Sakura looked at the wrought iron gates as her taxi drove her through the gates of her new home. Konoha Submissive Charter School. She couldn't help but snort at the name. School. She supposed it was a school, of sorts. You learned things there. 'School' was such an innocent word for what they did to women there.
She felt rage bubble in her chest for a second time during the tedious four-hour journey. Her father hadn't given her much to go on as to why she was being sent here. Most of the girls here were from families fallen on hard times as a way to absolve stacking government debts and tax fraud. From what she had been told, though, her father had been doing fine at work. She had been shoved into a cab with nothing but a stack of papers and a kiss on the forehead telling her to be good.
Unshed tears burned her eyes. Be good. He sent her into slavery for unknown reasons and all he could tell her was to be good.
"Miss, we're here." The driver said, and she swallowed back her emotions before nodding. She slid out of her seat, tossing her small duffle bag over her shoulder. She looked around as the sound of rubber tires crunching gravel filled her ears. The main building was old but seemed well kept. A relic of the past, with its dark red brickwork and tan arches. The lettering of whatever school this had been beforehand had been replaces with the letters "KSCS" in the same foreboding wrought iron as the gate.
She tried to ignore how her breath rattled in her chest as she started up the steps and into the building.
The inside was as stark as she has envisioned for years. Sterile, white walls and pale beige tiling on the floor. There were no other decorations other than the dark blue directory that hung on the wall, and she referred to it before heading left down a hallway. She could imagine getting lost in a place like this, and she briefly wonder if it was designed to be that way.
She couldn't give it much more thought than that as she walked up to the window with the 'Registration' sign hung above it. The man at the window looked up from his computer, fingers stopping mid keystroke to assess her. She could help but stare at the scar that cut across the bridge of his nose, it looked like an old wound, and she pondered how he could have gotten it.
"Can I help you, miss?" He asked, and Sakura willed her hands to stop shaking as she held out her paperwork.
"My...um. My father sent me here. To enroll." She said as confidently as she could as he reached through the small hole cut out of the glass and took the stack from her. She watches as he looked past her, down the empty hallway. Looking for someone.
"You came alone?" He asked, confusion lacing his voice. She felt her throat tighten at his words, and all she could do was nod her head. Most girls that were sent here had an escort of some sort. Her father had refused to come, had said it would be too hard on him.
As if he were the one going to be 'trained' and sent to live with a stranger.
"Haruno Sakura, 22. We have you right here. Thank you for bringing these," he said, waving the documents her father had sent with her vaguely in the air. "it makes things simpler on my end. Which I do appreciate. I can only imagine how easy it would have been to lose these somewhere along the lines." He said, sending a sad smile her way. All she could do was stare back at him.
Fifteen minutes later she was being escorted to her new dormitory, a small bundle of clothing clutched between her fists. They had taken her duffle away almost immediately after pulling into one of the many doors that had been in that hallway. They had promised her with a few weeks of good behavior she would get it back, but she didn't have any real hope on them following through it that. She hadn't packed anything with personal worth to her anyway. Just a few outfits for her supposed 'rest days' and her old teddy beat that her father had put in there when she wasn't looking. A peace offering.
A few flights of stairs later and they entered a pair of double doors that opened into a large room. Her eyes scanned the bunks arranged in neat rows, covered in dark red sheets and blankets. A single pillow on each bed. At least for most of them. She noted a few that were without and could only assume it was a form of punishment they used for disobedience.
She was told the others would be back soon by the sweet man from registration and she was alone, the harsh click of the door echoing in the empty space. She sat on the edge of the bed that he had led her to, staring at the worn cotton material of her uniform. The closest thing she could describe them as were scrubs, and that was comforting, in a way. She could pretend for at least a moment that she was just doing her rounds at the hospital.
She stood, stripping down before slipping the dark blue fabric over her head, the fibers brushing over her exposed nipples, reminding her that this indeed was not just another round at the hospital. The man, Iruka, has told her that she wasn't well endowed enough to keep her bra. Apparently, they saved that honor for the girls who had gravity working against them as to not have a 'negative impact' on their bodies during their time here. Which of course meant that they couldn't have their merchandise sagging while they were gaining...knowledge.
Men don't like saggy breasts her mind supplied unhelpfully as she slipped white panties the matching dark blue drawstring pants up her hips. She felt some burst inside her as the tears began to fall down her cheeks. Her father had promised her it was only going to be for a couple of years, the minimum amount of time as issued by the state, but she knew he was lying. Whatever happened to get her in here had to be huge, something even she couldn't have helped with. He had gotten her paychecks from the hospital, it was the rules of the land nowadays.
She choked out a sob, as she laid down, staring at the wooden slays of the frame above her. She needed to get herself together before the others came back from...wherever they were at. She closed her eyes, focusing on her breathing until the tight ball of anxiety unraveled into something more manageable. She could do this. She could survive this place.
She stayed like that for what seemed like forever until the sharp bang of the door startled her out of her meditation. She watched as girl after girl filed in, led by a large man in a bandana whose face looked like it had seen better days. The line seemed to go on forever before a man with light grey hair walked through, shutting the door behind him. Two men chauffeuring all these women seemed lacking, but Sakura had to remind herself that most of these girls were probably already scared of them.
The males were silent as their charges took their rightful places at their respective bunks. Sakura watched as a young woman with indigo hair stood in front of her. She must be her roommate. Sakura stood to greet her.
"Hi, I'm Sakura." She said quietly, casting a quick glance at the men at the front of the room as they watched over them silently. Like wolves.
"I'm Hinata...it's nice to meet you." The girl, Hinata, said softly. She had a soft smile on her face as she looked past Sakura, her pale eyes looking past her. Sakura watched Hinata's eyebrows furrow in concern. "It's...It's going to be dinner time soon, you should put your socks on." She said, glancing at Sakura with an apologetic look before pushing past her.
Sakura's eyes followed her to a group of girls that were congregated around one of the beds. She couldn't see much from where she stood but standing on her tip toes showed her the hunch form of a girl crying on the bed. The bruise blooming on her cheek made Sakura's rage from earlier ignite once more. That was going to be her soon. They would beat her until she did what she was told.
She turned her back to the scene, sitting on the edge of the bed to put her socks on. The doors opened once more, and the women scattered from comforting their friend, forming three orderly lines to be escorted to dinner. Sakura watched as the brown-haired girl wiped away her tears and kept her eyes on the floor.
Three lines merged into one and it was deathly silent in the halls as they were taken to eat, only the heavy boot falls of the teachers filling the air. Sakura was amazed how quiet 30 people could be when you took away their shoes. Seen and not heard, her brain supplied once more, and she had to fight the indignant snort that threatened to come out of her mouth. She was never taught that when she was young. Even after the coup, her father had let her do almost anything she wanted. Seven years ago, she had been on the fast-track to her third mixed marital arts tournament win in a row when suddenly she couldn't do what she loved to do anymore.
Unbecoming of a woman, her father had said when she asked him in public. But in private she had been allowed a private tutor for her MMA lessons, so she knew her father didn't really think that. She was told in the protection of her home that these were the rules now, and she needed to abide by them the best she could, or she would end up here. Or worse.
So, she had. She gave up on her dreams of being a scientist and opted for nursing classes when she was 16 to continue her education to stay out of this place. She kept her mouth shut at all the men who harassed her at her job, ignored the obviously abused "servants" that "just fell down the stairs" to say out of this place. She asked her father for the money that she earned herself to stay out of this place. And in the end, it didn't matter. She still landed here.
She grabbed her meal tray in silence and followed Hinata to her table. Even in the mess hall the overpowering smell of artificial lemons filled the air. She sat down, looking around the table at the girls, giving them a small smile in response to their stares before moving her eyes down to her plate. There wasn't much color to speak of, everything pale and most definitely overcooked. She pushed her potatoes around with her fork. She didn't have much of an appetite.
"They feed us three times a day, so if you don't eat tonight it's not too big of a deal." A soft voice said, and she locked eyes with the brown-haired girl from before. She seemed to be in better spirits, at least. Sakura watched as she put her hand out in across the table. "I'm Thir...Tenten." The way her voice dropped to a barely audible whisper made it apparent that names aren't much of a normalcy around here
Sakura gave her a small smile before taking her hand "Sakura. Nice to meet you." She said back softly, giving her a firm shake before quickly pulling her hand back. "And thanks for letting me know."
Sakura's eyes lingered on the angry bruise on her cheek before looking back down to her tray. The question of how she got it burned her tongue, but she knew it wasn't her place to ask.
"She got it by not responding to her name."
Sakura's head shot up, looking over at the red-haired woman sitting next to Tenten. The whole table suddenly felt weighed down by the tension her words had caused. "Her...Name?" She prompted, looking over at her bunkmate for a moment.
"Yes. Her name here is Thirteen. I'm Fifteen. You'll have a number soon. And if you don't want to become like her, I suggest you answer to whatever number they give you." Fifteen said, and Sakura raised an eyebrow.
"What's you're actual name?" She asked, and Fifteen's eyes narrowed into slits.
"My name is Fifteen. My other name doesn't matter anymore. That's all you need to know." She said firmly, adjusting her glasses and turning back to her plate. Her tone told her that Sakura was treading into dangerous territory.
My other name doesn't matter anymore. How could she possibly say that? To have your name replaced by a number and to accept it to the point where you don't even question it anymore. Fifteen was bordering on not being an actual person anymore.
"Fifteen, how long have you been here?" She asked carefully after giving the red head time to cool down. She didn't want to upset the woman anymore.
"This is my second time through the program. The first time...didn't stick." She said simply. "I'm determined to make it stick." She murmured, mostly to herself, and suddenly there was a loud chime from the speaker.
"What happens after the second time?" Sakura asked as they went to dump their trays. Fifteen shot her a warning look.
"They send you somewhere...unpleasant." She whispered before breaking away to get in line. Sakura froze for a moment, shivering at the implications of her words. Unpleasant was probably an underestimation of the truth.
She tried not to dwell on it much, aiming instead to attempt to memorize the path from the dorms to the cafeteria. One of her teachers had told her once that knowledge was power, and at this point she needed all the power she could gain.