand" Naruto said, sly as a fox as he took advantage of the situation. I took hold of his hand, much to his and Sasuke's surprise, using it as leverage to pull myself up, and pull Naruto down. Too bad the foxboy quickly caught onto my plan as he held onto my hand tightly, pulling me to the ground on top of himself. It happened all to quickly for me as suddenly I felt the hand that was holding mine wrap around the back of my neck, pulling me down to meet his lips. His lips massaged mine, and it was an entirely different kiss then Suigetsu's.
Suigetsu's had been a slow but viscous kiss, while Naruto kissed me hard and passionately. His tongue worked its way into my mouth, tangling with my own. I couldn't remember when I started kissing him back just that my body felt warm and uncomfortable, especially when his other hand snuck down to my bum, moulding it in his hand. The hand by my neck crept into my hair, closing into a fist around my locks. My palm went down to cup his face when I heard someone clear their throat. Squeaking I quickly separated from him as I suddenly remember we weren't alone. I shouldn't have done that, what on earth was wrong with me?
Sasuke stood smirking, looking down at us with his eyebrows raised. Son of a bitch.
Naruto snarled, his hands clamping around my waist possessively, making Sasuke frown. "Naruto don't forget our deal, we would work together and if we caught her then we would share her."
At the words 'share her' I quickly ripped myself from Naruto, outraged. Who the hell did they think they were, sharing me. Bullshit. Like I was some item that they could share. Total bullshit.
Getting up I quickly stormed off in the opposite direction, flashing the two boys a glare. This wasn't good, I had been assaulted three times today, twice by demons and not once had I put up a real fight. Well, that was going to change. Like hell would I be these guys little slut. Fuck that.
Still marching angrily deeper into garden I couldn't help but remember a time six years ago when I had done the very same thing. This time though I did not run into Itachi, but instead stumbled upon a sleeping Shisui. My face met the grass as I tripped over his unconscious body, landing half on top of him. He still managed to sleep through it, it seemed, as he only grunted shifting around so he was on top of me instead of the other way around. He cuddled me to his white tee shirted clad chest like a child would their favorite teddy bear, inhaling deeply as he pushed his nose into my hair.
I froze, trying to stay as still as a statue. This was bad, really bad. Shisui was like a mix of Naruto and Madara. Playful but a major pervert. "Calm down Sakura," I whispered, "just move real slowly." Pushing Shisui up a little, which was difficult seeing as he's a full grown man and I'm a sixteen year old girl, I tried slithering out from under him. I got to the point where his head was right above my chest when his grip around me tightened, his eyes flashing open wearily. It took a full five seconds before he realized our position, and in total Shisui style he chose not to question it, instead just pressing his face down into my cleavage.
"Ugh, Shisui, stop! Just- just get the hell off me okay? I'm not in the mood." I growled, pushing his larger figure fruitlessly. He wasn't going anywhere, and from the look in his eyes I could assume that he didn't plan on getting up for quite some time.
"But Sakura-hime, you're so soft!" He purred, his voice muffled by my chest. I hated the way chills ran through my body as he continued nuzzling me.
Finally looking up, he cocked his head at me like a child. "But what are you doing here princess, are you here to play with me?" His eyes travelled down to my lips, and I increased my efforts to get him off me as panic filled me.
"Shisui I swear I'll castrate you if you don't stop. Let me go!" His lips quickly came down, pecking mine lightly. Then he kissed the tip of my nose, moving to each cheek, and as my eyes closed he kissed them as well. Finally, he lay a kiss on my forehead before getting up, with me still held tightly in his arms. He let me go and took a step back.
"As my princess wishes." With a low bow, his curly black hair falling in front of his strange red eyes, he took hold of my hand and pressed his lips down one last time on them.
The world around us was now a colorful maze of flowers and spruce trees, everything seeming to radiate in deep and bright hues. His eyes widen in amazement as he took it all in, before falling to his knees, probably getting grass stains on his jeans. I tried to take a step back as his long muscular arms wrapped around my waist, his face pushing into my abdomen.
"So it's true, you are light embodied. You brighten our dark world with your presence. Sakura-hime, I beg you not to leave. Don't push us back into that gray world of shadows and darkness. Please princess, don't ever leave me!"
He dug his face into me harder, hyperventilating as he tightened his grip around me.
"No, no, no. You won't ever leave here, I won't let you. Your mine, and you're going to stay here and play with me right? Right, princess?" He begged, never once taking his face away from my stomach. I opened my mouth to reply when two fingers came from behind me, pressing into Shisui's pressure point on his neck, knocking him out.
Relief filled me as his body tilted over and fell to the ground, before I remembered that I wasn't alone. I spun around but felt my heart lift in relief as it was only Itachi.
"Well, I guess this would be the second time you saved me, eh itachi-san?" I stated, feeling safe in his presence.
He tilted his head backwards, so he was staring down his nose at me. He certainly didn't look happy to see me. I cringed as I looked into his hard stare, feeling suddenly nervous again. He looked incredibly handsome too, in a black v-neck and black jeans.
"I clearly remember telling you to never return here, Little One, and I must say you have horrible timing. Although I promised that if you were ever to return I would not be the one to send you back home, I fear I must break that promise. Whoever brought you here was being foolish, it's currently not safe for you. We are having visitors, people that me and my family have become acquainted with over the many lonely years here. They come from a region of the shadowlands called Ame, and you must not be seen by them."
It was the most I had ever heard Itachi say at once, which was very out of character for him. I felt my spirits rise at the thought of going home though, so I made no comment.
"Lead the way Itachi-san" I said, looking around anxiously for these supposed 'visitors'.
We walked side by side deeper into the garden until we came to the edge of a woodland area, one that if my memory served right, led to a familiar meadow. We were about to enter when felt Itachi stiffen at my side, pushing me behind him as he spun around to face a red haired angelic man who was heading towards us.
"Sasori." Itachi greeted him, his tone clipped and his eyes narrowed. This man was unfamiliar to me, I had never seen him before and my curiosity got the better of me. I poked my head out from behind Itachi, regarding Sasori with an inquisitive stare. His own eyes widened a fraction as he came closer for a better look at me.
"Whatever are you hiding Itachi, or should I say whoever? Is she the cause of all this color? Come now, don't be rude, introduce us." The way Sasori spoke reminded me a bit of Shikamaru, monotone yet soft.
Itachi sighed, the lines under his eyes enhanced as his face grew weary. He kept his body mostly in front of me, but moved just enough that I could be seen by Sasori.
"Sasori, this is Sakura. Sakura, meet Sasori" Itachi ground out, glaring heavily at the man.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, doll. There aren't many humans left that carry light in there bodies. Though I guess your hair is a dead give away that you are special, ne?" When Sasori took a step closer to us Itachi let out a snarl, pushing me back behind him. "Back off, puppet boy, she isn't up for the taking."
Hearing a noise behind me I turned around, the two men continued arguing over me completely oblivious to what was happening. Leaning against one of the trees near us was a man that I almost mistook for a woman. He had blond straight hair, up in a style the resembled Ino's. He was wearing the same type of cloak as Sasori, long and black with red and white clouds on it.
He grinned, gesturing with his hand for me to come closer. "U-um, Itachi-san?" I whispered as the man sighed exasperated, pushing off the tree to come towards us. Itachi continued to argue with the red head about who I belonged with, the nerve they hard to objectify me. I nudged him again, this time harder as the blond man crept closer.
"Itachi-san!" I yelped, poking him hard in the back. Finally he turned his head towards me, looking confused and frustrated. I pointed at the guy that was now only a few yards away from us silently. He gave us a smirk.
"Sakura run!" Itachi yelled, pushing me to the right before he engaged in battle with the Ino-look-alike. I watched for a second as he took on both Sasori and the other man, who he was referring to as Deidara as he cursed him to hell. The two seemed to make perfect match for Itachi as he kept them both occupied.
"Sakura run, damn it! Run to the meadow and get the hell out of here!" Itachi shouted, barely sparing me a glance.
Sasori was using some sort of puppet to attack with and Deidara was tossing bird shaped bombs towards Itachi with a maniacal grin on his face. "Bang!" He shouted, laughing as he almost blew Itachi's leg off. Itachi came out uninjured of course, as he was moving to quick for either of the pair to land a hit on him.
Spinning around on my heel, I darted father into the woods, eyes peeled for an opening that would spark any recognition in me. After running for a good ten minutes I began to see a difference in foliage.
Up ahead I saw the meadow, my feet faltering as a wolf's howl broke into the air. I should have known it wouldn't be that easy. Kiba was crouched in the pathway ahead of me, his nose to the air as he picked up my scent. He was wearing a pair of plain black cargo shorts and no shirt. i refused to treat my eyes to his chiseled abdomen, instead giving him a cold glare.
"Yo, Sakura. I have been waiting for quite some time now, little red. I hope you haven't been avoiding me! You're not afraid of the big bad wolf are ya'?" Kiba said, chuckling as he stood up and stretched. Kiba was unpredictable and mildly sadistic, putting me on edge as I waited for him to come closer. Think Sakura think, how to get out of this?
"I don't know about any wolves Kiba, but I'm sure as hell not scared of you. Now let me by, I don't have time to play with you." I replied, my voice coming out weaker then I wanted it to. The night had been exhausting for me, I was about ready to fall over. I didn't have the energy for this.
Kiba slunk closer to me, swaggering arrogantly like he knew something I didn't. When he was about a yard away he made a lunge for me, tackling me painfully down onto the leaf strewn forest bed. He grinned at me deviantly as he straddled me, his eyes narrowing in enjoyment.
"My, what cruel eyes you have." I stated plainly after catching my breath, hoping to gain a little bit of my courage back.
"The better to see you with, my dear." He whispered, pressing our foreheads together and looking me in the eye.
His hands slid up my shirt, latching themselves around the bra and unhooking it from the front. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks, turning my head away from his.
"My, what large hands you have." My voice shook this time, to my disappointment.
"The better to grab you with, my dear" He hissed, groping me harshly.
Fear was over-riding pleasure, as none of them had ever really touched me there. Hell, even when I fooled around with Shikamaru and Suigetsu they never actually grabbed my breasts skin-to-skin. I was panicking and for the first time all night I felt tears prick my eyes.
Seeing this Kiba grinned sadistically, displaying his larger than average canines. His teeth were so white…
"M-my, what big teeth you have…" I whimpered, wanting nothing more than for this punishment to stop.
"The better to eat you with, my dear." He growled, biting down on my neck lightly enough to not draw blood.
I moaned involuntarily as he licked the bite mark, his hands still massaging my breasts. My stomach had this weird heat building in it, causing my to shift against him. Which was a big mistake, because as soon as I did he let out a guttural moan, rubbing his hips against mine in return. He continued leaving hot wet kisses down my chest, until he reached in between my breasts. I could feel the tent in his shorts rubbing against me, and the heat became worse. "Stop…" I panted, the tears in my eyes finally breaking past my lashes and running down my face.
"Kiba, please stop!" I sobbed, too many men had touched me tonight. It was too much, I could feel my walls breaking as more tears poured out. i wasn't the type of girl to do things like this. Kiba stopped what he was doing, staring down at me with a perplexed look in his eyes.
"Just- just stop it! Fuck, Kiba STOP!" I shouted, pushing him off me as he look down at me alarmed.
"Sakura, I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you. I thought…" Kiba stated, looking panicked. He had meant to scare me, not break me, but he was unaware of what I had been through tonight and he was the straw the broke the camels back.
"Please Kiba, just for once listen to me and go. Leave me alone, I need to be alone for a bit okay? Please…" I pleaded, trailing of at the end as I saw Kiba shift from foot to foot anxiously.
I felt dirty, is this the reason they all wanted me to stay? So they could do this to me? The thought sickened me and I curled in on myself. After a minute of wallowing in my own self-pity, I looked up to see that Kiba had vanished. Thanking whoever could hear me I got up on shaky legs. I wasn't sure which scared me more, the fact that they had a tendency to molest me or the fact that I secretly enjoyed it. They weren't justing messing with my body though, they were screwing with my mind. I could see myself developing feelings for them and it all just gave me a headache. Exhaustion crept through my vision, darkness creeping in around the edges and I stumbled a bit. Hadn't I already developed feelings for them though? I couldn't live in denial forever, as much as they tormented me they held some masochistic piece of my heart.
"Sakura-chaaan? Is sakura-chan okay? Tobi doesn't think Sakura-chan looks okay. Why is Sakura-chan crying? Did Tobi do something bad? Tobi is a good boy! Tobi didn't mean to…" A childish voice cut through the fog in my brain, and my eyes zoned in on a familiar orange swirly mask. Tobi was the only demon I truly trusted, as he never tried to get with me. He treated me more like I was his mom or something. I tried to comfort him, but before I could the ground rose to meet me and the world around me went black. Behind my eyes visions of the starry night sky swirled in a spectrum.
Voices were coming from all around me, talking over each other, but it all sounded like the teacher from charlie brown to me. It was darker then black, and I felt relief when I realized that my eyes were simply closed. Slowly, like someone fixing the antennae on a radio, the voices started to gain tone and I could make out words. It was like resurfacing out a cloudy water, confused and disorientated.
My eyes cracked open a little bit, sensitive to the dim lighting in the room. I opened my eyes wider, and heard a cry of "Sakura-chan!" come from Tobi who was crouched next to me. I found myself on a couch in what appeared to be a living room, surrounded by men. Many of them were strangers.
Standing behind Tobi was a giant, blue, sharklike man who made the other men look small compared to himself. To his right was a smirking bastard with slicked back silver hair and startling violet eyes. He wiggled his eyebrows at me and I quickly looked away. Madara stood making bedroom eyes at me from his perch on top of Naruto and Sasuke's tied up bodies, huh I was wandering where those three had been. Standing at the end of the couch I was laying on was a man with orange hair that resembled Naruto's, and to my surprise his face was covered in piercings. He watched me intensely through his lavender spiral eyes.
"What happened?" I questioned, rubbing my head lethargically as I searched my memories for an explanation.
"Oh! Tobi can explain! Tobi was stuck in a tree out in the forest trying to get down when Kiba-senpai came running up to Tobi, all scared. He said that something was wrong with Sakura-chan, so Tobi was really brave and jumped down from his tree because he was so worried about Sakura-chan! Then he went to where Kiba-senpai told him Sakura-chan was and Sakura-chan didn't look so good. When Sakura-chan fainted Tobi carried her back to the house! Tobi is a good boy!" He shouted bubbly, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet.
"Yeah, the fucking idiot brought your fine ass back here like an hour ago. Screaming some shit about how fucking scared he was or what the fuck ever." The silver haired man said smugly, his eyes never leaving my breasts. He was dressed in an unbuttoned red dress shirt with black dress pants.
"Don't talk like that in front of a lady, Hidan!" The shark guy berated him, smacking the back of his head roughly. He was in a white muscle shirt and black basketball shorts that had familiar red and white clouds on them.
"Fuck off Kisame! What are you, my mother?" He barked back, rubbing the bump on his head.
Assuming that these men were the guests that Itachi told me about, I ignored them and sat up. I swayed a little but overall I felt a lot better then I had earlier.
"I'm so sorry that I couldn't protect you Sakura darling, I had my hands full punishing these two for bringing you here," Madara said, pressing his feet down harder on the two men beneath them, "You would have been fine too if that fucking dog hadn't gone and broken the rules. We all agreed on keeping the touching a minimal so as not to scare you, but the damn mutt just couldn't help himself."
I suddenly noticed a very guilty Kiba lurking in the background, looking like a dog with its tail between its legs. He was looking everywhere in the room but at me, unable to meet my gaze. Wimp.
I cast my eyes over the room again, noticing how three occupants were missing.
"Guys? Where are Itachi, Deidara, and Sasori?" I stood from the couch, trying to get out from the circle of men that were making me feel claustrophobic.
"Oh, they're just resting. The fools wore themselves out fighting over you by the forests edge, Pein and I found them passed out there." Kisame explained, nodding his head towards the pierced up ginger. So that was his name…
"Would you like to check on them?" Pein asked without emotion. I ran my options over in my head and decided that Itachi was probably my best chance on getting out of here, so I gave Pein a nod before following him upstairs to one of the bedrooms.
The house had a surprisingly cozy feel, with the only lights coming from candles that were on the walls and a fire lit in the main room. It had an old cottage look to it, and was clearly lived in with all the crap that crowded inside it. The bedroom we arrived in was grey at first, but as I entered it became a washed out yellow color. The furniture was just three light oak twin sized beds, each with a man laying in it, and one oak table of to the side with a candle and papers on it.
Sasori and Deidara were both awake, and appeared to be arguing, while Itachi seemed to be asleep.
"Sasori-danna! You can't deny that the explosive way Sakura-chan lights up our world is art, yeah!" Deidara exclaimed, sitting half way up in bed. Bandages covered his right arm and his cheeks were covered in ash.
"Fool, you clearly are blind without your eye piece. The color my doll brings into this world shall be eternal, as she will stay by my side for eternity." Sasori calmly replied, laying still on his bed staring at the ceiling. Okay, seeing as they had barely even met me, their devotion was a little much. They both looked toward me as color painted the room.
"Sakura-chan, yeah!"
"Doll, it's so good to see you."
Deidara climbed out of bed, hobbling a little bit as he made his way towards me.
"Hey-!" I called out in surprise, trying and failing to avoid the one armed hug Deidara gave me. I stayed perfectly still, waiting for him to give me an excuse to push him off but he kept the hug innocent. After letting me go he walked back and sat on the end of his bed, blush covering his cheeks.
"Sorry, Sakura-chan… Your just too cute, yeah!" he explained, putting a hand on his cheek to cover his growing blush. Something about Deidara made it impossible for me to hate him. He was just so sweet.
"It's fine." I whispered, my eyes darting towards Itachi. I crept closer to his bedside, observing him as he slept. I really wish he would wake up and take me home…
"…Mmm Sakura…" Itachi grumbled, shifting under his sheet. It was my turn to blush now, imagining what he must be dreaming about. A hand grabbed mine, pulling me back onto Sasori's bed and into his lap. He planted his head on top of mine, humming in happiness. I turned my head to see him give me the tiniest of smiles.
"Doll, promise me that you will stay by my side. Forever mine." He demanded, becoming serious again. Okay, his devotion was more then too much, it was just straight up creepy.
"Sasori-danna, yeah! Stop flirting with Sakura-chan!" The lack of a 'yeah' at the end of deidara's sentence made it clear how serious he was. Men, I thought, sliding off of Sasori's lap. To my surprise, Pein began to talk. I had almost forgotten he was in the room. Sneaky bastard.
"Sakura-tenshi, I must ask that you return to Ame with us. We need you there more then these Konoha brats do, and I feel like I would be doing you a great disservice if I were to leave you in their care." When Pein spoke, his facial expression barely moved, but his eyes spoke volumes. It was really frightening how quickly these shadow men became attached to me.
"Well, Pein-san, I'm sorry to inform you but I will be returning to my own world as soon as Itachi-san wakes up." I replied stoically, avoiding eye contact with the outraged men in the room. I turned back to Itachi, placing my hand on his should and giving him a small shake. I could hear Deidara and Sasori complaining in the background and I was getting nervous that they just might find a way to keep me here when itachi's eyes opened. When he saw me his face became tinted with pink, shyly looking at where my hand still rested on his shoulder.
"Itachi-san, would you be so kind as to bring me home now? That is, if your up for it." i asked, as politely as I could.
Itachi looked disappointed for a second before nodding his head somberly. He pushed out of bed, giving me a weak smile to show that he was fine, before casting a glare over the other occupants of the room. I looked at them too and was surprised when I saw that everyone from downstairs was now crowding in the doorway, none of them looking very pleased.
"Where do you think you're going?" Madara growled, glowering at Itachi's hand that was placed on my waist.
"I'm returning to where I belong, Madara. And I won't forgive anyone who tries to stop me." I snapped, but the harsh look I sent them faded when I noticed how hurt and downcast all of them looked. They really weren't that bad of a group. If they just learned to keep their hands to themselves every once in a while they would be tolerable.
"Look…I'm sorry, okay? I guess I could always visit occasionally, and stop avoiding you all so much." As I said this their faces lit up, excitement running through the crowd of men in front of me. I rolled my eyes, so over-dramatic. Giving them a weak smile I began to push my way towards the door, all of them traveling with me. They were kind of sweet, the way they cared about me so much. If they were human we might have been friends earlier. Tobi latched himself onto me and we all went out into the front yard as a group.
The starry sky faded as we made our way over towards the forest, running into Shisui on the way. When they told him that I was up for giving them all a chance his smile looked like it split his face in half. The chatter on the way their was comforting some how, I was tired of hating these men who did nothing but pine after me.
Deidara and Sasori continued arguing about art, and shouts of 'Baka' and 'Dobe' were all I could make out from Naruto and Sasuke's conversation. Hidan grabbed my butt twice, both times were followed up by Kisame giving him a beat down. Kisame, I found, treated me as if I were his little sister. A welcome change from the lusty men around me. Shisui and Kiba were ganging up on Tobi, teasing his innocent little brain with thoughts of me shirtless. Kiba had been forgiven after he basically begged for forgiveness at my feet. Madara walked on my left, content just to be near me and Itachi was on my right, talking to Pein about how the Akatsuki (that's what the ame demons called themselves) would visit again next week. The whole group surrounded me like they were planets and I was the sun in their solar system. It made me feel safe knowing they would all be there to protect me. From what, I don't know.
As we came towards the meadow I was surprised when they all walked into the sunshine with me. The sky had switched to daytime again, I still couldn't get used to that. Naruto explained that this is spot was how they came to my world, as well as my gateway home. The daylight representing the world of light and the night sky being the symbol of the world of darkness. I saved my goodbyes since they all planned on coming with me and walking me back to camp.
Surrounded by my newfound friends, I felt the warmth seep into my skin and when I opened my eyes I was back in the forest near the platform. Light Out Words Gone by Bombay Bicycle Club had just began playing through the speakers. I walked towards the platform, surrounded by twelve men who cared about me for reasons I was yet to be told, and looked down on the faces of my still sleeping friends.
"Will Sakura-chan watch the sunrise with Tobi?" Tobi begged, taking my hand and gesturing toward where everyone else was seated on the edge of the platform overlooking the lake. "Of course, Tobi." I responded, sitting down as well in between Tobi and Kisame.
The sky was slowly turning from purple to pink as the sun approached the horizon.
"Why do you guys even care about me so much? What makes me so special?" I quietly questioned, eyes staying firmly on the clouds.
I saw all of their head turn towards me incredulously out of the corner of my eye.
"Sakura-chan, you light up our world. Not just when you give color to our home, but even when your just being you. You're one of the few people who can see us, and even when you were scared of us we would still watch you, fascinated by how someone could be so good, so pure and untarnished. Your were our perfect, funny, sweet little girl and then you grew up into this goddess and we didn't know how to handle it. Your too good for us, yet we just can't help but linger in the darkness around you. You see, Sakura-chan, every light that shines can make a shadow, and we thrived in yours." Naruto softly explained. His cerulean blue eyes never leaving my face.
Light began to filter through the trees, and I watched as it caused shadows to dance over the lake.
"Thank you, all of you." I said in such a tiny voice I was surprised that they could hear it. Kisame gave me a smile in return, holding my hand tightly. I finally looked away from the sky and towards the men at my side, shocked at what I saw.
My boys were handsome, I had always known that, but with the soft light from the sun hitting their faces they were ethereal. A heat grew in me, but this time in my chest. My boys.
From there it happened very quickly. The sun finally peaked over the trees and beamed down on us, and then Tobi's hand was no longer in mine and I sat alone of the edge of the platform. I didn't feel alone though, because I know that they were safely hidden in the shadows around me. Where they had always been. Hmm, I guess I wouldn't need quite so many lights in my life now, especially in my bedroom.
The light that shined down on my group of friends awoke them from their slumber, all of them grunting in annoyance as they tried to block it with their hands. Only Suigetsu actually rose from his sleeping bag, coming over to sit by my side. He stared at me for a long moment looking lost, and I wondered if he was still asleep.
"Sakura-chan, I was pretty wasted last night, so I don't remember leaving those hickeys all over your chest, but since it's totally something I would do I take full credit for it. Sorry if I was too rough with you, you know how I get when I drink." Suigetsu finally said, looking at me apologetically.
I froze for a minute having forgotten about them, before laughing and telling Suigetsu I forgave him. It would take a lot less explaining if I just let him take credit for them.
"Great! So I'm thinking today we take the canoe out for some topless fishing, eh?" Suigetsu suggested as he stood to make everyone else get up. Blushing, I smacked him as I too stood up. Fuckin perverted men.
FIN
Okay, I hope that wasn't too confusing. Im worried some parts only made sense to me lol. But my fingers and brain are tired so I shan't work anymore on it ;P
So please go easy on me since this is my first Naruto fanfiction, and it's also the first story I have written in the past five years. Not gonna lie, I'm pretty sensitive so please no flames! Anyway, reviews are muy muy appreciated and would totally inspire me to write more often. I'll make a sequel if its wanted :)
