"Ano…." The shy girl said uncertainly. Sakura looked at her timidly.

"Ohayo Hinata-chan" she tried (guessing that this small woman was Hinata-chan)

Ano… I was meant, I mean I-I am here-here to help you-u with your bruises and-nd cuts" she offered.

Sakura smiled broadly at her and held out a hand childishly; giggling Hinata took it in her own and led her through the door. She manoeuvred her through a maze of corridors and down a narrow stair case to the kitchen. Hinata began to boil some water whilst she ushered Sakura to sit down on a small wooden chair. Sakura was compliant and sat quietly, fiddling with her hair and waited.

She watched Hinata pour the water into a bowl and fetch some fresh clean clothe from the cupboard. She folded the white clothes and laid them next to the bowl of steaming water.

"Hinata-chan?"

"Hai?"

"What do you do? I mean for a living?" Sakura asked curiously. Hinata blushed a little- out of habit- and put her dainty head on her side.

"I-I live here… I am-am from a-a larg-ge, rich-ch family and inherited this-his property. I-I rent it- I mean- loan- Ano… rent out-out the rooms." She finally managed.

"You must work really hard!" Sakura gushed.

"No-not really! The bo-oys won-won't let me in their roo-rooms." She chuckled. Now it was Sakura's turn to look bashful as a thought ran through her mind.

"Ano- maybe, you would like me to be a maid for you? Please…?" she begged, Hinata looked startled.

"Hinata-chan, I don't want payment but-but maybe I could live here? Ano- I mean I wouldn't want my own room! I- I could sleep down here if you want!" she gabbled quickly. The dark haired girl was baffled.

"Wh-why would you-ou wanna-aa work here-ere?" she asked, confused. Sakura thought for a while, her brow creased as she concentrated hard.

"Because I have no where else to go I can't do anything but cook, clean and a little first aid so there's not many jobs out there for me. I can repay you for your kindness and-and I-I am scared to leave…" With this confession Sakura hung her head, pink tresses falling around her face, obscuring her features from view. Hinata tilted Sakura's head chin up and gave her a kind, understanding smile.

"Sakura-chan, I would be glad to have you as a guest here and you really don-don't need to be a maid-d!"

"Arigato!" Sakura squealed, she flung her arms around Hinata's pale neck and bounced up and down. Hinata was surprised that she had so much energy and more so that she could move with out screaming in pain, after all she was covered in cuts and bruises.

"Ok Sakura-chan, the water has cooled a little and I think we should start. Where do you think is the worst?"

Sakura looked a little nervous.

"Ano, I think that the cuts on my back are possibly the worst, the "instruments" weren't clean" she murmured. She slipped off the rags, letting them fall to the floor and faced the wall. She gritted the teeth as Hinata pushed her long hair over her shoulders. Hinata gasped a little when she saw the long deep gashes that disfigured Sakura's pale back. She started to carefully picked shards of glass from the festering wound, and then dabbed at them with them hot clothes, teasing any dirt or residue that might lie there. Sakura muffled a cry and bit down on her lip, the pain was almost unbearable. A single hot tear ran down her grubby face- as Hinata worked on.

Soon the shy girl had finished cleaning her back and her shoulders, she quickly covered her neck, her arms and her legs. She momentarily frowned at the bruises on her inner thighs but pushed on. Hinata was about to start working on the torso when Sakura turned away and whispered.

"It hurts too much" Hinata turned Sakura around and saw bruising all over her abdomen and chest area. Worst was on her breasts, Hinata gritted her teeth in anger, Sakura had obviously been abused in more than one way.

"Sakura-chan, I don't want to ask this but I must know, were you raped?" Anger steadied her words and no stutter was heard. Sakura burst into a fresh wave of tears and hugged her knees to her, trying to fight off the awful memories that haunted her dreams.

"No-No! They tried but I wouldn't open my legs, they hurt me, it hurt so much. I couldn't let them touch me there, but, but then-then-then…" she sobbed hysterically and rose in tempo. Hinata began to panic.

The door burst open and Sasuke ran in, his head snapped towards the pink haired girl and he growled slightly.

"Sasuke-san! Take her upstairs, please make her stop! She won't stop, gomen gomen!" Hinata begged.

With one swift movement Sasuke draped his blue jacket around the naked girl's shoulders and scooped up her bare form. He jogged swiftly up the stairs, inwardly he was worried about how light she was in his arms; earlier he had seen ribs protruding.

He noticed her sobs had quietened down, her cried had been reduced to jerky whimpers and she had balled her tiny hands into weak fists which she used to cling onto his baggy black shirt.

She buried her face into his chest and he held her a little tighter before lying her down on the black bed. Silently she let go of his shirt and pulled the blankets around her. When she was covered sufficiently she curled up and quietly cried herself to sleep.

Grumpily Sasuke went to the corner of the room and sank into a deep chair, pulling out a book. He began to read when Naruto ran in, Hinata close behind him.

"Sasuke-kun gomen gomen!" stuttered Hinata sadly.

"Hn"

"Teme! She didn't mean to upset Sakura-chan!"

"Hn" was Naruto's only response. They stood in silent reflection for a while and Sasuke eventually asked.

"What did you ask her, Hinata?"

"She-Sakura h-had cuts-s on he-he-her inner thighs… and severe bru-bruising on her hips and chest. I wa-was-was worried that s-sh-ee had been ra-ped so I aske-d-d if-f my suspicions-s were-were correct and-and she ended up in-in this-s state-te!" Hinata whispered clearly upset. Naruto began to anger when,

"Arigato" departed from Sasuke's lips. He then ushered the stunned two out from the room and sat back in his chair. Here he fell into deep troubled contemplation about the girl that lay in his bed.