Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Warning: In case you didn't look at the rating before, this fiction is rated M.
Victims to a Curse
Five things happened to get me where I am now. Five things that must have been fated in the stars. Five things that were inevitable. My life in five events. Or so it seemed… These events started over a year ago, when I was sixteen.
One: Sasuke returned.
The news was all over Konoha. Orochimaru, along with Itachi Uchiha, was dead. Both killed by the hands of, none other than, Sasuke Uchiha…
"Sasuke… Oh, Sasuke!" I ran to the man on the hospital bed. I stood by his side, not wanting to touch him for two reasons. One, because he was heavily injured. Two, because I did not want to invade his space. He might still think of my as that twelve-year-old girl who used to cling to his side. Clingy. I am not like that anymore. I was so happy. Just standing next to him made me burst inside. I could feel a new beginning brewing. Things were going to change.
1-2-3-4-5
Two: He asked me to marry him.
It had been two months since Sasuke returned… Sasuke was not allowed to go on any missions for another four months, part of his punishment. There wasn't much for him to do except spend time with all of his old acquaintances, which included me. He spent the most time with Naruto, Kakashi, and me, but Naruto and Kakashi constantly had missions and sometimes they were lengthy. I, on the other hand, rarely went on missions, due to my work at the hospital, which led to Sasuke and I having alone time. One day at Ichiraku's, Sasuke asked me a very surprising question.
"Sakura," he asked in an almost bored tone as he stared straight ahead, "Do you still love me?" I was quiet for a while, trying to think of the best possible way to answer honestly, but not sound like I was still obsessed with him.
"Sasuke…" I started, "I…" I sighed. It was so hard to get it out. I looked down to my lap and took a deep breath. "I… I'm not the same anymore…" I looked up because I felt eyes on me. And I was right. Sasuke was staring at me and he said, "So you don't."
I shook my head, but not as a response to his question. "Sasuke, before you left, I was… obsessed with you… but then I eventually grew true feelings for you… Since then, I held a special place fore you in my heart. Now… now… I… I truly care about you. My feelings are now more mature. The place for you in my heart just keeps growing bigger and bigger and…" My eyes stared straight into Sasuke's eyes. His face seemed so much closer… maybe because he had gotten off his stool and is now standing in front of me. I felt almost foolish for finishing me sentence. "…bigger." I could feel his breath and I knew he could feel mine. I gulped nervously. Sasuke's face came closer and I whispered his name as I felt his hand on top of mine. And finally I closed my eyes as he kissed me. I have never been kissed, and I always dreamed of this day. It was so much better than my dreams.
My head moved the opposite way Sasuke's did. Our movements were synchronized. It's like we knew what the other was about to do before we, ourselves, even knew. As Sasuke kissed me, my whole body came alive and I couldn't stop the smile from forming on my preoccupied lips. Sasuke still held my hand as his lips left mine. He looked into my eyes and he whispered, "Sakura, you know that I want to restore my clan. I have to." I felt like I knew what was coming. Sasuke only kissed me because he needed me to have his baby. And was I okay with that? "Sakura, you are among the very few people I trust, and you are the only woman I trust. You are a friend to me and for me to call someone a friend… it means… I would put my life in their hands without a second's hesitation. Sakura, I am not capable of loving you romantically, the way you are able to, but I do have a place in my heart for you as well."
Sasuke stepped away from me and kneeled down on one knee. People who were passing by the ramen stand stopped to see what was going on. Why is Sasuke Uchiha kneeling before Sakura Haruno!? I knew most of the people, which made it rather embarrassing to be stared at. But I was a little more focused on what Sasuke was doing. He couldn't possibly be doing what I think he is doing… Oh, but he was.
Sasuke dug his hand out of his pocket and drew out a small velvet box. I put my hand to mouth and sniffled. My vision blurred as my eyes started watering. I shook my head, thinking that this was not possible. But apparently it was. And it was happening right now.
"Sakura Haruno…" Sasuke opened the box to reveal, of course, a ring. "Will you marry me?"
Things were certainly changing, just as I had suspected after Sasuke came back to Konoha, my home, which has always been his home. The place where we both belong.
1-2-3-4-5
Three: I married him.
"Sasuke Uchiha, do you take Sakura Haruno to be your lawfully wedded wife, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish…
"I do."
"Sakura Haruno, do you take Sasuke Uchiha to be your lawfully wedded husband, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish…
"I do."
Sasuke and I kissed in front of the audience and I started crying, as our marriage was official. Everyone around us was clapping. I saw my parents sitting in the front row, and they knew how much I loved Sasuke and they were almost as happy as I was. But I was sure that they would soon be saddened by the fact that I was leaving them to move in with Sasuke…
Sasuke and I walked down the aisle together and I was beaming. I have never been so happy. This indescribable feeling… it made me feel like I was the luckiest person in the world. I was lucky to be so happy. Even Sasuke smiled. And that made it even better.
1-2-3-4-5
Four: I got pregnant.
Sasuke still had two months until he could start taking missions. It wasn't like he needed the money. Because he was the only heir left to the Uchiha Clan, he received all of the money that was left by the deceased members. The amount made you wonder how many people were in the clan…
Two months was the perfect amount of time to start a family…
It had only been a few weeks since Sasuke and I got married, but I was already used to this life. As if I had always been living it.
I sat on the couch, reading a book, and surprisingly it wasn't a medical book. I was actually just joy reading. My new life was so peaceful, especially in Sasuke's very large manor.
The routine was set in stone. I always got home before Sasuke so I would take a shower, sometimes a bath, and then I would put on some comfortable clothes. I would sit down on the couch and pick up wherever I had left off of my reading. I read until Sasuke came home from training. Then I would ask if he had any preferences for dinner. He usually didn't. As I made dinner, he would take a shower and then he would come into the kitchen and help me. But on Fridays, we would always go out for dinner, kind of a way to celebrate the end of the week. Today is that day and I am patiently waiting on the couch for Sasuke to come home. I still had a while until he came, so I decided to take a quick nap…
I woke up and I felt lost for a second. I was no longer on the couch, but in bed. Sasuke must have put me here. I turned to my side to see the time, but I was surprised to find out that Sasuke was actually right there on the bed with me. I smiled and whispered his name. Sasuke leaned over me and held my face. He kissed me gently and I smiled again closing my eyes. He put his lips over mine again. My eyes remained closed as I enjoyed his entire being. His scent was so unique and just absolutely wonderful. We continued our kissing and as soon as I heard the rustling of sheets, I felt Sasuke's weight hovering over my small body. His lips left mine as he buried his face into my neck, kissing it. I felt embarrassed for moaning, but my body couldn't help it. I opened my eyes and saw that Sasuke's large body was over mine, but he had to hold himself up, as to not crush me. He kept kissing me everywhere but my lips. We've never been this intimate with each other. Sasuke's hands went to my waist, which meant he could no longer keep his weight off me. I felt his whole body on me and I know he felt mine on his. His kisses on my neck went to my collarbone, and unconsciously I moved my head out of the way for him to have better access. His hands slipped underneath my shirt and then those hands pushed up my shirt, revealing my stomach. His hands were everywhere on my upper body. And he kissed my lips again. My entire body tingled and I had a foreign feeling in the lower part of my body.
Sasuke kissed my open mouth and he slid his tongue inside. I always thought this would be disgusting, but it wasn't. Not when you're with the person you love. I quietly moaned Sasuke's name several times. Sasuke couldn't possibly know what he was doing to me. Then he moved his tongue under my jaw, licking it, back and forth. It was all too sensual. Just the thought of his tongue leaving a trail of saliva on my neck made me shiver. But when he started making noises on my skin as If I was the most delicious thing he has ever tasted, I gave in. "Sa-sasuke…" I said, louder. My legs pressed together tightly. He noticed my reaction. Because he stopped licking me and he stopped his roaming hands, which had been constantly making designs on my lower stomach.
"Sakura," he whispered, "Are you ready?"
"Re-ready?"
Sasuke kissed me softly and put his arms around me, placing his hands on my back. "Sakura, are you ready for a family?"
I felt so embarrassed. Here I was, seventeen-years-old, body sprawled out on a bed, my shirt almost all the way pushed up, revealing my entire pale stomach and the bottom of my bra, being asked if I was ready to have sex. Well… I was married, and Sasuke has wanted to rebuild his clan for who knows how long… All I could say was, "Um… are you, Sasuke?" I still whispered.
Sasuke's arms that were wrapped around me, left from their spot and I was afraid that he found what I said offensive. But then I felt his hands on my stomach again and they felt themselves down my stomach, onto my waist, and then my hips, and finally they stopped at my thighs. I was wearing the thin-fabric shorts that I usually wore when I slept. I could feel his cold fingers through the material. His hands were still on the top of my thighs but slowly, they slid to the inside of my legs and he slowly spread them apart. My eyes widened and I shivered. My breath hitched as Sasuke massaged my inner-thigh and he continued to spread my legs even further apart. I was flexible, so they could go far. Very far. All of his movements were slow. Sasuke's head looked down to my thighs and then his gaze fluidly drifted up to look straight at my womanhood. I watched him do all of this and my face was completely red. I never felt more embarrassed or self-conscious, even though my shorts were covering me. That lower region twitched under Sasuke's grip. I watched as Sasuke's face grew closer and closer to where I never imagined it would go. My legs pushed against his hands, but they weren't strong enough. His hands moved themselves upward from my thigh and they actually went into the legs of my shorts. They slowly inched their way underneath the fabric of my shorts. I started sweating and squirming under him. I could feel the awful sweat forming underneath my armpits and all over my body. Sasuke's face inched closer along with his hands. I was speechless. I couldn't think or hear. I was going ballistic. Insane. He was driving me insane. I couldn't handle that aching in my body. I just couldn't take it! I was about to scream Sasuke's name, but then he just stopped. His hands stopped, his face stopped, and he slowly formed a smirk.
"Sakura," he said with the smirk fully on his face, "Of course I'm ready. But I don't think you are."
Sasuke's hands slipped away and his face drew away from my body. The smirk on his face dropped and he looked emotionless. I felt my body calm down. The flaring started to disappear. Sasuke smoothly drew his muscled body off of me. I didn't move. I laid still, head on the pillow, shirt still bunched up, and I just breathed evenly. I felt horrible. I felt like I just disappointed him. Did I disappoint him?
Sasuke didn't get off the bed. He actually stayed next to me. We were side by side. I was deep breathing, trying to calm down and chill. Sasuke stayed quiet. I was afraid to move. I was afraid he would get angry. Wasn't this the whole reason we got married?
With saddened eyes, I turned to my side to face my husband. His eyes were closed, but he wasn't asleep. I hesitated but said his name. "Sasuke?" My voice was barely audible.
"Sakura." He opened his eyes and looked at me. He saw my crumpled expression. It looked like I was about to cry.
"Sakura," his voice sounded so soft and so sincere. He was trying to be nice. He was being too nice. I felt so incompetent. Useless.
"I'm so sorry, Sasuke. I'm so sorry. I… I just…" I started choking up.
"Sakura. Stop. It's fine. Really."
"No… no, it's not… you want a family… so I'll… I'll…" Sasuke didn't say anything, but he watched me silently. He didn't look mad. But I wanted to make him happy. To please him. "Sasuke… let's try again, please. I'm ready." My voice was not at all convincing. Sasuke didn't move, but he did seem surprised when I pulled my shirt over my head and undid the bow that held my shorts to my body. I climbed onto Sasuke's body, shirtless and as I had moved toward him, my loose shorts started slipping off of me, revealing my panties.
"Sakura! What the h–"
I cut him off with my lips crashing onto his. I put my hands under his shirt feeling his hard chest. It all felt fake. It felt like I was acting. There were no romantic feelings in this. It almost felt like a mission, having to seduce a man. No feelings involved, simply a job. But if this made him happy… It didn't seem like I was doing enough. I wasn't even thinking when I pushed my hand down his pants. All of this happened in a matter of seconds. And yet everything was wrong. Sasuke roughly yanked my hands off of him and then he held my wrists with his hands as he pinned me to the bed. My shorts were off and now I was in my underwear, being restrained by Sasuke. Maybe he wanted to do the work, I thought. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for him to make the first move. But nothing happened.
Sasuke sighed. "Sakura," he sounded exasperated, "What the hell were you doing!? And what the hell are you doing!?"
I opened one eye and looked at Sasuke's confused face. I opened the other eye and Sasuke let go of my wrists. "Well?" He asked.
"Sasuke… I…" I looked into his eyes. "I'm sorry." I looked down to the bed underneath me. "I just… I felt horrible for not being able to do it…"
"And you forcing yourself on me made everything better?!"
"Aren't you mad!? Aren't you mad because I didn't… couldn't do it…"
"Sakura, I thought you were ready, okay? I'm sorry for teasing you earlier. I only want to do this if you're ready and if you want to. So let's just leave it. Another time, when you're ready, okay?"
I didn't say anything. I should have been relieved, but I wasn't. Why didn't I feel better? Sasuke wasn't mad. I should be happy that he wants to wait until I'm ready… but when will I be ready? That's just it; I'll never be 'ready' exactly.
"Sakura, maybe you should put your clothes back on."
Sasuke sat up from the bed and I knew he was going to leave. "Wait," I said as I put my hand on his shoulder. "Sasuke, I want everything to work out…"
"It will."
"I know… but… You want me to be ready."
"Yes."
"But… I may seem like I'm not ready, but I am. Really. I'm as ready as I'll ever be. No amount of time will make me any more ready. I know this for sure." My voice was quiet, but everything was the truth. The look in Sasuke's eyes showed me that he knew this was not a lie. I was being sincere.
I wrapped my arms around my husband and whispered in his ear, "Please, Sasuke, make me yours. I'm afraid of this, but I love you. And you're the only one I trust to do this. So please… just… just be gentle, okay? I want this. I want you."
I slightly let go of him so I could see his face. Our gazes locked and Sasuke slowly nodded his head. He whispered, "Okay, Sakura."
I gave a small reassuring smile and said, "I know you wouldn't hurt me, Sasuke."
Sasuke's face fell when I said that. "Sakura, I don't mean to be blunt, but this is obviously your first time, and it's going to hurt."
"I know. But I'll be with you, so I'll be okay."
Sasuke nodded again. All of his movements remained slow and careful. He took off his shirt and he let me put my hands on his chest. He let his hands go up and down my legs as he softly kissed my lips. He put one hand on my waist and led me to the other side of the bed to have more space. I completely trusted him to take care of me because I knew he would do his best not to hurt me. The hand on my waist moved to hold my hand. I always loved holding his hand. It seemed so childish, but that's what I liked about it. He laced his fingers with mine and he gave my hand a gentle squeeze. He stopped kissing me to look at my face. This was it. He was warning me. He was telling me that this was it. I felt his hand on my hip, but I just focused on the hand that held my own hand. "Sakura," he breathed out my name. I nodded my head, assuring him that I was okay. "Just… be gentle."
He nodded his head. "Gentle," he repeated.
It was getting harder not to focus on the hand that was inching its way downward. I felt his hand touch the side of my panties and I felt a finger go under the strap. I was nervous but I squeezed his hand tighter. I wished that he would at least kiss me, to try to distract me, but he didn't, he just stared at my flushed face. He was so close, and then he said for the first time, "Sakura Uchiha, I love you." And not even a second after that, I felt it. I felt the screaming pain inside of me. I opened my mouth to scream on the top of my lungs, but Sasuke was one step ahead. He had already placed his mouth over mine so my screamed was a muffled noise. He squeezed my hand and I felt him inside of me. He put another finger inside and I started crying. But he kept kissing me, stopping my screams. He took his fingers out, and he lifted his lips off of mine. The hand that held mine, let go, and I missed it immediately. But then he held my face with that hand and whispered words that meant the world to me. "Shhh… it's ok, Sakura. You're going to be okay…" His hand rubbed my cheek and kissed me again. I felt his hand brush my thigh, and I winced, which caused my watering eyes to overflow. The tears came down, but Sasuke had left my swollen lips to lick the tears away. "Relax, Sakura. Just try to relax," he said soothingly, "Relax and enjoy yourself…"
All of his movements were so careful. If anyone else had done this to me, I couldn't even imagine how I would handle things. I wanted to thank Sasuke for doing this so nicely for me. For caring.
Soon enough, the remaining clothes were gone, and Sasuke kissed every part of me. I eventually got rid of most of my embarrassment of being naked in front of him. And as he slid himself into me, he did the same thing as before. He held my hand and kissed me so my screams were not heard. I was completely out of breath, but we kept going. I didn't want to stop. My screams eventually grew into screams of pleasure rather than pain. And I knew Sasuke was happy about this. We were finally getting used to each other's body. Sasuke did most of the work because I was too afraid to actually try anything on my own. Sasuke may have been able to kiss me 'down there' but I certainly was not brave enough to do the same. Maybe someday… another time… maybe I will be able to please him as much as he pleased me tonight.
A few weeks later, I found out I was pregnant. I had taken a pregnancy test to make sure, and it came out positive. I was happy because I knew how much Sasuke wanted to have a baby, to rebuild his clan. But I was also happy for myself. I couldn't believe it… I would soon be a mother. It's supposed to be the best feeling in the world.
When Sasuke got home that night I went straight up to him and kissed him deeply, passionately. I didn't care that I had just taken a shower and he was covered in sweat from training. I wrapped my arms around him and kissed his neck. He was obviously happy about this, but he was curious to know what the reason behind it was. I smiled up to him and put his hand on my stomach. I looked down at that hand and then I looked up to Sasuke's face. Sasuke's eyes widened and his face was shocked. I nodded my head to let him know for sure. I smiled, showing my teeth and yelled, "I'm pregnant!" Sasuke was thrilled. Thrilled. Sasuke picked me up off of my feet and held me and spun me around. He was so lively. So alive. He probably couldn't believe what was happening. He probably couldn't believe that he was actually going to be able to restore the Uchiha Clan. I guess after all those years of being alone and depressed, maybe he had given up his goal. But I was able to make that goal seem possible. I was able to bring that smile to his face. I was the one bearing his child. I was the one he loved.
1-2-3-4-5
Five: The curse mark came.
It wasn't my fault. Anyone would think that I had no control over what happened. Technically, it was not my fault. I ate healthily and I did not do any exhausting work while I was pregnant. I never over-exerted myself… but… in reality, it was my fault. It was my entire fault.
- - - - -
I was over eight months pregnant with the baby. Any day now it would come…
Sasuke treated me like a queen, sort of. He was always looking out for me, for the baby. He made sure I didn't go anywhere alone. When we walked together, we always held hands, and if the distance was longer than a five minute walk, he would offer to carry me. Carry me! He gave me so much attention. I couldn't be happier. I always felt that way when I was with him. When he kissed me for the first time I thought, "I couldn't be happier." When we got married, I thought, "I couldn't be happier." When we made love that night, I thought, "I couldn't be happier." And now that I'm pregnant, everyday I think, "I couldn't possibly be any happier." But my mother tells me differently. She says that when I give birth to the baby, I will only get happier and happier as I watch the child grow over the years. I would have the perfect family. The perfect husband and perfect children. Yes, plural, because Sasuke and I do intend on having a few more.
I had only had sex that one time with Sasuke, so I do still feel a little uncomfortable being naked in front of him. He may be my husband, but I am only seventeen. I had never been kissed until I was sixteen! I wasn't trying to be a prude or anything, but I couldn't help it. Sasuke knew I wasn't one hundred percent ready to have sex again, so he didn't try to sleep with me. He would never force himself on me and he wouldn't touch me inappropriately. Sasuke only did what he knew I was okay with. For the few weeks before he knew I was pregnant, he wasn't as careful as he is now. Sometimes our kisses would lead to a make-out session on the couch. He was always on top. When we made out, the only clothes that came off were both our shirts. He still touched me in ways that I was not used to and I always had a red face when he stroked his hands up and down my flat stomach, or when he dug his face into my chest, kissing it, licking it, or when he groped my body. But we never had actual sex. After he knew I was pregnant, he barely laid a finger on me. All he did was hold me or give me a massage. We may not have sex as much as other couples who weren't even married, but we were probably one of the most intimate couples in Konoha. I was uncomfortable being naked, but I had no problem not wearing a shirt or shorts in front if him. We were both fine in just being in our underwear. Especially now that most of my clothes don't fit me anymore with my large stomach. I actually never wore shirts unless I had to go out of the house. Sasuke found this amusing, of course, but I was glad to make his day have a little humor.
Sometimes I would just stand there, completely lost in thought, and I would suddenly feel Sasuke behind me. He would press his bare chest against my bare back and he would rest his chin on my shoulder, which always tickled. I would laugh as he put his hands on my growing stomach. He would run his hands over my skin, feeling the baby kick. When the baby kicked harder, I would wince and say, "Sure is a fierce one." And Sasuke would say, "Definitely an Uchiha." And we would both smile.
- - - - -
It was a rather boring day, having to stay home as Sasuke was out with Naruto and Kiba, training. Sasuke's six-month prohibition from missions had long passed, but he would only go on daylong missions because he didn't want to be away during my pregnancy. I wondered if he would be this paranoid about the rest of the babies… I never complained, though. It was such a sweet gesture.
Naruto and Kiba were supposed to come over for dinner. But I wasn't even allowed to cook because of the baby, so Sasuke would be picking up something for everyone. I tapped my fingers on the counter of the kitchen, bored beyond belief. I sighed, waiting for the boys to come. It was only 6:05. It wouldn't be for another half-hour or so. I didn't know what to do with myself, so I just sat on the couch to read a magazine in the living room. A couple minutes passed and I heard the front door open. I perked up from my spot, excited. I held my stomach as I got up from the couch. "Sasuke? Naruto? Kiba?" I called out, waiting for a reply, but received none. I walked out of the room, into the foyer. I only saw one figure in the darkness. "Sasuke?" I started walking toward him, but he didn't move. "Sasuke?" Was something wrong? "Sasuke, are you okay? Where are Naruto and Kiba?" My eyes squinted in the dim room.
"Sakura."
"What's wrong?"
Then, in the darkness, I saw two things. The bright red of the activated sharingan glowing and, the thing I was more focused on, the bright marks that were covering my husband's body.
"Sasuke… th-the… the curse mark… it's… it's…"
I stood frozen. How could this be happening? Orochimaru is dead. Sasuke's curse mark had disappeared. I would know. I've seen his bare neck millions of times. What was going on?
My eyebrows scrunched together, confused. I was shocked, but I wasn't afraid. I wasn't afraid of my own husband, my companion, my lover, the father of my child. I stepped closer to Sasuke. "Sasuke," I whispered, "Does it… does it hurt?" The bright marks kept growing and it had finally covered his whole body. "Sasuke?" I reached my hand toward him, and a seemingly floating hand in the darkness roughly grabbed my wrist. "Sasuke!" I yelled, "What's wrong!? Tell me! Is Orochimaru dead!? Is he alive!?"
Sasuke's grip tightened and it hurt. I could hear the cracking of the bone. "Sasuke!?" I called out desperately. His red eyes were changing… the red slowly faded into a snake-like yellow and the pupils became slits. These were the exact eyes of none other than the snake Sannin.
Then I felt fear. This wasn't Sasuke. This wasn't my husband. This was… a monster. "Sasuke…" I whispered. I put my free hand to my mouth and my eyes started watering. "No," I said firmly, "This isn't Sasuke…"
The creepy yellow snake eyes watched me in amusement.
"Who are you!? What happened to Sasuke!?" I yelled frantically.
"Oh, this is me, Sakura," the voice sounded like Sasuke's, but… it couldn't be him. Sasuke grinned. "It's me, Sakura, in a way. You see, Orochimaru is dead. But he is the one who put the curse on my neck, and because I killed him, he gets to have a little revenge. This is his only opportunity, so I'll make it good."
And then he hit me. He hit me. In the stomach.
"Ahhh!" I screamed as I felt the impact. I went flying across the room, hit the wall, and even went partially through the wall. I started sweating. I was so nervous. Frantic. My mind had two thoughts… Sasuke…. The baby…
My hand was on my stomach immediately. Sasuke was right in front of me and I screamed, but he kissed me. In a few seconds, his lips left mine, and I felt different. Tired. Drowsy. The way you feel when your chakra is depleted.
"Sasu–"
"GAH!"
He hit me again. My body was limp as he held me by my shirt. I started crying and begged him, "Sasuke, please stop! Just stop! If not for me… Stop for the baby!"
I already felt it. I already felt the deep connection between the baby and me. A mother would do anything for her child, that's what my mother told me. I now understood that relationship. I would protect the baby with my life, but the thing is, if I die, the baby dies, too.
I focused on breathing and I kept my weak hands on my stomach, a pathetic excuse for a shield. "Sasuke! Can you hear me!?" Sasuke drove me into the wall and he restrained my upper arms with his strong hands. "Oh, I hear you," said the evil voice.
"No! No! Not you! Your not Sasuke!" He slammed me into the wall.
"Yes. I. Am," he said between gritted teeth. I was using all my strength to resist him. To fight back. And Sasuke had some trouble keeping me in one place. But that's all I could do, give him trouble in keeping me still. That wasn't enough to take control of the situation. Sasuke was just so strong. So much stronger than me.
"Sasuke!" I yelled, "Sasuke! You're in there! Somewhere! Sasuke! Sasuke! Sasuke!"
"SHUT UP!"
"Sasuke! Sasuke! SASUKE! SASU–"
"Hm," Sasuke smirked, "I knew that would shut you up."
I saw everything in the mirror on the other side of the room. The mirror was perfectly placed so you could see everything clearly from this spot. I saw the expression I wore. The amount of pain that filled every crevice of my face. The tears of torture running rapidly down my face. My mouth was wide open; a whole apple could fit in there. My lips curved into my mouth, making it look like I had no teeth. My mouth was in the shape of a scream, but no sound came out. It was too painful to make a sound. All of my face and neck muscles were beyond tense. My expression didn't falter. I looked and felt frozen. Nothing had I ever experienced in being a shinobi was this painful. I felt the monster's finger inside of me. He forced himself inside of me. It was so rough. It was so horrendous. I couldn't move. All I felt was "Sasuke's" hand up my dress, his fingers shoved into me. He went in and out and back in. His work was sloppy, not careful at all, and definitely not slow. It was too fast. I wanted to die. Just get it done and over with. But the baby… I was powerless to do anything.
Sasuke must have been satisfied because he took his fingers out of me and his hand was no longer under my dress. I quickly sucked in air, not having been able to breathe. My head dropped, my neck too weak to support it. Sasuke started laughing and in a mocking voice, he said, "So, I guess you didn't like that." The only response he got was the sound of my sniffling. "Aw," he said, "You really didn't enjoy it at all? That's really too bad, 'cause I had lots of fun. And this isn't going to be the last time." I wasn't listening to him. I ignored him. "Come on," he said, "Look at me." I looked down to the floor.
"Look at me." I didn't.
"Look. At. Me." I kept my gaze down.
"Not listening to me, huh?" I still looked down.
"Say something." I didn't. I heard the crack of his knuckles and his heavy breathing. He was mad.
"Say. Something." I still didn't respond.
"Oh, my. Oh, my, my, my. Aren't you disobedient." Sasuke grabbed my hair and pulled on it. I barely responded. I winced at the pain, but I didn't say anything, which seemed to be driving Sasuke crazy.
"Say it," he whispered in my ear. "Say it, or the baby dies."
My head snapped up. "What!? What do you want me to say!?" I asked, desperately, choking on the words.
"Tell me that you are a disobedient bitch that doesn't like being fucked by her own husband."
I stared at him. My husband. I shouldn't be so sad. This wasn't really him. This was just… the curse mark. The curse mark was the one talking. Not Sasuke. I gulped and prepared myself to repeat what the monster had said.
"Actually," he said, "I changed my mind. Just say the truth. Tell me that you never listen."
He leaned his ear closer to my mouth, waiting for me to say it. It was hard finding my voice again. But I had enough persuasion to get it out.
"I never listen," I whispered.
"What was that?"
I paused for a few seconds. My throat hurt, and it was clogged up from my previous crying. But I managed to choke out, "I never listen."
"Hm?"
I swallowed hard. I knew he heard me, but he was just having fun. What he was doing was cruel and torturous. I took a quick breath, closed my eyes, and yelled, "I NEVER LISTEN!" It was so painful to speak, but it was over. Or at least I hoped it was over.
Sasuke grinned. "Good… Good..." He kept repeating that word. "Good… Good…"
"What…" I whispered in my hoarse voice.
"Hm?" Sasuke questioned.
"What… do you want… from…" I couldn't finish the sentence, my throat in too much pain. But I'm sure he understood what I asked.
"Well, what I want is so simple. It's one word. All I want is…" He let go of my arms, which didn't benefit me because all of my energy was gone. My freed arms just fell limply to my sides. Sasuke put his hands on my waist. I preferred them on my arms, only because that way his hands weren't so close to the baby.
"All I want," his hands slid down to my hips, "is you."
Everything that happened next went fast. Almost as if someone was making it all go this fast. But it wasn't like a fast forward button, because then, I could have just skipped all the gruesome parts.
Sasuke pushed me down to the floor and I gasped as the wind was knocked right out of me. It felt like my spine could have been damaged by the impact. But that wasn't the scariest part. I was stuck on the floor and I couldn't even lift my head. I watched in horror as Sasuke flung himself on top of me. He scratched maniacally at me, tearing the fabric of my dress. He was going mad, crazy. Sasuke wasn't a human as his hands were not in my view, but I could feel exactly where they were. I yelled and screamed and thrashed around, but that all made it more dreadful. As his fingers were in me, moving around was a horrible idea on my part. I was better off staying completely still so my movements wouldn't make the roughness of it all even worse. But I felt like I had to at least try to escape. How could I stay still as he violated me? My eyes were tired and they hurt from crying so much. How long would it be until I ran out of tears?
I felt the pumping grow harder and faster and just more awful. It was like Sasuke had no control over himself. As more seconds passed, the worse it got. The throbbing inside of me was weakening as I just started feeling numb. But I noticed Sasuke grew fiercer, more animalistic, more out of control. Was the curse getting to him? Going to his head? Was it affecting his body? Even though I was the one being tortured and hurt, Sasuke looked to be in as much pain as I was. As his hands never left from their place between my legs, I noticed he was shaking. I, myself, was trembling under his hold, but I had a reason to. Why was Sasuke shaking?
"Do something! At least respond like you're enjoying this! Stop screaming! Stop resisting!"
How was I supposed to stop screaming!? It hurt! Why should he care if I was screaming!? Did he want me to enjoy myself!?
Sasuke stopped what he was doing. I felt his violently trembling hands resting on my legs. His head started whipping around, like he was looking for something. He seemed to have been in a panic. I couldn't stop the concern that went through me. He was technically my husband. I couldn't not care about what happened to the monster if it affected my husband. "Sasuke? What's… happening…" I whispered, desperate to understand what was going on. I barely felt alive, but I knew I would survive what happened to me. The only real damage was possibly a couple bruises and a few gashes. I would also have to get the baby checked, of course, to make sure it wasn't damaged in any way. The only reason I felt so dead, was because of the zero energy I had, and the numbness of my lower body. If Sasuke didn't hurt me any more, I knew the baby and I would be okay.
Sasuke still searched for something with his eyes and he squirmed as he did so. He looked uncomfortable. Extremely uncomfortable. He growled and bared his teeth like a beast. He looked like a hungry, ravage beast, searching for its prey.
I tried lifting my head, but I couldn't, and I sighed, "Sasuke?" He didn't listen to me and he looked panicked. His breathing became short, intermittent, and loud. I was not in the mood for making jokes, but it seriously looked like he was about to give birth to something.
And then his head snapped up. He froze. He stopped breathing. But his trembling was unable to stop. His eyes were glued to something. I tried to move my head as much as I could to see what he was staring at. I looked at the wall that Sasuke stared at so intently. My eyes drifted to the different things on the wall. There was the picture of Sasuke and me at our wedding hanging from the wall, but I looked back to Sasuke's gaze, and he wasn't staring at that. Then a little farther to the left was the mirror that I had looked at before. But no, it still wasn't that. Sasuke's gaze was a little further up… but the only thing up there was a clock. A clock?
"Damn it. It's already been fifteen minutes." His voiced was strained and rough. Much like my own if I had to talk. Why should the time matter, though!?
Sasuke stood up and I just watched from the view on the floor. My eyes shifted from the clock Sasuke face. His eyes never left the clock. Sasuke cringed and his hands balled into white fists. And abruptly, he lunged toward the clock, and punched it. The punch caused the mirror and the picture frame to fall to the ground. The clock was history, and gears sputtered out of it. The mirror crashed to the floor and cracked into a thousand unfixable pieces. I screamed as some of the pieces my face. The wooden picture frame holding our wedding picture broke into four separate pieces, but the photo itself went undamaged. It simply drifted like a feather to the ground.
My eyes were transfixed to this scene, but when Sasuke started screaming, I looked back to him. "Sasuke!" I called, even though it hurt like hell to speak. Sasuke held his head in his hands. The marks covering his skin were fading. I couldn't believe my eyes as I watched the black marks retreating. Hope washed through me, but I also felt something else. Not something I could explain. I just felt like… like I didn't want Sasuke to see what happened. I didn't want him to blame himself for this mess. But I was relieved to be able to see my Sasuke back.
"Sasuke!" I called out hopefully, trying to help the transformation go faster.
"Sasuke! Sasuke!" I kept calling. The only thing guiding me was will power. Will power over the burning in my throat.
"Shut. Up!" Yelled Sasuke, the curse mark still dominant. But that didn't stop me. Nothing would stop me until I got my husband back. No matter how much pain I was in, no matter how much pain I was put in, I wouldn't give in.
"Sasuke!"
Sasuke, still partially covered in the marks, stumbled his way toward me, ignoring the mirror shards on the ground.
"I'LL TEACH YOU!"
Sasuke grabbed me by the neck and held me up from the ground. My feet dangled and my throat was in an even worse situation, but I still called out to him. "Sasuke!"
But I was surprised when I saw Sasuke free hand twitched and then I saw a quick flash appear and disappear. Sasuke smirked as I looked down to his hand. The flashes kept coming and soon I heard an all-to-familiar noise. Chirping. The sound of a thousand birds chirping. No way, I thought.
The flashes of what looked like lightning, spread across Sasuke's arm and then it slowly covered his whole body, just as the curse mark had not too long ago. The blue lightning covered his whole body and it made its way up to the arm of the hand that held my neck. I called out Sasuke's name faster and louder.
The lightning covered his arms and reached his hand.
I called his name again.
The chirping sound filled my ears and seemed to drain out my voice. But my mouth formed the name Sasuke.
His hand around my neck tightened as the chidori came in contact with my skin.
I felt the first tiny prick of the bolt, but I managed to call out Sasuke's name again.
It didn't matter.
It didn't help.
It didn't work.
My body's nerves went ballistic as the chidori covered my body.
I had no control anymore as I felt Sasuke fling me across the floor.
I just watched, as Sasuke seemed to just fly away, out of the house, into the darkness.
My muscles went stiff and rigid and were no longer able to move.
My face held a horrified, shocked expression.
But the worst terror of all was when I felt the kicking in my stomach. The baby could feel it. The baby could feel the pain on my body. The baby was suffering along with me. It was begging me to let it out. To stop the pain. But I was going to live through this, and I was going to have this baby, and I was going to see Sasuke, my Sasuke, again.
The lightning started fading, but a few sparks remained. They twitched in the dark air, and caused the room to have a blue tint. My body twitched, my nerves completely frayed. My eyes wouldn't close because I had no control over my muscles. So I just waited. I waited because I knew Naruto and Kiba would make their way here in a couple minutes. I knew they would get me to the hospital, but I hoped they got here soon. I wouldn't last much longer.
The kicking in my stomach was dull and barely there, but it was there. That gave me enough hope to keep going. But I worried as I stared feeling the kicks less and less often. There had been about a thirty second interval between each kick. I had counted. But as I kept counting, the time between one kick and the next grew longer. The interval started to be forty-five seconds… then a minute…
Hurry, Naruto, Kiba… Hurry…
Several minutes passed, and the chidori had completely faded. The room was dark, but not completely black, yet. Any minute… any minute they would be rushing into the door… Any minute…
I just focused on the kicking in my stomach. I just made sure that it never went away. My open mouth was frozen, just like the rest of my body.
"S… sss…"
I tried saying his name, but all I could get out was the sound of an 's'. I sounded like a snake, hissing. "Sss…s…" I stopped, only giving up for the moment, as I waited for the kick. I waited for the kick, I waited for Naruto and Kiba, I waited for Sasuke to come back to save me… I waited alone in the quiet and cruel darkness. I just waited.
As I felt the kick in my stomach, I felt pleased. My mind drifted away and I imagined myself ten years from now. I would be twenty-seven. The baby would be ten, learning how to be a shinobi. I didn't want to know the baby's sex, because I wanted to be surprised. If it were a girl, her name would be Mina, and if it were a boy, his name would be Kano. I could picture the girl with long pink hair, pale skin, dark eyes, running over to me, excited about something that happened at school… The boy would have ebony hair, pale skin, and bright green eyes, and I saw him as being calm just like his father, a prodigy… Either one would look perfect. Absolutely perfect. If I ever get to see that, all of this will be worth it. I imagined myself growing older with Sasuke, possibly having grandchildren… I was surprised that I actually thought of grandchildren when I was only seventeen… I snapped out of my reverie and I heard voices…
"Damn, I really hope Sasuke got some ramen."
"Pft. I doubt it. With Sakura pregnant, he probably got some kind of healthy junk..."
"Oh yeah? Wanna place a bet, Kiba?"
"Hell ya! Twenty bucks that he got some healthy crap."
"Fine. Twenty that he got ramen. Believe it!"
Then I heard a knock on the door. I obviously couldn't open it; I wasn't exactly in the position to do so. I waited, just like before. I waited for Naruto and Kiba's patience to run out so they could just knock the door down.
"Sakura? Sasuke? You-hooo… Ya there?"
"At least give 'em ten seconds to answer, Naruto."
A few seconds passed and they knocked again.
"Hey guys, open up! It's us!" Yelled Kiba.
I really wished they would just break the lock on the door. But if the door was locked, how did Sasuke get out? He must have locked the door on his way out… I listened to their yells. I was so close to them. Literally just a couple feet. If they opened the door, the first thing they would see would be me on the floor. "C….c-c…" I wanted to say, "Come in!" But I couldn't.
As I waited for them to burst through the door, I waited for the kick. I couldn't even remember the last time I felt it. I grew a little nervous at first, but I tried to ignore it, knowing that it wouldn't help the situation.
"Sakura… Sasuke," Naruto whined, "You two better not be "busy" right now. And you know what I mean by "busy."
"Aw, Naruto, shut up! You know Sasuke barely lays a finger on her!"
I kept waiting for the kick, but it wasn't coming. My lungs, the only thing that seemed to be able to move, thank God, started moving rapidly. My breaths came out quickly because I couldn't control myself. My muscles were stiff so it was hard to breathe, but the panic and franticness took over me. Where's the kick!? Where's the kick!? My thoughts only focused on that. Where's the kick!?
And then my stomach convulsed. My frayed nerves were causing my body to have convulsions and muscles spasms. I actually moved, but not on my control. Then I noticed how melted my skin was. My whole body was burned from the electric shock. As I lunged forward from another spasm, I felt like I was being forced to walk through fire.
"GAH!" I yelled.
Outside, I heard them say my name, probably confused.
I lunged forward again, and when my upper body went forward and hit the ground in front of me, I screamed again. "AH! AH!" I hit the shards of the mirror as I landed. My stomach was on the floor and my chin propped my head up. My eyes stared straight into my own. The mirror shards scattered around me allowed me to see myself in a million different pieces. My eyes looked so weak. Practically void. Practically dead. The kick still hadn't come. Was it gone? Was it dead? But my eyes weren't crying, because someone who is dead can't cry.
"Sakura? Sasuke?" Naruto called out, "If you aren't decent… then get decent, 'cause we're coming in!"
I had another spasm and my upper body lunged backward just as Naruto and Kiba burst through the door. And their horrified expressions killed me as I landed right at their feet. They were shocked and Naruto yelled to Kiba, "Get Tsunade!" And Kiba was gone that second.
'Sakura… Sakura… Sakura…" Each time Naruto said my name, his voice grew a higher octave. He kneeled down to me and he put his arm around me to pick me up, but I screamed. Any touch on my skin burned. Naruto quickly let me go. "Who did this…" He was now crying. My muscles twitched again, which meant I was about to go flying again, but Naruto put his arm over my neck, preventing me from hitting the floor again. It hurt when I hit his arm, but it would have hurt more to hit the floor again.
"N…n-n-n…" I wanted to say his name.
His face crumpled and he had no problem crying in front of me. He just looked at my unmoving face and hollow eyes and he cried. He repeated my name, countless of times, like it would make a difference. Just like I thought it would make a difference to call out Sasuke's name over and over again… It was all just a wasted voice.
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