Summary: Sakura encounters pirates who've had a very large impact on the life she now lives. Before love and friendships can blossom she must decide if she can trust the men who doomed her, or leave them behind forever.

Pairing: SakuMulti

"I belong to no one!" The small female yelled, her voice loud and clear. Green eyes hard and determined, short pink hair blowing in the wind. She stood proudly on the edge of the ship, knees straight and position ready to leap if need be. She wore a long dress, thick as curtains and as feminine as a high class lady. Her hands gloved, making her even more out of place on the filthy ship of pirates. Even the dirt she was caked in did nothing to diminish her ethereal beauty. The red hand print placed upon her pale skin only enhancing her soft curves, and angering any man who looked at it; the thought of someone placing their hands on such a tiny female was unacceptable. If it wasn't for the fearless look on her face she would have looked as innocent as a child; she didn't even look old enough to be more than one and nine years.

Survival of the fittest was a code she lived her life by, but now she had to fight to be the fittest. She just hoped she survived, both physically and emotionally.

Madara pushed past his men, a natural smirk marked his features. "Of course," he looked around at his crewmen, "no one here would think to own such a prize." The bellowing laughter rung out around him, the noise encouraging him to spur the angry woman on. "A woman such as you should only be treated as such."

The pink haired vixen narrowed her eyes at him, the intensity of her green eyes piercing him, making him feel as if he stood alone, not an entirely unwelcomed feeling. He reveled in the feel of her eyes only being on him, him being her soul focus. "You mock me," she whispered angrily. "A heathen such as yourself mocks me?"

"Heathen?" He laughed, this time without the backup of his men. "I'm a gentleman." For the first time in his life, he wished it were true.

"You are no gentlemen, pirate!" The fiery female spat out, rage flashing in her emerald green eyes. "You are a murderer and a kidnapper!" Her hands balled into fists at her sides, the pale silk fabric scrunched into a wrinkled mess in her hands, said dainty hands going from pale white to an angry red from her grip, the sheer gloves doing nothing to hide the changing color. Her balance was poised and perfect, even as the boat rocked on the sea surface. She was a beauty and any man on this vessel would be a liar if they disagreed.

"I treat the women who join as nothing but ladies." He tried to defend himself, effort wasted.

"Then take me home!" She screamed viciously, the waters dancing in time with her anger as a large wave crashed against the boat, slamming it into the side of the harbor. Even that did nothing to deter her balance, the humans of his crew falling to their knees at the force of the crash. For a split moment something flashed in her eyes, her face once more hardening into the fearless mask she wore as sword and shield.

"Home?" His brother yelled out with a snort, "Is home where the man had struck you? Hit you so hard you had collapsed into the mud at his feet?" His brother took a step further, daring to even venture closer than himself, "You did your best to fight off the man who laid atop you, a slobbering pig to take you as he pleased."

Ah, that was why his brother had brought the woman along. Izuna was well known as a careless and stoic man, that along with the Uchiha title of murderers to any of their names. His brother didn't keep women; he used them and then gave them back just like any Uchiha turned pirate, and yet something had changed when he brought her along, something Madara couldn't quite place. Although, it was painfully obvious Izuna was just as caught up in her beauty as all the others on the boat it seemed.

"So you want me to thank you?" She gave a hoarse laugh, he had killed the bastard in front of her and then slung her over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. He didn't regret bringing her back to the ship, no his regret laid with the fact he wasn't quick enough in getting her into his bed. "Do you not plan to do me the same way? Pillage me of my virtue? Use me to your bidding and then toss me aside?" Even as her eyes looked around at the men none of them looked away, her accusation doing nothing to deter them.

"No one on this boat will touch you." Itachi stated calmly, "No man on this boat will ever force themselves upon you, that is not what we do. We may steal and kill, even kill women when the time comes, but we will not rape you." The way he stressed the word was lost on no one. Apparently even their dear cousin was as taken with her as well; of course their bloodline was the only one who could fight for her.

"Uchiha men are respectable towards their women!" Sasuke yelled out with his fist raised angrily in the air, leave it to the youngest to stand up for their cursed bloodline. Young Sasuke wasn't old enough to truly understand the horrors of what their clan had done, nor the fact that every Uchiha on the boat was a monster for they felt nothing when it came to what they had done and what they were still willing to do.

"Do you think me ignorant? Am I not just another one of your prisoners?" Sakura asked, and for the first time since stepping foot unwillingly onto the Akatsuki she moved away from the railings. "Think I know not of the stories that follow the Uchiha?" She stepped up to Sasuke, her chest nearly touching his as she stared him down- hard. She ignored his elder brother, eyes locked on the youngest. "All of your eyes," she looked at him fiercely, "stained the color of blood as the people you slew. Do you know my village was the one who cursed you?" She looked at them only slightly regretting her slip up, anger lashing out and getting the best of her. "It was your people who slew mine, driving me to Konoha, surviving just barely. It was you who drove me away from home, made me into what I am."

The young Uchiha looked to the ground, shame coating his features. "Sasuke knows nothing of that." Itachi stated, always being so quick to jump to his brothers defense. "He's about your age, he could not have been their at the time." They knew the village she spoke of, they had been the ones who bound the Uchiha into the human bones that kept them on Earth. Sasuke was the only one among them who had been cursed without cause, Madara and Itachi and Shisui and Izuna where all their, had all slayed men and women.

"But you where," she backfired, now her eyes boring into his own. He didn't flinch, Madara would give him credit for that later, yet he had a feeling that his cousin enjoyed her gaze, even one in anger. "He knows the tale, does he not?" It was a question she knew, but wanted him to answer nonetheless.

"Hn." Itachi stated solemnly, yes.

"Does he know its true?" She asked once more, again already knowing the answer.

Itachi paused and then, "Hn." Yes.

"Yet he defends them as if they did nothing wrong," she spat out, her saliva landing on Itachi's shoes. "I bare the marks of what they have done to my people, I alone am the last survivor." Madara felt his eyes widen as a sudden realization hit him. Itachi didn't make a move to show he understood what the girl was implying, the only thing that could hint at it was the air that changed around him, them. Izuna's mouth fell open and his eyes bulged as he stared at her. They knew this little girl, however the last they had heard of her she was nothing but a small child. Barely alive and sure to die; yet the pink hair and green eyes were a sure mark of who she was.

Even as a child she was with the powers to rival their clan, they didn't want to think about her powers now.

Sasuke noticed a change in his family the moment the words left the pinkettes mouth, he didn't understand what was going on. What had taken them so much by surprise? Was the angry female somehow dangerous to them? She remined him of an angey chipmunk.

"What is your name?" Izuna asked, the earlier aggression forgotten.

She titled her head back, looking down her nose at all of them, "I am Sakura. Haruno Sakura, last heir of the Haruno Clan." It was a fitting name for the girl, she was the personification of a cherry blossom. Madara was the first to act, pulling off his coat as he walked towards her trying to use his eyes to apologize for what he was about to do, and yet she didn't look at him, which caused only a small bit of guilt that he was already over. Before she had time to react he slung his jacket around her body, pulling it tight so she couldn't move against it. The coat encased her body almost fully, the only thing being left out was her feet, while on him it would come just above his knees.

"I'm sorry," he whispered softly where he assumed her head would be, "we need to hide you." A muffled shout was all he had for a reply. Stepping forward Izuna picked the bundle up and slung it over his shoulder, recreating the scene from earlier, then made his way towards the captains room, the sight of her wiggling around was a funny thing, but none of them had time to laugh.

"Head towards the cove, we'll pick up our men and then head to shipwreck. Get what we need at the cove, there will be no stopping until we reach our destination." Madara didn't bother to say anything else as he followed after his brother, his cousins hot on his heel.

Everyone was shocked by the suddeness of the Uchiha men, taking precious seconds of time before snapping back to reality and jumping to do their captains bidding.

-

"We can't just keep her with us!" Sasuke shouted as he slammed his fist on the table, anger directed at his idiot relatives. He was the only one not wanting her to be with them, he could tell she would cause nothing but trouble. They didn't need any more of a burden then they already had.

Itachi gave his brother a leveled stare, "Calm down, Sasuke."

"We will not just abandon her." Madara stated with a raised eyebrow, daring any of them to tell him wrong. Sasuke didn't understand what was happening, why they wanted the strong-willed female so bad.

"We've already been thrown out of our clan," Izuna stated as he stared at his younger cousin, "she stays. We need a woman anyway, and she needs a home."

"What about Konan? Ino? Karin?" That didn't even get a reply, just a snort and a laugh. "Fine," Sasuke shouted, "but when the clan finds out that we're harboring a Haruno, the heir nonetheless, they will come for us." The only reason they had been able to get away the first time was because they had been the heirs of the Uchiha Clan, they had been granted life without their people. Most defenders died on spot.

"That's why we are getting the rest of our crew tomorrow night." Izuna stated with a small smirk, "The clan is strong, Sasuke, but they can't defeat us. Not all of the heirs and the friends we have. They would be suicidal to even try to go up against us." They knew the clan would though, of course they would. They wouldn't let something like this happen without at least putting in some force. There had been a reason when they, thought, they had killed the entire Haruno village. Even the heirs didn't know all the secrets of their clan.

Hearing a thump from behind them, Sasuke let out an irritated sigh as him and his family turned around. Their eyes widening at what they saw.

Or rather didn't see.

Sakura was gone, Madara's coat wrinkled and thrown to the floor, along with the tan gown she'd been wearing moments before. Hearing the thump again they turned to the only window on the boat, followed by the shutter knocking against the side. Letting out a loud curse the Uchiha men ran towards the window, all sticking their heads out in time to see the small female drop into the small escape boat docked underneath the window. She looked up just in time to give them a brilliant smile and a wave of her hand.

i'm going to slowly make my way threw the already written works, editing anything and everything. i won't add any new chapters until the editing is done.